June 1, 2013 – Catechism 2407 - 2414

I don't think I ever knew the different types of justice described here.  There is commutative, legal, and distributive justice.  From the paragraphs, commutative justice appears the most basic stating that "without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible."  Legal is what a person is owed in fairness to the community and distributive is what a community owes to its people.  Commutative is what individuals owe to each other on that most fundamental and basic level. 

It also talks about games of chance.  This is particularly interesting because I go to a monthly poker game with a group of men from our church.  As you see, there is no strict restriction of all gambling.  It is allowed, basically in moderation.  It becomes an issue when you cheat, when you gamble so much that it effects your life or takes away your support of those dependent on you, or when you take from others knowing that it will take away their ability to care for those that are dependent on them.  Our game is a 5 dollar buy in once a month.  There is the ability to pay in more if you lose quickly, but no one has ever put more than 20 in.  This is within everyone's means and, I think, well within the frame of what is allowed. 

I wonder why slavery is brought up here and not in the "you shall not kill" section.  I see more it being a taking of a person's life or degrading it than a stealing of their abilities or cheating out of their work.  I have always seen it more on par with abortions, disregarding that they are human, than theft, or not paying them justly for their work.  I think slavery was much more of a social wrong than a financial wrong.