Embedded Files
It’s Day 249!!
CHAPTER TWO: THE HUMAN COMMUNITY
We are taking a kind of MACRO perspective
When we look at the human person, we have dignity
We have freedom
We need to develop our virtues
We need to grow and use our freedom for good
Freedom is the power to do what we ought
We are also called to live in community as human beings
Paragraph 1879 says, “The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him an extraneous addition but a requirement of his nature. Through the exchange with others, mutual service and dialogue with his brethren, man develops his potential; he thus responds to his vocation.”
ARTICLE 1: THE PERSON AND SOCIETY
THE COMMUNAL CHARACTER OF THE HUMAN VOCATION
Do we have a responsibility to participate in governance?
Do we have a responsibility to participate in the way that society is run?
THE ANSWER IS YES!!
We are looking at SOCIAL JUSTICE
We are looking at EQUALITY and DIFFERENCES
We are going to look at HUMAN SOLIDARITY
WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!!
The way the Church has laid this out for us in the Catechism is so essential
We started out with human dignity
Then we move on to human community
Then we will look at salvation
Why?
God saves each one of us as individuals
BUT…
He saves us in community as well
We have a personal relationship with God
BUT…
That personal relationship means we are also brought into relationship WITH OTHER PEOPLE
THIS IS SO REMARKABLE!!
We have the individual, which is super important
We have community, which is necessary for the individual
Therefore, salvation is going to be individual and also communal
Let’s pray!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we thank you. We give you praise, and we ask that you please help us to not only acknowledge, but also rejoice in the fact that you have made us as communal beings. You have made us like yourself. And Lord, you are a community of persons. You are a communion of persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And you are a unity, and you are a unity of love. You are a trinity of love. And we ask that you please help us to be an image of that love. Help us to be an image of you in this world with each other. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen”
So there we have it!!
Why is it fascinating?
Paragraph 1877 says, “The vocation of humanity is to show forth the image of God and to be transformed into the image of the Father’s only Son. This vocation takes a personal form since each of us is called to enter into the divine beatitude; it also concerns the human community as a whole.”
THAT IS YOUR VOCATION!!
THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE EXIST!!
Human dignity is very personal
We have the freedom to choose
We are called to choose love
We are called to choose to respond to God’s grace and be that image of God in the world
We are called to choose to become like the Son more and more
As individuals, our human dignity cannot be taken away
Our dignity is not given to us by our community
Our dignity is not given to us by each other
Our dignity is not given to us by ourselves
Our dignity is given to us DIRECTLY BY GOD
What is the image of God?
The image of God is an ETERNAL EXCHANGE OF LOVE
He is a COMMUNION OF PERSONS
Because of this, that means WE MUST LIVE IN FRATERNITY
WE MUST LIVE IN SOCIETY!!
WE MUST LIVE IN RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS!!
Paragraph 1879 says, “The human person needs to live in society. Society is not for him an extraneous addition but a requirement of his nature. Through the exchange with others, mutual service and dialogue with his brethren, man develops his potential; he thus responds to his vocation.”
Let’s listen to Fr. Mike’s story about back in the day and solitary confinement…
It was not intended to be extra punishment
BUT…
They finally realized that when people are put in solitary confinement, they go crazy
They lose their grip on reality
Why?
We as human beings NEED EACH OTHER
We need to live in some kind of relationship with each other on a regular basis
Yes, there have been hermits who have gone off into the wilderness and lived in isolation
BUT…
That is not the rule
Fr. Mike knows a hermit so let’s listen to his story…
Paragraph 1880 says, “A society is a group of persons bound together organically by a principle of unity that goes beyond each one of them. As an assembly that is at once visible and spiritual, a society endures through time: it gathers up the past and prepares for the future. By means of society, each man is established as an ‘heir’ and receives certain ‘talents’ that enrich his identity and whose fruits he must develop. He rightly owes loyalty to the communities of which he is part and respect to those in authority who have charge of the common good.”
We are bound together organically
This is not forced from the outside
This is not manufactured
We are united by something both interiorly that goes beyond us
Think about the fact that the FAMILY is the core of this whole thing
As members of a family, we are an heir
We inherit something from those who have gone before us
We receive certain talents
We receive certain gifts
“Talents” here does not mean singing or dancing
It is a reference to the Gospel parable about the TALENTS
Each person is given a certain number of talents
What do they do with those?
It is a challenge in a very hyper-individualistic society that we all live in
We rightly owe loyalty to the communities of which we are part
THAT IS A BIG CLAIM!!
We are going to be challenged by this over the next couple of days
Paragraph 1882 says, “Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man; they are necessary to him. To promote the participation of the greatest number in the life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and institutions must be encouraged ‘on both national and international levels, which relate to economic and social goals, to cultural and recreational activities, to sport, to various professions, and to political affairs.’ This ‘socialization’ also expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate with one another for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights.”
The family is the BUILDING BLOCK OF SOCIETY
We may think that the individual is the building block of society
Human dignity is 100% real and the individual is greater than any society, yes
AND YET…
Society is NOT a bunch of individuals
Society is individuals who have UNITED TO FORM SOMETHING
The first thing human beings form that replicates and builds beyond itself is FAMILY
A mother and a father with child or children
THAT IS IT!!
That is the definition of a family
That is the ONLY definition of family that is actually WORKABLE and USABLE across time
We can say that there are many definitions of family
Maybe
BUT…
The ONLY definition that works across time is family as a mother and father with child or children
We need to have society
We need to have family
We need to have the state
The family allows us to do what we could not do on our own
The state allows us to do what we could not do on our own
THAT IS SO GOOD!!
I don’t know how to pave roads so the state can do that
I don’t know how to make a chair so the community we live in has people around us that know how to do that
We can see how belonging to a society allows us to attain objectives that exceed individual capacities
This is the goodness of society and socialization
Paragraph 1883 says, “Socialization also presents dangers. Excessive intervention by the state can threaten personal freedom and initiative. The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which ‘a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.”
What does this mean?
If a thing can be done at a more local level, it should be left to that local level to do it
If someone is in need and their family can take care of them, then their family should take care of them
Who should raise children?
The principle of subsidiarity says that the family should raise the child
If that family is incapable of raising that child, then the next level would be extended family
If THEY are incapable of doing it, then it extends to the next level which might be the neighborhood or village
So it doesn’t immediately go to the federal government
If a situation, problem, or person can be addressed at the most local level, then it should be the job of the most local level
The higher levels should not subvert the authority of that local level
Paragraph 1884 says, “God has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. The way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence.”
If God wanted to, He could make sure that down to the last minute detail that He is in complete control
BUT HE DOESN’T!!
Not in the way that we imagine
God allows us to be FREE
God allows us to CHOOSE
This is the way God acts in governing the world
He gives great power to human freedom
He has has great regard for human freedom
We should also have that respect for human freedom
Paragraph 1885 says, “The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention. It aims at harmonizing the relationships between individuals and societies. It tends toward the establishment of true international order.”
There are some forms of government that are absolutely prohibited
We are opposed to ALL FORMS OF COLLECTIVISM
COMMUNISM
SOCIALISM
THOSE ARE PROHIBITED!!
Catholics may not advocate for those because it subverts the human dignity that belongs to every individual and goes against the principle of subsidiarity
Human beings have great dignity
Individuals will outlast any society
At the same time, we need our societies
It’s not just a good idea
IT IS NECESSARY!!
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
See you when I see you!!
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse