SR: What do you think of Chief
Justice Roberts’ ruling?
M: First, why don’t you tell me how you
feel about the ruling?
SR: How do I feel? Let
down! Disappointed! I was hoping for a
much different outcome.
M: Oh you poor thing, you wanted
Roberts to be your savior, did you? He was to strike down the law, eliminate
the problem and solve your Church-State dilemma? You had a bunch of unreal
expectations, didn’t you!? Roberts is not God, you know.
SR: I don’t expect him to be God! At least he could have acted the like
so-called Conservative he is supposed to be!
M: Well, he didn't do what you wanted, did he? Instead of playing God, he
played Solomon. He neatly dodged the complex problems the law creates by
following his Conservative policy of
judicial restraint. He left no side a
total winner, and no one a total loser.
So the struggle remains. And the question too: which side wants to win more? And what will the victory cost?
SR: Well, we can’t let the law
stand. I think it is a heck of a stretch to establish the law by calling
it a tax.
M: Yes, this accommodation by Roberts is a stretch, maybe even a “bending
over backwards”. But so what? The real question is what do you do next? How
will this ruling affect the lawsuits your Church has before the court?
SR: I don’t know. Also, with the
presidential campaign going on and the economy still shaky, almost anything can happen.
M: Right! No one knows what’s coming.
That is what makes the soap opera of American Politics so amusing. But of course, you Catholics have no cause
for worry, do you?
SR: What do you mean?
M: You people believe that Jesus is the Lord of History, do you not? You
believe He uses evil to accomplish good! He turns defeat into victory! Ultimately
He makes sense out of all the suffering and disasters you run into in life,
right?
SR: Yes, but the way you put it is
an oversimplification.
M: Not really. You believe you end up in heaven or hell, and that is all
that matters. So now all you have to do is throw yourself into the fray, because
even if you lose, you win.
SR: What do you mean?
M: Perhaps your Church in America
could be going through its version of the French Revolution. I don’t mean that the clergy and nuns will be
guillotined necessarily, but that the State will disestablish you, take over
your schools, hospitals, and service agencies and make them into truly American
institutions that give the Public what it entitled to by the law of the land.
SR: That would be a travesty of justice! It would be against everything the
Constitution says and the rights we are guaranteed!
M: Perhaps. But then again perhaps
not, given the “evolving” way the Constitution is being read in your
times. It is quite likely that the
Sovereign State will continue to expand its reach in society and eliminate the
Church from Public Life. It has happened time and again in the past. You know
that from history, don’t you?
SR: Yes, but what is the point of your argument? Where are you going with
this?
M: It is very simple, really. If
Obama gets re-elected and Obama Care gets strictly enforced, then the Church loses what
little influence and power it has in society. You believers can always say the
Church’s defeat was God’s way of purifying the the institution, much as He used
Israel’s enemies to grind His rebellious people into submission.
SR: What if Obama loses the
election, and Obama Care gets struck down?
M: Then for the time being you have
“dodged the bullet”, as the expression goes. If your Church wins its lawsuits,
and Romney wins the election, then you
can all breathe easy and continue on your complacent way until new crises
occur. Either way, what does it matter? Win or lose, eventually you will all be swept up in the
sands of time, right?
SR: As usual, I don’t totally agree,
but don’t know exactly what to say in response.
M: So then, say nothing for now. I always
enjoy having the last word.
God Our Father, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church. and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that with every trial withstood, and every danger overcome- for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us- this great land will always be " one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
1.)Today, what does it mean for the United States of America to be "under God?" Under His judgment? His blessing? His guidance? Could we possibly delude ourselves any longer into thinking that it means He is "on our side" and that our "democracy" is divinely inspired and sustained?
2.) Do the moral principles that originally formed the substructure of our American democratic system at its founding have any traction in today's Culture?
3.) Is our country devolving into a form of totalitarianism? Is the State attempting to absorb the role of the Church in society?
