Sun., Jan. 29, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 “He taught them with authority.”
Full sermon text: Over the past 20 years it has been popular for young Christians to wear wrist bands or necklaces with the capital letters W.W.J.D. This, of course, stands for “what would Jesus do?” Actually, this trend can be a very effective way to help us think about our commitment to live as a Christian at each moment of our life. But, Christians, particularly Catholics and Protestants, would at times have different views on what Jesus would do in certain circumstances.
What is behind the noble history of the Order of Mercy?In a vision to a young nobleman named Peter Nolasco, the Blessed Virgin urged the formation of a military fraternity that would rescue prisoners by means of ransom. Go to our website and read,
Is God calling you to become a Mercedarian friar? Visit Fr. Joseph’s page.
People form their conscience based on what they have been taught or what they know to be right or wrong. Conscience is defined as the judgment of reason which at certain moments enjoins us to do good or to avoid evil. We all have a conscience but not everyone’s conscience is fully formed. Yet, it is a good thing when modern people recognize that they have a conscience and try to form it properly. This is what is being done if a teenage wears the WWJD wrist band and uses it to make proper decisions.
Leave their faith at the door?
It is a human right to be able to make choices based on our conscience. The United States was founded on Judeo-Christian principles which emphasized the dignity of the human person and the respect for the rights of each person. In no way did our Founding Fathers think that a person had to “leave their faith at the door” when we were to exercise our right to vote. The same is true of a politician who casts a vote for a proposal or a regular American who makes decisions in the workplace.
Everyone has the right to follow his conscience. Our conscience first began to be formed as a child when our parents and the Church taught us right from wrong. It continues to be formed today as we learn about the teaching of Christ and make difficult decisions in our lives. A properly formed Catholic conscience is based on the teachings of Jesus and 2000 years of tradition. We do not expect a Jewish person or a Muslim person to have the same conscience as us or to leave that conscience “at the door” when they make decisions in the workplace. But, we as Catholics have right to expect that others will respect our right to follow our conscience and make decisions that we feel are morally acceptable.
Grave threats to the Church
Recently, on January 19th, our Holy Father, Benedict XVI warned the American Bishops to insure that their people “…come to realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.” The warning was realized the next day, January 20th, when the Department of Health and Human Services told churches that they have one year to begin covering in their health plans drugs and procedures that chemically block conception or abort babies in the womb.
Archbishop Dolan, the president of the US bishops’ conference, foresaw this coming months earlier. With the support of the US bishops last September, he established for the first time in America a new commission to protect Religious Liberty. The Pope and the American Bishops united have stated that the Government is forcing Catholics and their Institutions to violate their consciences!! Never before has this happened in the United States. The new bishops’ commission is working hard to fight for our rights as Catholics to listen to the voice of our conscience and live based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.
We see in the Gospel today that Jesus speaks “with authority.” People quickly realize that he is different from other religious leaders. The demons themselves recognize that Jesus is “the Holy One of God.” We as Catholics must respect the President and the entire Government, but when they try to force us to abandon our conscience or what we know is right. In the end, we cannot as a Church adhere to the stipulations placed on us. We must follow the Authority of Christ over an unethical decree. Unfortunately, this may lead to the closing of Catholic institutions, such as hospitals and schools, since it would be immoral for the Church to pay for procedures that violate Catholic teaching.
Not just on Sunday
Whatever happens, we know that God is with us, because we seek with every action to ask the question “What would Jesus do?” The answer to this question effects every moment of our lives, not just Sunday for an hour. So, let us continue to respect the free will of all, but at the same time demand that our rights be respected as well. For each moment of our lives must be lived in such a way that we are recognized as Christians who live as Jesus taught us.