How many times have I been approached by an irate parishioner or an outspoken Catholic regarding the Church's involvement in the political or economic or social issues of the day. They often want to know why the Church doesn't mind its own business. We are too often relagated to prayer and piety alone. If we speak out, we are out of our league. In fact, in some minds, we do not even have the basic right to be heard guarenteed by our form of government.
Thank God that the Church Universal, the Church in this great nation of ours, and the local Diocesan Church does indeed speak out on the issues. Our Holy Father and our bishops bring the timeless message of the Gospel to the challenges facing society. Whether it is life issues, immigration, health care, poverty, the economy, labor issues, etc., the Church voices her thoughts as a teacher and protector of Gospel values. I invite you to check out and mark as a favorite the web site for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at http://www.usccb.org/.
The reason I mention this today flows from this morning's reading from Isaiah the prophet (Is. 1:10, 16-20) where the Lord says to "hear the word of the Lord", to "listen to the instruction of our God". He tells us to "wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds...". "Cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord".
It is our business! It is our responsibility. It is our duty. It is our right and privilege to bring the message of Christ to an uncertain and hungry world.
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