Doing the common good for everyone means that certain individual sacrifices must be made for the betterment of society. That was one of the messages Fr. Kris Schmidt presented during his June Sophia Talk.

Fr. Schmidt, an associate pastor at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton, shared his thoughts on the threat of the growing individualistic culture — something Pope Francis has also warned about.

“Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor,” the Pope said in his book Evangelii Gaudium. “God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.”

During his speech, Fr. Schmidt proposed a remedy to overcome individualistic society, and discussed the challenges associated with it.