The Catholic Church has a history of social teaching that goes back centuries and provides a compelling challenge for living responsibly and building a just society. Modern Catholic Social Teaching (CST), rooted in Scripture and articulated through a tradition of written documents, has evolved over time in response to the challenges of the day.
The following are several of the key themes that are at the heart of our CST. Every one of these moral teachings comes into play in one way or another in the upcoming elections, both local and national.
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred from conception to natural death, 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 CST. 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.
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 poor and vulnerable people.
Rights and Responsibilities
CST 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.
Preferential Option for the Poor
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our Catholic tradition instructs us to put the needs of poor and vulnerable people first.
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 God’s 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.
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.” 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.
Care for God’s Creation
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is a requirement of the Catholic faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
Reflect on these principles as a guide to forming your conscience. And then vote according to your conscience.
In 2015 Pope Francis Spoke about Human Life to the US Congress
Last week we shared the most recent talk of Pope Francis to the United Nations General Assembly. Five years ago on September 24, 2015, Pope Francis gave a speech to a joint session of the US Congress. He highlighted a variety of points that relate to respect for life and Catholic social teaching. He focused on four great Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. His remarks are timely not only because this is Respect Life Month, but also in these days leading up to our national elections. Click on the link for the full text of his talk.
The Our Father might be the most used and cherished Christian prayer. Many of us cannot remember when we learned it. We seem to always have known it. The prayer is a part of us. Thus, you might wonder what is to gain from studying such a familiar prayer.
The Our Father is not only a prayer. It is a model prayer; it holds a pattern, presents a lesson. Introducing it, Jesus does not say, “Pray this prayer,” but “Pray this way.”
Some have spoken of the Our Father as a whole school of prayer. No matter how familiar we are with it, the Lord’s Prayer leads us to depths in our heart we have not yet plumbed, lessons we have not yet mastered.
We will study The Our Father along with a few other texts in Scripture that will shed light on questions like: What are we asking God for? What are we committing ourselves to?
Join us Monday evenings in October Dates: 19, 26, November 2, 9, 16, and 23
Our Fall Bible Study will be on the Our Father. (See the description of this Bible Study and information on registration in this newsletter or the bulletin.) Take a moment to listen to part of the reflection of Pope Francis on this very familiar prayer.
Thank You for Your Generosity
Our parish is blessed by so many kind and generous people. Even in the midst of the ever-changing circumstances of parish life during a pandemic, many of our parishioners have continued to send or bring their contributions to the parish. Many have begun using Online Giving. I am so grateful that so many people have continued to contribute. It has been very helpful to the financial situation of the parish. While our income is down significantly, the generosity shown by so many has enabled us to maintain the parish complex, keep current with our bills, and pay our dedicated staff. Thank you all, very much!
Even as Masses are being celebrated outside on the school grounds, there will be specially marked baskets on the tables near the entrance to the field into which you can place your offerings. Of course, you can continue to mail us your contribution or drop it off at the office (8:30 am – 12:30 pm). Online giving remains a good option as well. Thank you for supporting your parish.
"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.
October is the month of the Holy Rosary. This week’s questions focus on the mysteries of the rosary.
What are the five sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and on what days are they used?
What are the five luminous mysteries of the rosary and on what days are they used?
What are the five joyful mysteries of the rosary and on what days are they used?
What are the five glorious mysteries of the rosary and on what days are they used?
If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.comWe will be pleased to add them.
We have opened a YouTube channel where we have daily and Sunday Masses as well as Fr. Ron's new Bible Study posted for the parish called St Patrick Church Carlsbad that you can subscribe to.
Paul tells the Philippians that God provides whatever he needs.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 22:1-14 (shorter form Matthew 22:1-10)
Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a wedding feast.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Immediately after criticizing the religious leaders through the parable of the tenants in last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus proceeded to tell another parable, again directed at the religious leaders. We hear this parable in today’s Gospel.
In the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus offers an image of the kingdom of heaven using the symbol of a wedding banquet. In today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah and in today’s psalm, the Lord’s goodness is evident in the symbol of a feast of good food and wine. Jesus’ listeners would have been familiar with the image of a wedding feast as a symbol for God’s salvation. They would consider themselves to be the invited guests. Keeping this in mind helps us to understand the critique Jesus makes with this parable. The context for this parable is the growing tension between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. This has been the case for the past two Sundays and will continue to be true for the next several weeks.
The parable Jesus tells is straightforward. The king dispatches his servants to invite the guests to the wedding feast that he is planning for his son. The listeners would have been surprised to learn that the first guests refused the invitation. Who would refuse the king’s invitation? A second dispatch of servants follows. Again to the listeners’ great surprise, some guests ignore the invitation. Some of the invited guests even go so far as to mistreat and kill the servants. The king invokes his retribution against these murderers by destroying them and burning their city.
We might stop here for a moment. Why would some guests kill the servants sent to invite them to the king’s wedding feast? It might be possible that the king was a tyrant, evidenced by the destruction of the city of those who refused his invitation. But if we follow this idea, then the allegory seems to be about something other than the kingdom of heaven. It is more likely that the destruction of the city would have been a powerful image corresponding to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70, which would have been an important event for Matthew’s audience.
With the invited guests now deemed unworthy to attend the king’s wedding feast, the servants are sent to invite whomever they can find. The guests arrive, but it appears that accepting the king’s invitation brings certain obligations. The guest who failed to dress in the appropriate wedding attire is cast out of the feast. We are reminded that while many are invited to the kingdom of heaven, not all are able to meet its requirements. God invites us to his feast, giving us his salvation. Yet he asks us to repent for our sins.
Jesus’ message in the parable cautions against exclusive beliefs about the kingdom of heaven. The parable also teaches about humility. Those who assume that they are the invited guests may find that they have refused the invitation, and so others are invited in their place. To accept the invitation is also to accept its obligations. God wants our full conversion in complete acceptance of his mercy.
We have a limited supply of green face masks with the St. Patrick Parish logo embossed in white. They are only $5.00 and are available at the parish office on weekday mornings. Please bring the correct change.
Reminder: the effectiveness of face masks or coverings is their ability to stop the spray that comes from our nose and mouth. It is important to wear the face covering properly. It should cover the mouth and nose. Thank you for helping to keep one another safe and healthy.
As is our custom on the second weekend of the month, this weekend General Absolution will be offered at the beginning of all of our Masses. In preparation to receive General Absolution, you should spend some time making an examination of conscience and calling to mind the sins from which you will ask the Lord to forgive you. Remember, the Lord is kind and merciful!
Give Thanks to the Holy One
One of the best ways to strengthen our faith in God is to focus on giving thanks. Pray along with this video as you recall all that the Lord has done for us.
Musings on Confirmation from Our Recently Confirmed
Hello St. Pat’s Families,
May this edition of the e-newsletter find you well. Our Year One & Two Confirmation candidates have begun having their sessions and we’re off and running. We have been meeting with the youth via Zoom and it is working about as well as can be expected. Of course we’d all rather meet in person but that isn’t possible for now so we’re making the most of what we can do.
In the attached video, you’ll see some of our St. Pat’s youth sharing about their experiences of Confirmation. At the conclusion of the video, Stephy, the moderator of the interviews, invites people to comment down below. This is because the video will also be posted to our Instagram page where young people can post their thoughts, feelings, & experiences. If you’d like to share, go ahead and email us at pclasby@stpatrickcarlsbad.comor jtejeda@stpatrickcarlsbad.com and we’ll add your comments to the mix. We may even invite you to be a part of a future video. Thanks so much!
Our parish offices are open, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 12:30pm.
During this time of inactivity, we will use our parish email system to communicate with parishioners to offer spiritual reflections and make announcements.
In case of an emergency, you can always reach us by phone. We will be checking regularly for messages and respond as soon as possible. If need be, the answering service can get in touch with one of our priests quickly.
If you know someone who does not receive our emails, please forward this to them, or have them reply to this message.
To email a priest at St. Patrick Church click the link below:
