The Family, the Industrial Revolution, & Life-Work Balance

Family Life, Industrial Revolution, Life-Work Balance

The Industrial Revolution had a profound effect on the life of the family and in their ways of earning a living. It also affected every family members' relationship with God.

These are the factors which the Industrial Revolution changed the way families lived: [1] the shift from agriculture to industrial; [2] the creation of a system of labor and wage earning; and [3] the creative tension between trust in God and secular matters.

A turning point

What was the Industrial Revolution? It began sometime in the second half of the 18th century. Before the Industrial Revolution, families depended on the land to build their home, and to grow crops to produce their food. To grow a large family became necessary during those times, as all the members of the family helped in producing their food from their own farm. This means families owned the means of production.

Effect of industry on the family's sustenance

The Industrial Revolution changed the way families earned a living. Instead of the farm, they now worked in industries that provided them with work and employment. These industries created many factories that led work away from the labor needed to till the land, to labor and work in factory lines of the industries that began to dot the landscape of many cities and towns.

New working conditions

The progress of industry was fast. Much of the land were now transferred from agricultural, to land that were used for industrial purposes. This direction decreased the size of the family, since it was not necessary anymore to have many children to earn a living. Even women and children also began to work in factories. Work conditions had changed: from work in the farm that was open-air but exposed to the natural elements; to work in the factories that were cramped but secured from the natural elements. The form of daily sustenance also changed: from food that was obtained directly from the families' farm production, to wages that were obtained from employers so that they can buy foods from food-producing factories.

Social analysis

It was this direction in history that widened the gap between those who owned the means of production, and those that do not. The Church wanted to address these many changes through encyclicals on labor and social justice, until it also integrated the social sciences through the Second Vatican II Council. The Council became open to how the social sciences can be used to solve the crises in the modern world. Some of these systems of analyses are not as widely used by conservative Catholics as they have been derived from socialist forms of analyses. These forms of analyses are often used by liberal theologians in part of the world where poverty and institutionalized injustices are seen. The social sciences are some modern ways to integrate the Catholic faith in solving the socio-political and economic problems of families.

Shift in family lifestyle

Though there are still many areas in the world that are still rural in context, the shift of lifestyle from rural to the urban in many industrialized areas had a great effect on the family. Whereas before, the family's relationship with God as Provider was through the earth they tilled, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, the family was taken away from this relationship with God and the earth, and had now to relate with employers who provided them with wages for their labor. Although food was always available by spending the money they earned from their labor, this new way of life had shifted their attention more to the purchasing power of money, and took away their focus on the earth as the source of their food and sustenance from God. On the other hand, one great benefit of industrial progress was the efficient and mass production of food that was always available to the family. This is in contrast to the agricultural set up where families had to wait for the harvest season to arrive in order to obtain the crops that the earth yielded.

Religion in the parish and Christian spirituality disconnected from the reality of work

As families settled in the cities and became more removed from the farm, the image of God as Creator of the earth lessened in importance. Man became more aware of his capabilities to provide for himself and his family. Whereas before, it was a known truth that God provided for the family through the earth they tilled, man now became aware of his capacity to produce on his own through the labor he performs in the factory line. Whereas in the agricultural set up, he reaped the fruits of his own labor, in the industrialized set up, he gets monetary compensation but does not obtain the full produce of his own labor (a portion of which is returned to build and grow the factory in which he worked). The image of God as Creator of the earth was blurred by mechanization in the factory lines. More and more, the image of God as Provider for the family was shifted from the earth and the parish, to just the parish alone. Work in the factory lines involved money and earning a living.

Family situation changed

As religion was restricted to the parish, and labor associated with money, more than food, the tension between dependence on God versus dependence on money markedly increased. Thus, some families that depended more on money experienced a crisis in their faith. Many families that advanced well industrially also experienced a weakening of their Christian faith. However, old and traditionally-minded families that continued to trust in God, and lived frugally, continued their bond to the Catholic faith. Other families, who placed their trust more in means other than God, often experience the problems many are experiencing at present.

A modern trend that balances life and work

Since that First Industrial Revolution, there have been many more technological advancements. Many write that we are entering into a Fourth Industrial Revolution. Whatever this new Industrial Revolution is, and how it will affect the family again, is still to be studied and analyzed. But there is a modern trend that seeks a return to the original balance human life had. Some doctors who specialize in food and health advise families to buy organic or non-processed foods. Processed foods are produced with a lot of sodium (used as a preservative) and many sugars (to make it very palatable to the appetite). This modern trend is bringing people back to the idea that healthier and more nutritious food are obtained more from farms that deliver directly to the supermarkets. Processed foods often have many chemicals and other industrialized compounds that are harmful to the health in the long-term. When families buy organic foods and cook at home, their finances will also improve as they will spend less on health care and be healthier and stronger, both physically and mentally. Also, the bond that exists between the parents and the children will be stronger. This is a modern breakthrough: [1] families will bond again in the homes with organic produce cooked at home, [2] children will see, learn and understand where fruits, vegetables and the meat really come from, and [3] people will again think more of the farm and the earth which God had originally created for them to dominate responsibly. This is a fresh and a new direction to a more balanced way of life and work for families: to balance their relationship with God, the parish, the industries in which they work, and the earth where everyone else lives.

Visionaries, Stigmatists, and Incorruptibles (Part Four)

Introduction

God calls visionaries to make His message strongly heard in the world. The visionaries written in the previous blog posts were simple women and a native American man - all of whom never thought they were to be called by God to make His Son and the Blessed Virgin Mary more known and loved. Theirs was a unique call - to see and receive divine messages. It was not an easy calling, for those visionaries had to suffer oppositions, doubts and the disbelief from either members of their families or townsmates. Despite all that, they persevered and God's message was announced at a time when it was needed most.

Stigmatists or stigmatics

After the five visionaries mentioned, this blog post will consider stigmatists or stigmatics - those who have the stigmata in their physical bodies.

Those who study these phenomenon often refer to stigmatists as those who have the wounds of Christ physically visible in the body. On the other hand, the term stigmatics are those who suffer the wounds of Christ but the wounds are not physically visible as in the case of St. Catherine of Siena.

The stigmata is both a gift and a mystery. It is a phenomenon in which a person bears all or some of the wounds of Christ Crucified in his or her own body. The wounds appear without any physical external cause, and there is a flow of fresh blood from those wounds.

The best known and the first stigmatic was St. Francis of Assisi. Another popular stigmatist in modern time was St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). Because these two Franciscans were popular for this miracle of the stigmata, many are not aware that was only them and a few others in Church history who had been gifted with that miracle. But since the first stigmata came upon St. Francis of Assisi, many studies and scholarly research has established some 326 cases of stigmatization, with more than 60 of these stigmatics canonized in the altar of the Church.

Certain criterion to determine authenticity

Because of the many cases of stigmatization since St. Francis of Assisi, the Church has established through centuries of canonical processes certain criteria to know whether the stigmata is real. The following criteria were established:

• the wounds should be found in the very spots were Christ received His five wounds
• the wounds and the pains associated with the wounds should bleed afresh on feasts associated with Our Lord's Passion (and also on Fridays)
• the wounds do not fester (become infected and produce pus) and the blood flowing from them is pure
• the wounds do not yield to medical treatment and can remain for as long as 30-40 years
• the wounds produce a hemorrhage but they lie on the surface, far from the great blood vessels (and yet the blood streams from them)
• the stigmatic is known to possess a special love of the Cross

To be continued

In the next blog posts, the story of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Pio of Pietrelcina's stigmatization will be presented. St. Francis' stigmatization is based on written sources handed down from generation to generation - mostly among the Franciscans. As to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, since he lived until the middle of the twentieth century (died 1968 A.D.), there are existing photos that document his stigmatization.

Sources of this blog post

• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, SJ

St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

Feast of St. Thomas Becket, Bishop and Martyr

December 29, Christmas Season

Birth, family background, education, and early life
Thomas Becket, sometimes called Thomas à Becket, is the son of Gilbert, sheriff of London, and Matilda, both of Norman descent. He was born on December 21 in London, studied at Merton Priory in Surrey, studied law in London, and continued his studies at the University of Paris. When his parents died when he was twenty-one, he went to work for a relative in London. Still in difficult circumstances, in 1411 A.D. he joined the household of Archbishop Theobold of Canterbury, who sent him on several missions to Rome: to Bologna in 1144 A.D., and to Auxerre to study common law.

Ordination and entrance into political life
Thomas was ordained a deacon in 1154 A.D. and nominated by Theobold as the archdeacon of Canterbury. There he became a close friend and confidant of Henry of Anjou, soon to become King Henry II of England. Thomas became a favorite of Henry of Anjou when he convinced Pope Eugene III not to recognize the succession of King Stephen of Blois' son, Eustace, thus ensuring Henry's right to the English throne as Henry II. Thomas was then appointed chancellor of England by Henry in 1155 A.D. and soon became the most powerful man in England next to Henry. Enjoying a lifestyle in power, Thomas became famous for the luxury and magnificence of his position. However, Thomas was also known for his generosity to the poor and greatly assisted Henry in formulating reforms in the justice system that was instituted during his tenure.

Archbishop of Canterbury
Upon the death of Archbishop Theobold of Canterbury in 1161 A.D., the king nominated Thomas to be the archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas strenuously objected, and refused the position until told by the Holy See that he should accept the nomination. Thomas however warned Henry that nominating him would vastly undermine their good relationship. And indeed, this proved to be true because upon election to archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas resigned his position as chancellor and was ordained a priest on the day before his consecration as archbishop in May 1162 A.D.

Conversion, change of style of living, and conflict with the King
As archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas undertook an austere style of living. He became monastic in spirit, wearing a hairshirt underneath his cassock, and devoted much of his time to prayer and the study of Scripture. As he changed his life completely and became a strong Church leader, Thomas soon clashed with the King over clerical and Church rights. One of these conflicts occurred when Thomas rejected the Constitution of Clarendon which effectively gave the king power over the Church. In this conflict, Thomas was forced to flee to France for safety. After several years of acrimony between Thomas and the King, a reconciliation of sorts took place.

Return to England, final confrontation, and death
Knowing that it would mean his death, Thomas returned to England in 1170 A.D. from his exile in France. Shortly after arriving in England, Thomas sent letters of excommunication to the bishops of London and Salisbury, and a letter of suspension to the archbishop of York. The three bishops immediately set out for France to seek an audience with Henry II, who was in that country at the time. When the bishops informed Henry of Thomas' deeds, the King, who was given to fits of uncontrolled rage cried out, "Won't somebody rid me of this troublesome priest!" While it is doubtful that Henry really intended the death of Thomas, four of Henry's knights took him at his word and, on December 29, 1170 A.D., murdered Thomas in his cathedral at Canterbury. The murder of Thomas shocked all of Europe.

Martyrdom and sainthood
Thomas Becket was at once proclaimed a martyr and, in 1173 A.D., Pope Alexander III declared him a saint. The following year, Henry II was forced to undergo a public penance for the death of Thomas in response to the demands of the general populace. Until it was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538 A.D., the shrine of St. Thomas à Becket became one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Europe.