Rights and Responsibilities is one of the seven principles of Catholic social teaching, as outlined by the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops. Our Catholic faith teaches us that human dignity will be protected and a healthy community achieved only if human rights for all people are protected and responsibilities are met.

What this means is that every single person, no matter their race, nationality, religious beliefs, or any other manner in which people differ, has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things that are necessary to live in a society that embraces human decency.

The tenets of human decency encompass a range of behaviors, including respect, kindness, honesty, fairness and integrity. These values are vital for living into the Rights and Responsibilities required by our Catholic social teaching. It is through them that people feel valued and respected, which then in turn helps them to fulfill the life that they were created to live.

The sacraments of our Faith, especially the Sacraments of Initiation, help to fulfill these requirements. In Baptism, all members of the Church are seen as one and their individual dignity and equality is revealed. In Confirmation, the connection to the Universal Church is brought to life as we are reminded of the larger Church and its global reach. And, finally, in the Eucharist, our own dignity is fully awakened when we partake in the Eucharistic meal and we recognize that there is only room for unity, not divisions.

As we move further into the seasons of spring and summer, it is time to take stock of how we are fulfilling our rights and responsibilities. Are they still dormant, as in winter when the world is waiting to break forth in new birth? Or are we willing to be open and search out new ways in which we can help those in need in our communities and beyond? The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Are you willing to join the work of the Lord and embrace the rights and responsibilities that he asks of you?