Responsibility Of A Catholic Citizen In A Free Society

"The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society”
Our first and foremost responsibility is to Christ. We really should go to Mass at least weekly. We should also confess our sins, do our penance, and take Holy Communion, as well as spread the word of God to everyone. Our second responsibility as good Catholic citizens in a free society is to protect the dignity of the human being at all levels. This comes in different forms.

First, we are to protect the dignity of human life by opposing both abortion and the death penalty. By doing so, we are sheltering God’s greatest creation. Second, we are to concern ourselves with helping the poor by volunteering in shelters, food pantries, soup kitchens, and everything else in between. Third, we are to help others wherever we can in all other areas of life. Going to third world countries and providing medical attention and medicines is a great way to do so. Our fourth responsibility as Catholic citizens is to perform our civic duties at all times when asked of us. This means voting, serving on juries when called to do so, and, if needed, to serve in the military in order to protect the free society of which we are members.
Today, we are faced with many difficult decisions.
All around us things are pressuring us into doing something that we know are wrong. We are getting the wrong idea on what may be perceived as what is ‘socially acceptable’ in our generation. TV, commercials, movies, books, magazines, and even celebrities are all displaying things that are just completely morally wrong. Clothes are getting skimpier by the minute, and parents are allowing their children to walk around in barely anything nowadays. It is our responsibility to choose the longer dress in the closet, rather than the shorter
one.

There are also other responsibilities as Catholic citizens that we need to be aware of, like helping the environment. Doing things like helping to plant trees around your neighborhood is a great way to help out the environment. Organizing an environment awareness group at your school or town is a good way as well. You could also help the environment in many other ways. You can recycle at your house, at work and at school as well. Even though going to church, volunteering, going to retirement homes, and going to animal shelters are important; there are many other things you could do. Community service is wonderful way to be a good Catholic citizen. You could donate some food that you don’t eat to a shelter or soup kitchen. You could help pick up trash at your local neighborhood park as well. Praying to God and asking him to help us is a responsibility that is vital to our relationship with him.

These are only a few of the many responsibilities as a Catholic citizen. These duties, to God, to others, to our nation, must be put before ourselves and our own desires. Doing so is the right thing in the good Catholic citizen book. By reading this paper, I hope you can get just a glimpse of what it means to be a Catholic citizen in today’s standards and how hard it is to maintain our way of life.