October 2017 – Week 1 – Dignity of the Human Person
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The first week of October we focus on the Dignity of the Human Person. Every single person has been created in the Image of God and as such has an intrinsic (inner) dignity that never goes away or fades. This dignity is with a human person from conception until natural death. From this dignity flows the fundamental right to life. All other rights flow from that basic human right, the right to one’s own life. Learn more about the Dignity of the Human person in the following videos and participate in the activities. Watch some or all of the videos below and start a discussion on the teachings of the church on the intrinsic dignity of the human person using the USCCB study guide on human life and dignity (Combined run-time of all of the videos is about 18 minutes)
General Intercessions for Mass
Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions from the Roman Missal: “48. For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life A or B”
Overview of the Principle of Human Dignity and Human Rights
Deeper study for groups, individuals, or possible homily help (from USCCB)
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But the Dignity of the Human Person is not solely referring to things like abortion and euthanasia, as Pope Francis stated to members of the United Nations calling on them to protect human dignity in the following video
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Pope Francis, keeping with teachings of his predecessors, has also called for an end to the death penalty, reinforcing the teaching that the intrinsic (inner) dignity of each person remains even among those who commit terrible acts. Even the guilty are still made in the Image of God and their dignity demands respect.
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