Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that all employers, including Catholic employers, must purchase health insurance programs for their employees that include contraception, sterilization and abortion inducing drugs.
The U.S. Catholic Bishops have come out swinging and will not accept this mandate. The Catholic Church teaches that it is wrong to frustrate the marital act and prevent new life as a result. At least a couple of generations, mine and my parents have rejected this teaching and now we are at a real risk of losing even the possibility of practicing our faith authentically.
We Catholics have not done our Church any favors. According to this recent study, 98% of us our contracepting:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-contraceptives-religion-idUSTRE73C7W020110413
The natural consequence of this sin on our part is that the world does not take us or our faith seriously. Why would they when we don't? And now our faith and our church is under attack.
Abraham would not even withhold from God his only son Isaac! God Himself did not withhold His only Son for our salvation - and yet, how many sons and daughters have we withheld from God?
My husband and I permanently contracepted by sterilization after our second child was born. I was not Catholic, my husband was not practicing. Our parents had done the same thing when they believed their family was complete. We believed we couldn't afford to raise any more children. We believed that we were doing the socially responsible thing. I have over the years regretted not having more children. I feel a little cheated. I regret my lack of faith in God that is the root of all my sin.
I look at our Grandparents who managed to raise a bunch of kids in harder times than these. They had less technology, less modern conveniences, less money and they raised children faithfully and successfully. What our Grandparents lacked in resources, they made up for with abundant faith. We have lost our way and we don't believe we can do what they did.
That lack of faith in God and our God given ability to procreate and provide for children lead to hopelessness. Hopelessness contributes to abortion. I have read that 28% of women having abortions identify themselves as Catholic. Abortion like suicide, is an act of hopelessness.
So now because we as a people of faith, have failed to be faithful, we may lose the very essence of what it means to be Catholic, forfeiting it to the state.
God help us.
