Buying Organic & Social Justice

More and more products are starting to sport an organic label — and it's going well beyond just food. In most areas, we are seeing an increase in the number of cotton products (towels, t-shirts, bed linens, etc.), personal care products (soaps and lotions), and even candles that are labeled as organic. Thus, buying organic products isn't just about putting healthier things in our mouths (although that may be one benefit). 
       Buying organic is more about a means of production that is more respectful to the earth's environment. Products that are organically grown use farming techniques which avoids the use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and weed killers. This in turn results in healthier, more productive soil for the future, and water supplies that are not contaminated with chemical runoff.
       For more information about the benefits of organic products, go to www.organic.org.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.
  

Elections & Social Justice

It's election time again, and voting our consciences is the best way to express our Catholic social justice principles to the wider world. The US bishops have stated, "In a democracy, loving our neighbor and caring for the least among us means supporting leaders and policies that promote the common good and protect society’s most vulnerable members."

       The Church does not and will not engage in partisan politics. We strongly urge all parishioners to register, to become informed on key issues, and to vote. The Church does not support or oppose any candidate, but seeks to focus attention on the moral and human dimensions of issues. We do not authorize the distribution of partisan political materials on parish property.

       For more information on Catholic issues in the upcoming local election, go to the web site for your state Catholic conference. For a directory where you can find the web site for your state's Catholic conference, go to www.nasccd.org.

Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.
  

Mission Sunday & Social Justice

This Sunday has been designated World Mission Sunday. It's a day when we remember -- not only with our contributions, but also in stories and pictures -- the places in the world where the Church is new, young, or poor. It's an international effort that is primarily about charity. However, that charity leads us into the Catholic social teaching on solidarity, and ultimately (it is hoped) to justice.

       The US bishops have stated on their web site (www.usccb.org), "We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world." Therefore, the Church goes to every place on the globe to stake a claim for justice and peace. Your contribution to the World Mission Sunday collection provides support for that effort. 

Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

Respecting Life

October is a month when the Catholic Church reminds us of our call to respect the life and dignity of all human persons. Leading up to "Respect Life Sunday," Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia has spoken out recently about the various forms that respecting life takes, especially with the prospect of health insurance reform in the US. In one letter, he says, "Each and every one of us has intrinsic and immeasurable worth. That is because God created each of us in his image by the outpouring of his infinite and unconditional love. In return he asks only that we share that love with others, beginning with those most in need – the poor, vulnerable, and despised of this world... In defending the right to life, our first duty is to oppose the direct taking of innocent human life – any human life, at any stage."
       In another letter, he addresses health insurance reform as a right-to-life issue. He points out how this runs counter to such secular trends and beliefs, such as population control, physician-assisted suicide, and health care that is rationed based on income, citizenship, or quality of life. He states: "Such an attitude is deplorable, all the more so in the context of health care. Sanctioning discrimination in the quality of care given to different groups of people has no place in medicine, and directly contravenes the ethical norms under which Catholic hospitals and health care providers operate."
       For more information, go to www.usccb.org/prolife. 
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.