Don't Ignore the Big Issues Just Because You're Busy at Work
The big issues seem so remote when I'm busy at work. Even the upcoming Presidential election can "feel" kind of abstract when the immediate and urgent matters of my job press in on me. That's perfectly natural. I'm swamped; I'm buried. First things first. My plate is so full, sometimes it demands cleaning. OK, understood.
But big issues can't be ignored all the time. In fact, there are two right now that demand your and my immediate and ongoing attention.
First, let's look at an urgent and immediate matter that simply cannot take second place to your particular urgent and immediate matters at work. It's the matter of the government demanding that religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, spend their money to offer contraceptive products and services. More specifically, organizations run by the Church and organizations that hold themselves out as Catholic must fund insurance plans that offer these products and services to their employees.
Not only is this forcing the Church as an organization and Catholics as individuals to fund sinful activities, but this constitutes a breach of the right to freedom of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The very first sentence of the First Amendment states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Can this statement be any clearer? What doesn't the government understand about the meaning of First Amendment? If they somehow don't understand this statement as it is clearly written, why don't they?
Please pay attention to this all-important issue. At the very least, we have to pray that our bishops continue the strong stand against the government they have (thankfully!) taken. They have made it clear that they do not want an exemption from this oppressive regulation. They have clearly demanded that the regulation be reversed. Bravo!
And please understand that this stand benefits all Americans, not just Catholics. In case you've forgotten, the reason our ancestors traveled to the New World was to escape a government that oppressed them because of their religious beliefs. That's exactly why the very first sentence of the First Amendment states the matter so clearly.
(Suggestion: If you don't know or have forgotten what you learned about the Constitution, make time now to read and study it. Fortunately, Hillsdale College offers a course online, Constitution 101. You can find it by clicking HERE.)
We cannot afford to let our work so consume us that we allow threats to our fundamental rights as citizens go either ignored or unchallenged!
The second issue that demands your immediate and ongoing attention is evangelization. I hate to bring this up because I don't give this the time and energy it demands. And, again, many of us who are busy with our daily work may feel evangelization is either a luxury we can't afford, or just aren't very good at it. This is especially true when we're working in a completely secular environment, perhaps one hostile to religion of any kind, never mind the Catholic Church, or, if not in so stark a circumstance, perhaps working with few if any Catholics, or with Catholics who long ago gave up practicing their Faith.
Honestly evangelization doesn't seem quite so urgent and immediate an issue to me. Isn't it something that we're all expected to do at some level throughout our lives? Ah, but there's the problem. We somehow find these "throughout our lives" obligations don't require our immediate attention today. And as each tomorrow becomes the next today, we continue to put this on the back-burner. While we don't have time to go into this in greater detail, I wanted to bring it up because it's easier to understand why the first issue must be addressed right away. But I hope you can see how evangelization also must be addressed on a daily, ongoing basis, even when we're busy with our work. Maybe we an talk about this more in the future.
So lift your head up and look beyond the tasks that press on you today and everyday. There are important matters that require your attention and action. Like right NOW!
But big issues can't be ignored all the time. In fact, there are two right now that demand your and my immediate and ongoing attention.
First, let's look at an urgent and immediate matter that simply cannot take second place to your particular urgent and immediate matters at work. It's the matter of the government demanding that religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, spend their money to offer contraceptive products and services. More specifically, organizations run by the Church and organizations that hold themselves out as Catholic must fund insurance plans that offer these products and services to their employees.
Not only is this forcing the Church as an organization and Catholics as individuals to fund sinful activities, but this constitutes a breach of the right to freedom of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The very first sentence of the First Amendment states:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
Can this statement be any clearer? What doesn't the government understand about the meaning of First Amendment? If they somehow don't understand this statement as it is clearly written, why don't they?
Please pay attention to this all-important issue. At the very least, we have to pray that our bishops continue the strong stand against the government they have (thankfully!) taken. They have made it clear that they do not want an exemption from this oppressive regulation. They have clearly demanded that the regulation be reversed. Bravo!
And please understand that this stand benefits all Americans, not just Catholics. In case you've forgotten, the reason our ancestors traveled to the New World was to escape a government that oppressed them because of their religious beliefs. That's exactly why the very first sentence of the First Amendment states the matter so clearly.
(Suggestion: If you don't know or have forgotten what you learned about the Constitution, make time now to read and study it. Fortunately, Hillsdale College offers a course online, Constitution 101. You can find it by clicking HERE.)
We cannot afford to let our work so consume us that we allow threats to our fundamental rights as citizens go either ignored or unchallenged!
The second issue that demands your immediate and ongoing attention is evangelization. I hate to bring this up because I don't give this the time and energy it demands. And, again, many of us who are busy with our daily work may feel evangelization is either a luxury we can't afford, or just aren't very good at it. This is especially true when we're working in a completely secular environment, perhaps one hostile to religion of any kind, never mind the Catholic Church, or, if not in so stark a circumstance, perhaps working with few if any Catholics, or with Catholics who long ago gave up practicing their Faith.
Honestly evangelization doesn't seem quite so urgent and immediate an issue to me. Isn't it something that we're all expected to do at some level throughout our lives? Ah, but there's the problem. We somehow find these "throughout our lives" obligations don't require our immediate attention today. And as each tomorrow becomes the next today, we continue to put this on the back-burner. While we don't have time to go into this in greater detail, I wanted to bring it up because it's easier to understand why the first issue must be addressed right away. But I hope you can see how evangelization also must be addressed on a daily, ongoing basis, even when we're busy with our work. Maybe we an talk about this more in the future.
So lift your head up and look beyond the tasks that press on you today and everyday. There are important matters that require your attention and action. Like right NOW!
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