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in the care for creation podcast, martin polsum explains how the care for creation social teaching has been gaining more ground due to several different environmental disasters as well as more media coverage and awareness for our planet. he also links the love of humanity and the planet we live on help us realize how loving our God is. solidarity and care for creation go hand in hand because of the fact that we are all God’s creation and that helps us to grow in solidarity with one another. 

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in a short, three minute video, we are able to learn about an overview of catholic social teachings. it starts out with how the themes came to be, thanks to the writings of popes and following the examples of church leaders. it helps us realize that the seven themes are not boring, but instead they help us realize how to act due to certain events in our society. it doesn’t go in depth into each individual teaching, but it tells us enough about how catholic social teaching has impacted the world since the nineteenth century. 

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the annual observance of human rights day was celebrated on sunday, december 10th. it encompasses a year-long campaign to remember and practice basic human rights, as they were given in the universal declaration of human rights⎯⎯⎯ also known as the udhr. in addition, the upcoming 70th anniversary of the document helps give more initiative to be aware and practice basic human rights. 

the udhr was written by many people, being one of the most diverse documents written. it was written for the united nations, and it proves how despite where we come from, these are basic standards for life. it proves that although we are in different areas of the world under different types of governments, we are still one human family. 

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section one // an original text post

growing up catholic, i had never really learned about the seven themes that go under catholic social teachings until now. i learned to corporal and spiritual works of mercy, but i had never gone in depth like i did during this course, and i think i’ll be able to make better decisions when it comes to helping the community around me in the future because of them. 

there’s a lot of work to do on a local level, and while it seems like there’s a lot and the pressure of knowing that can be crippling, it’s important to take a deep breath. rome wasn’t built in a day, and small steps can be made in order to help move in the direction we want society to move in, whether it’s donating your time to a local volunteer organization or voting in the most recent election. catholic social teaching is useful in our day to day lives, and i think they play a vital role in our relationship with those around us and God. 

another aspect of catholic social teaching is that it’s not two thousand years old and seems like it can get outdated. while some of the church papers they’re based off are old, the problems they address are not; underpaid workers, war, lack of sufficient housing is still a problem in 2017, despite the fact that there are have been plenty of solutions for those problems over the course of the centuries. however, this doesn’t mean they’re not relevant; it just means we still have to work towards people getting treated with respect and dignity. 

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section one // original text post

out of all the different catholic social teachings, i think that solidarity is the most important one. at this point in our world, there always seems to be things trying to drive a wedge between us: conflicting political views, different countries, and on a smaller scale, our age and gender.

with everything in the media becoming too focused on how something happened, it makes it hard for mankind to realize that we truly have more in common than we do different. there’s so much negativity in the world that it always seems so easy to get caught up in it, which it is.

instead of that, however, we need to try our best to focus on what is more important. it shouldn’t take a tragedy to bring us all together to deal with it. instead, we should already be helping out our neighbors if they’re hurting. personally, it’s hard for me to not have compassion for, to not suffer along with those who are hurting; i can never just turn a blind eye.

solidarity should not just extend towards those who look and sound like you. while it may prove to be difficult to try to be one with someone who has varying viewpoints than you, we still have to try. in order to follow the example of jesus, it’s important to strive towards solidarity with the people who surround us.

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with this photo, it outlines all the seven catholic social teachings and issues that go under each branch. it helps us understand that they’re just not rules, but they have things that go with them and they are rooted in both church documents and in the scripture. 

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no man is an island entire of itself;       every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be w a s h e d away by the sea, Europe is the less,      as well as if a promontory were, as well as ANY manner of thy friends or of thine own were;      any man's death diminishes me, because I am i n v o l v e d in mankind. and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

⎯⎯⎯j. donne

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be the change you want to see in the world.

mahatma gandhi

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in this video by catholic relief services, they outline one of the most fundamental catholic social teachings: the call to family, community, and participation. not only does this teaching highlight the importance of family and supporting one another, it also adds the fact that we are called to become active members of our community, so that includes civil duties as well, such as jury duty and voting. we are also called to be in each other’s lives as we are all brothers and sisters in christ. this catholic social teaching provides us with the lesson of that we all need each other, no man can be an island. 

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solidarity means t o g e t h e r we stand: always ready to lend a hand. if you’re in distress, we’re there for you.       it is life’s own law, it’s not something new. hurricane or flood, earthquake or drought, or the problems that people’s own hands may have wrought. solidarity means not just grieving for you,       it’s doing what we can to help you. it could be us tomorrow, if it’s you today, for troubles can come anybody’s way. blessed are those who remember this fact,        and l i v e their lives according to that. black, white, brown, yellow, colors of life: diversity is what really gives our life spice. yet, despite being different, we’re all the same:         just look at the c o l o r that runs through our veins. our hearts, our bodies, all of us feel pain and to cry for others is to be humane. compassion, this feeling ⎯⎯⎯ it runs so deep        if one part hurts, the whole body can’t sleep. helping each other gives meaning to life. it’s the kind of goal for which we should S T R I V E because life’s more than just me and you.         let’s put in our best, there’s so much we can do. solidarity means strength, it should be our aim. without it, humanity would be put to shame. so let’s join hands, there’s work for e v e r y o n e         there’s no BETTER way of getting things done.

⎯⎯⎯ f. hashmi

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be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honour.

romans 12:10

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“it does not matter who you are or where you are from. we are all children of the world.” ⎯⎯⎯animal kingdom park, walt disney world.

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this past week, trump and his administration have decided to create a list of words that the centers for disease control cannot use in any official documents that pertain to budget proposals. most reporters do not understand why they would ban the use of these seven words. instead of the words, they expect them to use a more complicated alternative. however, a lot of people can’t tell if it was the trump administration itself or career staff who are trying their best to self-censor themselves. whatever the case may be, plenty of outrage has occurred due to this decision. 

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provided by the united states conference of catholic bishops, this video gives an overview of what the catholic social teaching of rights & responsibilities entails. while it encompasses basic, fundamental needs such as food, water, and shelter, it also includes health care and participation in society. the rights & responsibilities of mankind include the right to follow whatever religion we may choose. the usccb views these as reciprocal, as we should strive to help those around us and they should try to help us. 

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in this article, racial disparities in america’s public school system has been attributed to become a problem at a later date. despite legislation, including the no child left behind and every student succeeds acts, school districts still have report how different racial groups perform on tests, and if one is performing poorly, they need to try to figure out ways to help them do better. it’ll be a long process to help those students get up to par, but equipping teachers with the proper skills at the right schools will help those students get there. 

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section two // an original text posting

while rights & responsibilities may seem to be a political issue, i think it’s more of a humanitarian issue than anything. when it comes to things needed for basic living, such as housing, food, education, and health care, it shouldn’t be something related to political parties; it should be related to being human. everyone needs those things. 

i’m not saying that we should just give free healthcare and free college, but i’m saying that they shouldn’t be so astronomically hard to get to just because of our socioeconomic status. everyone deserves a strong foundation, and that would include readily available healthcare and education from a young age. that way, they give us the best shot of getting better in our lives. 

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section two // an original text posting

i think one of the most important parts of catholic social teaching is rights & responsibilities because i think it encompasses everything people need in order to live their best life. without it, people wouldn’t be able to use their voices to help other people get out of horrible situations. for example, without education, we wouldn’t know that there are people who don’t know how to read in our area alone, not an ocean away in some foreign country. along with this, we wouldn’t know how to solve these issues. 

rights & responsibilities are important because while it helps us live successful lives and contribute to society, it helps those of us who are in certain circumstances to stand up for those who aren’t. it’s our responsibility to make sure others’ rights aren’t being ignored or exploited.