We are about to begin the season of Lent and have been taught by our Catholic institution the "Church" that this is a time for personal reflection on our short comings. Holy Mother Church tells us how we have missed the mark when it comes to brining Christ into our lives. However, just as important is the reflection the Church as an institution should have about its own failings.
The basis of Catholic Social Justice is "whatever you have done for one of these least brothers of Mine, you have done for Me." This is strongly rooted in Jesus' command to his followers to love one another, as he has loved. The foundations of modern Catholic social teaching were laid by Christ and not Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encylical letter Rerum Novarum. The light went on with Pope Leo XIII, but the foundations were none the less laid by Christ.
A distinctive feature of Catholic social teaching is its concern for the poorest members of society. We have replaced this focus with that of bed room issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and stem cell research. What affects the poor in our society and Church is lack of access to housing, health care, education, employment opportunities, and status. If the poor are excluded from full and equal participation in what our society and Church defines as being valuable, important personally, and socially and religiously desirable than the institution of the Church and society has fallen short in its mission. The prophets of old call us to address this hypocrisy, call it whatever you want, reform, a culture of integrity, or staying on message, it needs to be done.
Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Trans gender people have a natural right which is inherent in the nature of ethics and not contingent on human actions or beliefs, to human rights. This means that legal rights should follow natural rights. Many of our major social contract thinkers understand and agree with this position. The Church as an institution however does not. One might say the Church is still locked in the Devine Right of Kings mentality when it comes to the issue rights for human beings. Some in the Church believe that natural rights is simple nonsense, I am reminded that this was the same position they had on Galileo.
I believe Lent is a time when Christ reminds all of us how far we have missed the mark in life. Our Church continues to promote Church Unity among Catholics while not addressing the the fracture of our whole Christian community. Our Pope, Cardinals and Bishops claim for themselves a Devine Right of Kings when it comes to the divisions of the Eastern and Western Churches, or the Reformation in the Western Church. Clearly there is no Christian unity, we cannot even pray together. Our Sunday gatherings are a visual example of how divided we have become. Division is not of Christ, it is based on our collective religious arrogance.
We have missed Christ face among the poor, we have not loved one another as he commanded. However, as with Christmas, the ressurrection of Easter gives us hope in a loving and forgiving God. Putting our faith in God, and not the dogmas of division that divide us rich from poor, or Catholic from none-Catholic. Ash Wednesday has the power to remind all of us how we have missed the mark.
