The whole article at MadCatHeraldIt has already been said, and it’s going to be said over and over again, “but most Catholics are in favor of practicing artificial contraception . . .” That is not the point; the point is freedom of religion. And though it may well be a fact that most Catholics accept artificial contraception, the reality is that, as Cardinal George recently pointed out, the bishops do not speak for individual baptized Catholics who may no longer have a clear conscience, the bishops speak for Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit and the Church. And it can be that a majority of Catholics are simply not in tune with Jesus Christ and His Church for lots of reasons that one can understand, but nonetheless we cannot allow those reasons to mislead us.
If we’re going to overturn the snares of the ancient serpent and if we’re going to cast out the leaven of malice, then let’s get to it. There is plenty in print, including in the Catholic Herald in recent weeks, about what must be done and how to do it. But what we do must be done with prayer, and it must be done with charity. As Cardinal Dolan said, we’re not simply turning into a bunch of “Obama haters” — that is beneath our dignity. With charity and with prayer we seek to have this regulation repealed, using every tactic at our disposal, and in the end, if it is not repealed, we cannot obey it — whether the consequences are fines, or jail, or both.
Nothing brings out the best in disciples of Jesus Christ, like a straightforward persecution; and so with all of the troubles we have, we have tremendous hope that it might be the best Lent in our lives as Catholics. Let’s hope and pray that with God’s grace, that’s what happens.
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