Our Lady of the Holy Rosary — St. Richard Catholic Church

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary-St. Richard Catholic Church

OCTOBER IS RESPECT LIFE AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

October 14, 2018 - 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SAFE RELEASE OF LEAH SHARIBU AND OTHERS WHO ARE HELD CAPTIVE BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO RENOUNCE THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH

"If we are to fight discrimination and injustice against women we must start from the home for if a woman cannot be safe in her own house then she cannot be expected to feel safe anywhere.”
― Aysha Taryama

"STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE NOW"

Are you or do you know a victim of domestic violence?

The Church teaches:

Man and woman have been created, which is to say, willed by God: on the one hand, in perfect equality as human persons; on the other, in their respective beings as man and woman… [each] possess an inalienable dignity which comes to them immediately from God their Creator (CCC, no 369).

Unfortunately, one of the consequence of sin

is a breakdown in the relationship between man and woman. Man and woman are equal in dignity and called to communion. Each person is willed for his or her own sake and is to be loved, not used. But sin has brought in a tendency toward domination. "In this tragic situation, the equality, respect and love that are required in the relationship of man and woman according to God's original plan, are lost (USCCB).

As Pope Francis observed:

The body of the other is often viewed as an object to be used as long as it offers satisfaction, and rejected once it is no longer appealing. Can we really ignore or overlook the continuing forms of domination, arrogance, abuse, sexual perversion and violence that are the product of a warped understanding of sexuality? (Amoris Laetitia, no. 153).

Based on research, it is estimated that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men aged 18 and older in the U.S. will be the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Many incidents of domestic violence may go unreported. It is also estimated that 30%-60% of these abusers will also abuse children in the household (for the results of other research see www.thehotline.org).

Domestic violence is any kind of behavior that a person uses to control an intimate partner through fear and intimidation. It includes physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, and economic abuse. Some examples of domestic abuse include battering, name-calling and insults, threats to kill or harm one's partner or children, destruction of property, marital rape, and forced sterilization or abortion. (USCCB)

Such violence in any form, whether inside or outside the home, is never justified, is sinful, and often is a crime as well.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides crisis intervention and referrals to local service providers. Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). For more information, go to www.thehotline.org.