The Promise of Resurrection & Social Justice

Happy Easter! Today we celebrate our belief that suffering and death does not have the final say. There are many challenges to God's sense of justice in our society today, and most of these also existed at the time of Christ — people without adequate food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education, or dignified work; people who suffer from discrimination and abuse.

       And then there are those blessed ones who, like Jesus, work to change the systems that cause those injustices. Like Jesus, they suffer, as well, since their work upsets the status quo. As Dom Helder Camara once said, "When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why so many people are poor, they call me a communist."

       Easter reminds us to never lose faith or hope, since God is looking out for us and wants us all to have life and have it more abundantly. The hope of Jesus' resurrection — and our own — is that, through suffering, we find new life, and that every experience of suffering is also an opportunity to offer a hand in compassion to someone else.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

A Social Justice Reflection for Holy Week

We are once again in the final week of preparations for the highest feast of the liturgical year: Easter. During this holy week, we contemplate the events that led up to our Savior's glory. We recall that his ministry of feeding and healing and liberating was enthusiastically received by the masses when he entered Jerusalem because their world so desperately needed to be touched in that way. However, since he wasn't connected to the ruling class, officials were threatened by his popularity. They were able to bribe one of his followers into betraying him, and they were able to turn the tide of public opinion against him — they stopped at nothing to bring him down. Officials conspired to hand down a death sentence, and they had their military carry it out with great brutality. All the while, Jesus himself remained faithful to his ministry, and he willingly and nonviolently give his life for the sake of his mission.
       Today — as then — we have a world that is in need of feeding and healing and liberating. There are hungry people in our own city and around the world who long to be fed, even though there is enough food in the world. There are unborn babies and elderly people and a lot of people in between who have health care needs that are going unmet, even though there are enough health care resources to provide for them. There are political prisoners and people sold into slavery and nations living under oppressive rulers that long to be free. 
       Taking a stand for any of them may make us as unpopular with the ruling class of our day as Jesus was in his.
       But we will be in good company.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. (http://bit.ly/16p8ws)
   

Reconciliation & Social Justice

This is the time of year when most parishes celebrate the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) as a parish. For most Catholics, it is easy to recall the sins that they actively committed, such as acts of lying, cheating, or stealing. For most of us, though, it is far more difficult to see some of the bigger-picture sins, such as cooperating with unjust systems like discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, or ethnicity, or a lack of concern for the common. During the celebration of the sacrament, a good examination of conscience should call those things to our minds. In fact, the model examination of conscience in the Rite of Penance include several, including these two: 

• "Do I do my best to help the victims of oppression, misfortune, and poverty? Or do I look down on my neighbor, especially the poor, the sick, the elderly, strangers, and people of other races?
• "Am I concerned for the good and prosperity of the human community in which I live, or do I spend my life caring only for myself? Do I share to the best of my ability in the work of promoting justice, morality, harmony, and love in human relations? Have I done my duty as a citizen? Have I paid my taxes?" (Rite of Penanace, Appendix III)

One pastor even added "Do I reduce, reuse, and recycle out of respect for God's creation?" to his parish's examination of conscience!
       The US bishops have published "Supplementary Questions to Examine Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching." They can be found at http://bit.ly/aOAukv. Also on that page is a downloadable two-page version that can be inserted in a bulletin or laminated and placed in a Reconciliation Room.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Lenten Practices & Social Justice, part 4

The three disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In this final part of the series, we look at almsgiving. 
       Almsgiving is a religious practice dating back prior to Christianity. For example, Proverbs 28:27 (NAB) says: "He who gives to the poor suffers no want, but he who ignores them gets many a curse." In the Christian era, the gospels (particularly Luke) are full of lines where Jesus urges his followers to attend to the needs of the poor. This was further refined in the last century as Catholic social teaching has been developed, into what we now call "the preferential option for the poor."
       Almsgiving has a practical result, to be sure — those who are the beneficiaries of our alms are helped in meeting their needs. There is also a spiritual result, not only for the recipient, but also for the giver. (Look again at that verse from Proverbs, above.) Especially when one gives to organizations that work for justice, the spiritual result will extend out beyond even those two parties, since the work of justice is transformational — unjust systems are dismantled and are replaced by just systems. Charity will help a few people; justice will transform the world.
       This is the weekend that many parishes and dioceses take up an annual collection for Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org). CRS works both in the charity and social justice arenas, and is one of the most effective organizations throughout the world in reaching into areas of great human need, whether that need is caused by natural disaster or human sinfulness. It seeks to transform injustice and has a good track record of success in doing so. Please be generous.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Lenten Practices & Social Justice, part 3

Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) is used by many parishes each year during Lent as a means of focusing on the Catholic Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and giving alms. The ORB web site had a great reflection on fasting this past week:

"As you plan your week, make some time to pray as the prophets did. Set aside everything — time, physical comfort, food — to listen carefully to what God is saying to you. You might consider skipping a meal and spending the time by yourself in prayer. While a mountaintop might not be handy, a chapel, winter path, or bedroom might be the place to escape distractions. Let the inevitable complaint of your stomach remind you of your reliance on God for your daily bread. Let it put you in solidarity with all who experience hunger, whether if be for food, for justice or for a brighter future."
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Lenten Practices & Social Justice, part 2

Last week, we introduced the three Catholic disciplines of Lent — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving — and suggested that these be used to make your Lenten journey one that takes you deeper into the Church's social teaching. This week, let's look at prayer.
       St. Thérèse de Lisieux defined prayer as "a surge of the heart." When we are moved to compassion over an injustice, our heart surges toward finding a solution that only God can provide; we are moved to prayer. What should we pray for? We should pray that we are become the tangible presence of God's love and mercy in the world. As the Operation Rice Bowl prayer puts it: "May [God's] generous love for [God's] people be our guide as we reach out to all who live with hunger and poverty."
       This Lent, search your heart and discern what social justice issue you are moved by. Then, plan to pray at least five minutes every day for that issue. If you can't find your own words, here are a two web resources that may be of help: 

• Prayer services for a variety of causes: www.usccb.org/sdwp/prayerresources.shtml 
• Prayers and services for Haiti: http://education.crs.org/

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   
 

Lenten Practices & Social Justice, part 1

The three Catholic disciplines of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These were given biblically in the gospel reading that we hear each year on Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18). A person can use these three practices for any number of spiritual ends relating to his or her own personal ongoing conversion, but why not use them as a means of deepening one's sense of Catholic social teaching? Pray for changes to unjust structures that keep people in poverty or otherwise oppressed; fast so as to train the body to not over-consume the world's resources; and give alms so that those with less may be raised up.

       For a similar take on this, see the recent editorial published by Our Sunday Visitor at http://bit.ly/d2vQR2.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

"Blessed are you who are poor…"

Today's gospel (Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C) needs to be read carefully to get the social justice impact. Look carefully at who are blessed: "…you who are poor"; "…you who are hungry now"; "…you who are now weeping." These aren't the spiritualized "poor in spirit" or those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" of Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. These are the down-to-earth beatitudes of Luke's Sermon on the Plain, the "stretch of level ground" where Luke hopes to level the playing field for the people of first century Palestine. He really meant the poor, the hungry, and the weeping! These are people who were considered shamed in an honor/shame culture. He turns their society's notion of status upside down by saying that even those who the world deems shamed, because of their poverty or loss, are nonetheless blessed in God's eyes.
       Note, too, that Jesus was speaking to his own disciples when he preached these beatitudes. Thus, his message was not meant for the world in general but for those who have already chosen to follow him. He expected his disciples to embrace the shamed and give afford them the honor, the blessedness, with which God created them.
       So, for all the followers of Christ, here is a social justice exercise for this week: If Jesus were delivering the Sermon on the Plain today, who do you think he might include as the poor, the hungry, and the weeping? Who do we consider shameful today? How might we better honor them as those blessed by God?
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Lotteries & Social Justice

As state budgets get tighter, legislatures and governors are often tempted to expand state-sponsored lotteries and other forms of gambling in order to raise revenues. Their rationale is that it is not a tax, that people who pay into state-sponsored gambling schemes are doing so voluntarily and with the knowledge that only about half the proceeds go to winners and the other half going into the state's bank account. Since it is voluntary, it is a politically favored way to raise government revenues

       Yet, the lure of big payouts is more enticing for people who earn the least amount of money, making it problematic from a social justice point of view. (Think about it: why would someone who is already worth a few million dollars pay anything for the chance to be worth a few million more? Thus, the wealthy who can afford a few more dollars in tax payments each week do not "volunteer" as lottery players.) Many studies have shown that lower-income persons on average spend a higher percentage of their income on lottery tickets than middle-income or upper-income persons. The net result is that lotteries become a sort of regressive tax, taking a higher percentage from the poor than others.
       Although there are many other reasons against state lotteries, the regressive nature of the "take" is most clearly against Catholic social teaching of option for the poor and vulnerable.
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Earthquake in Haiti, Solidaity, and Social Justice

It is because we are human that we are moved by the horrendous things that we see on television and in the newspapers about the human suffering in Haiti these days. The death toll continues to climb and the survivors strive to scratch out an existence, looking for water, food, health care, and protection from the heat in a country where those essentials were difficult to come by before the earthquake. 

       Fortunately, so many people throughout the world have come to the aid of the people of Haiti, through monetary donations and other aid. In situations like this, the Catholic social teaching on solidarity seems something that we feel deep within ourselves. As the US bishops have said, "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." Also, "A parish reaching beyond its own members and beyond national boundaries is a truly 'catholic' parish." 

       Additionally, though, the bishops remind us, "We respond very generously when the network news tells us of hurricanes and famines, but how will we help those victimized by the often less visible disasters of poverty caused by structural injustice, such as debt, ethnic conflict, and the arms trade? Our Church and parishes must call us anew to sacrifice and concern for a new generation of children who need food, justice, peace, and the Gospel." Therefore, we should be resolved to not only help restore Haiti to where it was before the earthquake, but we should go beyond that and help lift them out of the suffering that they had been experiencing.

       For more information on Catholic social teaching, go to www.usccb.org/sdwp/catholicteachingprinciples.shtml.

       To make a donation to the Catholic relief effort in Haiti, go to www.crs.org. The need is great — please be generous!

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
   

Abortion & Social Justice

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you"  (Jeremiah 1:5) 

This coming Friday, January 22, is another anniversary of the US Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision to legally permit abortion in the US. The Catholic Church has always taught that the destruction of a fetus of any age is gravely wrong. It's part of our consistent teaching on the respect and dignity of the human person and a logical extension of our preferential option for the poor and vulnerable: can anyone be more vulnerable than the human life that is so totally and solely dependent on one other person for his or her very existence?

       Please remember the unborn in your prayers this week; join with others in prayer or action; do something to support those in a crisis pregnancy; and learn more about Church activities in this regard by checking out www.usccb.org/prolife/index.shtml. 
Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
  

January is "Poverty in America Awareness Month"

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has designated January as "Poverty in America Awareness Month." The Campaign's web site www.povertyusa.org says on its front page, "It’s time to end poverty in America once and for all. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) invests in community-based solutions — that know no racial or religious boundaries. We support self-sufficiency and self-determination as the best strategies for change. We support projects that break the cycle of poverty for good."
       The statistics and other facts about poverty here in this country are surprising and disturbing. To see a short video on just what a family at the "poverty line" is faced with, check out the "poverty tour" at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour.htm.
       The US Catholic Church (through CCHD) is very involved in moving Americans out of poverty. To see some of the success stories, check out http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/stories.shtml.
       Finally, don't miss the page on on you can get involved. It's at http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/involved.shtml. 

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
 

New Year's Resolutions & Social Justice

At the start of the new year, the Church is in the middle of the season of Christmas and the secular world is in the middle of making resolutions. Why not combine the two? The message of Christmas is a message of light, peace, and justice (see the readings for Midnight Mass). This year, resolve to do something to bring more light (to those who dwell in a land of gloom), peace (to those who find themselves in turmoil), and justice (for those who are suffering) to the world. Every person can do something along these lines, and every person should try.

Copyright © 2010, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
 

Holy Families & Social Justice

[Note: This sound-bite should run in bulletins on Sunday, December 27. It is being posted early for those parishes with early bulletin deadlines due to Christmas.]
 

Today's Feast of the Holy Family calls us to consider every family's role in the promotion of justice in the world. The love between father and mother should be a reminder to all of the love we should have for all peoples, and love of the other is the basis for justice. Furthermore, when their children are baptized, parents promise to bring their children up in this same love, training them in the ways of the Catholic faith. This means teaching them to love and care for other people and all creation. 
       The Second Vatican Council, in its Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People, put it this way: "The mission of being the primary vital cell of society has been given to the family by God... This mission will be accomplished if the family... offers active hospitality, and practices justice and other good works for the benefit of all its brothers and sisters suffering from want."
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
 

Religious Freedom & Social Justice

At this time of the year, a number of major religions celebrate a major festival. Every year, Christians celebrate the Nativity of Jesus on December 25, and Jews celebrate Hanukkah (the anniversary of the re-dedication of the Jerusalem Temple) during eight days in late November to late December (dates vary annually). Additionally, from 2006 through 2010, the Islamic holy day of Eid al-Adha (the festival of the sacrifice of Abraham) falls between mid-November and early January.
       Recently, there has been controversy over holiday displays on public property and in public schools. On a larger level, Switzerland recently had a nationwide election as to whether to permit the construction of minarets, the towers from which Muslims are called to prayer at various times of the day. The Catholic Church supported the rights of Muslims in Switzerland to construct minarets because of our teaching on religious freedom.
       The Catholic Church teaches that religious freedom is a concern of the common good, thus linking it to our social teaching. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the ability for all people to worship as they choose is mentioned in the sections on the rights and dignity of the human person, and the first and fourth commandments.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

"He preached good news to the people."

These are the final words of this Sunday's gospel (Luke 3:10-18). And just what was the "good news" that John the Baptist was preaching that day? It was to give someone one of your cloaks if you have two; to share your food; do not falsely accuse anyone; and be satisfied with your wages. In other words, the good news according to John the Baptist was to live justly. In these last few days before Christmas, let us prepare for Jesus' coming by taking John's words to heart, by committing ourselves to living justly.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 

 

Alternative Christmas Gifts & Social Justice

Most of us are launching into our Christmas gift shopping. As we have heard many times in recent years, there are ways to be socially responsible in our gift-giving. For example, we are urged not to buy things that will be quickly used up and then discarded, such as "gag gifts" or cheap trinkets. Instead, think about giving "experiences" (such as theatre or concert tickets) rather than merchandise. Such an approach will enhance the life of the recipient, support local artists, and be kinder to the environment.

       We can also donate to a charity in the name of the other person. Programs such as Catholic Relief Services (http://gifts.crs.org) and Heifer International (www.heifer.org) have "gift catalogs" where you can be such things as shares in promoting peace in southern Sudan or a flock of ducks for a needy family in China.

       In your gift-giving this Christmas, we creative -- and be just! 

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

Christmas Shopping & Social Justice

With the passing of the Thanksgiving holiday, we are now into the Christmas shopping season. To counter the consumerism and tendency for stores to be loaded with merchandise made by forced child labor or foreign sweatshops, many parishes will this weekend kick off a "fair trade sale" or a "Work of Human Hands Sale." These efforts sell chocolates, handcrafts, coffee, tea, and gift baskets that are purchased at fair prices from growers, artists, and producers who receive a fair price for their merchandise and promise to operate according to just standards. The majority of the sales price goes directly back to those who made or grew the items. Such sales have been facilitated by Catholic Relief Services.
       In the event you missed the sale, you can always shop for the same merchandise anytime online at www.crsfairtrade.org. 
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

Organ/Tissue Donation & Social Justice

L'Osservatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Vatican, recently carried a brief story from New Delhi, India about a priest from Kerala who donated one of his kidneys to "a complete stranger." The "stranger" was in fact a Hindu man and father of two children. The only other option the man had was to pay a million rupees (about $21,000) to buy a kidney through illegal means. The priest, who has an administrative position in a health care agency, recognized how his giving of a part of his body for the sake of another person gave him the opportunity to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ, who gave his body for the sake of all.
       As this country debates health insurance reform, this story is a reminder of just how some important aspects of our current health care system are still based upon the unselfish acts of strangers, such as signing up for organ and tissue donation. Without those unselfish acts, our system might quickly degenerate into one of severe rationing and the buying and selling of body parts for profit. Therefore, your registration as an organ and tissue donor helps maintain a level of justice in our current health care system.
       If you haven't already done so, please consider becoming an organ and tissue donor. Locally, you can do this when you renew your driver's license, or you can register online at www.donatelifetoday.com. One further step you can take to help those with cancer by registering as a bone marrow donor. For more information on this, go to www.marrow.org.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins. 
 

Praying for the Dead & Social Justice

November is the month when we as Catholics remember "those who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith." As the liturgical year dies away, we use this as an opportunity to pray for those who have themselves died. 
       One of the Lectionary texts that is used in Catholic funerals is from 1 Maccabees, in which we are told that it is a good and just thing to do to pray for the dead. We believe that in death, "life is changed, not ended." Our prayers for the dead expresses our hope for the salvation for all, whether living in the body or living in the spirit. Thus, prayers for the dead are a concrete way that we express the Catholic social teaching principle of solidarity — we express our solidarity in death as in life.
       Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.

Works of Charity are the Path to Justice

When hearts are moved to charitable action on behalf of those in need, we can't help but to take note of what causes those in need to suffer. Note that we are not all called to both works of charity and advocacy for justice. Some, like Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, will be noted for their works of charity; others, like Dom Helder Camara, will be known for their advocacy for justice. What's important is that we, as a Catholic Church, are together meeting both needs. Some of us, by doing works of charity with love and compassion, will by our actions call attention to what needs to be done in the way of justice, and others of us will take up the cause of justice and bring about the systemic changes that are needed.

       For some success stories that show how the Catholic Church is the US weave together works of charity and advocacy for justice, go to www.usccb.org/cchd/successstories.shtml.

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

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. 

The Natural Environment & Social Justice

Pope Benedict's latest encyclical (Caritas in veritate) is focused on issues of social justice in our time. In that encyclical, the pope clearly connects environmental issues to social justice. He states:

"The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole... In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity, which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation. If this vision is lost, we end up either considering nature an untouchable taboo or, on the contrary, abusing it. Neither attitude is consonant with the Christian vision of nature as the fruit of God's creation. Nature expresses a design of love and truth. It is prior to us, and it has been given to us by God as the setting for our life. Nature speaks to us of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:20) and his love for humanity... Reducing nature merely to a collection of contingent data ends up doing violence to the environment and even encouraging activity that fails to respect human nature itself."*

For more information, go to www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/index.htm and click on "Encyclicals" and then on "Caritas in veritate."
__________
* Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, no. 48.
Copyright © 2009, Deacon Carl D. Smith. All rights reserved. Reprint permission granted to parishes for use in Sunday bulletins.