I was driving home when I heard on my car radio a minister say that "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" was a Looney-tune idea. I don't make a habit of speaking back to the radio, but I couldn't help but scream, "It's in the Bible!" Acts 2: 44-45 reads: "And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need." The dying gasp of the McCain-Palin campaign tried to make 'sharing the wealth' into Obama socialism, apparently without any more awareness than the radio preacher that socialized wealth is in the bible.

Marx and Engels repeatedly refer to Early Christianity as a touchstone for the socialist ideal - although they complain that a non-religious "scientific" socialism (i.e. Communism) is needed. (That historical footnote explains why persons unfamiliar with scripture get confused about socialism and Christian discipleship.) Wisely, Catholicism has always held up the example of the communalism of Early Christianity as a choice, rather than a requirement for living the Gospel. We call the holding of all things in common and the practice of giving according to one's ability an evangelical counsel. It is a charism in Catholicism, exemplified in religious life and committed ministry. But even if it is to be practiced by a few, it is considered to be a more intense form of Christianity that mirrors the values preached by Christ.

The Catholic Church is not for or against any economic system on the basis of ideology. The focus has always been upon the climate for social relationships that an economic system generates. Thus, for instance, at the time of Aquinas it was decided that demanding interest was legitimate because the borrower was "renting money." Usury was incurred only if the interest rate for the loan was excessive. Likewise private property was to be respected, but it was not an absolute right. The TV character in Star Trek echoes Catholic teaching on private property when he states: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

At stake in contemporary Catholic America is a growing awareness that the U.S. economic system has serious flaws. In addressing the financial system, "socialism" is not a dirty word for Catholics. As explained in an earlier piece, Catholic teaching on the economy favors mixing elements of Capitalism and Socialism. The Church usually reserves its criticisms or support for economic measures by examining how they affect social relationships. People must be placed before profits when there is a conflict between the gains of Capitalism and the general social welfare. Perhaps the best example of this socializing principle is in health care. If there is a choice between running a hospital as a business or taking care of those in need, there is no choice for a Catholic.

All of these principles are clearly stated in myriad documents, but what makes them particularly important in the immediate future is the likely persistence of massive governmental funding of industries and social programs in the US. If there is not enough money for both the corporations and the people, the latter should take priority. Moreover, today's crisis in the US has parallels with Europe in the 1930s and much of Latin America even today. Will the government intervene with public money to preserve the power of those with capital? If there is not enough funding to provide services to all, will some persons be cut off because of their race, religion or ethnicity?

These are not idle questions. Historically, German Capitalism in crisis opted for a form of socialism to bail out the major corporations, but restricted the ownership and the benefits of citizenship to those whose nationality was "pure German." The intention was to have government use social programs to benefit the few. It was a National Socialism, and just as surely as we condemn how it ended, we should recognize how it began.