On this 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear a timely message from Jesus in the Gospel from St. Matthew: “What I say to you in darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.”
I say that it is a timely reading because we are currently in the midst of what is known as the “
Fortnight for Freedom,” a 14-day period that began this past Wednesday, on the vigil of the Feast of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, and which concludes next Tuesday on July 4, Independence Day. In this time, we are asked as Catholics to reflect more deeply on the importance of defending religious liberty.
Allow me to quote the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Statement on Religious Liberty: “Religious liberty is not only about our ability to go to Mass on Sunday or pray the Rosary at home. It is about whether we can make our contribution to the common good of all Americans. Can we do the good works our faith calls us to do, without having to compromise that very same faith? Without religious liberty properly understood, all Americans suffer, deprived of the essential contribution in education, health care, feeding the hungry, civil rights, and social services that religious Americans make every day, both here at home and overseas.”
If we are to “speak in the light” about religious freedom, how do we do it? Perhaps we feel intimidated in doing so. There is an excellent resource page on
Religious Liberty on the USCCB website that gives some tips on how to talk about religious freedom. Among them are the following:
Religious freedom has recently become one of the major focal points in the conversation on how Americans can promote the common good. Our Catholic tradition has much to offer this conversation. In this time of increasing polarization in our culture, we can contribute to a better understanding of this issue in a way that respects all people. We can speak with friends and neighbors about religious freedom and work to clear up misconceptions about it.
Respect – Many religious freedom skeptics have plausible concerns. For example, they are concerned that all people should be treated with equal dignity. Indeed, the dignity of all people is the foundation for Catholic teaching on religious liberty. It is important that we not dismiss skeptics, but rather, that we listen to their concerns and take them seriously. So, if the skeptics have a point, what do we say?
A Fundamental Right – Religious freedom is a fundamental right. It means that the government cannot coerce people into acting against their consciences. This is important for all people, not just people of faith. A government that makes one group choose obedience to the state over obedience to faith and conscience can force any group to submit to the state's demands. Religious freedom underlies all other freedoms for everyone.
Space to Do Good – People of faith need religious freedom to have the space to serve others. Oftentimes, religious liberty disputes arise when religious organizations are expected to sacrifice aspects of their faith in order to continue to serve the surrounding community. But it is our faith that in-spires us to serve. Take the Little Sisters of the Poor, who live out their Christian faith by serving the elderly poor. These women have had to seek protection from a regulation requiring them to facilitate access to contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs and devices. Or, consider adoption services run by Catholic Charities, which simply seek to place children in homes with a married mother and father. Due to the redefinition of marriage in civil law, many Catholic Charities and other faith-based adoption agencies around the country have been forced to end their adoption and foster care services.
Challenges to religious freedom often come from a mistaken view of religion, a view that sees religion as good only if it conforms to every value that happens to prevail today. However, the good that religious institutions do is inseparable from the parts that challenge prevailing norms. Religious convictions hang together, in and out of season.
Authentic Pluralism – Skeptics are often concerned about the effects that religious organizations have on people who do not share those religious beliefs. Skeptics tend to see a conflict between religious freedom and their vision of equality and choose a mistaken concept of equality over freedom. These are certainly difficult issues. ... Pluralistic society makes space for people who hold views that run counter to the mainstream. Religious groups, and groups formed around a particular set of principles, need to be able to express their views with integrity. It is crucial that our society not adopt the view that all groups – least of all religious groups -- must conform to one view. True freedom results in a diversity that strengthens, rather than weakens, society.
Above all, the Church seeks to offer a better way. Catholic teaching is holistic, rooted in the dignity of the person, a dignity that is visible to reason yet made more clear by the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When we see a culture that is often unloving and hostile to life, we work to bear witness to a healthier culture, a “civilization of love,” in which all people can flourish.
Own It – When we engage in conversation as Catholics, people want to know what we think. It’s good to represent the Church and the beauty of her teachings; it’s even better when we internalize those teachings and reflect on our own experiences and reasons for caring about religious freedom.
There is much more from the
USCCB. I invite us all to join in prayer and action to see that religious liberty is safeguarded, both now and for years to come. As the USCCB document so eloquently states, “The Lord Jesus came to liberate us from the dominion of sin. Political liberties are one part of that liberation, and religious liberty is the first of those liberties. Together with our fellow Christians, joined by our Jewish brethren, and in partnership with Americans of other religious traditions, we affirm that our faith requires us to defend the religious liberty granted us by God, and protected in our Constitution.”