![]() "I praise you [LORD], so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works." Psalm 139:14 Life and Dignity of the Human Person - Catholic Social Teaching The Church emphasizes the importance of the life and the dignity of the human person. In God's Kingdom all people are important. The Church calls on all members to respect others by enhancing their lives; advocating for just public policies and organizing for safer and better communities. Social laws must protect life from conception through natural death. As a human community we all have basic needs. Among these are love and understanding. We are all dependent upon God, our Creator. In our interactions it is important for us to show respect toward one another. We acknowledge that another person's dignity is as important as our own. We remember Jesus' command: "Love one another as I have loved you." Prejudice and discrimination are contrary to Christian belief because they fail to recognize each person's innate dignity. It is our personal responsibility to reach out in mercy and justice to individuals and to confront social conditions that deny basic human rights. Our Baptism calls us to this mission. God has blessed us with different gifts and talents. Because our gifts vary, it is to our advantage to learn from those who have talents that we do not possess and to share our abilities with others. It is important to realize that we have more in common with people of various races, cultures, nationalities, and religions than we have differences.
Am I able to forgive someone who shows disrespect for my own dignity? Action Opportunity Invite the parents or older siblings of children in your group to come talk about their family's cultural background. They might speak of special days to celebrate (St. Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo) or special foods they share. Encourage participants to bring photographs of family gatherings. It is at family gatherings that young children learn to interact with and appreciate differences in people. That helps prepare them for social interactions in parish and neighborhood communities. Quick Take Name foods like tacos [Mexican], perogies [Polish], cornbread [Native American], egg rolls [Chinese], falafels [Greek], or gumbo [French Creole]. Have children who enjoy these foods raise their hands as you name them. Then ask if they know what country each of these foods came from originally. |