Sometimes a Homily is More than a Homily

Note: my dear MIL or other very obedient Catholics might not want to read the following post…

Today was a hard day. I did something that I’ve never done before.

I walked out of Mass.

Since Hubs is out of town helping my mom in Texas, I’ve been doing a lot of nothing. I decided to change that this morning by getting up early, dressing up in a cute summer dress, and head to Mass. We haven’t been able to go much the past few weeks because of schedules and lots of things going on. So I decided to start the week off right by getting back to church.

I go to this great congregation about five minutes away from our house. We’ve been going there for about three years or so, and I’ve been lectoring there since almost the beginning. Hubs and I disagree about the music (I think the contemporary additions are nice but he leans more towards the traditional) but it’s a great place to worship.

This week, the associate pastor started his homily by discussing the controversy with the health insurance act requiring employers to provide their employees with birth control of many kinds. This is against the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching and many bishops have made very public statements against it, including the archbishop of St. Louis. Then the pastor tossed it to a video, playing on a screen set up in the sanctuary.

It was a clip of a speech the archbishop made in March to some unknown group in Jefferson City promoting the church’s side of the argument – that it impinges on the freedom of religion by forcing the church to pay for or allow their health insurance to offer a service that goes against the faith.

Although it sort of bugs me that the archbishop would be so forceful in the video (it almost looked like he was a politician running for office, for all the people standing and cheering in the room), and I understand the church’s point (but do not believe that they are right in the matter), I could not BELIEVE that the archbishop suggested that this video be shown in every parish in the diocese. They have already included a letter from the archbishop in various newsletters and bulletins, and it seems like every time I go to mass in the past few months, this is part of the homily.

I disagree with the church’s position on this particular issue. I would much rather prevent a pregnancy using birth control (and the natural family planning that they promote certainly doesn’t do it!) than encourage a woman to have an abortion. Life is precious and abortion is wrong.

And I know that the church is only promoting their position because they feel it is right. But, the issue at hand is a matter of health insurance for people on a payroll. It doesn’t force the employees to take up that line of birth control if they don’t want to. It only allows them the choice.

Choice is all we’re talking about. And isn’t impending on the employees’ freedom of religion when the employer forces them into one line of health insurance and doesn’t allow them a choice?

In any case, I don’t know if I’ll be going to church for the next little bit. I may need to let the issue settle down. It just riles me up so very much that it’s not a very relaxing situation to put myself in, when I hear it being discussed at Mass.

It makes me very sad to type those last words. My faith means a lot to me and to see cracks forming in my foundation, it’s upsetting to my core. I hope that God will show me how to reconcile the issue within myself and find solid ground again.