Dear Preachers:

When we go shopping in a store we are used to seeing the price of clothing, or produce, clearly marked for the customer. We decide if we want the item and are willing to pay the price marked. It is as direct as that. But in some countries and cultures, where there are open-air markets, prices for items are not fixed. The potential customer asks, "How much for this?" The vendor quotes the price and then the bargaining begins, with the customer hoping to get a lower price and the seller a higher one.

The bargaining process comes to mind as I hear today’s Genesis reading of the "bargaining"between Abraham and God over the fate of Sodom. Isn’t it a charming and even humorous story? A human being doing "deal-making" with God over the fate of humans caught in a sinful city! God hears about the evils done in Sodom and Gomorrah and decides to "go down" for a closer look, ready to wipe out Sodom because of its sinful behavior. That’s when Abraham begins to bargain with God.

No one takes the story literally. But we get the point of the negotiations between the two. The author of Genesis is showing Abraham’s hope to save innocent lives. Through this seeming-folktale a biblical theme emerges. What concerns Abraham should concern all believers – innocent life should be saved from destruction. While we look forward to eternal life, we cannot ignore what is before us now: people suffering violence and destruction, as they are experiencing today in Ukraine and on our gun-proliferated streets.

The narrative negotiations between Abraham and God also reminds us that, while God values the survival of the good, God also withholds punishment for the guilty. God’s character is revealed in this passage and anticipates the mercy and compassion that will come to all Abraham’s descendants in faith through the mission of Jesus.

—Franciscan Mission Service

Should not the judge of the world act with justice?

Biblical justice calls us to ensure that all life is respected with dignity as created in God's image (Genesis 1:27) and Catholic Social Teaching (CST) also calls us to respect the rights of all. Some think that CST is a recent development in the Church when, in fact, it is as old as the biblical texts.

In its early history, the Christian Church was persecuted by the Roman Empire. When we read the Book of Acts, we see how the early Church was very communal in nature, looking out for the least among them, and being corrected by Paul when the communities fell away from the way of the Lord. In 313 C.E., Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan ending all religious persecution and in the years that followed, the Church and State became melded. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church continued to be the power in Europe, even overseeing the activity of kings. After the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, the Church lost its political power and the separation of Church and State became the norm. That was pretty much the practice until 1891.

Modern Catholic Social Teaching began with Rerum Novarum in 1891 as the first social encyclical written as a response to a changing society, from rural/agricultural to urban. The Western World had undergone the Industrial Revolution with questions on familiar topics including just distribution of wealth, the rights to work and own property, just wage, and right to form unions. CST was not a new topic. What was new was that Rerum Novarum was the first Church document written solely to address questions of social justice.

Then, in the mid-twentieth century, came the Second Vatican Council with its re-centering in Christ by going back to the fullness of the tradition found in the early Church in order to move forward from the Middle Ages.

Why do I include this brief historical time-line for CST? To show that Catholic Social Teaching extends back to our beginnings and is more clearly defined in the twentieth century. One of the main Vatican II documents, Gaudium et Spes, realizes that the Church, the "People of God," is called to live out its faith in the world, not apart from the world. Therefore, we must take action to ensure that all people are treated justly and with the dignity God gave all.

To learn more, contact: socialconcern@hnojnc.org

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director,

Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries

Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

Jesus said to his disciples,

"Suppose one of you has a friend,

to whom he goes at midnight and says,

‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread...."’

This is a particularly vulnerable time for state and federal prisoners. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of the inmates listed below to let them know we have not forgotten them. If the inmate responds you might consider becoming pen pals.

If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Fr. Jude Siciliano, OP:

St. Albert Priory
3150 Vince Hagan Drive
Irving, Texas 75062-4736

Make checks payable to: Dominican Friars.

1. We have compiled Four CDS for sale:

• Individual CDs for each Liturgical Year, A, B or C
• One combined CD for "Liturgical Years A, B and C."

If you are a preacher, lead a Lectionary-based scripture group, or are a member of a liturgical team, these CDs will be helpful in your preparation process. Individual worshipers report they also use these reflections as they prepare for Sunday liturgy.