I didn’t think about it when I got up this morning, but I am
wearing white and blue today. Too bad
that I did not reach for a red sweater while getting dressed! This is the first day of the Fortnight for
Freedom. As an average woman in the
pews, I don’t know that I have the ability to effectively speak about the issues
that have brought about this Fortnight. I
wonder how I will participate and how these two weeks might change me and my
relationship with Jesus.
Last
night I attended a panel discussion at the Catholic Information Center in
DC. Three articulate women in their 30’s
and 40’s traced the timeline and the events that created this need for a
national time of prayer for our freedom.
For me, the issue that resonates most is that a person of Catholic faith
can’t be Catholic if it is a personal religion.
If Mass doesn’t change me and if I am not able or willing to go take
Jesus with me into my everyday life, then I’m not leading a Catholic life.
One
interesting thought is that, with the government definition of what constitutes
a religious institution, Jesus, who reached out to all around him, would not
have qualified. As a convert, one of the
things I find most rewarding being a Catholic is the combination of faith and
works. We do reach out to all who have a
need, whether it be food and shelter, healthcare, education or other needs. It is in the Catholic DNA to extend
compassion and love and assistance.
As I
walked to the mail box this morning at work, I saw a huge American flag hanging
on the tower of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps many who drive by it on Michigan
Avenue today will wonder why the flag is flying on a church. For me, it is a reminder that these next 14
days are not just ordinary days. We
believe that prayer, study, catechesis and public action will make a difference
in the battle for the right to not violate our conscious and will also make a
difference in our own lives and how we interact with others.
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