A Matter of Rights

When the Supreme Court announced its much-anticipated decision on the Hobby Lobby abortifacient contraceptives case back at the end of June, I thought back to the end of my first semester of senior year at ValpU.  I was to write an essay, worth 50% of my grade, analyzing some issue pertaining to themes in my Justice seminar class in Christ College.

On my mind as a particularly good topic for this essay was the hot-button news item of the numerous lawsuits filed against the Department of Health and Human Services on account of the HHS mandate requiring faith-based employers to cover contraceptives in the healthcare plans for their employees, particularly those contraceptives that cause abortions.

As I thought over how I would present my arguments regarding this case, I remembered something I once read in The Governor, the book Rod Blagojevich wrote as his defense in the months-long period between his arrest/removal from the Illinois governor's office, and his first trial for corruption charges.  He writes that healthcare really is a matter of life and death, because if a person can't get coverage for healthcare procedures for conditions, especially serious ones, it could mean death.  That was why he advocated so strongly for increased healthcare coverage for Illinoisans during his tenure as governor.

That statement really gave me pause when I read it.  It wasn't so much that I agreed with it per se, but it was a striking way to frame the idea of healthcare coverage.

It's true that there are many people who lack access to healthcare coverage, and can't get the treatments they need for all kinds of conditions, even serious ones.  So it's undeniably clear we need a way to help those who can't get coverage for treatment, which can be a matter of life and death.

But the Affordable Care Act has proven itself to be an unsuitable solution to this grave problem, and the HHS mandate is one example of how problematic the healthcare law is in regards to the government's control over providing coverage.

In an effort to make available abortion-inducing contraceptive coverage, the government is forcing people of Christian faith to go against their principles of faith, which makes abortion an act of murder, thereby making the coverage of these contraceptives complicit with inducing the death of an unborn human person.

So at stake here is the rights of healthcare versus religious freedom, the latter of which is steeped into our existence as the United States.

Way back at the start of this country, the Founding Fathers were aware of the problems caused when government meddled with religion.  The government would officially recognize one religion, and could require attendance at officially-sanctioned churches, or citizens could face fines.  Other religious groups that were not of the official state church could have their activities banned or strictly monitored.  This is why the Foudning Fathers wanted there to be a separation of church and state, so that religion could be a matter left to the conscience of individuals, not something that government dictated for them.

Unfortunately, many misinterpret this idea of the separation of church and state to mean that people in government can't make any religious expressions, and even furthermore, that people can't make religious expressions out in public at all.

And now, the government is encroaching on religious liberty to enforce this mandate.  People are no longer allowed to abide by their deeply-held beliefs as they are being forced to acknowledge the right to have healthcare, and in this case, the right to contraceptives and abortions.

Quite frankly, the idea of reproductive health rights is really nothing more than a fabrication designed to promote the left-leaning agenda of people who want totally unrestricted abortions to suit their own desires.  So really, a newly-fabricated rights are bullying long-held religious freedom.  The author the Chicago Catholic Examiner column, William Leubscher, puts it well in this column he wrote about the decision.  His words toward the end about contraceptives are well put, because they are ultimately not about treating health conditions, but more involved in one's personal lifestyle choices, thereby making the government's actions regarding them preposterous.

And there's still more action that must be taken to preserve religious freedom.  The thing about this decision is that it's based more on a technicality, that the government can go through other means to provide coverage for abortifacient contraceptives.  So the preservation of the religious liberty of those who are against abortion and abortion-causing agents is still going to need further protection.  The fight still goes on, and we pray that religious liberty prevails in the court cases that remain and in the battle in society at large.

P.S. Here are some other good articles offering commentary on the decision:

This one critiques the reactions on the left: http://liveactionnews.org/disappointment-or-deceit-analyzing-reactions-to-the-hobby-lobby-decision/

In regards to this article, when I watched the NBC Nightly News report on the decision at the top of the broadcast the day it was announced, I was intrigued by the use of the phrase "controversial ruling".  Last year, when the Supreme Court made a ruling on provisions in DOMA, the word "controversial" was not used, even though many opposed it--opposition which didn't get much airtime in the reporting.  Perhaps "controversial" refers to how the people in the liberal mainstream media didn't like the outcome in the Hobby Lobby decision.

This one further addresses the matter of reproductive health rights: http://liveactionnews.org/theres-no-right-to-sex-in-the-constitution/

No Longer Strangers, but Saints

I wanted to share with my blog audience this wonderful documentary about St. Teresa of Avila (Roman) Catholic Student Center at Valparaiso University.  I was actively involved in this center's ministry throughout my four years as a student at ValpU.

Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU8SuXDHvVE

(This video is approximately 20 minutes long.)

Kudos to Amanda Master for her job well done in producing it.  She is a current a ValpU student, and also a friend of mine from my days there.

This documentary is masterful in telling what St. Teresa's is about through a variety of perspectives.  There's Kaitie, a current ValpU student, who has been at St. Teresa's with her family for years as part of the larger group of adults and families from the local area who are part of the community.  She has been witness to its growth.

Father Doug Mayer, former chaplain, also offers some unique perspective on the growth of St. Teresa's, and how its ministry to students has changed.

And, of course, Father Kevin shares about some of the major changes the center has undergone in the past couple of decades, and what it's like today.

Then, there's Zach, a recent graduate of ValpU, who was involved in at the center as Peer Minister, one of 4 students selected for the program that basically functions like an internship.  He offers perspective on the person who came to ValpU and became engaged in its ministry--and I have actually been of witness of his involvement from when he came as a freshman.

While St. Teresa's serves a ministry to nourish the faith of Roman Catholic students at ValpU, it also ministers to students who are not Roman Catholic.  And Nathan Albert represents the effects of that beyond-Roman Catholic outreach that St. Teresa's engages in.  This kind of outreach is so masterfully done with the Annual Advent Student Mass and Dinner, which is brought up in the video, and is a memorable evening for the students at a hectic time of the first semester.

Ultimately, no matter the background of a student at ValpU, St. Teresa's provides a welcoming environment that comes alongside the students and enriches their college experience.  This comes through spiritual experiences, but also opening up a space like the student lounge for people to hang out.

The song played in the video, "No Longer Strangers", is extremely fitting, as it describes how we, the people of God, are drawn together from many different places and backgrounds, and are made one people, one family, joined together as the Church, the Body of Christ.  St. Teresa's, in its ministry to college students, both Roman Catholic and non-Roman Catholic, as well as adults and families in the local area, richly exemplifies this tenet of the Christian faith.

As I watched this documentary, as a recent graduate, I smiled inwardly, realizing that I was, and still am, part of something very special at ValpU.

New Views on Spaces in the Community

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, June 22, when I participated in the 3rd Annual Sacred Spaces House of Worship Tour, an effort sponsored in part by both the Oak Park River Forest Community of Congregations and the Oak Park River Forest Historical Society.  A group of six houses of worship--in past years, the tours have included Jewish synagogues and the Unitarian Universalist Unity Temple--are selected to be open for the public to come in and visit them, learning more about the physical space and the traditions of the denomination or religious group that meets there.

I was excited that the opportunity opened up for me to go on this year's tour, and to visit 6 church spaces in south central Oak Park.  As these churches are more in the area of Oak Park where I reside, I pass many of them every day when headed out somewhere, so it was especially nice to have the chance to go inside some of these places for the first time.

Mom and I headed straight up East Avenue to Fenwick High School, where we picked up our guides and then visited the first place: St. Dominic's Chapel in Fenwick, a Dominican College Preparatory school.  When I walked in, I was struck by how much smaller it seemed than in the pictures of it in promotional materials for the tour.  It was also interesting to note how the pews face each other, and I thought that was some kind of design having originated in Europe, similar to pictures I've seen of the King's College Chapel in Cambridge.  The tour guide, a teacher there, pointed out that the Dominicans, per their tradition, worship by facing each other.  The artistic work of note in the Chapel are the 10 saintly figures depicted in the stained glass windows that face the courtyard below.  (I was especially fascinated by a story of St. Dominic represented in his window.  When his mother was pregnant with him, she had a vision of a dog with a torch in its mouth, setting fire to the world--a sign of the impact her son would have.)

Next, we went up the street to Good Shephard Lutheran Church.  The space was simple and austere, reflecting its construction during the Great Depression years, lacking the usual adornments of most Lutheran churches that reflect their roots of having been founded by communities of German immigrants, according to one of the congregants there serving as a tour guide.  The artistry I took note of was the images painted on the windows, including concepts, like the Good Shepherd, events like Christ's Nativity, and even Martin Luther's famous Diet of Worms pose.  I had the opportunity to chat with the Pastor, Kathy Nolte about the baptismal fonts and Lutheranism.  I had been inside this church once before for a piano recital.  Apparently, the design of the sanctuary gives it superb acoustics, which is why it is used by many groups for performances and recordings.  I was delighted to be serenaded by a harpist during my visit.

We then headed south and then west over to the Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church.  It was, again, another space simple and austere in its interior design.  There were some colored windows and wood in the furnishings.  In the basement, there is a labyrinth in one of the rooms.  The church is taking on some green initiatives like installing geothermal heating and solar panels.  (This church, in the years right after being founded, used a former rail station depot in Oak Park, before coming to its present location.)

It was back to East Avenue and then down south to St. Christopher's Episcopal Church.  This was my first time inside this Church, and I was really fascinated by the interior, with all its woodwork.  Given the way the exterior looked, I wasn't surprised by the way the interior looked.  As I looked through the guidebooklet to the sanctuary, I found out the ceiling of the sanctuary is supposed to represent the wooden hull of Noah's ark.  I was also intrigued to see Russian Orthodox-style icons in the sanctuary and side chapel.  Small stained glass windows related Biblical and other church scenes.  One of the two sets of the Stations of the Cross had contemporary images representing each station.

After looking around in the sanctuary, we wandered into the parish hall, a space whose construction in progress I had seen a number of years ago.  There was a woman there who greeted us, who serves as one of the wards--basically a lay member of church council.  I ended up in a really engaging conversation with her, about this church, and similarities/differences of our own denominational traditions.  I was having such a good time with this conversation, and probably could have gone on for a while with her, but Mom eventually came and signaled to me it was time to move on.  I probably could have stayed even longer exploring the interior, and I wish I had, because there were so many intricate, notable things to look at in the art and furnishings.

Next up was the Parkview Presbyterian Church at Oak Park and Jackson.  This church community was founded as a shoot from a Presbyterian church in the area west of the Loop on Chicago's West Side.  The sanctuary was quite large, and plain in its overall appearance, though the architect slipped in a few features, like gargoyles.  A paper given to the visitors highlighted symbols of Christian faith in the Church, like the shield, lamp (a reference to Psalm 119:105), and the three-stepped Calvary cross, representing faith, hope, and love.

The tour also took us to the church's social hall area, which had some leftover fixtures from when it was used for other purposes.  And we went into a smaller, more intimate worship sanctuary space in a lower-level area, which they use in the summer months especially when the main sanctuary is too hot.  (Notably, as large as the sanctuary is, the congregation only has about 30 people, which is why they use the more intimate space at times.)

As I walked from the back of the sanctuary toward the front, I noticed that the man serenading visitors with guitar music was John Atwood, of the History Singer duo, who, with Kathryn Atwood, appears at the Veterans' Day and Memorial Day ceremonies at Scoville Park.

Finally on the circuit was a stop at Ascension Roman Catholic Church, my home parish.  Father Larry, the pastor, was outside the main entrance greeting visitors, and talked about some of the features on the facade, including the statues of saints, the Celtic Cross, and the letters AMDG--for the Latin phrase Ad Majorem dei gloriam, meaning "To the Greater Glory of God".

Inside, volunteers discussed some of the interior decor, especially the painting pattern put in place during the parish's centennial year, and the stained glass windows.  One of the guides talked about how there were a lot of symbols that were on the ceilings and higher wall spaces, and I learned those were not original.  So with the re-decorating came the decision to paint over them with colors and designs that would allow the windows to stand out.  I was a little sad to see the symbols painted over, as I remember when I was preparing for Confirmation, during one of the meetings, we went into the church to look at and discuss the symbols.  But hearing the way it was explained, I certainly saw the logic in the decision.

There were also books out with images and diagrams of how the Church looked over the years.  I was especially intrigued to see pictures in a book Pastoral Associate David Philippart had, showing the interior decor of the church in its earliest years.

It was great having the opportunity to enter these sacred spaces, and learn more about them, and the communities that gather there, especially those outside my own tradition.  And for the two Roman Catholic spaces, I gained new insights into my own understandings of faith as revealed by the spaces made for the worship of God.  And there was a good diversity of denominations represented among the 6 spaces on this year's tour.

These places I visited are part of my own common life, as I pass by them frequently, and the people who gather in them are those who share with me this place I call home.  So it was indeed a privilege to enter in and visit with the people who, by the practice of their faith traditions and spirituality, truly bring these spaces alive.

Patriotic Greetings 2014: US Independence and the Human Experience

Patriotic Greetings!

The time has come again for the great annual festival commemorating the Nativity and Independence of the United States of America, and to remember once again those pivotal events that brought our nation into existence.

They came well over a century and a half since British people first established colonies in North America.  After the French-British War concluded in 1763, tensions arose between the colonies and Britain, as the Mother Country began imposing new laws on the colonies to deal with the mess left in the wake of the war, which the colonists saw as restrictions of their rights.

Tensions escalated into warfare by 1775, which pushed sentiments toward breaking away from Britain.  On June 7, 1776, in a session of the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed the following: “Resolved.  That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.  That they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown.  And that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

After taking time to consider the proposal, the delegates debated it on July 1, and then on July 2, the colonies voted unanimously for independence.  Then, they turned to the work of a Declaration of Independence, explaining the reasons for the separation, approving the document on July 4.  Then, on August 2, according of most historians, it was signed by most of its 56 signers on August 2.

What’s so meaningful for me about this time of year is that it provides an opportunity to recall the events that started this nation, giving perspective to the history that led up to it, and the history that has occurred since.  We get a better understanding of who were are today as Americans as we look back to the story of how this nation started.  And the strivings we make in our present day to realize more fully our freedoms in this country have their origins in the days of our founding.  The writings of some of the Founding Fathers reveal that they sensed what they were doing at that time would impact millions who were yet to be born.

While this occasion is significant for us as people of the United States, I also feel these events are important because they speak to the human experience throughout all the world.  There is an innate desire in humans for freedom, which despises restriction and oppression of any form.

These ideas of natural liberty were flourishing in Europe in the 18th Century, expounded upon by the political philosophers of the Enlightenment period.  They recognized that people have God-given rights to life and liberty.  Furthermore, the government has an important role to play in maintaining those rights, and strictly subject to that role, so that in no way could these rights be trampled upon.

These ideas were present in the strides made for the enhancement of the rights of people in such instances as in 1215 when a group of English barons forced King John to sing the Magna Carta—and next year marks 800 years since that document—as well as other reforms in English government, such as the English Declaration of Rights.

And these ideas were certainly on the minds of the Founding Fathers, especially Thomas Jefferson as he spent a collection of days in June 1776 pouring over the work of drafting the Declaration of Independence.  The Founders realized how precious these rights were, and they were determined to defy the established authority of the King to stand up for them, to ensure their preservation.

The Declaration of Independence is certainly a masterpiece, full of incredible prose profoundly expressing ideas about freedom and liberty, manifested in society and the government that serves it.  In explaining why the colonies had come to point of independence, they speak to the equality and liberty they have by nature as humans, and that the role of government is to preserve that natural liberty, lest it have to be changed so that it can be held accountable once again to its duty.  The colonists had lived under a system that had largely respected their rights and allowed them to live in a good measure of freedom.  But the colonists had had enough after they petitioned repeatedly to have their grievance addressed, only to be rebuffed by a government that had usurped its authority and restricted their rights.

The events of the independence of the United States were at a crossroads point in the history of the world.  The people of the United States took a tradition of the natural rights of people as they took their stand against Britain, and set these ideas as the foundation of the new nation.  In so doing, they gave these ideals a profound new purpose, which echoes through the ages.  It’s amazing to see the strides made for freedom in the wake of 1776, and to see how it was caught up in efforts to enhance the state of humanity itself.  Think of the French Revolution, the movements for independence throughout Central and South America in the 19^th century, and even in the 20^th century, as people strove against Nazism and Communism.  Even the slaves yearned for freedom in this spirit, and that same spirit continued to serve as a driving force as African-Americans fought for the full realization of their rights during the Civil Rights movement.  And think of the many people who have served in the Armed Forces, some even dying as a result, all because they were serving for the high cause of freedom and liberty.

Indeed, the Founding Fathers set the bar high for the new nation, and it’s something we’ve been striving after ever since.  We realize that in our imperfect, fallen state as a human race, we take power into our own hands and use it to abuse.  But the shining beacon of freedom calls us to know better, and act accordingly.  That is why we keep striving, so that all people may more fully enjoy the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, which God gives us naturally as human beings. 

Last year, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, Neil Diamond wrote an incredible song that speaks about freedom, which I first heard when he performed it at the Capitol Fourth Concert on the west lawn of the United State Capitol, on July 4, 2013.  (You can watch the video here, but the song doesn’t start until about a minute into the video’s running time, after the host recognizes first responders to the bombing.  You can also view the lyrics here.) 

I find this song very meaningful.  Striving for freedom, which is the foundation for this nation, urges us on toward the bright light that it shines forth.  That bright shining light is what has always drawn people to the United States.  They recognize that the United States embraces freedom like no other place on Earth, and they want that, as “America”, another of Neil Diamond’s songs, speaks to so marvelously.

Freedom is a high and lofty goal to attain, fundamental to our human experience.  As long as we strive for it, we can’t be easily defeated, because freedom is something embedded deep within us as humans, that desires to surge forth, in living a life unshackled by the bonds of tyranny, oppression, and fear.  It is God’s great gift for us to use, that under Him, we truly flourish, as we use it to live a full life.  What’s marvelous for us as Americans is that this idea of freedom is part of our heritage—part of who we are in a very distinct way, and furthermore, how we should conduct ourselves.

So on this great anniversary occasion, let us give thanks for the Founding Fathers who courageously stood up for freedom, whose work has made this nation what it is today, and renew ourselves to the work of realizing it more fully and perfectly, so we may be a righteous nation.

I salute the Spirit of God and the Spirit of America,

Paul

Here I am at the 2013 annual July 4 ceremony at the Chicago History Museum, which I enjoy attending most of all because it includes a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

P.S. This is my annual Patriotic Greetings note.  Please feel free to share with others as we celebrate this great occasion.  (Feel free to share any other posts on my blog as well.)

This is the 2nd year I've done this note in electronic version.  If you wish a paper copy, please let me know to what address I can send it.