Friday of the
Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Hosea 8:4-7.11-13; Matthew 9:32-38)
Oddly, in a way, religious freedom has been threatened as
secularism becomes more dominant. One
would think that fewer people would care how religious people worship. But worship is more than praying in
church. A believer’s whole life should manifest
different ways of giving God His due. Today
religious people are being persecuted for refusing to cooperate with evil that
has been sanctioned by the state. Pro-life
pharmacists are being harassed by government for not selling abortion inducing
pills. Catholic women religious are
being pressured into providing contraceptives for their employees. In today’s gospel Jesus warns his disciples
to expect such mistreatment.
Jesus tells his disciples to be as “as shrewd as
serpents.” He wants them to avoid
confrontation with their persecutors as much as possible. But they are also to be “as simple as doves”;
that is, he does not want them to obfuscate the truth with
rationalizations. Jesus recognizes that this
strategy will led to persecution but will assure his followers of rewards for
their valor.
All of us may not be persecuted directly for practicing
Catholicism. Nevertheless, we have a
responsibility to support those who are.
We should consider voting for policy-makers who truly respect religious
freedom. We may also contribute to the
payment of costly legal fees of those who are being harassed. Of course, we are to pray that our society
seek and preserve true justice.
