Nurturing Faith

I am a very busy person. I know that I do not take enough time to pray. Can you give some hints on how to spend some quiet time with God?

There is an ancient way of praying called Lectio Divina —Divine Reading. This way of praying developed in Monasteries. However, it sounds as if this might be just the kind of peaceful praying you may need. In ancient times, Benedictine monks developed a manner of reading the Bible that led to prayer and contemplation. It consisted in reading a passage from the Bible slowly and reflectively and allowing God to speak to us. The monks believed that God would guide us to the passage, sentence, or even the one word that would reveal God to us. It is best to practice this type of reading by yourself and in a quiet place. You may find it difficult at first to find a "quiet place" in your mind. But slow down, trust in God, and let God speak to you. A good book on this topic is Sacred Reading by Michael Casey and published by Liguori Publications.

I have often heard people say: "Don't talk about religion and politics." It seems that many people think that being religious means being cut off from day to day life and uninvolved with what is going on in today's world. Is that true? Wouldn't Jesus Christ want us to try to make the world a better place?
A Concerned Reader

You are absolutely right! In fact the Gospel tells us that "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16) Not only did God give us the Word of God to dwell among us, in the stories of the Gospel we find Jesus definitely involved with the world. He identified with the poor and the outcast. He ate with the sinners and the downtrodden. In the end he went to his death at the hands of corrupt politicians and leaders of the people. It may surprise you, however, to realize that the Church has carried on this mission of Jesus even to this day. There are some people who say that the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church are its best kept secret.

The Social Teachings of the Catholic Church are a collection of documents, encyclicals, and synod statements that date back to 1891 with the issuance of Rerum Novarum, "On New Things" —The Condition of Labor —by Pope Leo XIII and continue up to the present day. There are seven major Catholic social teachings. The first concerns the Life and Dignity of the Human Person. The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred. The second social teaching of the Church deals with the Call to Family, Community and Participation. The Church teaches that human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community. We need each other. This is so evident in today's society. The Catholic Church also teaches us that we have Rights and Responsibilities. All people have the right to be treated with dignity but we also have a responsibility to make sure that other people are treated with dignity. The Catholic Church teaches that we must make an Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. This means that in a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer Catholics are to put the needs of the poor and the vulnerable first.

Another Social Teaching of the Catholic Church is the Dignity of Work and the Rights of the Worker. When we work we take part in God's Creation. The rights of workers include the right to work, to decent and fair wages, to organize and join unions, and to own private property. Catholic social teaching proclaims that we are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We must learn to practice the virtue of Solidarity.

Lastly, we are called to Care for God's Creation. The contemporary concern for ecology is not something new for Catholics. Care for the earth is a requirement of our faith.

If you would like some more information about the Social Teachings of the Church, visit Proclaiming Catholic Social Teaching on Sadlier's web site. Or, you can visit the Witnessing Faith section here in CyberFaith.

Marie Murphy, Ph.D., serves as William. H. Sadlier's National Catechetical Consultant, conducting workshops nationwide on catechetical and theological topics as part of Sadlier's Consultant Services. Marie received her doctorate in theology from Fordham University and has served as a parish catechist and Director of Religious Education.