Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

(Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9; Matthew 5:17-19)

Natural law is human participation in God’s eternal law.  Humans are able to reason from their observance of nature to what God commands or prohibits.  The essence of Israel’s law – the Ten Commandments – are said to constitute a privileged summary of the natural law. Some natural law tenets are that people should help and not kill one another. 

Jesus claims in today’s gospel that he intends to bring Israel’s law to completion or perfection.  He will go beyond natural law in a few cases so that his followers can live in perfect harmony.  He modifies the law against adultery to include looking lustfully at a woman.  He also thickens the natural law precept of love to include one’s enemies. 

In recent years many societies have eschewed natural law.  They have allowed abortion and approved cohabitation among other deviations from right reason.  The Church cannot help but lament these practices as leading toward the dissolution of society itself.  We believe that we will thrive only by following the sagacity of Jesus call to perfection.

Homilette for Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:16-25; Luke 11:37-41)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...” Most Americans recognize these words from the Declaration of Independence almost as surely as they recognize the red, white, and blue. However, by speaking of truths that are “self-evident,” the words imply a reality that many Americans have trouble seeing. That reality is natural law governing human actions.

In the reading from Romans today, Paul refers to natural law. He writes, “...for although they knew God, they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.” He means to say that Greek and Roman pagans should be aware that their carnal excesses are offensive to the Creator by their observance of human nature. For this reason Paul exhorts Roman Christians not to follow the example of their neighbors.

Today law courts and law schools increasingly deny natural law in favor of the idea that law is the agreement of citizens. The failure to recognize natural law is subversive for it not only has led to such a pernicious practice as physician-assisted suicide but also can easily deny an ideal so fundamental as human rights. The Church, citing St. Paul among many other sources, benefits society greatly by insisting on the existence and the pertinence of natural law.

Homilette for Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Tuesday, XXVIII Week of Ordinary Time

(Romans 1:16-25)

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...” Most of us recognize these words from the Declaration of Independence almost as surely as we recognize the American flag. By speaking of truths that are “self-evident,” they imply a reality that many Americans have trouble seeing. That reality is the existence of a natural law which governs human actions.

In the reading from Romans today Paul makes reference to natural law. He is not talking about Jews when he writes, “...for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.” Rather, he is referring to pagan Romans and Greeks who from observing human nature should be aware that their carnal excess is immoral. For this reason Paul is exhorting Christians Romans not to imitate these people.

Catholics especially believe that society should heed the natural law. We do not claim that it is always easy to discern its contents although its tenets in some cases like the prohibition of abortion and of so-called homosexual marriage are obvious enough. We also see the Ten Commandments as embodying the natural law and therefore there is no real need to ban its image in public courts.