Standing Firm in the Shadows

Archbishop Charles Chaput reflects on four lessons learned in the battle over health care reform in A bad bill and how we got it.

A lesson I learned is that, as Victor Davis Hanson said, "The bill was not really about medicine; after all, a moderately priced, relatively small federal program could offer the poorer not now insured, presently not on Medicare or state programs like Medicaid or Medical, a basic medical plan." It wasn't about health insurance for 31 million uninsured Americans at all.

It was about power; an attempt at a fundamental restructuring of America by leftist humanists. Let's be clear: the "Congressional Catholics" are, ipso facto, those who threaten to "shove my rosary down the throat" of those who deny their religion (Biden), "pray" to St. Joseph (Pelosi), but go 180-degrees contrariwise to the teachings of faith and morals of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

The health care bill, as this administration has made it clear from its outset knows its primary obstacle is the Catholic Church, and has done an outstanding job (sic.) dividing Catholics by playing off our compassion, our concern for victims, our avoidance of scapegoating - all the while driving a stake into the heart of the Church's deeper understanding and teachings of Sacred Scripture and Tradition.

"By their fruit shall you know them," Our Lord admonishes (Mt 7,20). It is time to be faithful sons and daughters of Mother Church. Pray for our nation's leaders, the few faithful ones, the many bent and broken ones. Especially protect and stand by our priests. The shadows are surrounding truth, goodness, and beauty. We must stand firm, be strong, loving, and faithful.