Lec
# 100- 14th Sun of OT- July 6, 2014- Fr. Bresowar
My
brothers and sisters in Christ, last Monday, the Supreme Court of the United
States of America ruled against the Government in a decision which involved a
for-profit corporation named Hobby Lobby. Many of you, I’m sure are familiar
with Hobby Lobby. It is an arts and crafts chain-store which focuses primarily
on decorations, arts and crafts, and picture framing. At least that’s my
perception of it.
It
use to be one of my least favorite stores simply because my mother would take
us there from time to time whenever she needed something, and as there is
nothing to entertain boys, it was exceedingly boring. Especially when you have
the attention span of a goldfish.
However,
even if the store is boring for boys who have no interest in their products,
what happened last Monday, was significant in a number of ways.
If
you hadn’t heard, the owners of the company Hobby Lobby had sued the Executive
Branch of the Government because the Human Health and Services department under
that Executive Branch, had tried to mandate that Hobby Lobby be compelled to
cover health insurance for their employees that provided for certain types of
contraception which could cause Abortions. Contraception types like the Morning
After Pill for example.
In
doing so, the owner of Hobby Lobby had complained that paying for contraception
which caused abortions in the insurance policies they would have to provide,
was a violation of their religious freedom.
The
Government argued that it was better health care for women, and would give them
more options concerning reproduction rights.
What
the case of Hobby Lobby vs. the Health and Human Services Department did was
basically pit religious liberty against the mandates of the federal government.
Is
it ever okay for the United States Government, or any worldly government, to
compel its citizens to violate their religious conscience?
In
this case, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby had a constitutional
right to not violate their religious freedoms protected by the Constitution of
the United States. They did not have to provide insurance, which covered contraception,
which could cause abortions.
It
remains to be seen what religious liberties will or will not be protected in
the future in this country, but we can certainly look in other countries
throughout the world and see that often times religious liberties are trampled
upon by the governing authority. There are many examples of this, especially in
foreign countries, and often times this even includes the right to practice a
religion other than the one or more sponsored by the state.
Much
has been said about this and will continue to be said as to what authority does
a Government have to compel citizens to violate religious freedoms, and when,
if ever, that is appropriate.
Politics
aside, and there are plenty of pundits on both sides of the political spectrum
who will spin the decision of the Supreme Court to gain political advantage,
the question I sought to address in this homily on the weekend we celebrate our
238th birthday as a country, is not rather the Government has that
right, but more so, what is the duty of a Catholic Christian to his or her
government?
All
people, rather Christian or not, will stand before the court of God’s Judgment
one day. This is a much different, obviously, than any civil court, rather it
be local or federal.
Our
obligation to God is always first, and rightly so, as the moral law and natural
law comes from God not from men, and based on this law, the consequences of
following it or not are eternal, not simply temporal.
So
for example, contraception is a violation of God’s natural law and plan for
reproduction and the good of the spouses in marriage. It doesn’t matter what
the US government mandates about contraception, we have an obligation to follow
God’s law, and trust his plan in our lives, and no manmade law can change
that.
So
what obligation do we as Catholics, have to follow the temporal laws of our
United States Government, especially if the laws mandated go against the
natural or moral law given by God?
What
is true Patriotism? Where do we draw the line? What are we to do? Do we just
reject the Government out right? Certainly not.
Our
mother, the Church, has much to say about what is the civil allegiance of the
individual to respect its government, and the leaders it chooses to govern
them.
By civil allegiance is meant the duty of loyalty
and obedience which a person owes to the State of which he or she is a citizen.
That duty, according to the teaching of the
Catholic Church, rests on nature itself and the sanctions of religion. As
nature and religion prescribe to children dutiful conduct towards the parents
who brought them into the world, so nature and religion impose on citizens
certain obligations towards their country and its rulers. These obligations may
be reduced to those of patriotism and obedience. Patriotism requires that the
citizen should have a reasonable esteem and love for his or her country. He or
she should take an interest in his or hers country's history, he or she should know
how to value her institutions, and he or she should be prepared to sacrifice
him or herself for her welfare. In his or hers country's need it is not only a
noble thing, but it is a sacred duty to lay down one's life for the safety of
the commonwealth. Love for his or her country will lead the citizen to show honor
and respect to its rulers. They represent the State, and are entrusted by God
with power to rule it for the common good. The citizen's chief duty is to obey
the just laws of his country.
However, what happens when the laws are unjust,
as was the case with the contraception mandate?
This is where Catholics commonly get accused of
having a divided allegiance, to Rome in one instance, and to country in
another. This accusation is nothing new, it has been going on since the time of
Jesus Christ. It states that Catholics cannot be good citizen and Catholics at
the same time. And it is asserted that the duties of the citizen are sure to be
sacrificed by devout Catholics to the interests of his or her Church.
But my brothers and sisters, this is simply not
the case. In fact it is quite the opposite, there is no Patriotism in following
unjust laws. The separation of Church and State does not mean the removal of
God from society in the recognition of what is good and true.
If God is the author of life, and creator of the
moral and natural law, then we have an obligation, as good citizens of this
country, who love their country, to respect their leaders, to follow the just
laws which have been written for the common good, and to adamantly reject those
laws which unfortunately have been written which do not respect the natural or
moral law laid down in our nature and in the person of Jesus Christ.
When we do so, even if it causes friction amongst
the populace who may disagree, even if it means persecution, we can say with
certainty that we are practicing with virtue true patriotism. This country is
great, it’s traditions are great, the men and women who have sacrificed so much
to make our country what it is are great, however the country itself is not
invincible. It is susceptible to fall as many countries before it have fallen.
In order for this not to happen, we need to
respect first and foremost God, and to do so unapologetically. Our allegiance
is to God and Country, and in that order. God should never be pit against
country, and the country would be foolish to pit itself against God.
I hope and pray that God gives us the grace we
need to love our country appropriately, which is born first out of a love of
Jesus Christ our savior. I also pray for each of us that we might have the
strength and courage to be true patriots to this great country, to respect its
rulers and be willing, if need be, to defend her at all cost, even if it means
standing up in unison against unjust laws.
May God Bless each of us, and May God truly
continue to bless these United States of America.
