Surrounding yourself, your family, your fellow parishioners and even your business or livelihood with like- minded, good people is essential to spiritual growth. This is an important lesson to remember in all facets of our lives.

As many of you know, we recently had a renovation to our Church including all the walkways, entry ways, driveway and back patio.

We applied the principle above to just as we do, as a Church and as individuals, to this project of bringing our beloved Church to the best possible standards and appeal.

As with all issues or challenges that we face in our daily lives, we step back, evaluate and learn as to the best course of action for all involved.

The restoration of our Church was no different. We consulted many people as you can imagine the costs and possible additional expenditures that always occur in these upgrades. We gave great thought to how and who to pursue this project with.

There are many good people in our area, some who we’re sure do great work. But the central these of our spiritual journey is to surround ourselves with like-minded, spiritual beings that share our same values.

So rather than venture into our own backyard, we hired, yes, my brother. Robert operates a great company that does pavers Fort Lauderdale and as you can see, it is not close by! But in all areas, if we speak it to our congregation, we do it ourselves; we keep a close eye on who we surround ourselves with, and even in projects of great expense, requiring total trust, we literally stayed within this family.

We surrounded ourselves with a trusted, spiritual being, of the same path. As many of you have already seen, the results of doing this were bountiful. Our Church looks incredibly improved and renovated, thanks to Anthony, and we could not be prouder.

Not only is the finished product gorgeous, but it makes all of us smile as we know the road we went down to get to this point and the trust placed at the feet of a follower of Christ.

We wrote this brief article to tell you all just how proud we are, that we welcome you back into your Church and that we practices what we preach in giving all of us a spiritual home we can be proud of. We hope you agree!

 

The Second Vatican Council was a complete revamping of the Church’s views and sentiments towards issues both spiritual and social. Many refer to it as the Church’s rebirth, as it brought back many lost followers who had strayed away from the faith. While arguably the most famous or popular moment of renewal in Church history, it was not the first action taken by the Church to bring about change.

Catholic Social Thinking, put together by the Church, is the body of principles and teachings concerning the opposite extremes of poverty and wealth, the economy, the organization of society, and the role of the state. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote his encyclical Rerum Novarum (“On the Condition of Workers”), perhaps the most document of Catholic Social Thinking.

In summary, Rerum Novarum:

  • -affirms the right to private property
  • -defends the right of workers to a living wage (minimum wage, as we call it now)
  • -defends workers’ right to form a union
  • -declares that the state may intervene in the economy to defend/benefit workers
  • -distinguishes the family as the primary unit in society
  • -reaffirms the essential role of religion in constructing a just society
  • -condemns violent revolution and class warfare, some major tenets of communism

On the 40th anniversary of Leo XIII’s encyclical, Pope Pius XI wrote Quadragesimo Anno (“On the Reconstruction of the Social Order”) to commemorate it. In his encyclical, Pope Pius XI reaffirmed many of the same points as Pope Leo XIII. However, he also introduced the principle of subsidiarity, which teaches that social issues should be dealt with on the lowest level possible. Basically, this means that you should ask what someone really needs before you do something charitable because they might not be able to use what you assume they need.

Quadragesimo Anno also taught that Justice and Charity should dominate society. Social Justice attacks the root causes of problems in order to improve structures. Charitable Works help those who are struggling to meet their basic needs.

Other important encyclicals are written by Pope John XXIII, who would call for the Vatican II council shortly after. In 1961, on the 70th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, he wrote Mater et Magistra (“Mother and Teacher”), which said that the state should and must intervene in matters of housing, health care, and education. Two years later, in 1963, he wrote Pacem in Terris (“Peace on Earth”). It was the first document from the Church to be addressed to “all men of good will.” This encyclical discussed our basic human rights and the responsibilities that come with them, as well as explained the conditions we must meet for world peace.

Some key points of Catholic Social Thinking are:

  • Human Dignity — Along with the rest of creation, all people were made in the likeness and image of God. Therefore, all humans deserve the same amount of respect.
  • Solidarity — We are taught to see the world as one global family. We are brothers and sisters.
  • Care for Creation / Stewardship — God chose to share his creations with us, so it is our duty to care for the environment.
  • Common Good — We cannot be selfish. What we do has to be done for the greater good of all, not just ourselves.
  • Subsidiarity — Those closest to a particular problem or issue must be consulted before anyone else tries to intervene.
  • Worker Rights
  • The dignity of Work and Workers
  • Concern for the Poor
  • Family Community Participation

 

We are responsible for the world and the people who live in it. Each of us has to do our own part in making sure that creation and society are maintained.

Recently, one of our parishioners, who will remain anonymous, came to us and asked us how to control their anger, and remain within their Christian values, when it comes to social media.

You see, this member of the church, is a conservative, and many of the posts he/she is seeing online are of the liberal side. They mentioned that it seems that many conservative tend to refrain from voicing their political beliefs for a variety of reasons. This leads to a plethora of liberal views and many less conservative views are seen.

Regardless of political party, holding back, and refraining from expressing your views, may not be the answer either. So our member is stuck with the dilemma of whether to stay out of the “fray” or enter into the “lion’s den” and try to convey their views in a civilized and Christian manner.

Our recommendation is to decide if you want to be online and if so, on what platforms, but manage it to a certain time of day and DECIDE that you are not going to get into personal attacks of any kind but simply provide your own opinion based on your life experiences. In a word; honestly.

We advise to be fully transparent and honest when citing your views and their basis in scripture and personal, life experience.

So, in a nutshell, here is what we suggest:

-Pick one platform lie Facebook and avoid others. Social Media can drain your time and energy

-Determine a time, such as 30 minutes, that you will allow yourself to be on social media

-Commit to yourself that you will not engage in abusive behavior

  • -Be honest

 

This is the best way we can suggest to be engaged but not jeopardizing your sanity or beliefs.

 

 

 

 ‘The role of the lay Catholic in society’ was conducted by Giancarlo Vera, member of the Christian Life Movement.

Why talk about the layman today?

Because today the role of the layperson is crucial for the transformation of the world. Not only are we the majority of the Church, but Jesus entrusts us with a particular mission: to order temporal realities according to Him. I believe that the place of the laity in society is often not well understood, and the layperson is considered as a priest ‘, a consecrated man who marries. However, it is not like that. Understanding who the layman is can help integrate the faith and life of millions of people and thus be agents of change in the world today, conquering it for God.

 How important is the layperson in the Church?

The layperson, as a member of the Church, shares the joint mission of every baptized person: to evangelize and transform the world for God. However, within the common purpose, it has a specific one that is distinguished from other states of life. For this reason, its importance in the Church lies not in the fact that its mission is more relevant, but rather that it is integrated with the common purpose of the Church. This is ordering temporal realities according to God.

Living the mission that God entrusts to him: Order Temporal realities to God. When we talk about the mundane, we refer to the things of this world and that they end with death, things of this time such as politics, government, the media, the economy, the company, any profession, the family institution.

I believe that the layperson should live them in five priorities. First the prayer, the foundation of life and the source of everything else. Second, his family, which is the cell of society and an occasion of love and surrender. Third, work and studies, free mean to transform the world, whether serving others or humanizing through the profession, dyeing careers of Christian principles. Fourth, friendships. Fifth and not less important, the apostolate, the announcement of Jesus, which is present in every area of life.

What do lay saints you think are the best examples for young people?

I think there are typical examples for youth. We can mention Pier Giorgio Frassati, who died at age 24, especially for young people who are assuming the responsibilities of adult life such as work, family, apostolic projects, etc. There are also particular examples that are worth investigating such as Federico Ozanam, professor and apostle of the poor, Santo Tomas Moro, lawyer, Giuseppe Moscati, doctor and Enrique Shaw, businessman.

What expectations do you have for this and future talks?

I would like this talk to help in the reflection on the laity, and also to share these reflections in other places, ecclesial movements, and parishes. I have talked with friends, and some are interested in promoting this reflection.