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6 Dec 2025

 

Perseverance

Here’s a question for you: How do you handle conflict and adversity, especially when it’s personal and you are the target of someone’s enmity?

I’ve noted that some folks nurture self-righteous retaliation as a way of soothing their aggrieved psyches. Others seethe silently as they plan an avenging ploy. And some dismiss the urge to respond; they resist the temptation to return hurt-for-hurt, which reminds me of St. Luke’s point that Perseverance in times of trial is the road to personal tranquility.

When I think of Perseverance, I think of Peter Shao Zhumin, a 61-year-old Chinese Catholic Bishop. He has been arrested numerous times by the Chinese Communist Party for exercising his religious rights … yet he perseveres.

Bishop Shao’s latest arrest was March 6, 2025, when he was again jailed for refusing to pay a fine of $27,000 for celebrating Mass on December 27, 2024, with 200 attendees. According to the Chinese Communist’s National Security Office, his celebration of Mass violated their Religious Affairs Regulations.

The Power Of Evil

Bishop Shao has also persevered in his refusal to join the Chinese Patriotic Church, a Communist front organization founded (1) to oversee “subversive” elements in the Catholic Church’s preaching of the Gospels, and (2) to monitor the Communist Party’s belief that the free exercise of religion is both illegal and dangerous to State control.

For years, Bishop Shao has refused to join the Communist Patriotic Association, stating that the Church's activities are indeed lawful. After his latest arrest, his whereabouts are now unknown, but his imprisonment is sure to be lengthy. Communist authorities now surveil his diocese for any religious activities, and priests are forbidden to celebrate Mass.

The Faithful Conscience Perseveres

Bishop Shao perseveres with constancy, despite threats of death which are the norm under Communist rule. His Perseverance exemplifies the well-formed conscience of every faithful citizen, not merely the beliefs of an ordained priest.

Indeed, every person is required to act according to her/his right conscience. And History reveals that a “right conscience” is best formed by traditional Catholic principles which guide us (1) in our social lives with one another, and (2) in our private lives as we fulfill our moral obligations to our Creator.

It must be stressed that the formation of a right conscience is not a political issue, nor an attempt to tell voters how to act. Our rightly-educated conscience is the core of our adulthood. It is central to our responsibilities and obligations to one another and to God, Who created us to persevere in Goodness as individuals and as members of community.

Principles Of Social Responsibility

In the Catholic tradition, there are four major principles of conscience which build faithful citizenship. Their essential, God-given roles in every free society are clear, as is the harm done by the abuse of each. History reports the disasters which ensue when these principles are violated, as Bishop Shao’s Perseverance attests.

The four guiding principles of the Church’s social doctrine are: (1) The Dignity of the Human Person, (2) The Common Good, (3) Solidarity, and (4) Subsidiarity.

1. The Dignity of Each Human Person should be obvious, but specific behaviors which this principle urges are often ignored. Even in our comfy nation, a self-absorbed sub-culture elevates selfishness over virtue. Nonetheless, each person is created in the image and likeness of God. Each of us possesses innate dignity which forms the moral foundation of every society. We may strongly disagree with some people, but human dignity applies to everyone, even if some do not honor this fact.


2. The Common Good means the social conditions which enhance acceptance of our responsibilities and fulfillment of our obligations, and which regulate the proper use of our God-given rights. These days, many people disdain their responsibilities and indulge in behaviors which de-stabilize society and harm individuals therein.


3. Solidarity is our determination to commit ourselves to the good of each individual. We are truly one human family. We are social in nature. We live in various communities. We interact with one another, and are responsible for what we say and do in our communities. We are responsible for the betterment of that part of our world in which we live.


4. Subsidiarity means that larger institutions must respect the authority and obligations inherent in smaller institutions, and not interfere with smaller, local institutions. In addition, larger institutions also have responsibility to assist smaller institutions to protect human dignity, meet legitimate human need and enhance the Common Good.

Let Us Be Clear

These are theological and moral principles; they’re the stuff of life. They are not intended as crude political levers nor to eliminate the freedom of citizens about political issues. 

• These principles are intended to fulfill the Gospel mandate to teach every person what is morally just in the Christian tradition of Love of God and neighbor.


• These principles strive for the Common Good and urge us to persevere to achieve these goals.


• These principles are intended to form a morally coherent conscience and moral stability in society, in accord with the Revealed Will of God.


• These principles are based on the belief that the works of God are visible in every sphere of existence and activity.
 

Every area of our lives may be dedicated to the glory of God and to the service of others, as revealed in the life and parables of Christ. This includes every activity – our work, our dedication to family and our concern for our children, our regard for one another and our openness to truth in our lives, even if it hurts. Life provides constant opportunities for Faith, Hope and Charity. It is our responsibility to Persevere.

Finally . . .

Opponents of these thoughts espouse unfettered social and personal “freedom,” with no limits or restrictions - moral or otherwise - on the individual or the State.

They deny the fact that respecting our limits and accepting our obligations is the first act of every responsible adult. And they deny that political life must be consistent with the dignity of the human person on our Creator’s terms, not ours.

Their intolerance leads to radical secularism, devoid of realistic limits. Their view encourages anarchy, and leads to oppression (psychological as well as bodily oppression) by those whose moral awareness is nil and whose respect for the Common Good is gone. Again, the evidence of History is strikingly clear.

Christ insisted – as does Bishop Shao – that the spiritual and the secular world are united in God’s Creative Will. It is entirely fitting, therefore, that the Christian principles cited above be the guide for nations and for individual persons who persevere in the pursuit of personal Goodness and social stability.

For more information, here is a link: Faithfulcitizenship.org