Through baptism we have entered into a profound relationship with Christ that calls us to continuously orient ourselves towards Him. In the reality that in baptism we have been clothed with Christ we entered into true liberation from sin and our uncleanness. These waters have taken us scattered in our common thought and have made us one in Christ Jesus. In this one faith that we share we must always be concerned with our faith and our ability to live it out faithfully from within the world. Our faith cannot be taken nonchalantly or be exiled to the Church alone. Instead the faith must become the expression of our very lives no matter if we are inside this Church, at school, at work, among our friends, or wherever we may be. To be one with Christ means that our lives circle around Him constantly in our thoughts and our deeds. When our thoughts or deeds begin to loosen its grasp from our relationship with Christ we must return to His mercy and trust in a spirit of grace and petition.
This spirit of grace and petition that was spoken about through the writings of the Prophet Zachariah is a must for all the baptized faithful. Petition is something that we must do if we will allow ourselves to have Christ placed at life's center. We often begin to make our prayers or petitions when we are in need of something, but are unable to endure each day in this necessary foundation of life. We should offer our prayer unceasingly in our lives no matter if we find ourselves at a moment of great joy or great sorrow. Prayer is our ability to trust in God and His divine love. We must always be willing to enter into this great gift that comes to us from God and be willing to leave all of our needs here. The moment that we allow our lives to become so complex and busy that we lack time for prayer we will be allowing ourselves to slowly erode our lives away from our relationship with Christ. We cannot allow our lives to fall apart in this manner, but must react to what was begun in baptism by allowing ourselves to return to Christ.
With the vigil of Saints John Fisher and Thomas More, which was celebrated this past Saturday, we began our Fortnight for Freedom. The Fortnight for Freedom is our ability to respond to our call that comes to us from our baptism and is our ability to join in the gift of prayer on behalf of our nation and the preservation of religious liberty. Currently within our country there exists many new laws which threaten our ability to proclaim the Gospel, but from our entering into the waters of baptism we must respond with our concern because we have put on the clothing of Christ. We must always be willing to enter into a spirit of prayer because it surrounds us with Christ and therefore we must do the same for this country that we love. "In the face of the many serious threats that we face concerning our religious liberty, the Church, cannot remain silent, nor can it cease to beg the Lord for our rights." In baptism we have all become one in Christ and must be concerned with the preservation of the Gospel message to the world.
Pope Benedict XVI said that religious liberty is the "most cherished of American freedoms," but firmly believed that this liberty was being weakened inside of the United States. Some of the issues that we currently face must be mentioned, so that we can be aware of what is taking place inside of our society. "The August 1st deadline to comply with the mandate of the Department of Health and Human Services for all employers, including the Church, to provide health insurance for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. For more than a year, the bishops, Catholic citizens, and religious leaders of various faiths have attempted to work with the government to secure an exemption from the mandate. Unfortunately, the government has been unwilling to provide an exemption for the vast majority of faith-based organizations, including Catholic hospitals, universities, and charitable organizations."
In addition to the mandate, there are other threats to religious freedom: new laws which prohibit the Church from offering spiritual and charitable assistance to undocumented immigrants; laws that have effectively closed Church-run adoption agencies in Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. due to being unwilling to allow the adoption of children to same sex couples or unmarried opposite-sex couples who cohabit, after years of excellent performance by the Migration and Refugee Services in administering contract services for victims of human trafficking the federal government has changed its policy to require this organization to offer or refer for contraceptive and abortion services in violation of its Catholic teaching, and an expected Supreme Court decision that may attempt to redefine marriage in United States law.
As we begin this Fortnight for Freedom we must realize that it is our duty to defend the faith that we share. May each of us continue to educate ourselves in these areas, and be willing to speak to our representatives in order that our religious liberty may continue to be protected and defended, we can also offer acts of reparation such as meatless Fridays or fasting one day a week, and most importantly may we enter into prayer for this wonderful nation. This Fortnight for Freedom is not about politics, but is about God and our relationship to God. It is about our freedom and our ability to use it to give our loving service to Jesus Christ. Our baptism calls us to give this witness in our lives and no matter what this reality requires us to lose from our lives; may we be willing to do so in order that we may rise to newness of life and take up our crosses and follow after Christ.
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