America the Beautiful (Part 2)

The Archdiocese of New York, The University of Notre Dame, and Resurrection Catholic School in Pascagoula, Mississippi are among the 43 Catholic entities this week filing Federal lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ mandate. Her ruling requires Catholics to fund practices that violate Church teachings, such as abortion and contraception. Cardinal Dolan called the effort a “compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty”.

And that’s the irony of our Catholic faith and the beauty of America. When others persecute Catholics, we get stronger. With American freedom and an open society the attempts to oppress are brought into the light with the ugliness exposed.

Religious freedom is vital to our call to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. The Catholic Church knows that when people are formed well in the truth and have the liberty to practice their faith, they turn to God in great numbers. She fights vehemently when freedom of religion is under attack.

This unfolding drama is not about health care; it is about our core mission as Catholics.

Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip: Today offer a special prayer so that our governmental system corrects this egregious error and restores religious liberty for all.