August 24, 2009
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle
One of the seven angels who held the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come here. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Revelation 21:9-10
Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth." But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." John 1:45-46
Piety
To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did. When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this thought... “The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”
God, walk through my house and take away all my worries and illnesses; and please watch over and heal my family in the name of your Son our Lord and friend Jesus. Amen. (Author Unknown)
Study
Come and see.
The more I read the Bible, the more I understand that the invitations never cease. In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord never stops trying to get the Israelites to humbly walk with him. So by the time we get immersed in the New Testament, Jesus picks up right where the Father left off, extending the unending, and continuous invitations for us to follow the Lord.
Come and see.
Maybe you will come and see Jesus in your new spouse like Matthew and Janna did at their wedding on Saturday. Despite the heat and then the rain, their love shone like the sun. Despite the miles of distance between all those invited and the fog as we climbed the mountain, we had a common destination, to share the event which marked the public joining of this young man and his bride. They pledged to each other that if one fell down, the other would pick up the one fallen.
Come and see.
In a week in which I learned of the marital problems of a long-time friend, it was refreshing and renewing to watch these two lovers, surrounded by family and friends, embark on a shared journey into the unknown. May the Lord continue to bless them and keep them in the palm of his hand.
Action
The healthcare reform debate is heating up hotter than the summer temperatures and with more turbulence than the latest hurricane. Here are two thoughts for you.
Thought one: Consider the facts of all the people without health care insurance. An editorial in the Sunday New York Times provides some reminders about the scope of the problem: “No matter how you slice the numbers, there are tens of millions of people without insurance, often for extended periods, and there is good evidence that lack of insurance is harmful to their health.”
Thought two: Consider the principals of Catholic social teaching as enumerated in many places. What do they show us about our responsibilities? What actions do these principles lead us to support in this important national decision-making process?
Dignity: Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each person’s life and dignity must be respected.
Call to Common Good and Community: Every person has a right to participate in social, economic, and political life and a corresponding duty to work for the advancement of the common good and the well-being of all, especially the poor and weak.
Solidarity: We are one human family. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be.
Dignity of Work: The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s act of creation.
Role of Government and Subsidiarity: The state has a positive moral function. It is an instrument to promote human dignity, protect human rights, and build the common good. All people have a right and a responsibility to participate in political institutions so that government can achieve its proper goals.
The principle of subsidiarity holds that the functions of government should be performed at the lowest level possible, as long as they can be performed adequately. When the needs in question cannot adequately be met at the lower level, then it is not only necessary, but imperative that higher levels of government intervene.
Rights and Responsibilities: Every person has a fundamental right to life— the right that makes all other rights possible. Each person also has a right to the conditions for living a decent life—faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. We also have a duty to secure and respect these rights not only for ourselves, but for others, and to fulfill our responsibilities to our families, to each other, and to the larger society.
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: Scripture teaches that God has a special concern for the poor and vulnerable. The Church calls on all of us to embrace this preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities.
Caring for God’s Creation: The world that God created has been entrusted to us. Our use of it must be directed by God’s plan for creation, not simply for our own benefit.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a Web page promoting its support of “truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity.” The page, www.usccb.org/healthcare, includes letters from bishops to Congress, videos, facts and statistics, frequently asked questions, and links for contacting members of Congress.
Letters to Congress include an August 11 letter by Cardinal Justin Rigali, the bishops’ Pro-Life chairman, criticizing abortion provisions in the House version of health care legislation and a July 17 letter from Bishop William Murphy, the bishops’ Domestic Social Justice chairman, outlining the bishops concerns and priorities for health care reform as a whole.
Jesus’ ministry was filled with episodes of providing healing to people who were shunned or outcast from society. Do you think that today, Jesus would expand that healing ministry to those who need care and can not afford it? If so, remember that St. Theresa reminds us, we are the only hands and feet he has left to work in this world.
