De Profúndis: 07/2008

Initium sancti EvangélII secúndum Joánnem...

In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum 2 hoc erat in principio apud Deum 3 omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est 4 in ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum 5 et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt

6 fuit homo missus a Deo cui nomen erat Iohannes 7 hic venit in testimonium ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine ut omnes crederent per illum 8 non erat ille lux sed ut testimonium perhiberet de lumine 9 erat lux vera quae inluminat omnem hominem venientem in mundum 10 in mundo erat et mundus per ipsum factus est et mundus eum non cognovit

11 in propria venit et sui eum non receperunt 12 quotquot autem receperunt eum dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri his qui credunt in nomine eius 13 qui non ex sanguinibus neque ex voluntate carnis neque ex voluntate viri sed ex Deo nati sunt 14 ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST et habitavit in nobis et vidimus gloriam eius gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre plenum gratiae et veritatis

+ Prayer Requests and Intentions + Updated 5 Nov.

+ Blessed Mother Mary Ever-Virgin; Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael; the communion of all Saints, and all holy men and women: pray for us... +

-For our Holy Father, H.H. Pope Benedict XVI
-For our Bishops and Priests, and all religious
-For our Holy Mother Church, the Bride of Christ, for Her defense from the Enemy
-For an end to all abortions and for a renewed culture of life
-For an increase in vocations, particularly to the Holy Priesthood
-For all our prayers, hear us.

-For all the faithful departed, especially Ramon and Willie, my grandfathers. Requiescant in pace.

14 July 2008

Catholic Social Teaching à la Française

I do not believe I have written much on social teaching before so I feel that some recent ruminations on the social situation in France provide a suitable backdrop for some thought on the Church's stances.

As my reader(s)- if there are any- know, I am currently in Paris, France working in the beautiful Eglise de la Madeleine. I have long been enamored with French civilization and am very familar with it. So, when some news about proposed changes in the social system crossed my ears, I began to look at it in terms of Catholic social teaching and I also began to ask myself some questions. In all frankness, some of the thoughts I have entertained have been less than content, because I am troubled by some of the things I hear.

It is known throughout the world that the French have a very entrenched and relatively effective social system whereby the citizens come under numerous regulatory protections, among them a universal healthcare system which reimburses (now most, not all) medical expenses as well as stringent labor regulations. Now, I am politically conservative and not altogether in accord with the idea of universal healthcare for my own reasons but that's not what I want to discuss. Here're the recent developments that raise some question marks in my head.

One of France's well-known labor regulations is the 35-hour workweek and mandatory vacation per year. In the US we have a 40-hour workweek but, as we all know, there're people who work well above that. Recently, President Sarkozy has expressed a desire to lift the cap on the workweek to 40 hours in order to cope with the current economic slump. So, here're my thoughts:

-France's productivity and economic capacity are strongly comparable to those of other Western industrialized nations, even with a shorter workweek. And who would think that having such long vacations, lunch breaks, and a shorter week would actually not harm productivity! Therefore, my question is: is it really necessary to extend the workweek, to redo the system because of what is a relatively brief economic malaise? If the people do not need to work more, why should they? Now, I understand full well the value and necessity of work, but to what extent?

-Another thing that I ask myself is: what should be the main focus in our lives? In the Western world, the concern is in large part work and economic survival, I must confess. However, I really think the focus should be, first and foremost of course, our obligation to the Lord and then to ourselves, i.e., to self-enrichment through activities that properly better our lives, like hobbies, exercise, reading, etc. Again, if our means are sufficient, as individuals and on the scale of nations, is it necessary to work even more when we could be focusing on other, more enriching things? Now, according to the Protestant work ethic prevalent in the US and Britain, work is in itself enriching and a service to the Lord. To an extent I agree that work can be healthy and enriching, however, is it the same situation that in which a person says a Rosary while going for a jog or walk, rather than stopping and actually focusing on the prayer? I think not.

This brings me to my last rumination. Another change in the air in France is the opening up of Sunday as a workday. Visitors to Paris see very clearly that the city turns into a ghost town on Sunday; everything closes save a couple cafés here and there. It is dead. From a Christian perspective, this is a very good thing. Has it not been commanded that we rest on Sunday? I've heard dozens of attempted rationalizations back at home for doing some kinds of work on Sunday, that it must not be servile labor, that it must not be overly physical, etc. Again, these are rationalizations that in effect skirt the Commandment. I have heard the same here in France, as well. So, like I've reitarated before, is it really necessary to work on Sunday and open up shops to make the Lord's Day like any other? I do not believe so. (By the way, no comments from smart alecks who say that Saturday is really the Lord's Day, let's not make such inane points please).

Parlez-en!