Holy Orders and Social Mission

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in the document Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, bishops, priests and deacons help Christians imitate Christ’s mission of love and justice. Here are some excerpts from the section about Holy Orders on pages 22-23:

As co-workers with their bishops in teaching and carrying out Christ’s mission, priests and deacons proclaim the Word of God to his people. This includes education about the social teaching of the Church, which is based in both Scripture and Tradition, and helping community members become aware of their “right and duty to be active subjects of this doctrine” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 539).
. . .
Pastoral ministry requires that ordained ministers develop competency in “social analysis and community organization” and cross-cultural ministry (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB], The Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests, 29). Priests should “animate pastoral action in the social field,” especially assisting lay Christians who are involved in political and social life (Compendium, no. 539).
. . .
Because the Church’s social doctrine is an “essential component” of the “new evangelization” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, no. 54), those preparing for the ordained ministry should develop a “thorough knowledge” of Catholic social teaching and “a keen interest in the social issues of their day” (Compendium, no. 533).
. . .
Bishops, assisted by priests, deacons, and religious, must “evangelize social realities” (Compendium, no. 539) by being “articulate spokesmen for and interpreters of Catholic social teaching in today’s circumstances” (USCCB, Program of Priestly Formation, no. 345).

Marriage: Strengthened for Service

We continue our exploration of the sacraments and social mission with a look at marriage, as discussed in this document from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Here are some excerpts:

The Nuptial Blessing especially highlights how the couple is called to care not only for each another but also for children, family, and the wider community.
. . .
They help each other live their vocation as lay people, seeking God’s Kingdom in their daily lives by working for justice, peace, and respect for the life and dignity of all (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 220; Familiaris Consortio, no. 47).
. . .
In particular, we should preserve the rights of the family in civil laws and policies and work to ensure “that in social administration consideration is given to the requirements of families in the matter of housing, education of children, working conditions, social security and taxes” (Apostolicam Actuositatem, no. 11). We should also work to ensure that migrants’ right to live together as a family is safeguarded.

You can read the entire section on marriage on pages 20-21 of Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples.

Confirmation: A call to action

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that Confirmation enriches the baptized with the strength of the Holy Spirit so that they can better witness to Christ in word and deed (No. 1285). Thus it should be no surprise that in discussing Confirmation and social mission, our bishops tell us, “At Confirmation, we pray for an increase of the gifts of the Spirit in our own lives in order to serve the cause of justice and peace in Church and world.”

These words are from Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples, which was published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last year. Here are some other excerpts from the section about Confirmation:

. . . the Spirit sends us as workers in the vineyard and instruments of the Holy Spirit in renewing the earth and promoting God’s Kingdom of justice and peace.
. . .
The Church’s missionary activity includes a “commitment to peace, development and the liberation of peoples; the rights of individuals and peoples, especially those of minorities; the advancement of women and children; safeguarding the created world,” and many other areas of action in the world (Redemptoris Missio, no. 37). 

In addition, action inspired by the Holy Spirit calls us to “bear witness to Christ by taking courageous and prophetic stands in the face of the corruption of political or economic power.”

What gifts have you been given? How are you called to use those gifts to benefit others?

NEXT: Penance and Reconciliation

Sacraments and social mission

Early last year, the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document titled Sacraments and Social Mission: Living the Gospel, Being Disciples. As the introductions states:

This guide is for priests and lay ministers, teachers and students, adults and young people, and those who are preparing for the sacraments. It is for all Catholics who seek to better understand the connections between the celebration of the sacraments and our social mission as followers of Jesus and members of the Body of Christ.

As religious education classes begin around the diocese, this is a good time to review what the document teaches and look at ways it can be used in our schools and parishes.

The document features two-page handouts on each of the sacraments. These can be photocopied and distributed throughout schools and parishes to inform people about sacramental call to work for peace and justice. Today we will focus on the Eucharist. Later, we will discuss other sacraments. Some excerpts:

The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium [Dogmatic Constitution on the Church], no. 11). . . . the Eucharist is also social, as Pope Benedict XVI reminds us in Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love): “A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented” (no. 14).
. . .
St. Paul taught that the celebration of the Eucharist is insincere if there are divisions within the community based on class (1 Cor 11), status, or privilege (Rom 12), or if there are factions within the community (1 Cor 1). Partaking in the Sacrament as equals in the Body of Christ challenges us to unity as one family.
. . .
The risen Christ in the Eucharist acts as “a compelling force for inner renewal, an inspiration to change the structures of sin in which individuals, communities and at times entire peoples are entangled” (Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini [On Keeping the Lord’s Day Holy], no. 73). These structures include racism, violence, injustice, poverty, exploitation, and all other systemic degradation of human life or dignity. As Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, our “fraternal communion” in the Eucharist leads to “a determination to transform unjust structures and to restore respect for the dignity of all men and women, created in God’s image and likeness” (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis [Sacrament of Charity], no. 89).
. . .
Filled with awe for all we have received in Christ’s self-gift, we respond with service and works  of charity. We act to transform unjust structures, policies, and laws that degrade human life and dignity.

[NEXT: Baptism]