Category: Ask Fr. Leo

Answers to questions that people ask me from time to time.

Posted on

Ask Fr. Leo – Who Gets a Catholic Funeral

[Greeting, Church Fans! The homilies this week are a bit OCIA and parish centric. It has differed at every Mass so far. You can always catch them on the parish FB page by clicking here. Or clicking here: https://www.facebook.com/stpatsak. So, as promised, here one of my “Ask Fr. Leo” columns from the newspaper. Enjoy.]

Dear Fr. Leo

My brother’s wife recently died. She was not Catholic, but she sent the kids to Catholic schools and made sure they had all their sacraments. She would even accompany the family to Mass every Sunday. I’m not sure why, but she never joined the Church. In many ways, she was more Catholic than a lot of Catholics I know. Will she be able to have a funeral Mass in a Catholic church? – G

Dear G,

I am so very sorry for your loss. The question does come up from time to time. Namely, can someone who is not Catholic have a funeral liturgy in a Catholic church? A lot depends on the situation, but it the answer is usually yes.

There are many ways of being Catholic. Those in the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly the RCIA) are usually given a funeral Mass, even though they had not yet been baptized or made an act of full communion. They are very much a part of the Church, even though they have not yet received full initiation.

Similar to that, there are those I like to call, “Catholics by association.” Although not formally Catholic, they are very much a part of the life of the parish. By your description, it sounds like your sister-in-law was an active part of the parish community, coming to Mass, instructing the children, coming to parish events. In such circumstances, it can be possible for her to have a Catholic funeral and be buried in a Catholic cemetery in the family plot.

If it does not seem prudent or practical to have a full funeral Mass, the Funeral Liturgy Without a Mass is a very good option. I did one of these once for a parishioner of mine who had joined the Church, but whose family were all very devout Lutherans. They were not comfortable with a funeral Mass for a variety of good reasons. So, the Funeral Liturgy Without a Mass made sense in that situation. These usually happen at the parish church but can also take place at a funeral home.

Sometimes, it does not make sense to have a funeral in the Church. For example, there was a parishioner whose family of origin was Muslim. Not only did they not like the fact he had become a Catholic, but they were very uncomfortable coming into the church building itself. In that case, simple graveside service made sense. Later, we had a memorial Mass for him with just his widow, their children, and a few close friends and parishioners.

In sum, there are times when a funeral Mass is allowed for someone who is not Catholic. There also some circumstances where that does not make sense. In those cases, there are many pastorally sensitive options to bring comfort the grieving family, and to commend our departed brothers or sisters into the arms of their Lord.

Dear Fr. Leo:

What is this “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” that Jesus talks about in Matthew 12:31? – J

Dear J,

Good question. It seems simple enough, but it takes a little bit of thought to get to the heart of the matter. First, we must acknowledge the reality of sin. Next, we must contemplate the even more powerful reality of God’s love. When we understand that the Holy Spirit is this very love of God working powerfully in the world, then we can understand what Jesus means when he says that the only sin that cannot be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Sin is an unfortunate, tragic, and a potentially deadly reality of the human condition. Even though the stain of original sin and all particular sins are washed away in baptism, we humans are still have a tendency to sin. We try our best, but sometimes we get selfish and fall into sin. The alternative is moral relativism which is simply hiding one’s head in the sand by denying the reality of the human condition.

The joy of the gospel lies in knowing that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” (Rm 8:38). The Catechism of the Catholic Church confirms this when it says: “There are no limits to the mercy of God…” (CCC, 1864.) The good news is that although none of us is without sin, neither are any of us beyond the love of God.

Posted on

Ask Fr. Leo – Do all Dogs Go to Heaven?

Some of the simplest questions can lead to the most profound theological investigations.  Below are a few of them that I have received over the last few months.

Dear Fr. Leo, 

Will I see my dog in heaven? – M

Dear M.,

          Roy Rogers once famously quipped, “If dogs don’t go to heaven, when I die, I want to go where they went!” Not a bad thought, but to help answer this question, I like to invoke the theological principle: “Lex orandi, lex credendi.”  Literally, “the law of praying is the law of believing,” or more colloquially, “As the Church prays, so she believes.”  To this end, I would direct your attention to the Eucharistic Prayer IV. It’s one of my favorites, but it doesn’t get a lot of use, unfortunately. The beauty of the fourth Eucharistic Prayer is its sweeping catechesis of salvation history, from the first moments of creation, through the people of Israel, to the coming of the Christ, to His passion, death and resurrection, to the foundation of the Church at Pentecost, all the way up to the final judgment at the end of the age when as we read in the Book of Revelation, there will be “a new heaven and a new earth.” (Rev. 21:1) In Latin, the Eucharistic Prayer IV refers to our entry into the Kingdom of Heaven with Mary and all the saints, “There, with the whole of creation, (ubi cum univérsa creatúra) freed from the corruption of sin and death, may we glorify you…”  I’m not sure about you, but for me, the whole of creation includes all of creation, not just some of it. This would necessarily include dogs and all other creatures. 

          There is also an argument to made from the famous maxim of St. Thomas Aquinas: “That which is received, is received according to the mode of the one who receives it. (Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur.) Thomas presupposes a hierarchy of being with the Holy Trinity at the top, then created beings such as the Blessed Mother, the angelic beings, human beings, animals, plants, rocks, and so forth.  Since the Kingdom of Heaven is primarily about relationships, namely communion, then any given creature’s participation in that Kingdom could be contingent on its ability to relate to other beings. The Trinity, of course, is relationship itself. Then follows the rest of us according to our nature in the order I just described. We human beings relate to God and to one another according to our nature. Likewise, anyone who has spent any time with dogs knows that they are too are social beings, albeit they relate to others according to their canine nature.  So, you could make a case for dogs in heaven based on their ability to enter into relationship according to their nature. The presence of cats in heaven, based on this same criteria, is still a matter of theological speculation.

Dear Fr. Leo,

          How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  – L

Dear L:

          That depends. Do you mean with the four-piece jazz ensemble or with the full Big Band orchestra? 

          This was actually a question asked by the Scholastics in the Middle Ages, primarily as a rhetorical exercise, but it does lead to some fun things. The question as stated is a bit cumbersome because it fails to consider the nature of angelic beings. Unlike human beings, who have a physical body and a spiritual soul, angels are purely spiritual beings. They don’t have a physical body. As such, they don’t take up any physical space.  So, the answer to the question could just as easily be “All of them.” or “None of them.” 

          But let’s take things one step further. If angels don’t have a physical body, but humans do, what are the implications for us in God’s plan of salvation? There is an attractive myth out there in popular literature that when we humans die, if we have lived a good life, we become angels. That’s a nice thought, but that’s not how it works.

          As human beings, we have a body and a soul. In God’s plan of salvation, we don’t metamorphose into something that we are not. Rather, we become fully what God has created us to be, body and soul.  We become perfectly human.

          What’s the process by which this takes place?  The resurrection of body at the end of the age. We know this because of the resurrection of Christ. Remember, Christ was fully human as well as fully divine. He didn’t simply shed his human nature and its physical body when his mission of salvation on earth was done.  Rather, God raised up his mortal body.  The Risen Christ is humanity perfected. That is what awaits us if we remain in communion with him. As St. Augustine said, “The joy of God, is the human person fully alive.”  For us humans, that means “the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come.”

Posted on

Ask Fr. Leo – Is Advent a Penitential Season? Can I say “Merry Christmas” in Advent?

Dear Fr. Leo:

I always thought Advent was a season of prayerful preparation for Christmas, but our deacon said that Advent is also a penitential season. Is that why the color of Advent is purple?   – P

Dear P,

Thanks for the question. Advent is one of my favorite liturgical seasons. Personally, I find it a welcome respite and a spiritual refuge from the insanity that typifies the commercial “Holiday Season.” Advent gives us a chance to contemplate Christ’s return glory at the end of the age, even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming in humility. It gives balance, perspective, and focus to concentrate on what Christmas is really all about. Regarding your question, you are both right.

As early as the fourth century, we see certain bishops in the West proscribing spiritual exercises and penance in preparation for the celebration of the Nativity, albeit less strictly than in Lent. The oldest mention of norms for Advent come from St. Gregory of Tours, in the second book of his History of the Franks.  Gregory’s predecessor Perpetuus, (c. 480) decreed that the people of Tours should fast three times a week and perform acts of penance from the feast of St. Martin on November 11th until Christmas. It’s tough to say whether Perpetuus was establishing this practice or simply regulating an earlier one. In 567, the second Council of Tours instructed the monks to fast from the beginning of December until Christmas. This observance was soon taken up by the laity. In fact, it was commonly called “St. Martin’s Lent.” In 582, the first Council of Macon established norms for a period of fasting and penance in the weeks preceding Christmas. The council fathers decreed that from St. Martin’s Day to Christmas, the people were to fast on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. In addition, Mass was celebrated according to the Lenten rite.

Today, Advent continues this tradition of prayerful preparation for the Holy Season of Christmas. (Which, incidentally, begins on Christmas Eve and ends on the Baptism of the Lord. So, the Christmas Season proper lasts either 14 or 20 days, depending on what day of the week Christmas falls.)

Advent is a time of great expectation. It typically lasts about four weeks, more or less. For the first three weeks, the readings at Mass invite us contemplate Christ’s coming in glory at the end of the age. In the last week, we shift gears to contemplate his first coming in humility in Bethlehem. Advent wreathes are the primary way we teach this. Each Sunday of Advent, as the light grows brighter when we light another candle, we are reminded of the image from John’s gospel of how Christ, the Light of the World, pierces the darkness of a world enslaved to sin and death. Every Catholic home should have an Advent wreath that is prayerfully lit each evening by a member of the household. It’s a great way to involve everyone, smallest to tallest. Personally, I’m also a big fan of Advent calendars to help build a sense of anticipation.

Advent is also a time to prepare practically and spiritually. Getting one’s physical house in order is a great place to begin. I always encourage the Advent purge. First, get rid of the physical clutter in the house. Is there some small appliance or other household item that has been giving you fits? Are there clothes that you haven’t worn all year?  Get them out of there! Donate or recycle them. The same goes for getting your spiritual house in order. Are there attitudes, habits or sins that are coming between you and Christ or you and your loved ones?  Get rid of them! Get into the confessional, lay them at the foot of the Cross, and get them out of your life. What better way to enter into the Holy Season of Christmas than with a clean, uncluttered house and a clean, uncluttered spirit? 

Advent is a time of prayerful preparation for the coming of the Lord. It also gives us the opportunity to invite our neighbors and colleagues into a better way of celebrating Christmas. 

Dear Fr. Leo:

I hate saying “Happy Holidays.”  Can I say “Merry Christmas” during Advent?  – J

Dear J,

          Yes!  Absolutely! At every opportunity you can! 

Doing so is a great way to joyfully invite others to a deeper sense what Christmas is all about. It’s pretty simple to do.  If someone greets me with “Happy Holidays!”  I respond, “Why thank you! Merry Christmas!”  Depending on the reaction, sometimes I’ll say to the side, “Actually, we Catholics are observing Advent right now. For us, the Christmas season starts on Christmas Eve. Then we party for twelve days!” It’s a great way to do a little street evangelization. Give it a try.  

Posted on

Ask Fr. Leo – Disposing of Old Bibles, Anniversary Blessings

Dear Fr. Leo, 

          I am in the process of moving and realizing between my husband and myself we have many bibles. I want to dispose of them properly, but I am not sure how to go about that. Please educate me on the proper disposal of them. – C         

Dear C,

          If possible, it is best to give old Bibles away. I suggest donating them to a church or school or a religious Thrift Store. That way, it makes them available to others at reasonable price and the proceeds go a good cause. The same is true for sacramentals and other blessed objects such as crucifixes, rosaries, and holy cards, etc. If a Bible or sacramental is in such a deteriorated condition that it cannot be given away, it is proper to bury or burn it completely. For rosaries and whatnot, you may want to salvage the crucifix and the medallion and give it to someone who makes rosaries so that they can be recycled. The same is true for the corpus and sign on a wooden crucifix.  

          Many prayers during the move. It is always a bit exciting, but very stressful as well.  Here is a suggestion for when you get to your destination and start to unpack. Go out to a thrift store and get yourself a small tabletop Christmas tree. Decorate it up. Next, stack all your boxes in the living room or garage or wherever. Then put the tree in the middle and start playing Christmas music. Wine is optional. This changes the whole dynamic of unpacking.  Suddenly, you find yourself saying, “Ooooh look at this!  Bathroom towels! Just what we needed!” It also helps one remember that everything we have is ultimately a gift from God and from others.  

Dear Fr. Leo:

          My husband and I are having our 25th wedding anniversary soon. We wanted to renew our wedding vows, but the priest said that we don’t do that in the Catholic Church.  So how do we celebrate our twenty-five years of marriage?  – F

Dear F,

          First of all, let me thank and congratulate you both for your faithful witness in the vocation of Holy Matrimony. The world has changed. Sadly, your steadfast fidelity to Christ and to each other is not well understood in the present day.  It needs to be celebrated from the rooftops. We have a great way of doing that in the Church, but it does not involve renewing your vows. Here’s why.  

          Because the Church holds married life is such high regard, it’s important to remember what happens when a man and a woman profess their vows according to the laws of the Church in the sight of God, each other, and the gathered community. In doing so, they are making a total gift of themselves, body and soul, without reservation and without condition. This exchange of consent is what creates the marriage. To do so, you have to know yourself inside out and backwards – you can’t give yourself away if you are not your own person. Also, you have to know the one you are giving yourself to -one should never give oneself away without profound and prayerful discernment.  Finally, you have the know the nature of the relationship into which you are both entering, namely a permanent, indissoluble union that is life-giving in so many ways.

          As the saying goes, “The wedding is a day. The marriage is a lifetime.” Recognizing this, marital consent is given only once at the exchange of vows. This is true for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Unlike a Netflix subscription, or temporary religious vows, your marriage vows do not expire. Thus, it is unnecessary to renew them. The Church presumes the couple meant what they said and will continue to grow into those vows as life goes on. 

          So how do we celebrate such a profound vocation? Ask your priest or deacon for the Blessing of a Married Couple found in the Book of Blessings.  It is very lovely and involves the reading of scripture, the blessing of your rings, some intercessions, and several options of prayers for blessing of the couple. In our parish, we like to do this during Sunday Mass. That way everyone can join in the blessing and celebrate the couple. 

          We do this because a good marriage does not just benefit the couple and their family. Its faithfulness and fruitfulness radiate out to include all the rest of us. The Irish, being a great and noble race of people, have a wonderful saying, “May the love of God warm your heart like a great fire so that a friend may come and warm himself there.”  A good marriage does the same thing.

          Thank you so much for being married! May God bless you in your next twenty-five years.   

Posted on

How Do You Want to Spend Eternity, Smoking or Non?

[The homilies this month have been about stewardship and whatnot and are pretty parish specific. As an alternative, I’ll start posting from my “Ask Fr. Leo” column in the North Star Catholic. It comes out every month.]

          This month I got several good questions about, of all things, the nature of hell. Seems like a downer of topic, but it is something we need to talk about from time to time, especially. Some Christian traditions speak of it as eternal suffering in a lake of fire, while others see the fire as simply snuffing the soul out of existence. What does the Church teach about the nature of hell?

          The concise answer is found in paragraphs 1020-1060 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Go to: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm).That’s the dogmatic explanation, but let’s take a look at the spiritual side of the question.

          In sum, as a human person, you will never cease to exist. You are eternal. The big question is, “How do you want spent eternity? Smoking or non?”

          As human beings, we go through various stages of development on our journey into eternity. We are conceived, body and soul. We spend about nine months developing and enjoying womb service. We are born, we grow, we mature into adulthood, and hopefully in wisdom and grace. All the while we learn about and form relationships. First with our family, then others and especially with Christ and his Church. Eventually, we pass the threshold of death. It’s all part of being human.

          The relationships we build in this life, with Christ and with others, are really the only things we take with us through death. This is our “treasure in heaven.” The quality and depth of the relationships we form in this life have a direct effect on how we enter eternity. Quite literally, we reap what we sow.

          In the Church, we understand the essential relationship as one of “communion.” Quite literally, this means a union at the level of being. Namely, who I am at the depths of my soul is united to who you are at the depths of your soul; and together we are united at the level of being to Christ who is the head of the Church. To maintain communion with Christ and His Church is the primary responsibility of every Christian. In this lies our salvation. Virtue deepens communion. Sin can injure communion (venial sin) or even sever it (mortal sin). Thankfully,  reconciliation restores communion. You can see how regular participation in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, lead us deeper and deeper into communion with Christ and with one another.

          Now here’s the rub. We are free to choose for or against communion with Christ and each other. Sadly, some people choose against it. This seldom happens all at once. Few relationships die become of conflict. Most suffer because of neglect. Think of that friend from high school who promised to always stay in touch, but now you have no idea where they are.  It’s not rocket science. If you want your relationship with Christ or with others to grow, you need to give it two essential ingredients: time and attention. 

          When we neglect our relationships with Christ and others, we begin to turn in on ourselves. We diminish the level of communion we enjoy. If left unchecked, this process of self-imposed separation leads to fear and isolation. We get selfish, and selfishness harms relationships. This harm to relationships is called sin. We choose against communion. 

          Hell in its essence is the voluntary rejection of communion with Christ and his Church. It is first and foremost a rejection of relationship. It may start small, but left unreconciled, the consequences are eternal. Hell is the most selfish form of existence.  That is why it is a realm of profound and eternal suffering. The saddest part is that God has never condemned anyone to hell. Everyone in hell has freely chosen to be there.

          In sum, life on this earth is the phase of our existence where we form the essential relationships that lead us to communion…or where we choose against them. Once we die, the momentum of our relationships (or lack thereof) will carry us either towards God or away. You can see how there are no insignificant choices. Our journey to heaven or away from it, begins now.

          I’m reminded of the story about the staff meeting with Devil and his minions. The question on the table was how to steal more souls for damnation.

          The first demon spoke up, “I know, Boss, let’s convince people that there is no heaven. That way, they will despair, and we can get more souls.”

          The Devil liked his enthusiasm, but replied, “No, that might work in the short run, but we need long-term solutions.”

          “I know,” the second demon piped up, “Let’s convince them that there is no hell. That way, they will get lazy, and we can steal more souls.” 

          “Better,” the Devil replied, “But again, not trendy enough. I need something that will appeal to the modern mind.”         

          The third demon thought for a bit and then said, “How about this. We convince them that there is a heaven, and that there is a hell…but not yet.”

          “Ahhhhhh,” the Devil beamed, “Now we are getting somewhere!” 

Posted on

Ask Fr. Leo – What is Purgatory?

[Many of you know that I run a monthly column in the local Catholic paper in southern Alaska. Others have asked that I start posting those columns on the blog. So, for your edification, here is the first installment. I’ll post the once a week until we get caught up with the paper. ]

Dear Fr. Leo,

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of purgatory. I believe in a just and merciful God, but this doctrine feels like it forgets that God’s perfect justice was shown by Jesus’ sacrifice, thus also showing His perfect mercy toward all men. While, ultimately, I do believe there is a place (Purgatory) of atonement for righteous, but “imperfectly purified” souls (again demonstrating God’ mercy) there’s a problem for me with the heavenly math. If souls in purgatory require prayers from the rest of us to get to heaven and God is timeless, then how is it that God doesn’t act on behalf of those receiving these prayers, even outside of time? – R

Dear R,

Excellent questions! It is important here to distinguish between the souls in purgatory needing our prayers as opposed to them benefiting from our prayers.  If we believe in an all-powerful, all merciful God (and we do!), the souls in purgatory do not need our prayers for salvation. As the Book of Wisdom says, “The souls of the just are in the hands of God.” (Wisdom 3:1). Everyone in purgatory goes to heaven.  Period.   However, they can and do benefit from our prayers. 

One way to think of purgatory is liken it to Homecoming. There is the game and the fancy dinner dance afterwards.  Now, I don’t know about you, but when I was in high school, it always seemed to rain at the Homecoming game. It was fun, but it was messy! Now, if you were a player on the field or in the band, or even in the stands, would you go straight from the mess on the stadium to the fancy dinner dance?  No, of course not! There is that intermediate step where you go to the locker room, take off your gear, hit the showers, get your fancy clothes on, comb your hair, and whatnot.  Then, when you are presentable, you go to the dance. 

Purgatory is kind of like that. It’s a stage of purification where God’s love cleanses us of all we may have been clinging to, or that is clinging to us, that is not worthy to enter heaven, the ultimate Homecoming. To run with the analogy a bit farther, God can do all the scrubbing of the souls himself, but we can help them out as well.  Say your buddy asks you to bring him a towel. You can make his life that much easier if you help him out.

Here’s another example. Say you are on your way to the homecoming dance in your car.  As you go along, you see your buddy walking to the dance on the side of the road. It’s a nice day and not that far.  He will make it in due time.  However, how much better if you offer him a ride. Strictly speaking, he doesn’t need a lift.  He will get there eventually.  However, he can greatly benefit if you give him a ride. 

Our prayers for the Church being purified are like that. God can do it all himself, of course. But how much better if we join with God in the work of grace.

Dear Fr. Leo,

It is becoming more common that Catholics are giving into the cultural norm of having sex before marriage and living together, “to see if it works.” I have searched the bible for anything that supports NOT doing that.  I know the church has a position.  I just want to know what it is.  Could you please clear this up for me? – S

Dear S,

Sure.  A simple Google search of “biblical prohibition of sex outside of marriage” will yield over 14 million results.

Shacking up and having sex outside of marriage is always a bad idea, and not just for spiritual or moral reasons. Citing numerous studies, psychologist Therese DiDonato, Ph.D., has written several articles in Psychology Today as to why cohabitation is a bad idea.

“Substantial evidence associates cohabitation with negative relationship outcomes. Pre-marital cohabitation is viewed as a risk factor for divorce as it predicts later marital instability, poorer marriage quality, and less relationship satisfaction (Kamp, Dush, Cohan, & Amato, 2003; Stanley et al., 2004). Compared to married couples, cohabiting couples argue more, have more trouble resolving conflicts, are more insecure about their partners’ feelings, and have more problems related to their future goals (Hsueh, Rhabar, Morrison, & Doss, 2009).” – Psychology Today, July 25, 2014. 

It’s hardly surprising. If you think about it, the essential characteristics of marriage are permanence and indissolubility. In a word, marriage is about commitment.  Cohabitation is just the opposite. It is characterized by a lack of commitment. Where there is no commitment, somebody is going get hurt.  To expect the benefits of a committed, married relationship without the commitment only leads to frustration.

By contrast, the Sacrament of Marriage is a living sign of God’s love and God’s faithfulness in the midst of the Church and the world. The freedom given in a permanent, committed relationship gives the couple the freedom to love unconditionally, to mirror God’s faithfulness and its fruitfulness. Love by its very nature is lifegiving. It’s no coincidence that within the context of the Sacrament of Marriage, sexual union becomes both the beautiful act by which the marriage covenant is renewed and by which children are conceived. As Dr. Scott Hahn once quipped, “We are talking about a love so intense in its expression, nine months later you may have to give it a name!”

Posted on

Catholic Social Teaching – The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

[This wraps up the series on Catholic Social Teaching. Hope you enjoyed it and learned a little. The perplexing thing for the Catholic voter is that no party fully embraces all seven pillars of Catholic Social Teaching. Nevertheless, we must form our consciences for faithful citizenship.]

      I never got an allowance as a kid, but I always had a job. My father was very good at teaching us kids the dignity of work and the value of the “working man.”  He began as a journeyman carpenter and later became a general contractor, finding success specializing in remote projects in the Aleutian Islands. But he never forgot his roots in the trades, and he always treated his employees well. One of the most touching things for me at his wake were not the number of dignitaries who showed up, but all of the carpenters, laborers and teamsters who came to pay their respects. I remember in particular an Irish carpenter by the name of Kevin Brennan, who said, “When I came to this country, your dad was the first to give  me a job. I came to thank him one last time.” 

The great thing about being in construction was that when you showed up there was a hole in the ground (usually dug by someone like me in the Laborer’s Union), but when you left, there was proof you had been there. There is great satisfaction in such work because it contributes to the common good, provides the means for folks to earn a living, and hopefully makes for a more beautiful skyline. 

The dignity of work comes from creation itself when God gave stewardship of the earth to humanity. God gave us a garden, and we each have our role to play in tending our little part of it to help it become what God has intended it to be. Because of the dignity of the human person, one should never simply be valued by what they can produce, but because of who they are.  Workers are not just cogs in the machinery of industry or organizations or government. Work was made for people, not people for work. Through our own work we participate in and help bring about God’s plan for creation.

     To learn more about the Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers in Catholic Social teaching, please watch this short three-minute video.

Then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/the-dignity-of-work-and-the-rights-of-workers

May our work bring dignity to others and help the  world to become what God has created it to be.

Posted on

Rights and Responsibilities

At the end of the month, I will be heading out of state to southwestern North Dakota to help rid the countryside of an infestation of ringneck pheasants who are terrorizing the locals. Since I will be gone election day, I dropped my absentee ballot off at the post office earlier this week. As a citizen, it is not only my right, but my responsibility to vote in the upcoming election. As a Christian, it is my sacred duty to vote with a conscience informed by the heart of the Church’s social teaching. Our Catholic faith is not simply an outer garment we can wear on the outside and then take off when we enter the voting booth (or mail in our absentee ballot).

Catholic Social Teaching, as well as our own U.S. Declaration of Independence, is very clear that in a just society, citizens are endowed with certain “inalienable rights.” But with enjoyment of these rights comes correlative responsibilities towards the society in which we are a part.  For example, as Catholics we are very clear that the right to life from conception to natural death is inviolable.  But at the same time then, we have a responsibility to foster and protect life at EVERY stage along the spectrum of life, not just at its beginning. 

There are many other examples of this.  To learn more about Rights and Responsibilities in Catholic Social Teaching, please watch this 3-minute video:

then go to:

https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/rights-and-responsibilities

We all have a responsibility to vote an informed conscience. To do otherwise is morally irresponsible.