Imitate the Mystery you Celebrate

I was reading one of those top ten list things on the Internet the other evening.  The one that caught my eye was the top ten things that are not in the Constitution.  It listed "rights" that folks believe are enunciated in our Constitution, but are really not there.  Whether it be through myth or folklore, or just verbal tradition, people begin to believe certain texts or phrases are in the U.S. document, or documents like it.

This is especially meaningful for us today as we as catholics are told what we ought to do, and that our teachings infringe on the Constitution.  A brief moment of U.S. history helps us understand that the framers of the Constitution did not want a 'national' Church as was the case in England.  So they sought to make sure that never happened.  But they also believed one's moral lives be guided and directed by one's religious beliefs, and not the other way around.  While many clamor about abortion, euthanasia, and matters of ones lifestyle, being a political issue, in reality these are matters of faith and morals.

So today it is not a matter of religion trying to influence the political sphere, but rather the government trying to mandate what and how a person of faith should believe.  But just as many do not understand what is, and is not, in the Constitution, many believers have a very limited understanding of ones scripturl and faith tradtition.  I remember a freshman telling me once that she did not like the Church's teaching about sex.  When ask to expound on that, she simply repeated that she did not like it.  This is not unlike another woman who told me that her favorite Bible story was where Jesus helped some people.  (I had this image of Jesus moving furniture on a Saturday afternoon)

It is very important that we know the issues and the ramifications of the issues which plague our world today.  But it is also important for us to have at least a foundational understanding of our Church's moral teachings.  I hate to think of a Church in the future which is based on 'nice Jesus' and totally dismisses the challenge of the Gospel.

 It is also a good idea to hold the feet of our elected to the fire, nd continue to presen to them the needs and concerns of our society.  Like the entire citizenry we have a right and an obligation to be heard by our lawmakers.  So we constantly prayer for wisdom, knowledge, and right jusdgement.  In this we continue to serve the Lord.