June 23, 2012
Birth of St. John the Baptist
They found the bones of John the Baptist in an ancient church/old monastery in Bulgaria on an Island fittingly called St. John. Results from radiocarbon testing place the origin of the fragments in the Middle East at the early part of the 1st Century. It does not prove the relics are the bones of the Baptist but they are from the right time and place. St. John the Baptist has a distinction of having two solemnities – one commemorating his birth (today) and the other his death or beheading on August 29. Check out the Gospel of Luke chapter 1 regarding his birth and the Gospel of St. Mark 6:17 regarding his death. St. John prepared for the coming of the Christ; he called those who journeyed to the Jordan River to receive a baptism of repentance that would lead to the forgiveness of sins; and he spoke an honest word about King Herod that cost him his life. We celebrate his birth during the Fortnight for Freedom June 21 – July 4. Our Catholic Bishops have asked us to consider religious liberty in response to a Health and Human Resources mandate requiring inclusion of contraception, sterilization and drugs inducing abortions in health plans for employees. After the initial firestorm of protest, the federal department backed off by moving payment of such “benefits†to insurance companies. But Catholic institutions of higher learning, hospitals and social agencies are often self-insured. The concern is so much than “who pays.†It has been framed as a woman’s issue – access to contraception. The key question remains: “Can the government force a faith community to provide coverage for “benefits†that violate religious belief?†This question pertains to other issues: immigration, adoption, marriage and abortion e.g. requiring doctors and nurses to participate in abortions. In the past, federal and state governments have passed accommodations that protect religious liberty and respect conscientious objections. Whether this will happen today during an election year is uncertain. Certainly, John the Baptist, long ago, would not hesitate to question a royal decree that violated the covenant or broke the commandments. Civil discussion (apart political rancor) on religious liberty and proper governance is a healthy conversation in a democracy. A conversation on fidelity and religious freedom within the Church is also a good thing.
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