For Greater Glory
During this month of June, we are being offered a first-class movie entitled For Greater Glory about the Cristero War that raged in Mexico from 1926-29. It is the creation of Mexican producer, Pablo Jose Barroso, dealing with the persecution of the Catholic Church under the infamous “Calles Law” which was imposed by Mexican president, Plutarco Calles, in 1926. The Mexican Catholic Church had realized its independence from Spain a century earlier in 1823. From the inception of their quest for independence in 1810, the Catholic Church under the leadership of Father Juan Hidalgo as he left his parish church waving the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was in the forefront of leadership in fighting for the freedom of the Mexican people. A century later, depending upon one’s sources, between 100,000 – 200,000 Mexican people were killed in the Cristero War. In 2000 A.D., Pope John Paul II canonized 25 martyrs from the Cristero War period.
Injustices contrary to the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels have brought about a tidal wave of immigration from Mexico to the U.S.A. during the past 40 – 50 years. People of hispanic background have come to the U.S.A. for the same reason that tides of other peoples arrived on our eastern shores from Europe a century earlier. The message on our statue of liberty continues to welcome people who are downtrodden as well as victimized by the injustices from which they have come in search of a better way of life that results from the existence of freedom.
The Founding Fathers of the U.S.A. were willing to sacrifice their sacred honor as well as their lives in a Revolutionary War so that we might realize this freedom. A century or so later, when it became obvious that people of African heritage were still enslaved, a most bloody civil war was fought during the 1860’s under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln so that this freedom might be realized. Yet, a century later, the civil rights struggle took place under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who boldly stated that “the goal of America is freedom.”
A New Challenge to Our Freedom
Once again, we Americans have received a challenge to our freedom. Inasmuch as freedom of religion is our first liberty enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the American constitution it behooves us to be informed about one of the consequences of the interpretation of the U.S. department of Health and Human Services of the healthcare law that went into effect a year or so ago. That interpretation would force all private health plans nationwide to provide coverage of sterilization and contraception, including abortifacient drugs, to all people who might apply for coverage under the healthcare law.
For those who are Catholic and who consider such to be contrary to the teaching of the Bible as well as their Catholic Faith, the mandate of HHS does violence to their basic freedom of conscience. Conscience formation is a serious responsibility for all people since it affects how we act in relation to other peoples’ right or what is traditionally referred to as the common good. A violation of one’s freedom of conscience is a violation of a God-given right, which is more than simply a Catholic issue. It is an American issue that applies to all people of whatever Faith they may profess.
I respect the freedom of conscience of all people. Such is a teaching of our Catholic Church. I realize that our Bishops may have seemingly lost some of their authority as a result of questionable leadership, as some see it, as well as cultural changes in our society. The cultural changes that I refer to generally result from the womens’ liberation movement. While, on the one hand, I generally agree with many of the consequences of that movement in connection with the teaching of our Catholic Church, I definitely see, on the other hand, the need for authority. While we could discuss how our Catholic Church throughout its history has left much to be desired in the exercise of its authority, I believe that a denial of authority, in principle, is a denial of God’s authority as indicated in the First Commandment of God. How authority wherever it is may be exercised can be questioned, the validity of its existence is the foundation of life in society.
No lesser authority that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, recently retired archbishop of Los Angeles after 25 years, has this to say about the HHS mandate of the healthcare bill:
“I cannot imagine a more direct and frontal attack on freedom of conscience than this ruling. This decision must be fought against with all the energies the Catholic community can muster.”
~ Cardinal Roger M. Mahony
As a member of the Catholic community as well as a loyal American citizen, I offer this article with all of the enthusiasm I am able to muster. I am hopeful that all of our Catholic people will follow the leadership of our American Bishops for the observance of a Fortnight of Freedom from June 21 – July 4.
These days have been chosen because June 21st is the vigil of the feast day of two great saints who championed their freedom of conscience in England, i.e., St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, when the government under King Henry VIII chose to deny the indissolubility of marriage because of the inconvenience such would cause the king inasmuch as he desired to marry again. These giants of religious freedom were martyred for their Faith as they stood up to the king in 1535. The story of the life of St. Thomas More has been chronicled in the dramatic production entitled: A Man for all Seasons. The 4th of July is the anniversary of the birthday of our American freedom. Great dramatic productions such as the three indicated in this article along with the heroism of so many martyrs or patriots have upheld and thus paid the price for religious freedom. As Americans who are Catholic, as well as, for that matter, of any faith persuasion, we are called to stand up and be counted once again to defend our freedom. If we do, as Martin Luther King said in the 1960’s, “We shall overcome,” or as our Mexican neighbors sang in the Cristero War expressing their battle cry for religious freedom: “Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King!)
Learn more about Fortnight for Freedom and join Catholics throughout this grand land of liberty in prayer, study, catechesis, and public events all geared towards the freedom we so cherish in this great nation of ours.