homily notes: nativity of st. john the baptist

Nobody likes it when a priest talks about politics. All I have to do is mention something that has to do with the government, or really anything outside of what we might call religious, and people start shouting, "Separation of Church and State! You can't talk about that!"


Well, the beauty of our Catholic faith is that it's not just a nice thing we do on Sundays. It's not just something that affects when we're in a church building, and then we leave behind for the rest of our lives. Our faith truly forms us. It's a way of looking at the world and understanding it as ruled by God.


We are in the midst of what the bishops of our country have called a "Fortnight for Freedom." It's two weeks devoted to the defense of religious liberty in our country through prayer and teaching. It started this past Thursday and ends on Independence Day.


We're doing this, not because the Church is interested in running people's lives or controlling the government. This event is a response to the healthcare mandate that says all employers, including Catholic institutions like hospitals and schools, have to provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs - all things that we as a Church consider immoral.


But this controversy is, above all, about the freedom of religion we enjoy in this country. This isn't just a Catholic issue, it's an American issue.


Today we celebrate the birth of St. John the Baptist. John was a prophet (sometimes he's called the last of the Old Testament prophets) and he pointed the way towards Christ. From before his birth, God had given John the mission of being the herald of His Son. He preached repentance - and he did it fearlessly.


It was his bold preaching that eventually cost him his life, when he criticized King Herod for taking another man's wife.
He wasn't afraid to speak the truth, even when it was dangerous for him.


John gave everything he was to the mission God had entrusted to him. He pointed to Christ, even sending his own disciples after Jesus. As John said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."


We too, have been given a mission. We are living in this time, in this place for a reason; and I believe that the fight for religious freedom is part of that reason. Like John, let's entrust ourselves to God's plan, refusing to compromise what we believe to be true.


Let's educate ourselves. Let's speak out. And, above all, let's pray that we may be free to practice our faith.