Second Sunday in Ordinary Time 2019 – Marriage And Family

Readings:  Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11

Back in October I was blessed with the opportunity to become more deeply involved with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) by becoming a Global Fellow. This included training in their headquarters in Baltimore to learn how to share the story of Catholic Relief Service’s and their work in the developing world today. I learned of their 75-year history beginning with CRS’s outreach to Polish refugees during WWII. I also learned of their mission and vision based on the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. I was aware of Catholic Social Teaching from my formation as a deacon 20 years ago, but like the many priests and deacons in attendance at the weeklong training I could not state them. This coming year, as I have the opportunity, I will share these seven themes when they fit with the reading of the day. Today’s story of the Wedding Feast at Cana, is a perfect example of the second theme – Call to Family, Community, and Participation

Recall:
As the Church is the bride of Christ, so too is Jerusalem, God’s fiancée. We see this in today’s first reading (Isaiah 62:1-5) where the land of Israel is called Espoused and My Delight. These are signs of the kind of intimate relationship the Creator wants with his creation. The deep love between the Creator and all created things begets children as does the love between a wife and husband beget children. Ancient Israel understood their status as beloved children of God. As it is reflected in the Jewish Scriptures (Genesis 1:27) Adam and Eve are created in God’s image and likeness, so too are we all created in the image and likeness of God. It is through our origin in the human family that we come to know the love of our God for us, so we should have this same love for others, all others, regardless of race, creed, or national origin.

As one who is married I feel blessed with a large family and this theme of Catholic Social Teaching resonates very strongly with me. Rachael and I have been married for 42 years and have 5 children and 14 grand children – this is a blessing indeed. As I reflect on our years of marriage and our children, and grandchildren, I see the truth of what Mister Eckhart once said. Eckhart von Hochheim, OP, German theologian, philosopher, and mystic, said, “God gives us children to raise us.”  After reflecting on this wise truth it occurs to me that it was our children that got me out of myself and helped me to look to my responsibilities that extend to family and far beyond. Not only are we spiritual beings, we are also social and it is in the context of the family that all of society is built.

After creating human life, what greater gift could God bestow on his creatures than that of co-creating with God. “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. (Genesis 1: 26a)” It is through Marriage that God bestows this truly a splendid gift of co-creating with God. Marriage is full of both challenges and blessings that we grow to become more in the likeness of God. Our lives are the basis of God’s image within our human person. This blessing upon the human person extends to the family, and to society and included, most importantly the procreation of human life. (CF U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Marriage. http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/love-and-life/)

Our call to family includes the active participation of all individuals in community. As Pope Francis wrote,

“The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites.
It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organize.
It is in their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction this process of change.

I am with you.
Each of us, let repeat from the heart:
No family without lodging,
No rural worker without land,
No laborer without rights,
No people without sovereignty,
No individual without dignity,
no child without childhood,
No young person without a future,
no elderly person without a venerable old age.”

(Pope Francis, Address at the World Meeting of Popular Movements, Bolivia)

Please find below a copy of the Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching for your reference.

Seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching

The Church’s social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. Modern Catholic social teaching has been articulated through a tradition of papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents. The depth and richness of this tradition can be understood best through a direct reading of these documents. In these brief reflections, we highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition.


1. Life and Dignity of the Human Person

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. In our society, human life is under direct attack from abortion and euthanasia. The value of human life is being threatened by cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and the use of the death penalty. The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
More on Life and Dignity of the Human Person


2. Call to Family, Community, and Participation

The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society — in economics and politics, in law and policy — directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
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3. Rights and Responsibilities

The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities–to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.
More on Rights and Responsibilities


4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
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5. The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in Gods creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected–the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
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6. Solidarity

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. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice.1 The Gospel calls us to be peacemakers. Our love for all our sisters and brothers demands that we promote peace in a world surrounded by violence and conflict.
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7. Care for God’s Creation

We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.

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This summary should only be a starting point for those interested in Catholic social teaching. A full understanding can only be achieved by reading the papal, conciliar, and episcopal documents that make up this rich tradition. For a copy of the complete text of Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions (No. 5-281) and other social teaching documents, call 800-235-8722.