Pastoral Messages
Rights and Responsibilities
As we continue our journey of learning about Catholic Social Teaching, this month our focus is on the principle of Rights and Responsibilities.
This principle teaches us that, because every person, created in the image and likeness of God, possesses inherent dignity, they have fundamental rights that must be respected and protected.
These include the right to life, food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education, meaningful work, and religious freedom. These rights are not earned or granted by society; they flow directly from our God-given worth.
At the same time, rights cannot be separated from responsibilities. Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that we are not isolated individuals, but members of families, communities, and a global human family. Therefore, we have responsibilities to respect the rights of others, care for the vulnerable, contribute to the common good, and act with justice and charity in our daily lives. Our responsibilities extend to our families, our workplaces, our parish, our nation, and the wider world.
Living out this principle calls us to both advocate for just structures that protect human rights and to examine our own choices and attitudes. As disciples of Christ, we are invited to promote a society where everyone’s dignity is honored and where love of neighbor guides both our rights and our responsibilities.
For more information, visit the USCCB site here.
Blessings this week,
~Deacon Jim
Scripture
An Introduction to the Sunday Scriptures - May 3, 2026
“I Am The Way, The Truth, And The Life”
Over the next three Sundays before Pentecost, we will be hearing from Jesus' farewell discourses at the conclusion of His last supper in John's Gospel (Chapters 14-17). It is a final teaching to His apostles and a heartfelt intercessory prayer to His Father on behalf of His disciples and His church.
In our First Reading (Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7), we hear about some of the growth pangs of the early Church, as seven "helpers" were chosen to minister to the needs of the Hellenist widows (Greek speaking Jews). "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task…” Thus, the Diaconate was born and the first servants of the Church were ordained. Known as Permanent Deacons, they have been fulfilling the mission of ministering to the needs of the Church and its people ever since.
In our Epistle reading (1 Peter 2:4-9), St. Peter calls his readers to remain steadfast in following Jesus, the rock of their faith. He is the “Living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God.” This was a time when early Christians were enduring many sufferings for their faith, not unlike our own times. We learn that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood” called to offer “spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
In our Gospel reading (John 14:1-12), Jesus began His final message to His apostles to prepare them for His departure and return to the Father. Jesus teaches them that He and the Father are one. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” Jesus is “the way” to the Father. They are slow to learn, but Jesus is patient. The Holy Spirit will make all things clear.
Our readings today bolster the cornerstone of our faith - that our way to the Father, the truth the Father reveals to us, and the life we hope for in the resurrection are all found in Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. This becomes clear to us through the work and grace of the Holy Spirit.
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050326.cfm
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