Newspaper Article for Chariton Herald-Patriot

written by Father Pisut and printed in the Chariton Herald-Patriot on Thursday, October 14.

Despite the fact that Catholics and Protestants both believe in the Bible there are often difficulties in our relationships due to misunderstandings surrounding the role of the Bible in the life of faith. As a result it might be helpful to help present a Catholic understanding of Holy Scripture for the benefit of our Protestant brothers and sisters. This might also prove helpful for many Catholics who, as a result of the larger Protestant culture and poor formation have absorbed a Protestant understanding of Holy Scripture as well. The first thing to understand is that Catholics have a fundamentally different understanding of the role of the Bible in the life of faith as opposed to other Christians. Catholics believe that Christ established the Church and it is the Church that guides us. The Catholic Church compiled the canon of scripture over several centuries and decided what made up the Bible. While the Bible is integral to the deposit of Faith and everything that it teaches us in regards to faith and morals is true it is, nevertheless, just part of the Faith along with the Magisterium (teaching office) of the Church and Sacred Tradition. While other Christians revere the Bible they view it in a vacuum and use it (or rather claim to use it) as their sole authority. In fact the Bible as we know it did not exist at the time of Christ's death and it was the Church that passed on the Faith before the Bible was even composed. The Church gave life to the Bible which in turn gives life to the Church.

 Another common assertion is that the Catholic Church in the past forbade persons to read the Bible. In order to address this let us consider the historical circumstances surrounding the issues. For centuries literacy was very low so most persons were unable to read the Bible. Even if they could read, the Church, concerned with the salvation of souls, needed to make sure that they understood the Bible properly. While the Protestant Reformation encouraged the reading of the Bible there is the inevitable and difficult reality of varying interpretations. Yet there can be only one truth.  Catholics believe that he Church, guided by the Holy Spirit interprets the Bible for us. While the Church no doubt encourages persons to read the Bible more than they used to they never truly discouraged it but were concerned that persons had proper guidance. For a Catholic to read the Bible they must use an approved Catholic Bible with notes to help facilitate their understanding. Certain passages of the Bible, but not all, do have definitive interpretations that Catholics are bound to adhere to but outside of that Catholics are free to find spiritual solace as long as whatever meanings they may find do not conflict with the Catholic Faith. While Protestantism espouses a personal interpretation of the Bible and feels uncomfortable being told what to believe we inevitably have the problem of being presented with one truth or several truths, the latter of which is not possible. Ultimately, we must remember that Catholics believe that Christ established the Catholic Church. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave us the Bible and has the authority and obligation to interpret its meaning for us for the salvation of our souls.

Of course there is the obvious issue of the difference between the Catholic and the Protestant Bible. There are seven books of the Old Testament not in the Protestant Bible: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees, as well as portions of Esther (10:4 to 16:24) and Daniel (3:24-90 and chapters 13 and 14). While Protestants call these books the Apocrypha Catholics call them deutero-canonical works. These books were removed from the Protestant version of the Bible for a couple of reasons. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD the Jewish community sought to distinguish itself from the growing Christian community. As part of this they rejected certain writings, though in common use, that were not originally written in Hebrew. These seven books were written in Greek and are part of what is known as the Septuagint. Luther and other reformers used this as a rational for removing them as well as the fact that these books contained elements that conflicted with their theology. However, these books would have been known to Jesus and his followers and used by them. Ultimately, under the authority of the Catholic Church, which composed the canon of Holy Scripture, these books were included in the Bible. This process of discerning which books would be in the Bible was a long one and was not complete until the 4th century. The canon of Sacred Scripture which contained these books and which we have today was confirmed by the Council of Trent in the 16th century in response to the Protestant Reformation.

It is important in ecumenical relations to understand that Catholics and Protestants have a fundamentally different understanding of the role of Holy Scripture and Catholics do indeed rejoice in our shared love of Holy Writ. However, while Protestants generally see the Bible as the sole rule of faith Catholics see it as a part of the Faith, a very important one to be sure that cannot be contradicted, but nevertheless just part of the Faith. As a result, for Catholics the Bible must be received and interpreted through the Church which was entrusted with it and formed it. 

Beauty in Worship

written by Father Christopher Pisut for the Chariton Herald Patriot on Thursday, March 18, 2010

As much as I would like to write about St. Patrick, with his feast day on March 17, I realize that I wrote about him last year in this column. Instead I will take this opportunity to discuss briefly the veneration of images, and related to that, the important role of beauty in worship. The church of Sacred Heart here in Chariton has, among other personalities, a statue of St. Patrick. Catholics for the most part don’t think twice about having images of saints and praying before them. Indeed, properly understood there is no conflict between worshipping God and venerating images of the saints. The retention of sacred images for worship and devotion goes back to the earliest days of the Church. The practice is much like the pictures we keep of loved ones. We don’t worship the images themselves, but merely keep them around to remind us of the persons they represent. We love the saints not so much for their own sakes, but for their connection to God. We keep their images around because they are people like us who have faithfully walked the Christian life and lead us by example.

Of course if we are going to have images of the saints, it is important that they be truly worthy, as all things directed to God should be. This brings us to the greater issue of the importance of beauty in worship. There are persons who don’t think that this is important or even appropriate, that all that is needed to worship God is a sincere heart. Yes, a sincere heart is necessary and if that is all we have to offer, surely God is pleased with that, but we often do have more to offer. Our worship should not be restricted to a sincere heart if we are capable of giving more. We should not hold back our talents and gifts from God since it is from Him that we received them. If we don’t have much to give, God will understand but if we do have much, we should give much. Remember how Jesus praised the poor widow (Mark 12:41-44), who gave only two small coins into the treasury when this was all she had and condemned those rich persons who only gave from their surplus.

Beauty is important in the design and appointment of churches and the celebration of the sacred liturgy because the liturgy itself is fundamentally beautiful and points to a beautiful reality. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as a reflection of the heavenly banquet that goes on throughout all time, is a foretaste of what we will experience in heaven. As such it behooves us to do our best, according to our resources, to raise up the beauty and dignity of the church building and its appointments to facilitate that reality. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (the book used by the priest in the celebration of mass) states, "Sacred buildings and requisites for divine worship should, moreover, be truly worthy and beautiful and be signs and symbols of heavenly realities (288)." On a prudential level, of course, operating expenses of a parish do take precedence. It is good practice to beautify churches with monies specifically given or set aside for such purposes as well as making use of the talents of the parish in order to reduce costs. That being said, it is still appropriate to spend church monies when available since the purposes are in keeping with the mission of the Church.

Beauty is inherently a good thing since it is part of God’s creation. Beauty exists naturally such as in the appearance of persons or the beauty of nature, but there is also beauty in the arts such as painting, sculpture, carving, metalwork, architecture and music. Though made by man, the fine arts are made with God given talents which, when rooted in the understanding of God as our origins and ends, reflect the beauty of God who is truth. True beauty, therefore, is a reflection of the truth. It is the mission of the Church entrusted with the fullness of revealed truth, to spread that truth not just in word but also in deed. Unfortunately, in recent decades many persons have misread the second Vatican Council of the 1960’s in the light of a modernist, minimalist, reductionist and very pragmatic approach to life. This has been reflected in both the secular art and architecture of the past half century of which the Church has not been immune to its influences. Though people may view art as merely a reflection of taste, contemporary approaches to art and architecture often are rooted in and reflect philosophies which are at odds with the Gospel. This has been responsible for much of the stripping of sacred art from our churches (something not called for and expressly prohibited by the Church) and the move away from art rooted in the beauty of God's creation and toward art informed by a mankind who seeks to find meaning in himself rather than God.

Many persons will also claim that we should put all our resources into social justice causes and that this is what will please God most. While recognizing the admonition to help the poor and downtrodden, this is not an either or issue. Both are possible and both are indeed desirable. One is reminded of the anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13) when Jesus’ disciples chastised the woman who anointed the head of Jesus with costly oil claiming that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus replied, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you.” While we should indeed help those less fortunate, we should do it not for the sake of humanity itself, but for the reason that people are created in God's image and because we see the suffering face of Christ in them. Likewise, the Mass is the greatest prayer offered up to God, and so we should likewise present our best to God in both our hearts and for those things that we build and construct for His glory. Our encounter with God in a church built for a liturgy to celebrate His glory is an encounter with beauty that we may not have in our daily lives. Indeed, it should be an experience beyond what we have in our daily lives because it is about something greater than us, the glory and majesty of God.

All Saints Day and All Souls Day

written by Father Christopher Pisut for the Pastor's Corner of the Chariton Herald-Patriot on October 29, 2009

As Halloween draws near it is important to remember that this popular secular celebration, which focuses on the dark side of the spiritual world, is actually the counterpart of the Christian feast of All Saints, which falls on November 1. While most know of Halloween, and perhaps a few less remember All Saints, even fewer remember the feast of All Souls which falls on November 2. Sadly, the celebration of this latter feast has slipped among many of the faithful. However, it is an important feast because it reminds us of the reality of God's judgment yet at the same time gives us great hope in God's mercy. While I have discussed this topic before I think that it is important to revisit it at this time.

The Church understands herself to be composed of three parts: the Church Triumphant in heaven, the Church Militant here on earth, and the Church Suffering in purgatory. Catholics believe, as all Christians do, that our salvation is not possible without Christ's saving death on the cross. After that, however, we have our part to play, because of the free will that God gave us, to respond to God's saving grace that we received in Baptism. this response of course is manifest in how we live our lives. The Church Militant here on earth is that part of the Church, while receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit at Baptism, is still left by God to respond to that grace and that response affects our salvation.

The Church Suffering is that part of the Church which has passed from this world and while responding sufficiently to God's grace to be saved, are in a state of purification in purgatory for their earthly sins, so that they may be in the proper condition to spend eternity with the Father. Apart from having scriptural merit for this belief Catholics also see in the doctrine of purgatory the balance of God's justice and mercy. God's justice is present for we each are answerable for how we have lived our lives yet God's mercy is evident in that he does forgive us our sins and gives us the prospect of eternal life. So on the feast of All Souls we pray for those who have gone before us, that God will forgive their sins and bring them to his bosom.

On November 1 we celebrate the Church Triumphant, those Christians, fallen human being like us all, who receive the grace of Baptism and live a life of heroic virtue. The salvation that Christ won for us all and that we entered into with our Baptism was accepted by the saints, by their heroic response to the grace of Baptism. We admire them merely for that. Yet, because the saints are flawed humans like ourselves they are examples the Church holds up to us, the Church Militant, to give us the hope and strength to realize that what God asks of us is not impossible. We too can live a life of heroic virtue, the Christian life, and so enter into eternity with the Father if we but say yes to the grace of our Baptism. We ask the saints to intercede for us with God by their prayers. For if we ask one another here on earth to pray for us what more can the power of prayer of those who are closest to God accomplish for us.

So on November 1, let us, the Church Militant, give due homage to the saints and ask for their intercession to help us live the life that Christ calls us to. Yet we must not forget on November 2 to pray for those poor souls in purgatory which undoubtedly contains many of our deceased loved ones. This is especially important since most of us will, with God's grace, end up among the Church Suffering in purgatory as well.

The weekend Masses at Sacred Heart Catholic Church will be in observance of the feast of All Saints. The Mass for All Souls will be Monday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Article Written by Father Pisut for the Chariton Newspaper

written by Father Pisut for the Pastor's Corner in the July 9, 2009, edition of the Chariton Newspaper.

This past weekend we celebrated our nation’s birthday. The reason that we celebrate the Fourth of July is because we cherish the freedom that we as Americans have, not just freedom but the right of religious freedom, or freedom from religion if one so chooses. Out of respect for religion and each person’s own human dignity and right to come to know God our Founding Fathers stated in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This is a right that we should never take for granted and we must remember that there are many people in the world today that are denied this right. Yet it is important to remember that freedom, while ostensibly protected by the United States Constitution, does not stem from the Constitution itself. We are free because that is how God made us. Our Founding Fathers recognized this when they proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence our “Creator” as the source of our “unalienable rights” of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Freedom is a double edged sword because the freedom to choose always comes with the responsibility to make the right choice. Yet we as modern Americans greatly misunderstand our God given freedom because we see it as a right given to us by the Constitution. If we see freedom as stemming from the Constitution and not from God then we can decide what that freedom entails. As a result we too often understand freedom not as responsible behavior but rather as license, the ability to do whatever we want regardless of the consequences, or if we even dare to think in such terms, regardless of the morality of the act. Often, however, the question of morality never enters into the equation but rather the emphasis is on the freedom to make some morally neutral choice. So because we as modern Americans are largely shaped by a contemporary secular understanding of freedom we have to a great degree lost a sense of the very real and authentic understanding of sin and the proper understanding of freedom with its concomitant responsibility.

As human beings, we have the freedom to choose between good and evil, that is the gift of free will. Because God loves us he lets us choose to follow him. Likewise, that also means that we have the choice not to follow him. Therefore, every time we choose God we choose what is good. Every time we don’t choose God we choose evil and therefore we sin. As should be no big surprise the topic of sin is not a popular topic. I suspect the topic of sin never was truly popular but at least it was acceptable to talk about. For the most part people are loathe to talk about sin today not only because it is unpopular but because it is also to many persons unacceptable. The notion of sin clashes with a secular understanding of freedom. For many people to say that sin exists is tantamount to saying that their personal decisions, decisions protected by the freedom of the U. S. Constitution, are somehow wrong. How dare someone question my right to do whatever I want? Again, if our freedom comes from the law we can define what it is and the options are limitless. Such freedom in the past was the ability to hold black persons as slaves and to legally classify them as less than human. Today it is the freedom to call another class of persons as less than human and even non-human and to kill them in their mothers’ wombs. Yet if our freedom comes from God it is true freedom because it is not a choice of arbitrary morally neutral options but is rather a freedom among real choices, the freedom to choose good or the freedom to choose evil.

One of the choices that people make with their God given and Constitution protected religious freedom is the choice to attend Church on Sundays. For Catholics this is attendance at Sunday Mass (or Saturday evening). Yet many Catholics do not realize that there is both a moral and a legal obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation. This may seem foreign to many Protestants (and sadly many Catholics) since while it is definitely considered laudable to attend Church on Sunday most Protestants most likely don’t have an obligation of Sunday attendance in the strict sense that Catholics do.

So where does this obligation come from? The third commandment admonishes us, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.” “Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ’ Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truths of the Jewish sabbath and announces man’s eternal rest in God....The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship ‘as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.’ Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 2175-2176)

Now at this time of year, summertime, people are even less likely to hold fast to this obligation. We must remember, however, that we are not told to keep the Sabbath holy some times of the year and not others. While we can have vacation time from work we can never take a vacation from our faith, we can never take a vacation from God. God gave us the Sabbath to keep it holy year round. With our Lord’s triumph over death Sunday has fulfilled the role of the Jewish Sabbath. Therefore, in order to understand the obligation for Catholics it is important to consider our identity. We say that we believe in the Ten Commandments which includes keeping holy the Sabbath. We believe that Christ said at the Last Supper this is my body and this is my blood, eat and drink this in memory of me and that we do this every time that we come to Mass. We believe Christ died for our sins and that we participate in that same sacrifice every time that we go to Mass. We believe that Christ rose from the dead in triumph over death on Sunday. This is the Catholic identity and so there is a disconnect when we say that is what we believe and that is how our life is ordered when in fact our life is not so ordered when we don’t see the importance of attending Mass on Sundays and other holy days of obligation. What many do not realize is that it is so serious that one should not receive Holy Communion without first going to confession. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.” (CCC 2181)

Some have difficulty with the concept that missing Mass without a good reason or a proper dispensation is a grave sin. After all murder is a grave sin so how can missing Mass be the same thing. But again it should be remembered that God should be the center of our lives and he tells us to keep holy the Sabbath. Therefore, if we as Catholics do not see it as serious the problem is not with the obligation but rather our understanding of our relationship with God and the role of the Mass in the community of faith. The more we properly understand our relationship with God the more we will see the value of our Sunday obligation. It does not always means that it will be easy to get ourselves to Mass or that we will be totally focused and fulfilled each time that we go to Mass. However, we will realize the value of it and do it because it is the right thing to do, just as we do so many other things in life, not because they are always self-fulfilling but because they are right and just. It is just and right to give praise and glory to God. While Sunday Mass attendance is a legal and moral obligation binding on Catholics it is good for all Christians to see Church attendance on Sundays as morally obligatory. While Protestants do not share the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist and the Mass we do share a shared belief in the Ten Commandments and our Lord’s passion and death leading to his resurrection on Sunday. If we say that this is our belief than it should translate into a life of faith.

So as we celebrate the independence of our country every year rejoice in the freedoms that we have, especially the gift of religious freedom. Rejoice in the freedom that we have to come together and publicly worship, a freedom that does not exist in many places in the world. Yet it is important to remember that our freedoms come from God and are only protected by this great country. It is a freedom that we need to make sure to continue to protect. Pray that this country will be faithful to protecting the true freedom that God gives us and use that freedom wisely and give him just praise on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.

Article Written by Father Pisut for the Chariton Newspaper

This article was written on March 19, 2009 for the Chariton Herald- Patriot.

Tuesday, March 17, was the feast of St. Patrick in the Catholic Church. Like many feasts in the Church it is not uncommon for their celebration to cross over into the secular sphere. This has its origins in the fact the life of the Church and the culture of western society were once largely the same reality. As the two have grown apart, however, some celebrations have remained in both spheres with varying levels of continuity. We see this most clearly today in the celebration of Christmas, or the lack thereof, in some quarters of society. To a lesser degree this is also present with the feast of St. Valentine. St. Patrick’s day, therefore, is a particularly good example of a Church feast that has varied levels of significance for various strata of society. While retaining its significance for the Church, St. Partrick’s day also is a strong source of ethnic pride as well as just another excuse to party. Some may focus on just one aspect of this feast while others achieve varying levels of combining the three.

While there is nothing wrong with a little fun and frivolity it is important that one remain rooted in the true nature of the feast. This latter aspect of St. Patrick’s Day can find some parallel in the celebration of Mardi Gras. Many persons make the most of these decadent celebrations yet are totally detached from Mardi Gras’ rootedness in the oncoming penitential season of Lent. The purpose of this season is to properly prepare us for the passion death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins. So it is good to remind ourselves of the true meaning of St. Patrick’s Day.

The feast of St. Patrick is of course about the person of St. Patrick. The basic facts surrounding him is that he was born in England in 389 A.D. He was captured into slavery by the Irish between the ages of 14 and 16 and carried off to Ireland where for the next six years he served as a shepherd. Though already a Christian his faith blossomed under the trials of his servitude. Eventually, he escaped and was reunited with his family. St. Patrick was apparently influenced by a dream in which he was told to go back and evangelize Ireland. He studied under St. Germain of Auxerre, was ordained to the priesthood and then as a bishop and prepared for missionary work. Eventually, with the approbation of Pope Celestine I he returned to Ireland as early as 432 A. D. There is no doubt that St.. Patrick did indeed evangelize the whole of Ireland though there were many pagans still at the time of his death and he was in constant fear of his life. He labored in Ireland to spread the faith among the Druids until his death on March 17, 461 A.D.

It is easy to see how in such a traditional Catholic country as Ireland such a personality can figure into the ethnic and national identity of a people. We remember, however, the primary role of St. Patrick is, as his title makes clear, a saint. Yet what are the saints and why are they important? This issue of sainthood is a particularly important concept to clarify. On the one hand the popular culture has been infatuated with saints but usually gets the reality wrong, much as they have done with the reality of angels. On the other hand there is the reality that many of our Protestant brothers and sisters, many of good faith, either reject the notion of the communion of saints or misunderstand the Church’s teaching .

The Church understands herself to be composed of three parts: the Church Triumphant in heaven, the Church Militant here on earth, and the Church Suffering in purgatory. Catholics believe, as all Christians do, that our salvation is not possible without Christ’s saving death on the cross. After that, however, we have our part to play, because of the free will that God gave us, to respond to God’s saving grace that we received in Baptism. This response of course is manifest in how we live our lives. The Church Militant here on earth is that part of the Church, while receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit at Baptism, is still left by God to respond to that grace and that response affects our salvation. The Church Suffering is that part of the Church which has passed from this world and while responding sufficiently to God’s grace to be saved, are in a state of purification for their earthly sins, so that they may be in the proper condition to spend eternity with the Father. The Church Triumphant are those Christian, fallen human being like us all, who receive the grace of Baptism and live a life of heroic virtue.

The salvation that Christ won for us all and that we entered into with our Baptism was accepted by the saints, by their heroic response to the grace of Baptism. We admire them merely for that. Yet, because the saints are flawed humans like ourselves they are examples the Church holds up to us to give us the hope and strength to realize that what God asks of us is not impossible. We to can live a life of heroic virtue, the Christian life, and so enter into eternity with the Father if we but say yes to the grace of our Baptism. We ask the saints to intercede for us with God by their prayers. For if we ask one another here on earth to pray for us what more can the power of prayer of those who are closest to God accomplish for us. St. Patrick is among the Communion of Saints in heaven. So on St. Patrick’s Day we have just cause to celebrate for many reasons, yet they are all interconnected. Celebrate the fact that the faith was spread in Ireland. Celebrate the Irish for being receptive to the faith and spreading it around the globe. Celebrate St. Patrick for embracing the Faith and responding to God’s call.

Perhaps as we lift a glass to justly celebrate the day we could also hope and pray that all who call themselves Irish and who celebrate the day will be true to the Faith that St. Patrick brought to Ireland. As the opening prayer at Mass on the feast of St. Patrick proclaims: God our Father, you sent St. Patrick to preach your glory to the people of Ireland. By the help of his prayers may all Christians proclaim you love to all men.

Article Written by Father Pisut for the Chariton Newspaper

This article was written by Father Pisut in Fall 2008 before the general election.

As Christians we believe that all persons are created with equal dignity in the sight of God. Because of this our Founding Fathers state in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Because of this spiritual and legal reality all Americans have the right to bring their views to bear in the public forum of debate and discourse. For those Americans who have attained the legal voting age, we are also then free to make our will known in such matters by the utilization of the ballot box.

A difficult reality of the American political landscape is the often-touchy subject of religion. The question of God was clearly present in the minds of those who began this country when the proclaimed the “Creator” as the source of our “unalienable Rights.” Out of respect for religion and each person’s own human dignity and right to come to know God our Founding Fathers stated in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

All to often, however, one gets the impression that only the first part of that clause has and meaning in the political sense. In the jurisprudence surrounding religion the emphasis has been on what has been know as the “Non-Establishment Clause.” Often reference is made to the quote of Thomas Jefferson of a “wall of separation between Church and State.” This quotation, however, stems from personal correspondence of Jefferson and not the U.S. Constitution. We must remember the “Free Exercise Clause” has just as much legal weight as the “Non-Establishment Clause.” This is important to remember. All to often in the public forum of political discourse when Christians seek to make their will know, the claim is often made that we are attempting to force our religious views upon others. Because of the separation of Church and State guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, it is claimed, we have no right to do so.

There are two important issues to examine here. The first is in regards to the true meaning of the separation of Church and State. The intent of this part of the first Amendment was to prohibit the establishment of a creedal religious state as was common in much of Europe at the time and can be found in various Islamic countries still today. Such regimes impose official adherence to a specific religion along with it accompanying unique theological beliefs. Likewise, adherence to any other religion is prohibited or at least severely restricted. This is what the First Amendment sought to protect against in order to safeguard the rights of others. Today, when Christians seek to make their voices known in the public forum and at the voting box this is not what we are seeking to do. We are not attempting to impose a specific religion or even a generic Christian one. We are not attempting to enact legislation that would require all persons to call themselves Christian and accept that Jesus Christ is God and is our Lord and Savior. We are not attempting to force people to believe that God is a Trinity of Persons. We are not seeking to have people punished for not believing such things. To do so would be the establishment of a state religion and would be a violation not only of the First Amendment but also of the God given freedom of all persons.

What we as Christians are trying to bring to the public forum are universal moral issues, not specifically religious ones. As such they are human issues and not political issues. True, many of the moral issues, which are of concern, have been greatly politicized. Their origins are not in politics but are at root fundamental to humanity. The Catholic Church, and many other Christians, focus on such issues as abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, the death penalty, care of the poor and immigration. These are broadly called life issues and have their roots in what is known as the Natural law. Contrary to what many may think. Natural law is not a religious concept. Natural law is a concept deriving from pre-Christian Greek philosophy, which claimed that one could observe the rightness or wrongness of an act by looking at the natural workings of the world. It is as much an early form of scientific inquiry as it is a philosophical concept. This approach was broadly adopted by western society and was universally accepted until the past few centuries. Indeed many of the arguments behind the various moral positions of Christian concern can be backed up by science. Anyone, religious or not, can understand these issues as true by logic, reason and the working of nature. While many Christians espouse strong moral positions and claim them as part of their faith, they do not stem from the creedal belief of a revealed religion but rather the scientific natural ordering of the world, non-believers can come to the same conclusion by scientific inquiry. A Christian, however, comes to a deeper understanding of these moral issues as rooted in the Natural Law by a fuller understanding of the meaning of life, love and death as revealed to us by Jesus Christ.

Often, however, all life issues (which include sexual morality issues since the two are intricately linked by nature) are perceived as having the same moral weight. This perspective is often belied by the expression of “seamless garment.” Life issues, however, do vary in their gravity and thus their approach. Many issues the Catholic Church holds to be extremely important but at the same time recognizes that there can be a divergence of opinions about the best way to handle them. The Church champions the poor as a moral imperative yet also recognizes that one can differ on the best way to assist them. Some may favor more government intervention while other may favor the role of the private sector. The Church asserts the rights of all to immigrate to better themselves out of respect for their personal freedom and human dignity yet also recognizes the role of the state to regulate immigration. Therefore, there can be a divergence of opinions on immigration policy.

There are other moral issues, which, while possible, allow for less of a divergence of opinions. While opposed to war the Church recognizes that there is such a thing as a just war if various criteria are met. These would include exhausting one’s diplomatic options, responding to aggression, proportionality and a good chance of success. Yet, while these criteria are often difficult to meet there is still the possibility of a just war. The Church is a firm opponent of the death penalty. However, even though the Church opposed the death penalty it also recognizes the right of the state to have recourse to capital punishment. However, this is not for the mere punishment of the offender but only if there is no other way to protect the welfare of society. While the Church recognizes that this need is practically nonexistent it still does allow for this exception.

Some things, however, do not allow for exceptions. Abortion, the taking of a human life, is always morally evil. Likewise, euthanasia is always evil. Embryonic stem cell research is also evil. Despite the good motive of finding cures it still involves the killing of innocent human life. Here it must be pointed out that the Church is not against stem cell research in general, which has proven to be quite viable, but against embryonic stem cell research, which involves the taking of innocent human life and has produced no cures. Human cloning is the removal of the creation of human life from its origin in the natural act of a man and woman in the context of marriage. Likewise, gay marriage is considered as opposed to the natural law since anthropologically speaking all cultures and societies are based upon the family unit of a husband and wife, which procreates and sustains itself and society through the biological act of intercourse. Neither of these exists in gay marriage. Lastly, abortion stands as the fundamental life issue of all since no lasting argument can be made for the protection and aiding of life at varying stages if the right to life itself is not protected.

These are all issues that have been brought to public forum amidst much rancor and hostility. Because of the very broad and inaccurate misunderstanding of the term “Separation of Church and State” once someone is perceived as imposing religion then their viewpoints are automatically excluded from the public forum. By this line of reasoning any viewpoint, as long as it is not seen as religious, is acceptable in the public forum. Yet, the reality remains that all of us have the right to participate in the public forum. The “Free Exercise Clause” of the first Amendment gives us the right to bring these issues to public debate. Public Discourse is not restricted to everything except religion. Though the moral issues which the Catholic Church, and many other Christians, champion are perceived as specifically and uniquely religious issues by many they are in fact universal human issues rooted in the natural law and knowable to all. By that fact they touch upon everyone, believer and non-believer alike. Because of this, not only are such issues appropriate for the public forum and the ballot box, they are in fact essential.