Our God is Trinity: three persons, one God. These three persons are in constant relationship with each other, and – being created in the image of God – we too need to be in relationships. Each human person is not only sacred but also social. We must recognize and cherish the gift of belonging to our immediate family and wider family, the Church and society. Furthermore, the Church teaches that in order to fully belong to a family and community, participation is essential.
Family, Community & Participation
Guiding Principles
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society – in economics, politics, law, and policy – directly affects human dignity and the capacity for the individual to grow in community. Marriage and family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened. The Church teaches that people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
Related Social Issues
- voting rights
- political engagement
- re-entry work
- transportation systems
Liturgical Resources
Intentions for the Universal Prayer
Musical Suggestions
Teachers & Parents
Youth Prayer
Lord, You give us others, who watch when we sleep, who believe when we doubt, and keep praying when we are reduced to silence. You give us others who walk with us, who hope and fear with us, who are tired and do not fail us, to whom we can turn with our cares and our needs. You give us others, who stand with us before you, who ask you and question and thank you, and are always ready to serve you. You give us others, and entrust them to us. We do not love you without them, nor are we loved by you without them. Let us be a blessing to one another on our way to you. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Adult Prayer
Holy Spirit, We praise and thank you! You anoint us to bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, recover sight for the blind, free the oppressed, and build communities in keeping with God’s vision of justice. Show us how to be light of the world, salt of the earth, seeds that sprout love, and leaven that infuses humanity with the desire to promote human dignity and solidarity. Help us to listen so that those in poverty can lead our efforts to proclaim a more hopeful vision, liberate captives from injustice, heal the blindness of the powerful, free us all from self-centeredness, and build community to overcome poverty. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
