Dear Friends,
(The
Rev. Know-It-All needs to discuss something other than convoluted
history and obscure theology because things are not so good back on
planet earth. I will resume my treatise on the relationship between
sacraments and religious swooning next week, unless things get even
weirder.)
Archbishop Timothy
Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services of the USA, wrote a
letter to be read at all Sunday Masses for U.S. military personnel
around the world. The letter is critical of the Obama administration’s
decision to rescind the exemption for the Catholic Church that allows
Catholic institutions not to provide condoms, sterilization, artificial
birth control, and chemically induced abortions by means of insurance
provided to employees. The letter said that the decision by the Obama
Administration as part of new federal health care law “is a blow to a
freedom that you have fought to defend and for which you have seen your
buddies fall in battle,” and that “We cannot—we will not—comply with
this unjust law.”
Today, there are hurried meetings. As of this
writing, (Feb. 8, 2012), Archbishop Broglio spoke with Secretary of the
Army John McHugh and they have “agreed that it was a mistake to stop
the reading of the archbishop's letter,” The Archbishop has also
agreed to McHugh's suggestion that the words, “We cannot, we will not
comply with this unjust law,” will not be in the letter for fear that
“it could potentially be misunderstood as a call to civil disobedience.”
The
chaplains have narrowly missed being in the position, as I understand
it, of deciding whether or not to obey their bishop or their commander
in chief. I am reminded of the sad days that destroyed the faith of
England, when the clergy had to obey the king or obey the pope. Only
one bishop (St. John Fisher) and St. Thomas More, the former chancellor
resisted the king, dying for their faith and conscience, imprisoned by
the administration of Henry the Eighth for refusing to give their
blessing to the marriage of Henry and Ann Boleyn, and eventually
beheaded for treason.
Thomas More in particular did not ever
even publicly oppose the marriage. He was executed simply for not
endorsing it. We Catholics are once again in this difficult position as
were our forbears in the faith. We are being asked not only to give our
blessing, but to pay for what we regard as a perversion of one of our
seven sacraments. In the 1966 film, “A Man For All Seasons” Sir Thomas
More, having been convicted of treason by means of false
testimony, finally gives his opinion of the King’s marriage. He cries
out, “ I am here because I would not consent to the marriage!”
We
are in exactly the same position. We will not consent to the forced
redefinition of the sacrament of marriage. We Catholics define marriage
as permanent, faithful and familial. America now defines marriages as
temporary, narcissistic and self-gratifying. For us, marriage is an
exclusive relationship between a man and a woman that exists for the
sake of stable families in which children can be brought into the world
in as much emotional and physical safety as possible. For them,
marriage can be ended by divorce when it no longer meets one’s needs,
or the relationship is unsatisfying. Instead of faithfulness to
another, one’s own interests are paramount. Instead of the emotional
and physical safety of children, America’s new definition of marriage
makes the giving of life optional. Pleasure and emotional gratification
give marriage meaning.
We are not saying that they may not do
these things. We are just asking to be allowed to hold to our own
beliefs, to the freedom of our consciences and to the free expression
of our faith in the public forum. We Catholics are on trial for the
sake of Marriage and the Universality of the Church, just as surely as
was St. Thomas More. Don’t be fooled. They will not give up. They will
not rest until they have American marriage blessed by an American, not
a Catholic Church.
They are a bit surprised by the Catholic
reaction. They had thought we would remain asleep while the country was
ruined. They may back off until they can hear us snoring again. Stay
awake! St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Romans: “It
is already the hour for you to wake from sleep. The night is almost
gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of
darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in
the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity
and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus
Christ!" (Romans 13:11-14).
So what can we do?
Go to the Relevant Radio website.
Just do a web search for Relevant Radio and at the top right-hand
corner just below Our Lady of Guadalupe’s picture where it says Enter
Keyword type in HHS. Or, just click here for the HHS page.
Also, go to the USCCB website.
(That’s the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. USCCB
works just as well) There you will see URGENT ACTION ALERT
under those words you will find WRITE to CONGRESS TODAY. Click on
this and it will guide you through the process. Or, just click here for the letter guide page.
Another good thing to do: get the movie “A Man For All Seasons.” Watch it. Have your children watch it, reminding them that it is a true story.
Here is the letter I wrote:
Hon. Senator Durbin, Hon. Senator Kirk, Hon. Representative Schakowsky,
I
am writing to ask you to support Senator Rubio's bill protecting
religious freedom. I am very concerned about the decision by
Kathleen Sebelius and the current administration to deny the
insurance exemption for churches that object to artificial birth
control and chemical abortions. I object, not simply because I am
a Catholic, and a clergyman, but because my ethnic origins are German.
My family fled Germany in the 19th century to escape a growing of
tyranny. My cousins who remained in the old country were gradually
forced to pay for and then to assist in the horrors of the Nazi
holocaust. They were fooled by the slow, incremental denial of
fundamental human rights. “First they came for the Jews, but I was not
a Jew, then came for the Gypsies, but I was not a Gypsy..... “Now in
America, “First they are coming for the Catholics....” I cannot believe
that in this country that I love, I and my congregation will be forced
to pay for what we regard as murder. I appeal to your love of country
and your love of justice, don't force the Catholic Church to abandon
its mission to those in need by insisting that we provide the means of
murder to those we employ. Such a situation could end in the closing of
our schools, hospitals and charities and thus cause the unemployment of
a million people. Please help.
Rev, Richard T. Simon
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