Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111111.cfm

(Last year I wrote a reflection on today's gospel, which is often cited as a prophecy of the Rapture. You can find it here.)

All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God,
and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is,
and from studying the works did not discern the artisan;
But either fire, or wind, or the swift air,
or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water,
or the luminaries of heaven, the governors of the world, they considered gods.


When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all. (Romans 2: 14-16)


The passages above, from the Book of Wisdom and Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans provide a scriptural foundation on the Church's teaching about Natural Law.


First, we understand that "All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God." Because of Original Sin we do not and cannot intuitively understand the ethical principles that are built into Nature. They are there but we have a hard time seeing them. Sinful human nature does not have "a keen grasp of the obvious." But the Natural Law is quite reasonable once God has revealed it to us. 


There is no list of these Natural Laws but it's easy enough to point to a few of them: 

• Honor your father and mother.
• Thou shalt not kill.
• Thou shalt not commit adultery.
• Thou shalt not steal.
• Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.
• Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's goods. 

There are other principles:

• Marriage is an exclusive, lifelong bond between one man and one woman. 
• The conjugal act is ordained for the procreation of children and for the strengthening of the bond of affection between a husband and wife.
• A parent cares for his or her children.
• A child has a right to be conceived in the natural way, without artificial manipulation of gametes. (We shudder at the thought of manufacturing babies.)
• An unborn child has a right to be born. 
• A child has a right to be born in its own time, and not to fit the work/vacation schedule of its mother.
• A child has a right to parents who are married to one another and who continue to improve their relationship through mutual sacrifice and constant attention. 

In tune with today's headlines, we could add others:

• Don't have an affair with your secretary. (Any idiot can figure that out.)
• One's workplace should be free of sexual or emotional harassment. 
• One's workplace should be reasonably safe and workers need not take unnecessary risks. 
• Children have a right to protection from physical, sexual and emotional abuse. 

As I said, there is no complete list of these Natural Laws but we know them when we hear them and any clear-thinking person can recognize crimes against them. 

It follows that those who violate, or disagree with, these principles are blinded by concupiscence, or cultural prejudices, or their own disordered desires. They should be respected as honorable citizens but their mistaken thinking should be corrected. We owe it to them to show them their errors, and they owe it to themselves to discover their mistake. 

Hear the ocean roar.

The Catholic Church believes that God's laws are not irrational; nor are they imposed upon us arbitrarily. They spring from our nature as naturally as our desire for food, drink and shelter. Those who live by the natural law, even if they have never heard of Jesus, will certainly enjoy their reward. Those who violate the Natural Law will suffer the consequences. Nature will see to that.