Faith

I see all the ‘Catholic Bashers’ are out in force today – must really annoy them that we have such a beautiful Holy Spirit filled Pope.  I am so tired of people who think they have a right to bash the Catholic Faith when they would be first up in arms if we were ‘gay bashing’.  I respect everyone’s religion – Muslim, Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu – so why can’t people respect the Catholic faith?  Why do they think they have the right to post ill-informed and sometimes simply ignorant information?  Yes there have been sexually abused children in the faith and we are rooting them out.  There have also been sexually abused children in the secular society (more here than anywhere!)– most cases the police will tell you are known to the family member – a relative.  Did you stop listening to music or watching TV because Jimmy Saville and others like him abused hundreds of children?  Did you stop having families because you were abused by a family member?  No you try and have good families and treat your children right.  Did you stop having education because a teacher turned out to be a paedophile?  Did you stop getting involved in politics?  No, you don’t throw the baby out with the bath water and tarring everyone with the same brush.  You stop using ill-informed arguments to defend your own illogical hatred – no peace and love there then!  The Catholic Church does more good around the world than most governments – and individuals I suspect – and many priests were interned in concentration camps.  There are many, many humble Catholics just serving and praying.  What are you doing to end abortion, treat the elderly with dignity and end of life care, serving the poor in Africa or other caring works?  What are you doing about the sexualisation of young children in schools?  What are you doing to make this world a better place? And let him without sin cast the first stone.  You are the ‘Pharisees’ of today – I doubt you will get the irony.  If you haven’t got anything respectful to say then don’t say anything at all and get a life.  Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal works of mercy. The Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world.  Catholic spiritual teaching emphasises spread of the Gospel message and growth in spiritual discipline through the spiritual works of mercy. The social Gospel espoused by Jesus and Catholic social teaching place a heavy emphasis on the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy, namely the support and concern for the sick, the poor and the afflicted.  Church teaching calls for a preferential option for the poor while canon law prescribes that "The Christian faithful are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor." The Church enumerates "corporal works of mercy" and "spiritual works of mercy" as follows:

Corporal Works of Mercy             Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. To feed the hungry.   1. To instruct the ignorant.

2. To give drink to the thirsty.     2. To counsel the doubtful

3. To clothe the naked.  3. To admonish sinners.

4. To harbour the harbourless (shelter the homeless).   4. To bear wrongs patiently.

5. To visit the sick.            5. To forgive offences willingly.

6. To ransom the captive.             6. To comfort the afflicted.

7. To bury the dead.       7. To pray for both the living and the dead.

The Catholic Church is the largest provider of health services in the world. In 2010, the Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers said that the Church manages 26% of health care facilities in the world, including hospitals, clinics, orphanages, pharmacies and centres for those with leprosy.