Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Art Appreciation

Tonight there is no class because of Halloween, and next week I'm going to miss my ILM class because my wife and I are in Italy. We're on a bus tour with about 30 people visiting Florence, Assisi, Venice, and Rome organized by a Priest who is a friend of ours. It's one of those "get on the bus" ... "get off the bus" sorts of trips, but we're both pretty excited about it anyway. Once we reach a city, we stay in the hotel until we leave that city, so we don't have to constantly pack and unpack the bags, or have them outside the door in the hall at 6:00 AM every day. We're pretty excited about visiting the Cathedrals, where we expect to be overwhelmed with the beauty and grandure, and where we'll be able to celebrate Mass just about every day. How cool is that!
 
We're also looking forward to visiting the tourist spots and spending time in the museums, where my wife and I hope to see some of the famous art that we studied in school and seen only in books and on TV. I recently read an article about a local Art and Wine festival and the writer mentioned his love of art; although he also admitted a sever lack of talent suggesting his stick figures were the worst he'd ever seen. Have you noticed how art seems to have taken a back seat to feelings? Today it's more about making the viewer feel something than it is about the art work. Unfortunately it's easier to make someone feel disgust or anger than it is to evoke a sense of beauty, truth, or grace. It doesn't require much artistic talent to disgust and anger viewers or a trained eye or skilled hand; it simply takes a willingness to please art critics.
 
It is much harder to create something beautiful, something lovely to look at and pleasing to the eye, something where we as viewers praise God for giving that person their artistic gift. The gift from God to create something beautiful, whether it’s on canvas with brushes, or in marble using hammers, or on paper using  a few crayons, it is a reflection of the beauty that God has created in the world. When art is properly used, we see it and bless God for giving someone that sort of talent. If you have artistic talent, use it wisely rather than crudely, and weather you do or don't have artistic talent look for art that reflects God's sense of beauty and creativity, because whatever is pure and lovely reminds us of God, and it reminds us for whom we live our lives.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Ordinary People

Have you ever wondered around in an antique store and checked out the boxes of old photographs? Most of these are ordinary photos of people in weddings, school graduations, family picnics, or people at work or play, etc. You can also find boxes of old post cards, from and to people who no longer exist, with messages about their vacations, vocations, personal thoughts, and daily lives. I have always found it sad that at some point these people have been forgotten, and that someone who no longer cares decided to donate these memories to strangers. The last records of these peoples lives are waiting in dusty boxes and will eventually turn to dust themselves; forgotten forever. Maybe it's because I've spent a lot of time wondering around in antique stores, but there was a time when I was concerned about whether anyone would remember me after I was gone. I'll be missed by my immediate family of course, but only until they have passed on. I am not going to be a talented actor, or a rich businessman, or a famous scientist. In fact, no matter how well any of us play a musical instrument, or play our favorite sport, or how much money we make or give away, most of us are not going to be the best at anything.

Saint Therese of Lisieux, known as the Little Flower, was once asked about her meditation practices, and specifically what she said to God in prayer. She responded, "Nothing, I just listen". The followup question was, "What does God tell you?", and Saint Therese said, "Nothing, He just listens". Even in prayer, Saint Therese taught us the power of simplicity. She prayed from her heart as a child speaks honestly and trustingly to a parent they love.  "Everything is grace" would probably be the theme song of her spirituality. Her "Little Way" teaches us to do the ordinary things of life with extraordinary love. A smile, a note of encouragement, a phone call, suffering in silence, always having a positive word, a simple unnoticed task to brighten the life of another, and so many other simple deeds, done with love were the examples of her spirituality. The smallest action, done with love, is more important than greatest deeds done for personal glory, gratification or simply out of obedience. Saint Therese's life reflected her belief that Jesus is everywhere and is the power for love and goodness operating within us: Such is the power and presence of grace. Saint Therese saw herself as a child of God, and she liked to keep things as simple and focused as a child because she felt that trust, especially trust in God, is a childlike virtue.

Most of us will always be ordinary people doing ordinary things in ordinary ways, just like most of the people found in those antique store boxes. Over the last few years I've come to grips with the idea of being an ordinary person, and in fact I now embrace being ordinary. God doesn't favor movie stars and scientists, and although He needs leaders and people of action, it's the ordinary activities of ordinary people that He is using to build His Kingdom. Saint Therese believed that life presents enough challenges and opportunities for grace. She taught us that God is everywhere, in every situation and in every person, and in the ordinary simple details of life. God is calling us to respond to His divine love in a childlike relationship of love, trust, and confidence by doing simple things for others. Therese was faithful to the Gospel of Jesus and the core of his message, and she invites us to join in her "spiritual childhood" or "little way". It's comforting to realize that we are God's children too, and that how we live our lives is just as important as what we accomplish with our lives. In the end, you and I and the rest of the ordinary people in this world will not be remembered long after we're gone, but how we live, and how we worship, and how we impact the people around us is what gives our lives, and our memories, meaning. We may be forgotten, but even in the most simple of ways the good that we do in God's name will last forever.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Catholic Social Teaching - Class 6

This is the introduction to the text for Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good originated from the Domestic and International Policy Committees. It was prepared in consultation with the bishops' Committee on Doctrine and the Committee on Science and Human Values. The document was approved for publication by the full body of United States Catholic bishops at their June 2001 General Meeting. As people of faith, we are convinced that "the earth is the Lord's and all it holds" (Psalms 24:1). Our Creator has given us the gift of creation: the air we breathe, the water that sustains life, the fruits of the land that nourish us, and the entire web of life without which human life cannot flourish. All of this God created and found "very good." We believe our response to global climate change should be a sign of our respect for God's creation.
 
The continuing debate about how the United States is responding to questions and challenges surrounding global climate change is a test and an opportunity for our nation and the entire Catholic community. As bishops, we are not scientists or public policymakers. We enter this debate not to embrace a particular treaty, nor to urge particular technical solutions, but to call for a different kind of national discussion. Much of the debate on global climate change seems polarized and partisan. Science is too often used as a weapon, not as a source of wisdom. Various interests use the airwaves and political process to minimize or exaggerate the challenges we face. The search for the common good and the voices of poor people and poor countries sometimes are neglected.
 
At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God's creation and the one human family. It is about protecting both "the human environment" and the natural environment. It is about our human stewardship of God's creation and our responsibility to those who come after us. With these reflections, we seek to offer a word of caution and a plea for genuine dialogue as the United States and other nations face decisions about how best to respond to the challenges of global climate change.
 
The dialogue and our response to the challenge of climate change must be rooted in the virtue of prudence. While some uncertainty remains, most experts agree that something significant is happening to the atmosphere. Human behavior and activity are, according to the most recent findings of the international scientific bodies charged with assessing climate change, contributing to a warming of the earth's climate. Although debate continues about the extent and impact of this warming, it could be quite serious. Consequently, it seems prudent not only to continue to research and monitor this phenomenon, but to take steps now to mitigate possible negative effects in the future.
 
As Catholic bishops, we seek to offer a distinctively religious and moral perspective to what is necessarily a complicated scientific, economic, and political discussion. Ethical questions lie at the heart of the challenges facing us. John Paul II insists, "We face a fundamental question which can be described as both ethical and ecological. How can accelerated development be prevented from turning against man? How can one prevent disasters that destroy the environment and threaten all forms of life, and how can the negative consequences that have already occurred be remedied?"
 
Because of the blessings God has bestowed on our nation and the power it possesses, the United States bears a special responsibility in its stewardship of God's creation to shape responses that serve the entire human family. As pastors, teachers, and citizens, we bishops seek to contribute to our national dialogue by examining the ethical implications of climate change. We offer some themes from Catholic social teaching that could help to shape this dialogue, and we suggest some directions for the debate and public policy decisions that face us. We do so with great respect for the work of the scientists, diplomats, business and union representatives, developers of new technologies, environmental leaders, and policymakers who have been struggling with the difficult questions of climate change for many years.
 
While our own growing awareness of this problem has come in part from scientific research and the public debate about the human contribution to climate change, we are also responding to the appeals of the Church in other parts of the world. Along with Pope John Paul II, church leaders in developing countries—who fear that affluent nations will mute their voices and ignore their needs—have expressed their concerns about how this global challenge will affect their people and their environment. We also hear the call of Catholic youth and other young people to protect the environment.
 
Therefore, we especially want to focus on the needs of the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable in a debate often dominated by more powerful interests. Inaction and inadequate or misguided responses to climate change will likely place even greater burdens on already desperately poor peoples. Action to mitigate global climate change must be built upon a foundation of social and economic justice that does not put the poor at greater risk or place disproportionate and unfair burdens on developing nations.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

The Peanuts quiz

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the  creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions just ponder them briefly:

Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
Name the last person to win the Nobel Prize.
Name the last person to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Name the last actor or actress to win an Academy Award.
Name the last World Series winners.

How did you do? These are not second-rate achievers, they are the best in their fields. But as the applause dies and the awards tarnish the achievements are forgotten, and the accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. The lesson is that none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. Here's the rest of the Charles Schulz quiz. See how you do on this one:

Name a teacher who aided you in school.
Name a friend who helped you through a difficult time.
Name a person who taught you something worthwhile.
Name someone who made you feel appreciated and special.
Name all the people you enjoy spending time with.

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, or the most money, or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most. The lesson is to be yourself because everyone else is taken! Pass this on to someone who has made a difference in your life, and take this opporutnity to make a difference in someone else's life.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Catholic Social Teaching - Class 5

A Catholic Framework for Economic Life envisions the “The dignity of the human person, realized in community with others, is the criterion against which all aspects of economic life must be measured. At the core, in matters of faith, economic life is one of the chief areas where we live out our faith, love our neighbor, and live our life. The 1986 letter on Economic Justice for All, written by the USCCB and presented here in summary, reflects a unique perspective for the United States. It is grounded in scripture and tradition, the fruit of three years of research, public feedback, and reflection, and it still has relevance for us today.
 
It was written in response to tax cuts, anti-union policies, increases in military spending, and the growing gap  between rich and poor. The Bishops wrote Economic Justice for All to focus the US economy on the local and global poverty concerns. The letter called for new forms of cooperation between business and private enterprise, and was in-line with the UNs focus on the poor and vulnerable. No one can claim the name Christian and be comfortable with the homelessness and poverty in the world. We must share perspectives and raise questions as heirs to the Hebrew prophets and as heirs to Jesus' teaching. We must be in the service of all people - especially the poor.
 
Scripture provides an ample guide for a moral vision for economic life: The focal point of Israel’s faith provides the foundation for reflection. Humans are created in the image of God and are endowed with inalienable rights; through their labor they are unfolding the Creator’s work. Sin alienates humans from God and one another, but God always seeks out a sinful people.  God’s covenant with Israel spells out God’s promise of steadfast love for the people (hesed) and God’s faithfulness (emeth). In return, God calls for fidelity and loving justice which promotes the dignity of all. The Israelites were to “imitate God by treating the alien and slave in their midst as God had treated them.
 
Central to the biblical presentation of justice is that the justice of a community is measured by its treatment of the powerless in society, most often described as the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger. Jesus enters human history as God’s anointed son who announces the nearness of the reign of God. The reign of God has already begun in the life and teaching of Jesus and Judgment will be based on how Jesus was treated in the least among us. Being called to be disciples in community involves imitating the pattern of Jesus’ life by openness to God’s will in the service of others. Sharing in the same resurrection faith as the disciples contemporary followers of Christ can face the struggles and challenges that await those who bring the gospel vision to bear on our complex economic and social world.
 
The Gospel of Luke especially has relevance for our moral perspective on economic life today. Luke speaks concretely of the rich and poor and explains how material poverty is not “blessed”, it’s the poor who are blessed because they are not blinded by riches and can thus see God. Luke’s Jesus has a special predilection for the poor and lowly. The preferential option for the poor calls us to see things from the side of the poor and powerless and to assess lifestyle, policies, and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor.
 
We are a community of hope. Our human history is unfolding between the first creation and the restoral of that creation. In union with all people of good will, Christians are called to shape history in the direction of the reign of God. Our action on behalf of justice in our world proceeds from the conviction that, despite the power of injustice and violence, life has been fundamentally changed by the entry of the Word made Flesh in to human history. Our quest is two-fold; it involves diagnosing those situations that continue to alienate the world from God’s creative love as well as presenting hopeful alternatives that arise from living in a renewed creation.
 
It’s a living tradition that draws upon both Scripture and tradition. Throughout history, Christians have in their own context made the option for the poor, and beginning with Leo XIII’s Rerum Hovarum, down to the writings and speeches of John Paul II, the popes have more systematically addressed the rapid change of modern society in a series of social encyclicals. Efforts have been strengthened by the Protestant tradition’s emphasis on vocations of lay people, ecumenical efforts in economic ethics, and by Catholics in developing countries. The concerns of this pastoral letter are not at all peripheral to the central mystery at the heart of the Church.  Instead they are integral to the proclamation of the Gospel and part of the vacation of every Christian today.
 
The ethical norms appeal to both Christians and non-Christians because they are grounded in basic respect for the dignity for the human person. The dual command for love of God and neighbor, in the social nature of persons, mirrors the Trinitarian relationship of Love.
 
Commutative justice demands that all persons receive their due, distributive justice demands a fair distribution of goods, and social justice calls for a basic level of participation in the life of the society.  Basic justice also calls for the establishment of a floor of material wellbeing on which all can stand. This is a duty of the whole of society and it creates particular obligations for those with greater resources, as extreme income inequalities threaten the solidarity for the human community. As Americans we must examine our way of living and patterns of consumption in the light of the needs of the poor, and resist the temptation to want more.
 
Basic justice demands the establishment of minimum levels of participation in the life of the human community for all persons. Patterns of exclusion are created by free human beings participating in unjust and oppressive structures and institutions. In this sense they can be called forms of social sin. Acquiescence in them or failure to correct them when it is possible to do so is a sinful dereliction of Christian duty. There is a basic floor of human rights which are necessary for basic survival and human dignity. Any denial of these basic rights violates the human person and destroys community. These rights include the civil and political rights to freedom of speech, worship, and assembly. A number of human rights also concern human welfare and re of a specifically economic nature. First among these are the rights to life, food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and basic education.
 
The obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation. The fulfillment of the basic needs of the poor is of the highest priority. Increasing active participation in economic life by those who are presently excluded or vulnerable is a high social priority. The investment of wealth, talent and human energy should be specially directed to benefit those who are poor or economically insecure. Economic and social po9licies as well as the organization of the work world should be continually evaluated in light of their impact on the strength and stability of family life.
 
It is primarily through their daily work that people contribute to economic justice.  All work has a threefold moral significance. First, it is a principle way that people exercise the distinctive human capacity for self-expression and self-realization. Second, it is the ordinary way for human beings to fulfill their material needs. Finally work enables people to contribute the well-being of the larger community. Work is not only for oneself. It is for one’s family, for the nation, and indeed for the benefit of the entire human family. The principle of subsidiarity gives everyone, all individuals and social bodies the task of working for justice and the common good.
 
The way power is distributed in a free-market economy frequently gives employer greater bargaining power than employees in the negotiation of labor contracts. Such unequal power may press workers into a choice between and inadequate wage and no wage at all. But justice, not charity, demands certain minimum guarantees. The Church fully supports the right of workers to form unions or other associations to secure their rights to fair wages and working conditions. No one may deny the right to organize without attacking human dignity itself. Property owners, managers, and investors of financial capital must all contribute to creating a more just society. The Catholic tradition has long defended the right to private ownership of productive property. But this right is neither unlimited nor absolute and must always be at the service of the common good. It is constrained by a social mortgage.
 
Every citizen has the obligation to contribute to the common good. All who have more than they need must come to the aid of the poor. People with professional or technical skills needed to enhance the lives of others have a duty to share them. And the poor have similar obligations to work together as individuals and families to build up their communities by acts of social solidarity and justice. Charity will never be true charity unless it takes justice into account. Let no one attempt with small gifts of charity to exempt himself from the great duties imposed by justice (Pope Pius XI). Though the Church rejects all statist and totalitarian approaches to economic life, it nevertheless teaches that government has amoral function, protecting human rights and securing basic justice for all members of the common wealth.
 
The Christian vision of love, justice, peace, and grace gives us the strength and conviction to work toward a world that more fully reflects God’s reign of justice and peace, in spite of setbacks and obstacles.  This hop is not a naïve optimism that imagines that simple formulas for creating a fully just society are ready at hand. The Church’s experience through  history and in nations throughout the world today has made it ware of all ideologies that claim to have the final answer to humanity’s problems. Christian hope has a much stronger foundation than such ideologies, for it rests on the knowledge that God is at work in the world, preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth where justice will abide. Concrete solution to pressing economic issue will come as we communally engage in critical analysis, dialogue, experimentation, and imagination, undergirded by deep faith and courageous love.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Raven - Part 2

Our story teller had titled her talk, "On the Wisdom of the Community of the Beloved Disciples, A walk with Jesus", which she took from John 21. She is a noted author who works with indigenous groups and base Christian communities all over the world, and with justice and peace groups as well as parishes and dioceses. She is a native of New York City and has lived, visited, and gypsied through North and South America, Europe, and a collection of remote islands. She introduced her talk by expressing how important story is, and that at the end of the evening we "would either love everything she had to say or we would want to kill her". I thought that was a weird way to introduce her story telling style, and in hind sight I should have realized what I was in for. I had been looking forward to her talk, expecting to hear how her travels had deepened her Christian faith and how her faith had influenced her travels.

Unfortunately, I failed to consider one important, and critical, fact. This presentation was being sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center for Catholic Spiritual Development. I am not familiar with most of their belief and teaching, although I can say that because of my few encounters with this group, I strongly believe this to be a fringe group within Catholicism. After telling the story about the raven the elder in our midst continued to explore the idea of failure, and sin, and the shadows that follow us around most of our lives. For her the American Indians represented a time in which myth and truth, were inseparable from nature and religion. According to her, this way of life existed for thousands of years and was an example of where we as Catholics should be headed.

Evidently she usually speaks to "invitation only" groups, which gives her the freedom to speak ... "freely". Her comments concerning the quality of leadership within the Church were not positive or even intended as suggestions for improvement (and as evidence this Thomas Merton group refuses to contribute any portion of their collections to the Church). This group would prefer to simply remove anyone (from the Church) that isn't a lay person (from all deacons and up), and start over. Her agenda was that Peter was not supposed to have been given the keys to the kingdom and that from there (and since then) things have been going downhill. According to her, a view probably supported by this group, Christianity should never have read or canonized the writings of Saint Paul.

Remember Harold Camping, the personality from the Family Radio program that predicted the most recent rapture date? Here is another opportunity to pray for those who are completely misguided, and for those they are leading astray.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

An Evening of Prayer

Tonight we didn't have the usual class, instead we gathered together for an evening of prayer. At the beginning of every year all of the students in the ILM program take this opportunity to be attentive to their spiritual formation, and this year the Mass was held at Saint Joseph Cathedral Basilica in down town San Jose. The multi lingual service lasted just over two hours during which we also celebrated the opening of the Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of Vatican II. The theme was, "Members of our region call us to share our diverse gifts in praise of God", and it began with music from the various cultures in the various communities in the San Jose Diocese, including a small group of Vietnamese drummers and a larger Samoan choir. The Gathering Song was Laudate, Laudate Dominum which is sung in Latin, but the second verse was, "In the faith of Christ we walk hand in hand, light before our path as the Lord has planned; shinning the torch of faith in our land". As always the music was beautiful!

The Year of Faith is all about ordinary Catholics and what ordinary Catholics do. Pope Benedict laid out the purpose for this Year in his letter Door of Faith, stressing that the door of faith is always open for us, ushering us into a life of communion with God and offering us entry into his Church. The Pope believes that if only all of us lived more clearly the faith that is given to us in the Scriptures and professed at our Baptism and renewed every Sunday, then more people would be inspired to enter that "door of faith" to be one with God. "We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is "the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed, and also the source from which all its power flows". At the same time, we make it our prayer that believers' witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year." (Pope Benedict XVI)

One of the most important events in modern history of the Catholic Church has reached a historical milestone. Fifty years ago, with the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII confidently threw open the windows of the Church trusting that the Holy Spirit would blow through it a fresh breeze of renewal. During this worldwide ecumenical council the 2500 bishops approved 16 documents to enliven Catholic spirituality; one of which, Guadium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) insists that the Catholic Church must be at the service of all humanity, especially those most in need. Another development of that council is the ecumenical proclamation for the Gospel and the defense of Gospel values. Bishop Brian Farrell recently said, "The challenges facing religious belief itself and church life are common, no church, no religion is an island, and we need one another and can learn from one another. The mission that the Lord entrusted to the Apostles, to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, has not been fulfilled", and ecumenical cooperation is crucial when trying to transmit the faith in the modern world and to re-propose Christianity in areas becoming more secularized.

Near the end of the evening we sang the song Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow which is one I used to sing with my Mom on Sundays. After that, representatives from all of the Parish's (including me) were called forward to receive a candle during which everyone sang, The Litany of Saints. Once again our evening of prayer was a personal blessing to me and an inspirational evening for all.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

The Raven - Part 1

According to American Indian mythology, the raven can be many things; a bird (flying freely in the air), or a trickster (stealing things it finds pretty), and even a god (looking down upon the earth). Imagine this story being told by the first Americans, to a group of children gathered in a small circle around a fire, with the dim light of the fire dancing on the faces of the children, and on the faces of the adults standing in an outer circle. A large elder is moving around the children, between them and the adults, interrupting the dancing light with shadows cast outward toward the wall of adults; her arms waving, her body turning and stooping as she makes faces to illustrate the story of the raven. After a similar short introduction, our story teller for the evening began this story.

"Every day the black raven took to the sky and flew high above the earth, surveying all that he saw. One day, while flying over the sea, the raven saw an island that was not there the day before, and becoming very curious he flew down closer. Near the shore was a small hut and the smell of smoked salmon was too much of a temptation for the raven. He wanted some of that delicious salmon, and he landed near the hut and walked in. The hut was unguarded and empty except for the smoked salmon that was hanging everywhere; large fish on one rack, medium fish on a second rack, and small fish on a third rack."

"He chose the biggest fish he could find and carried it to a table, but before he could take a bite, it shot back up onto the rack. So he chose a medium sized fish and carried it to the table, but before he could take a bite, it too shot back up onto the rack. He tried again, choosing a small fish, but just like the first two times, before he could take a bite the fish shot back up on to the rack. This was too much for the raven to understand, so he left the hut and took to the sky again."

"Almost immediately, he noticed something following him and becoming frightened he began to swerve, and dive, and climb, but he just couldn't lose that smooth black object. Terror overwhelmed him as he suddenly realized that what was following him was his shadow. He cawed and cried loudly that it wasn't fair; he never had a shadow before and he certainly didn't want one now. Realizing his mistake he looked back, but it was too late, for the raven saw that the island was gone."

Here the story teller in our midst abruptly ended the story, pointed to her audience and accused each of us of being ravens. The raven, you see, was given a shadow because it was trying to steel something that didn't belong to it. The moral of the story is that because each of us has a shadow, then we too have stolen something that didn't belong to us. In my modern re-interpretation of this story Satan is the trickster, the accuser who opposes and challenges our faith, the island represents the kind of opportunities that pop up out of nowhere presenting us with temptations that are sometimes difficult to resist, and our shadow is … well … just a shadow. Nevertheless, although our shadow isn't a telltale sign of failure, we might see it as a reminder of our past mistakes.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Catholic Social Teaching - Class 4

Tonight our instructor discussed Faithful Citizenship and the Formation of Conscience in responding to the call to political responsibility. As a nation, we share many blessings and strengths, including a tradition of religious freedom and political participation. However, as a people, we face serious challenges that are clearly political and also profoundly moral. We are a nation founded on “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but the right to life itself is not fully protected, especially for unborn children, the most vulnerable members of the American family. We are called to be peacemakers in a nation at war. We are a country pledged to pursue “liberty and justice for all,” but we are too often divided across lines of race, ethnicity, and economic inequality. We are a nation of immigrants, struggling to address the challenges of many new immigrants in our midst. We are a society built on the strength of our families, called to defend marriage and offer moral and economic supports for family life. We are a powerful nation in a violent world, confronting terror and trying to build a safer, more just, more peaceful world. We are an affluent society where too many live in poverty and lack health care and other necessities of life. We are part of a global community facing urgent threats to the environment that must sustain us. These challenges are at the heart of public life and at the center of the pursuit of the common good.

The handout was prepared by the Catholic Bishops of the United States as a guide for the exercise of our rights and duties as participants in democracy. Their statement lifts up our dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens. We are members of a community of faith with a long tradition of teaching and action on human life and dignity, marriage and family, justice and peace, care for creation, and the common good. As Americans, we are also blessed with religious liberty which safeguards our right to bring our principles and moral convictions into the public arena. These Constitutional freedoms need to be both exercised and protected, as some seek to mute the voices or limit the freedoms of religious believers and religious institutions. Catholics have the same rights and duties as others to participate fully in public life. The Church through its institutions must be free to carry out its mission and contribute to the common good without being pressured to sacrifice fundamental teachings and moral principles.

The Catholic Bishops statement remains a faithful and challenging call to discipleship in the world of politics. It does not offer a voters guide, scorecard of issues, or direction on how to vote. It applies Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues and warns against misguided appeals to ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological, or personal interests. It does not offer a quantitative listing of issues for equal consideration, but outlines and makes important distinctions among moral issues acknowledging faithful citizenship that some involve the clear obligation to oppose intrinsic evils which can never be justified and that others require action to pursue justice and promote the common good. In short, it calls Catholics to form their consciences in the light of their Catholic faith and to bring our moral principles to the debate and decisions about candidates and issues.

The Church's teaching about issues affecting public policy and our obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. To echo the teaching of the Second Vatican Council: Christ, the Word made flesh, in showing us the Father’s love also shows us what it truly means to be human (see Gaudium et Spes, no. 22). Christ’s love for us lets us see our human dignity in full clarity and compels us to love our neighbors as He has loved us. Christ, the Teacher, shows us what is true and good, that is, what is in accord with our human nature as free, intelligent beings created in God’s image and likeness and endowed by the Creator with dignity and rights.

What faith teaches about the dignity of the human person and about the sacredness of every human life helps us see more clearly the same truths that also come to us through the gift of human reason. At the center of these truths is respect for the dignity of every person. This is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching. Because we are people of both faith and reason, it is appropriate and necessary for us to bring this essential truth about human life and dignity to the public square. We are called to practice Christ’s commandment to “love one another” (John 13:34). We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to share our blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless. In his first encyclical letter, Pope Benedict XVI explained that “charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as social charity".

Some question whether it is appropriate for the Church to play a role in political life. However, the obligation to teach about moral values that should shape our lives, including our public lives, is central to the mission given to the Church by Jesus Christ. Moreover, the United States Constitution protects the right of individual believers and religious bodies to participate and speak out without government interference, favoritism, or discrimination. Civil law should fully recognize and protect the Church’s right, obligation, and opportunities to participate in society without being forced to abandon or ignore its central moral convictions. Our nation’s tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened, when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions and concerns into public life. Indeed, our Church’s teaching is in accord with the foundational values that have shaped our nation’s history: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

The Catholic community brings important assets to the political dialogue about our nation’s future. We bring a consistent moral framework, drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church, for assessing issues, political platforms, and campaigns. We also bring broad experience in serving those in need, educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace. Building a world of respect for human life and dignity, where justice and peace prevail, requires more than just political commitment. Individuals, families, businesses, community organizations, and governments all have a role to play. Participation in political life in light of fundamental moral principles is an essential duty for every Catholic and all people of good will.

The Church is involved in the political process but is not partisan. The Church cannot champion any candidate or party. Our cause is the defense of human life and dignity and the protection of the weak and vulnerable. The Church is engaged in the political process but should not be used. We welcome dialogue with political leaders and candidates; we seek to engage and persuade public officials. Events and “photo-ops” cannot substitute for serious dialogue. The Church is principled but not ideological. We cannot compromise basic principles or moral teaching. We are committed to clarity about our moral teaching and to civility. In public life, it is important to practice the virtues of justice and charity that are at the core of our Tradition. We should work with others in a variety of ways to advance our moral principles. In light of these principles and the blessings we share as part of a free and democratic nation, we must respond to the call for a renewed kind of politics: 1) Focused more on moral principles than on the latest polls, 2) Focused more on the needs of the weak than on benefits for the strong, and 3) Focused more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow interests. This kind of political participation reflects the social teaching of our Church and the best traditions of our nation.