The family farming ministry in diocese

By Father Marvin Boes, Guest commentary
March 11, 2004

In last summer's conversations, local people expressed serious concern about the sustainability of their family farm and non-farm enterprises and also of their local communities. Local people will be committed to and be effective in maintaining and developing sustainable family enterprises and sustainable local communities only if they know and follow the appropriate moral principles and norms in working together to do so. The same is true for them to contribute and benefit in the social ministry in our diocese.

The Declaration of Independence speaks of the "laws of nature and nature's God" before making the historic assertion: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights and among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Our foreparents expressed their human rights freely and responsibly in the development and maintenance of their family farming enterprises and systems and their local communities.

For Thomas Jefferson, the inalienable right of the pursuit of happiness is the right for local people to take economic initiative in personal ownership and operation of independent farm and non-farm enterprises. Local families secure in their economic enterprises are free to offer support and to contribute in the local community and in the civic and political activity for the common good of our local, state's and nation's people.

Most local people in Iowa have always had a deep respect for the life of human persons and the community, the natural life of plants and animals, the ecological life in the soil, water and environment, and "the web of life" in the local community. Local people can operate their enterprises and relate together economically, socially and politically in such ways as to achieve local healthy physical environments, ecological systems and human communities.

Local people have always claimed the political liberty to form their local governments with charters from the state government. In accord with the principle of subsidiarity, local governments do have the authority and power to protect and promote the good of the local community. The concerns excepted are those which can be handled effectively only on a state or federal level.

Local people have looked to both the state government and the federal government to promote the general welfare and the exercise of their human rights responsibly in the independent family farm and non-farm enterprises in the local community. In accord with their authority and power, these governments always had to offer effective protection from the strong economic forces dedicated to building monopolistic or oligopolistic control of an integrated industrial system from "gene to shelf' in the agriculture industry. The industry includes farming, farm input resources, output processing and marketing.

Local people look to their churches to stand in solidarity with them as oppressed and even as poor people, offering them social ministry. This is to be a ministry of moral guidance, support and assistance in their self-help action in maintaining and developing sustainable independent family enterprises and sustainable local communities.

We are reminded that it was a Catholic farmer who pleaded for the Holy Father's presence and ministry with and for the local people in Iowa at the height of the family farming crisis at the time. On Oct. 4, 1979, during his celebration of Mass with us, Pope John Paul II offered us words of spiritual and moral guidance, including those which follow: "this closeness to nature, this spontaneous awareness of creation as a gift from God, as well as the blessing of a close-knit family - characteristics of farm life in every age including our own-these were part of the life of Jesus. Therefore, I invite you to let your attitudes always be the same as those of Christ Jesus. Three attitudes in particular are appropriate for rural life. In the first place: gratitude... The farmer prepares the soil, plants the seeds and cultivates the crop. But God makes it grow. He alone is the source of life ... Second, the land must be conserved with care since it is intended to be frui6(ul for generation upon generation... You are stewards of some of the most important resources God has given to the world. Therefore, conserve the land well so that your children's children and generations after them will inheri an even richer land than was entrusted to you. But also remember what the heart of your vocation is. While it is true here that farming today provides an economic livelihood for the farmer, still it will always be more than an enterprise of profit-making. In farming, you cooperate with the creator in the very sustenance of life on earth. In the third place, I want to speak about generosity... You who are farmers today are stewards of a gift from God which was intended for the good of all humanity.

(Father Marvin Boes is a retired priest of the Diocese of Sioux City who continues to serve as president of the Diocesan Peace and Justice Commission.)