The theological dimension is needed both for interpreting and for solving present day problems in human society.
(John Paul II, Centesimus Annus)
Reading the Signs of the Times
Excerpts from CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING: OUR BEST KEPT SECRET (DeBerri, E. Orbis Books, 2003 Maryknoll, NY)
A foundational conviction underlying Catholic social teaching is that God is at work in human history. This was true in biblical times; it is true today. It is true in places and mong people who have never heard of the gospel or of Jesus Christ. God is at work healing and redeeming human history and inviting all people to participate in that work. Perceiving the historical action of God and discerning God's will are often now referred to as 'reading the signs of the times.'
The term 'signs of the times' in contemporary Catholic social thought is a term based upon Jesus' statement to the Pharisees and Sadduccees in Matthew 16:4: 'You know how to read the face of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the times.' Pope John XXIII made the first use of the term in modern Catholic Social teaching to refer to the principal characteristics of the age that are emerging from the collective consciousness of the human community in the form of shared understandings and social movements.
The Second Vatican Council embraced the notion, bringing it to the heart of the Church's mission:
the church seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward the work of Christ Himself under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served. To carry out such a task, the church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in light of the gospel. (Gaudium et Spes)
The 'signs of the times', then, embody and reflect the movement of the Holy Spirit in human history working to bring about the redemption of peoples and the fuller realization of the Reign of God. Interpreting the 'signs of the times' requires prayerful discernment within the Christian community and in dialogue with all people of good will. The criteria for this discernment involve the coherence of the contemporary 'signs of the times' with the gospels, the Christian understanding of human nature and the common good.
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We become aware and conscious of the signs of the times by our knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues that affect human lives both individually and as a society.
Enrique's Journey is an accounting of the "signs of the times". It tells the story of a family caught up in the social phenomenon of immigration and migration at the southern border of the United States.
Nowadays, everyone seems to be talking about the issue of immgration, particularly the situation of undocumented people entering the United States. As a preview to your reading Enrique's Journey post what you're thoughts and opinions are on the issue of immigration. Your entry should be coherent and organized. There is no right answer - it is just a pre-reading activity.
