President doesn't have power to force Catholics to provide for immoral actions

Guest columnist

Published: February 27, 2012

By Msgr. Francis I. Malone

One of the most baffling experiences I have known as a priest and as a pastor has been the frequent assumption that I am all-powerful and all-knowing. You may laugh, but I evidence this with a few examples. It was the man who came up to me as I was about to begin Mass about a year ago I was in full vestments, mind you, and he said to me, "Monsignor, the urinal is overflowing in the men's restroom."

It was the usher who approached me two weeks ago after Mass to tell me that the armature device on the door at the north entrance was broken, and that it was puncturing a hole in the dry wall.

It was the parishioner who, as people were leaving Church, advised me that in the third pew from the back and on the left side, one of the kneelers was broken.

Before God I admit that I have some talents that I can use for the good of others, but overflowing urinals, broken doors and kneelers do not, at least for me, fall into the categories of things that I can resolve, especially when I am wearing my vestments. Give me a mop and I can do something, but it is simply outside of my competency to do certain things -- and so prudently, I don't try for fear of making it worse, and besides, I would hope you agree that one should never attempt to do that which they cannot do.

We all have our areas of competency. Most of us have a level of expertise that is distinguishable from others. We recognize these right away, not only in ourselves, but in others: we don't ask a plumber to represent us in court; we know not to ask the Cable Man to deliver a baby; we don't ask a teacher to perform surgery; we should not ask a child to do a man's job, and we do not ask a frail person to do that which requires the strength of someone younger and stronger. We don't ask an electrician to prescribe medicine, and unless he or she is really multi-talented, we don't ask a plumber to re-wire our house….we know these things…some would say by sheer common sense…in fact it is so basic to our understanding of who has the ability to do what. So why, in the name of God, then…are we, as Catholics, inviting our President and those who align themselves with his policies on health care, why are we inviting him to lecture us on conscience and telling us what we are to do as a Church?

It is not that our president does not have a responsibility for those entrusted to his care -- but it is precisely in this where he is in error -- serious error -- grave error -- deadly error -- to use his office and his administration to act outside his competency -- and to tell us, specifically the Catholic Church, that he, in his capacity as president, has a better idea of what is just and right than the Church has; that he has a greater appreciation for the distinction between good and evil than the Church does; that he has a responsibility to inform us that the Church has had it wrong all along – and that if he has his way, he will make it right - he will do that which he cannot do: force us to act against our conscience. It's not that he cannot say these things if he chooses -- he simply has no competence to say these things with authority. Power is the ability to produce an effect -- and our president does not have the power to force us as Catholics to provide for illicit and immoral actions directly or indirectly, (and pay for them by the way) or to infer that regardless of what we believe and teach, we are wrong as a Church to have consistently held that the right of one's informed conscience trumps personal whim.

Of course, the dangers of placing oneself in the position that our president has is to then have to constantly come up with some sort of smoke-screen to advance the issues. But, what are the issues? Or better yet, what are the smoke-screens? There are many, but here are a few:

1. The first smoke screen is to speak about reproductive rights. This administration and this president would advocate that reproductive issues are the private issues of women. Women, according to this smoke-screen have absolute rights over their bodies, and the absolute freedom to determine how their bodies will be used. This president would advocate that the issue of contraception and the issues of choice, (that is, whether a mother decides to keep her baby or kill it -- though they would not that word) that these issues are the woman's to make, again, because she has absolute rights over her body. The truth, however, is that no one, male or female has absolute rights over their bodies. The smoke screen is in the language, and you have to look for it when it is used: because if one claims to possess absolute rights -- it must mean that their rights are also absolutely good in themselves. This, however, makes no sense whatsoever. God is Creator. God is the only One who has absolute right. Ours are measured, always measured against his.

We are told from the time we are old enough to understand that to abuse our bodies with drugs and alcohol is not only bad for us, but inherently wrong. God is offended when we treat our bodies carelessly, we are taught. God would not be pleased when we dishonor our bodies, when we sexually abuse our bodies or the bodies of others. And while we may have the freedom to do so -- this does not give us the right to do so. We may also decide to jump off a bridge, or to drive recklessly, or take unnecessary risks with our bodies but few people I know think it's a right we enjoy.

Our president would apply this logic to contraception. Because we have the freedom, it must be a good thing. And because it appears to be a good thing, it must be an absolute right. So, what we do with such a mentality is that we go about legalizing our vices; our history shows that we do this quite well. We frequently hear about legalizing marijuana, we legalize prostitution, we legalize gambling, we legalize abortion. Then we take it a step further, as with this president and this administration, and we say, it is a good thing to do -- because we have said so, and now, by law so must you. It's a first-class smoke screen meant to hide the fact that God is the ultimate authority on right and wrong, on good and evil, and we, as Christians believe He is, and we as Church have a God-given mandate to proclaim the truth or we die. When we act against God, or told that we must, by law, violate our consciences, such as this president and this administration are telling us to do -- we are told to disobey God, and this we may not do…and this we cannot do – and if passed into law – this we will not do. And the reason we will not do this is that the president (any president) does not possess the power, the ability, the capacity to tell us otherwise anymore than I have the capacity to fix an overflowing urinal.

2. The second smoke screen is that the issue before us as Catholics, and on a larger scale as citizens of this country, is that there is only one issue being propagated: the issue of contraception. You don't really think this is just about contraception, do you? While it is used as a smoke screen, this is really an issue about the rights we, in fact, do possess as Americans in the First Amendment. The freedom to exercise our religious beliefs without persecution is a promise and a protection. One can easily understand how such a freedom was declared, because in its very nature is the right of each individual given him or her by God. This president and this administration want to take that right away from us. It wants the Catholic Church and its mission in the healthcare field to violate its teachings and its conscience by providing contraceptive and reproductive services to its employees. It does not stop there -- if you are an employer -- it will require you to do the same for your employees. The previous exemption clause for Catholic hospitals will no longer be allowed, and this president's proposed concession is actually no concession at all. In essence, this so-called "compromise," still forces Catholic employers to violate their religious convictions. As one Church leader put it, it is simply "hostile to Catholic belief." This is a bad law, a very bad and evil law that demands from us a strong response.

Now, there is no need to demonize our president. If he walks into this Church, we stand in respect for the office he holds. One would hope that in his heart he believes that what he is doing is right. He is not, of course, and so he needs to hear from you and me that we will not stand by and simply permit him to violate our rights, our consciences, our Church teachings. And while one course of action is always to speak our minds in the voting booth – another course of action, unfortunately all too frequently taken, is to just sit on our hands and see what happens. As Catholics we cannot do this. As men and women of faith, we cannot do this. No one has the capacity to "make" us violate our teachings and our consciences. No one. And if you and I simply wait for an election that is eight months away for a resolution, we will have missed an opportunity to do that which we should always be doing -- protecting that which is ours immediately --- not just because the First Amendment promised it, but because God gave it to us, and no one has the right to take it away.

It's a busy world in which we live. Your days are busy; my days are very busy. But it is incumbent upon us to contact our senators and congressman and the White House now, and tell them that we want. No, tell them that we expect them to protect that which is ours by divine right, and not a concession. As you have heard in said in various ways, "bad things always happen when good people decide to do nothing."

We have entered into a season of penance – and a season of grace, the grace that is ours and the blessings that are ours because Christ died for us on the cross. In our second reading today, St. Peter references the story of Noah and the Ark proclaimed in our first reading, by pointing to its symbolism:

"It is not a removal of dirt from the body

But an appeal to God for a clear conscience,

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Who has gone into heaven

And is at the right hand of God,

With angels, authorities, and powers subject to him."

Thus he reminds us that even the president who professes to be a Christian is subject to such an authority in an appeal to God for a clear conscience. Our responsibility is to remind him of his responsibility -- and that such rights came at a price -- and no one can take them from us -- they simply do not have the capacity to do so -- unless we let them by doing nothing. Do not let that happen ever, but do not let that happen now.

The floodwaters are rising on this one, folks, and the rain is coming. Let us heed the warning of God that punishment comes to those who are not faithful, or vigilant, or who allow others to take from them that which God gave them to possess.

Msgr. Francis I. Malone, JCL, pastor of Christ the King Church in Little Rock, delivered this homily on the first Sunday of Lent, Feb. 25-26.