Morality In the Workplace And In The World

In today's secular society Catholic morality and modern societies are coming coming into conflict more and more. This increasing conflict has moved into the workplace of many people across America and in the world. In this article I will provide some catechetical back ground on our duties as citizens and followers of Christ, as well as tips to live life at work in accord with Church teaching. I pray that you'll be able to use this article to help you at work and in the world.


So, what does the catechism say? 
1900: in the CCC: "The duty of obedience requires all to give due honor to authority and to treat those who are charged to exercise it with respect, and, insofar as it is deserved, with gratitude and good-will."

1903: "Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience."

2242: "The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. Refusing obedience to civil authorities, when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community. "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 'We must obey God rather than men'"

This applies to the workplace as well. God comes first. Morality belongs to God, and therefore when an earthly institution acts counter to morality we are no longer obliged to follow the earthly institution's directive.


What to do at work
I work in retail, which is challenging enough as it is, when sales are a priority over the employees (that's another article). On top of that working at a place where Church teaching is often confronted can have its challenges. To give you an idea of what I am trying to convey I will be using my place of employment as an example, while not disclosing which company I work for. I work at a modern day drug store that is a part of a national chain of drug stores. At this drug store I find myself entering into moral conflict quite often. Conflicts include theft, extreme couponing,  contraceptives, etc. When I first started working for this company I looked into its policies. What are its coupon policies, Plan B policy, theft policies, etc. I was pleased to learn that the company decided to protect my religious freedoms. 

Tip #1: Look at the policies. Every company has a number of work policies that govern it like our government has laws that govern the nation. Getting to know the policies is the best way to prepare for moral decision making. For example, my company allows me to not sell Plan B or other contraceptives due to my firmly held religious beliefs. According to the policy, I am to walk the customer to someone who will sell it.

Tip #2: Discuss policies with your colleagues. The best way to avoid awkward situations and customer frustrations is to know who specific policies also apply to. For example, I have shared the Plan B policy with my coworkers and know who also objects to its sale. This allows me and my colleagues to quickly and easily avoid confrontation when someone wishes to purchase Plan B.

Tip #3: Present any points of confusion to a spiritual director or a priest. Sometimes there are instances when our participation is not necessarily sinful. There are certain contraceptive medications that are prescribed for medical reasons. It is certainly not my job to identify the specific reason someone is taking a certain contraceptive medication that has other medicinal purposes. So, when I am helping in the pharmacy I needn't concern myself with that a person is using a certain pill for and can in good conscience fill their medication. One should use common sense to figure out which contraceptive medications or devices have the singular purpose of being a contraceptive (condoms were created to be used as a contraceptive so I do not sell them). Spiritual direction and confession have helped come to this conclusion.

What to do as a citizen
Tip #1: Look at the laws. Get to know laws that have a negative impact on living as a Catholic, such as the HHS mandate. Many Church organizations have not complied with this mandate due to its violation of God's Law.

Tip #2: Discuss the laws with others. Fellowship is huge in Christian living. Discusses certain laws with good Catholic friends can bring you to a greater understanding of the laws and of Church teaching.

Tip #3: Vote. Involvement in society is certainly good. If we want a society that is in line with Church teaching, then we should work to put in place a government that will work toward this. Knowing where candidates stand on important issues (life, marriage, religious freedom, social justice, etc.) is very important. We should enter the voting both after having done some research.


While the world and the Church are growing farther apart (it shouldn't be a huge shock), we can still be assured of God's superiority over what is happening today. We can remain confident that we can still live Catholic lives even if it is painful at times. At this time I feel that it is good to remind myself and the reader that we should pray for the persecuted in other parts of the world that can live a Catholic life, but at the cost of their livelihoods or even their lives all together. Credo Domine. 



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Pope Benedict XVI on emergency contraception

Into the Light: Coming Out

I would like to discuss coming out as a homosexual and tearing down other facades. From reading the title of this post you may be thinking that I am coming out as a homosexual. If you are, do not let go of those thoughts just yet. If you did not think this, consider it. I am not a homosexual, however, but keep those initial reactions or thoughts in mind. What did you think? How did you feel?

Once you answered these questions, now move on and discern what may be irking you in your own soul. Is there something in your soul that is dark and covered up from the rest of the world, even your closest friends and family? I wish to address those deep dark spots of our souls. I want to bring to light what may be ailing us in hopes to renew our lives. I will discuss what I feel our society should embrace, and how we can aid in this endeavor on a local level.

One of the biggest social issues today is the issue of homosexuality. There is no doubt that elections are filled with discussions on laws regarding homosexuality, the veil has been removed, and society is now addressing the issue of homosexuality in the open. This is certainly good. To bring something out of darkness you must bring it into the light. More secrecy and darkness does not bring light to anything. Satan certainly knows this. Satan can operate most effectively in darkness, and this is precisely where our most sensitive parts of ourselves often reside.

After the fall of Rome and the rise of Christian Europe, homosexuality and other sexual openness was covered. Ancient Rome and Greece made the 1960's sexual revolution look like amateur hour. Sexuality was a great part of these two societies, and so much so that St. Paul would often address sins of the flesh in his Epistles. In fact, for anyone that is struggling with sins of the flesh, I highly recommend diving into the Epistles. Great strength can be found in the words of the great Apostle, and I have benefited from them so much so, that that is one of the main reasons I made him my Patron on Holy Saturday 2013.

Bottom line up front (or in the middle I guess), is that we need to carefully uncover the veil Christians often place on sexuality (homosexuality in particular here). As a Catholic, I think we can absolutely share a beautiful message regarding homosexuality. Over the past several years there has been an on going "it gets better" campaign. I think Catholics can certainly be added to this message with its own beautiful teachings. If you are a person with homosexual tendencies, I urge you to come out. Sounds easy enough, but I am aware that it definitely is not. While it should be easier, it must also be said that coming out should be calculated amidst a world of confusion regarding the issue.

The first step is to run to Christ. Christ should be the center of our lives, and thus we should bring everything to him. This should not only include all of our joys, but also our darkest deepest parts of our sinfulness. If we continue to bury troubling thoughts or feelings, we will only hurt ourselves more in the long run. Bringing the darkest of sin into the light of Christ is the first step in sending Satan back to the drawing board (it is naive at best to think Satan will run from us forever; he is foolish and determined). Running to Christ has several steps in itself, but they are available to us. Being Christocentric is absolutely vital.

In running to Christ it is very beneficial to run to the Sacraments Christ gives to us through his Church. Reconciliation (Confession) and the Eucharist are the two Sacraments that will feed you Spiritually as you grow in Christocentrism. I must make absolutely clear that the Church does not hate the homosexual. Anyone who acts out in hate against a homosexual child of God is acting out of their own sinfulness, and not in accordance with Church teaching. This is a good time to introduce Church teaching on the matter. It is important to know that the Church does not teach that homosexuality is grounds for being hated or ridiculed.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (source: www.vatican.va):
Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
Foot notes:
141 Cf. Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10.
142 CDF, Persona humana 8.

To sum up 2357; homosexuality exists and always has, not everything is known about homosexuality, and Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition hold that homosexual actions are sinful. Paragraph 2358 is the most overlooked piece of Church teaching regarding homosexuality. It states, "They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition." Homosexuals are called to be active members of the Body of Christ. They should not be cast out like lepers used to be. They are called to share in the beauty of the Gospel. What a beautiful message!

Paragraph 2359 is arguably the largest point of contention between the mainstream homosexual community and the Church. This is the second step; pursuing chastity. This may be the most difficult step, because it requires more action from us versus receiving grace from God through the Sacraments. Chastity is holy and beautiful. Our society seems to teach us that sex is the ultimate fulfillment of ourselves. It makes perfect sense that the world can only offer satisfaction of the flesh, because that's all that it truly possesses. The world cannot possess the spiritual, because the spiritual comes from God not the world.

The Church has responded to the need of supporting homosexuals and their call to chastity. Apostolates such as Courage (for the homosexual person) and EnCourage (for families and friends of homosexuals) exist, bloggers are beginning to voice their journeys, and of course the Sacraments offer assistance in this endeavor as well. I must stress that the Church loves everyone. Simply because some teachings don't mesh with popular culture, doesn't mean the Church hates people. This argument is used to belittle the beauty that is the Bride of Christ. The resources I mentioned are below. Credo Domine.

Resources:
1. Catechism of the Catholic Church
2. Courage
3. EnCourage
4. LifeTeen
5. Steve Gershom
6. US Conference of Catholic Bishops