Friday of the
Sixth Week of Easter
(Acts 18:9-18; John 16:20-23)
The passage from Acts today highlights two separate issues
of importance. The first regards the
dating of St. Paul’s stay in Corinth. From
another source we know that the proconsul Gallio was in Corinth only in the
years 51-52. Since he adjudicated the
complaint by the Jews against Paul and Paul was there for a year and a half,
his stay must have been coincided with at least in part with those years.
The other issue is more significant. Gallio, a government official, refuses to
interfere in religious questions. Nineteen
centuries later the Second Vatican Council advocated for a similar stance by governments
toward religion. The council reasoned
that religion is a matter of conscience which humans have to be free to
follow. A government must allow people
and, indeed, religious organizations to practice what they believe to be God’s
will.
Currently freedom of religion is being contested over refusal
to provide contraception as an employee insurance benefit. Some Catholic employers rightfully see
providing such a benefit unconscionable.
Can the government, which mandates insurance benefits, force them to do
so anyway? Because the issue involves
sexual behavior, logic is often set aside.
However, it is, I believe, fair to say that since contraception is
usually not necessary for a woman’s health, it could be dismissed as an insurance
benefit in most cases. The matter in the
United States is now waiting a Supreme Court judgment.
