Last week Obama declared that all health care providers must cover contraception regardless of their moral objections. That’s it, no discussion, no conscience clauses, nothing except a token stay of execution. Laws that reflect and respect morality are on life support and the government is looking to euthanize them. I wish I could say that we’ve hit a crescendo on the assault of religious freedom, but unfortunately I think we are still in the initial salvos. It’s contraception coverage today, tomorrow its mandated abortion coverage, then on to mandated abortions and who knows what else.
Remember that laws reflect the morality of a civilization. If morality played a more important role in peoples’ lives there is no way a law like this would even be considered. For me, one of the largest problems with this contraception mandate is not that it’s a law, but that the general public doesn’t recognize or care that evil is becoming rooted in our laws. Any civilization that makes intrinsic evils the cornerstone of its laws cannot thrive or even survive. I’ve heard the saying, “Satan’s greatest weapon is making people believe he does not exist.” That saying has never been more true than when intrinsic evils become the law of the land in the land of the free.
I could vent and rant about this topic for a thousand more words and look at it from a variety of angles. I could dive into how the systematic dismantling of morality has led to a breakdown in all aspects of society whether it be education, economics, medicine, or crime. But I’m going to leave that to other articles. I want to focus on the central theme of RosaryMeds — discussing the need for prayer and the rosary.
Look at the Fourth Glorious Mystery — Mary’s Assumption into Heaven. God assumed Mary into Heaven and gave her a special role — bring us closer to her son, Jesus Christ. Over centuries, she has appeared to many people with many messages. She asks us to have a strong faith. In order to have a strong faith, we need to be well versed in the Bible and the teachings of the Catholic Church. How else are we to love God and do His will if we never learn His will? How do we know right from wrong if we never study it and then meditate on it? Part of the reason laws like the contraception mandate pass is in part due to Catholics not taking a true interest in learning and then defending their faith.
I also think we should turn to the Second Joyful Mystery — The Visitation. Prayer is good and I truly believe it has the power to change the world. But part of its effectiveness is that we must act on what God gives us through prayer. Mary didn’t sit on the grace God gave her in the Annunciation, but she went out into the hostile world and shared that grace with her cousin Elizabeth. And her son, Jesus, didn’t spend all His time in meditation but instead went out in the world and converted people. His life was a living prayer since all His actions reflected God’s power and glory. And so, He calls us to also go out into the world, powered by the guidance of the Holy Spirit from our prayers, to convert souls.
Finally, think about the Fifth Joyful Mystery — the finding of Jesus in the Temple. Mary and Joseph travelled for three days before realizing Jesus was not with them. And when they did realize He was missing, they searched in sorrow before finding Him. I believe we are in a world that has gone very far and still hasn’t realized that Jesus is missing in it. Hopefully, one day soon, we will realize that Jesus is missing and have the courage to turn around and find Him. Like Mary and Joseph searching for Jesus “in sorrow,” our return to God’s grace and the rebuilding of morality will not be easy. There will be setbacks. There will be those who will stand in our way every chance they get. But we must have the conviction to endure and continue our arduous mission to bring Jesus’ love into this world.
It’s simple physics. The world will stay on its course unless opposed by an opposite counter action. It’s not like one day laws will suddenly appear that will magically turn the world into a moral place. If we want to change the laws, we have to first start by converting souls. It takes people like you and me, fueled by prayer, to influence others and change this world for the better. Without moral people speaking up, this world will continue on its course. And if you think things are bad now, just wait and see where we go if we sit on our hands. That’s all I can say for now or else my blood pressure will shoot through the roof. But believe me, I will revisit this topic and do what I can to fight the further legalization of intrinsic evils.
Related articles
- Pope Benedict XVI Warns of “Grave Threat” To Religious Liberty in the US (nicedeb.wordpress.com)
- Pope Hits Out at Radical Secularism (maboulette.wordpress.com)
- Abp. Dolan: “…the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.” (insightscoop.typepad.com)
- Why Catholicism is not a Democracy (rosarymeds.com)
- Do you Pray with Purpose? (rosarymeds.com)
- Do You See God’s Gifts? (rosarymeds.com)
- Would Jesus Occupy Wall Street? (rosarymeds.com)
- Do You Ask for Holiness? (rosarymeds.com)
- Pope to American Bishops: Secularism Threatens Liberty, Church Must Respond (palamas.info)
Adding a few more links to related stories:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic-leaders-criticize-profoundly-troubling-contraception-mandate
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2012/01/24/kathleen-sebelius-vs-religious-freedom/