John 17:1-11 Father, Glorify Us

John 17:1-11  Father, Glorify Us

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Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come.  Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you.” 

There comes a time in your life when you have to fight the good fight.  You don’t ask to fight any fight.  But sometimes you are forced to fight for your life.  The moment has arrived.  The hour has come.  Everything inside of us is telling us, “Enough is enough”.  It is time to give glory to God. 

On Sunday, someone came up to me and told me that they didn’t like my blog.  I couldn’t believe it.  I was about to say, “Then why do you read it?”  Then I thought to myself, “Are they telling me this so that I stop writing or that I change my ideas and opinions?  Oh my goodness!  How wrong could they be?” 

I don’t write what I write because I want to be popular.  Heavens!  I would be more popular if I wrote the opposite of what I write.  I write what I write because it is right.  I take pride in what I read, how I think and what I write.  I take pride in defending my faith like so many take pride in attacking it.  

All over the world, you can be thrown in jail if you give testimony that is only half-truths or partial truths.  When one testifies, they swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”  There is a very good reason for it.  Half truths are not the truth at all.

Why do people tell only half-truths?  Because they can get away with it! 

The headline in this morning’s Dallas Morning News (DaMN) states:  Health Insurance.  Birth Control Lawsuits Expand.

Why don’t they tell the American people the truth?  If they wanted to share the truth with their readers, then the headline should have read Lawsuits Against Federal Mandate Expand. Why do they prefer to tell half-truths?  I am sure that most people who read this morning’s news did not even realize the flaw.  Although the DaMN can get away from the truth in its headline, it obviously cannot get away with it in its article.  “Roman Catholic dioceses…sued the Obama administration Monday…over a federal mandate…”

What is the issue? A federal mandate that violates the free exercise of religion.  Contraceptives are not the issue!  Contraceptives are the trigger.  The mandate is the bullet.  HHS is the gun.  Kathleen Sibelius is the hit man.  The Administration is the owner.

Fact:  For the first time in the history of America, the federal government is attempting to curtail the free exercise of religion in America.  Fact:  For the first time in the history of America, the government is attempting to define what “Catholic” is and what it is not.  To them, Catholic means a house of worship but Catholic schools, hospitals, and other important works of charity do not.  Fact: For the first time in the history of America, the government is not allowing the Catholic Church to practice what it preaches!

The hour has come.  The hour has come to dispel and destroy the half-truths of the supporters of this unconstitutional mandate.  This newspaper insists on carrying forth arguments in favor of the mandate for reasons that have nothing to do with the lawsuits.  They inform us, that “an advisory panel from the Institute of Medicine, which advises the federal government, recommended including birth control on the list of covered services, partly because it promotes maternal and child health by allowing women to space their pregnancies.” 

Did you notice the word, “partly”?  It says it all.  Let’s make something very clear.  You don’t make something right by doing something wrong.  People in this country can take contraceptives for whatever reason they want:  good and bad.  To ignore this simple fact is a disgrace.  To ignore this simple truth is a lie.  To ignore the fact that the Catholic Church must pay for any reason whatsoever is simply being biased.

With tremendous joy, I read last night that forty-three Catholic institutions filed federal lawsuits against the federal government.  I know the number will continue to rise.  With pleasure I heard that the law firm Jones Day will be handling the lawsuits pro bono nationally. Not a single penny will have to be taken away from the work our charities do. 

I was surprised to hear that the University of Notre Dame was one of the institutions that filed a suit.  I was not surprised that Georgetown University didn't.  Its President recently defended Kathleen Sibelius by stating that her office is providing insurance for over 35 million uninsured Americans.  Wow!  Are we supposed to be impressed by that?  Would you be impressed if I told you that Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin provided a job for nearly every citizen their country?  Would you be amazed that they cut down unemployment and inflation to nearly zero?  Would you be impressed if I only told you the good news and withheld the bad? 

Georgetown and BC (Boston College or “Barely Catholic” as some students call it) are shortsighted.   “What is it worth to gain the whole world and lose your soul?” 

Do you really think that free contraceptive coverage could not be given to all without offending the Catholic Church and other churches?  Do you really think that this is the only way to solve this issue?  This unprecedented attack on religious liberty is an affront to our intelligence and liberties.   

Glorify your son.   What a scary request.  But I know this is what I should be asking the Father as well:  “Father, glorify me.”  And we know what the answer will be:  “You got it son!”  “You got it my daughter!” 

We know why the request is scary.  We know that before you can bask in glory you have to be baked in mud; before you can receive a standing ovation, you have to be kicked to the ground.  That is the proper order in a fallen and twisted world.  The good get kicked, the bad get a kick at the good being kicked. 

Father, glorify your Church!  Let’s start preparing ourselves for glory.