jim henson

Mark Shea, a popular Catholic blogger, has written a very pertinent piece on Catholic social justice and the economy.

In it he says, basically, that among many who consider themselves serious Catholics, there are those who talk a lot about the efficacy of sacrifice for women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, but nothing about the sacrifice the rich must make to serve the poor.

He quotes a reader who initiated the conversation:

We are a religion demanding that the now-pregnant mother of three others must be willing to risk her life during her pregnancy, or to carry to term the product of a rape.

But the 8 digit earning executive gets a pass in his responsibility to continue to create jobs because his taxes are nudged up a wee bit since that's the way the market works. This wealthy man could not possibly be expected to do such oddly heroic things as hire workers when his jets are getting extra taxes.

His enormous excess personal wealth must remain intact and this is held as morally acceptable and in some quarters morally commendable.

If a minor increase in taxes plagues those with excess luxury so much that they do not do what is right and just with their means, they are not living Christian lives.

Pope Benedict had this to say about economics and the Christian: (emphasis mine)

The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner, and that we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone. Lowering the level of protection accorded to the rights of workers, or abandoning mechanisms of wealth redistribution in order to increase the country's international competitiveness, hinder the achievement of lasting development.

Many of us have born the burden of a job loss brought on by a company paying a bit too much attention to "international competitiveness" and not to the larger picture.  The companies that survive (and they are few and far between) are those who look at the dignity of their workers and the integrity of their organization instead of short term (Pope Benedict says "sometimes very short term") profits for the few at the top.

The Uneasy Marriage of Religion and Politics
The difficulty in this country is one of melding religion and politics.  So far, in the United States, there has never been a political party that has followed all the teachings of the Church.  To be with the church on life issues, but not on poverty and social justice issues may be a "conservative" stance, but it is not the Church's stance. To work for issues of social justice while ignoring the pre-born is also not the Church's stance.

It presents a conundrum for thinking Catholics before every election, but our lives should reflect both life and social justice issues.  We should not just pull a lever (or fill in one of those damnable bubbles) every year (or every 4 years) and feel we've done our duty by the Church.  We need to write our representatives on both sides of the aisle and insist that they do what is best for the country, which includes a safety net for the poor and respect for all life.

A political party which hijacks one issue over another while ignoring an entire group of its constituents in need does not deserve to be held up as the only party for "real" Christians. Such Pharisaical attitudes were precisely the kind of thing Jesus spoke out against. Having the outward trappings of faith without the real concern and love for others is no faith at all.

We are in a crucial time in this country We need to pull together to make sure that all of us have a means to make an honest living and all of us have access to the basics: food, clothing, shelter and dignified healthcare.

No one political party will save you. Only God has done that.  We need to show His love to the world.

Lack of civility has recently reached epidemic proportions in the world. The Franciscan Action Network has recently developed a F.R.A.N.C.I.S. Commitment to Civility in Discourse. The 7 promises you take spell out the name Francis.

Take a minute and promise to work towards a greater degree of civility in discourse.

"I commit to:

FACILITATE a forum for difficult discourse and acknowledge that all dialogue can lead to new insight and mutual understanding.

RESPECT the dignity of all people, especially the dignity of those who hold an opposing view.

AUDIT one's self and utilize terms or a vocabulary of faith to unite or reconcile rather than divide conflicting positions.

NEUTRALIZE inflamed conversations by presuming that those with whom we differ are acting in good faith.

COLLABORATE with others and recognize that all human engagement is an opportunity to promote peace.

IDENTIFY common ground such as similar values or concerns and utilize this as a foundation to build upon.

SUPPORT efforts to clean up the provocative language by calling policymakers to their sense of personal integrity."

Look around the Franciscan Action Network website.  They are committed to a consistent ethic of life for all and stewardship for God's earth.  They promote peace, both individually and globally, and economic justice.

I read an article this morning which quoted Peter Hitchens, brother of the famous atheist Christopher Hitchens.  The quote is from his book, The Rage Against God.  In this quote he explains a bit about the mentality of the Baby Boomer 60's generation (of which I confess to being a member) who rebelled against their World War II era parents, and, who continue to shape politics and culture in the U.K. and the U.S. today.

We were differentiating ourselves from our parents--the denizens of a worn-down, seemingly defeated post-war generation, a crumbling empire, burdened with ancient and unexamined premises, weighed down by old songs and bored with ancient psalms, eager to cast off the dreary dross we associated with the glum burdens of adulthood. By rejecting our parents' half-hearted beliefs, and refusing ourselves to be parents, we were staving off in our own minds the march of time, the fact of aging, the grim biological fact of our own mortality. By remaining forever rebellious adolescents, we imagined that we need never grow old and die. Having children in itself is in some sense an admission that we must replace ourselves--because we were replaceable. And that is something our narcissistic generation could not admit. And so we didn't.

The entire culture today, with its in-your-face sex and its crude and aggressive stance against Christianity and especially Catholicism is in part, a result of the Baby Boomer generation's obsession with rebelling as a way to avoid the inevitable decline and death that comes for all of us.

This mind-set is ubiquitous; for years, the 60's generation have been making our movies, writing our songs, and filtering our news.  We are surrounded by one generation's sad attempts at living forever in this flawed and sinful world.

Today, there are few "stars" in their own right in the U.S.  People are famous for being famous.  Being on a reality show has become a goal and an aspiration.  Much baggage accompanies this new career.

We mustn't look old.  We mustn't let our children, if we have them, get in the way of our "lifestyle".  The many alternate "lifestyles" so aggressively advocated by today's media  are, in part, a response to and a defense of the lives already being lead by many who followed the Greatest Generation.

We must consciously avoid buying the lie that happiness and fulfillment exist in this life.  We must stop focusing on our own personal feelings and begin to live out the Gospel and spread the Good News to all.

Lots is happening in Egypt, traditionally one of the most stable countries in the Middle East.  Everything is up in the air right now, and who ends up taking power there has far reaching implications for the entire world.

One concern is that the Muslim Brotherhood could fill the power vacuum. Interestingly, on January 22, the Obama administration decided to lift the ban on their leader entering the United States, a complete turn around from last March, when it asked the courts to uphold the ban begun in the Bush years.

Click here for the BBC's concise analysis.

Hat tip to Fiftysomething, and Lisa Graas.

Are you as tired of the government's antics as I am?  Would you like to see some legislation passed to force Congress to read the bills they vote on?!  How about making sure Congress writes its own laws and not delegate that job to unelected Executive branch bureaucrats?  (What ever happened to separation of powers?!)

Would you like to stop the government from seizing the assets of people who have committed no crime?

Is it important for you to continue to have access to vitamins and dietary supplements?

If any of these issues are important to you, join Downsize DC.  Their mission is to decrease the size of government, wasteful spending and  stop unconstitutional legislation. Visit their campaigns page to see what you can do to put power back into the hands of the individual and out of the hands of intrusive government.  They make it easy to send off e-mails to your elected officials stating your point of view regarding these and other important issues.

Fed up with politics?  Here's an easy way to do something about it!