Sun Nov 1, 2009 12:56 pm
Perfection - The Enemy of the Good
You may have heard the US Conference of Catholic Bishop's
(USCCB) message today at Mass (if not today then in the
near future) urging Catholics to lobby for the rejection of the Health
Care bill now in Congress.
First, we applaud the bishops' defense of freedom of conscience and concern that health care be provided for all. Who can question the work that Catholics have done over the years to aid the sick?
But this Sunday's message and forum for delivery are problematic. Setting aside the very questionable use of the liturgy of the Mass for politicizing, are the bishops attacking the good in favor of the perfect? They are concerned that the bill enables a relatively small amount of taxes to be used to provide for abortions -- in spite of fact that there is a huge benefit from this Health Care bill which would allow adequate health care for all Americans.
It is especially ironic because even though a very small amount of our Sunday contribution is used to pay legal fees for cover-up, support of admitted pedophile priests, life-style of bishops and the Vatican, and other questionable expenditures by Church leaders, Bishops continue to seek and get our generous support of time, talent and resources for the good works of Catholic programs.
As cumbersome, objectionable, and wasteful as our tax system is, we at least are aware of it and can influence it by electing responsible politicians. We can at least try to vote political leaders out of office if we feel that they are squandering our resources.
When we gain the same right to have some say in how our leaders are chosen and how our contributions are used in the Church, bishops will have more creditability when using the Church pulpit to dictate how our taxes should be used.
First, we applaud the bishops' defense of freedom of conscience and concern that health care be provided for all. Who can question the work that Catholics have done over the years to aid the sick?
But this Sunday's message and forum for delivery are problematic. Setting aside the very questionable use of the liturgy of the Mass for politicizing, are the bishops attacking the good in favor of the perfect? They are concerned that the bill enables a relatively small amount of taxes to be used to provide for abortions -- in spite of fact that there is a huge benefit from this Health Care bill which would allow adequate health care for all Americans.
It is especially ironic because even though a very small amount of our Sunday contribution is used to pay legal fees for cover-up, support of admitted pedophile priests, life-style of bishops and the Vatican, and other questionable expenditures by Church leaders, Bishops continue to seek and get our generous support of time, talent and resources for the good works of Catholic programs.
As cumbersome, objectionable, and wasteful as our tax system is, we at least are aware of it and can influence it by electing responsible politicians. We can at least try to vote political leaders out of office if we feel that they are squandering our resources.
When we gain the same right to have some say in how our leaders are chosen and how our contributions are used in the Church, bishops will have more creditability when using the Church pulpit to dictate how our taxes should be used.
Amazing how easy it is to overlook the beam in our own eye, when
seeking and pointing out the problem spec in the eyes of others.
Perfection alludes us all, even bishops, but in this case they just
might do us all in.
11/8, 32nd Sunday, 1 Kings 17:8-16, Ruth 3:1-6, 4:13-17, Mark 12:38-44
11/15, 33rd Sunday, 1 Samuel 1:4-20, Canticle of Samuel 2:1-10
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