Thomas Massaro, SJ, is professor of moral theology at Fordham University. Previously he was dean of the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he was also professor of moral theology. He is a regular contributor to America magazine and often leads parish and community workshops on social justice and Catholic social teaching. He is the author of several books, including Mercy in Action: The Social Teachings of Pope Francis (R&L, 2018), U.S. Welfare Policy: A Catholic Response and coeditor of American Catholic Social Teaching.
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Reviews
Accessible and comprehensive, Living Justice is a go-to textbook for my introductory courses on Catholic Social Teaching. Massaro brings the book up to date with the social teaching of Pope Francis and illustrates the significance of his contribution to the Catholic social tradition. -- Erin Brigham, director of the Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Social Thought and the Ignatian Tradition at the University of San Francisco Thomas Massaro provides a path to the lifelong quest of how faith calls us to justice. He not only introduces the reader to the narrative of Catholic Social Teaching but also links its importance to the life of the Church today. This text invites the reader to dialogue with the best forces of secular society to create a better world. It offers a vision, methods of analysis, tools of discernment and principles of proceeding, a toolbox of supports and clarifications, which make the whys and ways of the Social Tradition, available to the reader. An excellent resource for the classroom and a tool for those who want to introduce or support those seeking to make a difference. -- Judith A. Merkle, SNDdeN professor of religious studies, Niagara University, NY I know of no better single volume on the history and principles of Catholic Social Teaching that also brings readers up-to-date on that tradition's most recent developments and contemporary, global relevance. With an extensive new chapter on the contributions of Pope Francis to CST, neophytes and seasoned theologians alike will find something to appreciate in this eminently readable 4th edition. As a secondary and postsecondary classroom text, Living Justice will prove indispensable in introducing a new generation to the Church's ongoing concerns with social justice. -- AJ DeBonis, Department of Theology, Regis High School, NYC Fr. Massaro's Living Justice is the go-to book for teaching about social justice in a Catholic context. An accessible text that's found favor with professors, high school teachers, and adult education facilitators, this fourth edition adds new attention to environmental justice and the teaching of Pope Francis. Having taught the book since its first edition, I appreciate Massaro's down-to-earth language, his thoughtful guidance on how to reason ethically, and his attention to concerns about the credibility of the Catholic Church's engagement with political and economic debates. I can't wait to teach this new edition! -- Brian Stiltner, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut