November 2022--

Theme #2: Call to Family, Community & Participation

Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person
2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation
3. Rights and Responsibilities
4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
6. Solidarity
7. Care for God’s Creation

This second Catholic Social Teaching begins with the word "call". Can we hear it? Are we listening? We have heard it before, "This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you." Jn 15:12 and "put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure you have received". 1Peter 4:10.  

We do this daily. So what is different? the scope? the challenge? our openness? focus? us? society? perspective?

Family is easy, as difficult as it is sometimes. As caretakers and participants, we struggle to love one another in safety and peace. But, are we listening? The family unit functions socially, calling for safety and caring for all, especially the poor and the vulnerable. How often are we distracted by diversity, ideology, unexamined hype by news sources, personal gain, you name it? 

Refocus: Is the Gospel the source of our choices or do our choices interpret the Gospel? Do these choices help us grow in community and participate in society, seeking the common good of all? That's a big order! It sounds unattainable, right? Sometimes the call is muffled. We strain to hear and act. Our responsibility is weighty; it's our right and duty. Loving others comes first from abiding in our relationship with God.  WITH Christ, we become Christians in the truest sense of the word.