What's All The Fuss About Catholic Social Teaching?

What's all the fuss about Catholic Social Teaching?  What IS it anyway?  Do I have to be Catholic to believe in it?

Since I joined the American Solidarity Party and became their Presidential nominee, I have been asked many questions like the ones above.  In this blog, and the blogs to come, I will attempt to answer, if in a superficial way, these and many more questions about what Catholic Social Teaching is, and how it can apply to our modern political world through the American Solidarity Party.

First, a quick word about the American Solidarity Party (ASP).  It is a small, upstart third party in American politics.  It was founded in 2011 as the Christian Democracy Party--USA.  Its name was changed later to the current name.  The party is based on Catholic Social Teaching (hence the inclusion in this blog).  It is a cousin to the Christian Democracy parties in Europe.  Politically, they can be said to be center-right on social issues and center-left on economic issues.  They are pro-life...but to the ASP, pro-life means SO much more than simply being anti-abortion.  Life does not end at birth.  One of the ASP mottoes is "Pro-Life For the WHOLE Life".  This would include opposition to the death penalty, euthanasia and assisted suicide, as well as support for a social safety net for the disadvantaged, women and the elderly.

You can get more information on the party and its platform at www.solidarity-party.org.

According to the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Catholic Social Teaching (CST) has seven fundamental principles.  They are 1) Life and dignity of the human person, 2) Call to family, community and participation, 3) Rights and Responsibilities, 4) Option for the poor and vulnerable, 5) The dignity of work and the rights of workers, 6) Solidarity and 7) Care for God's creation.  I will cover each of these in more detail in upcoming blogs.

For now, please check out the website of the ASP along with my Presidential Acceptance Speech along with that of my running mate Juan Munoz.  Those speeches along with our brief bios can be found on the ASP website as well.

Be sure to watch here for more information on Catholic Social Teaching and how it can apply to us today!

God's blessings,

Mike Maturen

New Beginnings

As I sit at my desk and ponder where I have been, and where I am headed, I can't help but to think--in some small way--of Job. To some degree, we can all identify with Job. If you've never read the Old Testament book of Job, I would encourage you to do so. Job suffered horrible things, but never lost hope.

While most of us will never suffer like Job did, we all suffer to some degree. We might have a job loss, or lose our health. We might have family problems, or issues with our neighbors. Perhaps we have undergone divorce, or endured other issues with a spouse or loved one. Whatever the case, it is human nature to suffer.

As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar has said, "It never is what happens to us, but how we handle it that counts."

No truer words can be spoken. Whatever our suffering, we can get through it...though it might not seem like it at the time. When we look back, we can very often see why we went through our trials. I have often heard the analogy that life is like a woven tapestry. When we are on the underside of the tapestry (at the moment we are going through our trial), all we see is a jumble of different colored threads, knotted and twisted. But, when we look at the cloth from above (after the fact) we see a beautiful tapestry, finely woven and perfectly designed.

As you go through whatever trial you might be suffering, put your trust in God. He will never give you anything you cannot handle. It has been said that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Look to the future. Lean on the love of God, and rely on the Holy Spirit to give you strength and wisdom to run your race to the finish.

Noted Protestant preacher Jesse duPlantis has said, "you cannot have a testimony unless you have first had a test."

I like what the Catholic Church teaches about suffering, that we can join our suffering to that which Christ endured, thereby sanctifying our own trials and offering them up as a sacrifice to God.

May He give you the strength, wisdom and patience to endure your trials in holiness and peace.