Rev. John Kha Tran

HE CURED MANY

Dr. Lee F. Tuttle once told about that almost affected the course of the Second World War. In December 1944 the U.S. Army and its Allies were on the offensive. For six months they had rolled with relentless precision across Western Europe. But suddenly, one December day, a major portion of the mighty Allied juggernaut ground to a halt. A counter offensive had been launched by the Germans. If that counter offensive had succeeded, the end of the war might have been indefinitely delayed. As it was, the German drive almost did succeed, and a part of that was due to some brilliant strategy devised by the defenders of the Third Reich.

A few days before the Allied operation, German soldiers dressed in American uniforms, together with American jeeps, were parachuted behind American lines. These “soldiers from the sky” carried no weapons. Their single mission was to discover the roads over which reinforcing Allied armies might travel and change all the signs which pointed to strategic towns and villages. And this simple task of turning the signposts to give wrong directions had deadly consequences. When the defenders in the “Battle of the Bulge” called for help as the Germans attacked, many of the reinforcements never arrived. Whole battalions were lost while trying to find their way across a countryside where the signposts were either down or wrong.

Mis-directed Signposts

Dr. Tuttle’s point in relating these events was to say to us that we live in a time when many of the signposts have been torn down: moral signposts, ethical signposts, theological signposts. Because of this, many of us lose our way in life. Many people including political leaders of our country are redirecting the moral and ethical signposts. They are changing and reinterpreting the vision of the founders of our country. Abortion has become the law of the land. Same sex marriage is becoming the vision of the country. Pregnancy has become a threat to health and should be prevented.

Listening to the world news and following the primary presidential debates make me wonder, “What is going wrong with the world? What is going wrong with our country? Wars, protests, crimes, genocide are all over the world. In this country we see morals going down and down. I came to the United States thirty-seven years ago; I love this country and I am proud to be a U. S. citizen because of the vision of the country’s founders, believing that everyone is created equal and endowed by God the right to life, liberty and to pursue happiness. I am saddened and disappointed to see our government has become pro-choice to terminate many innocent lives. Sadly not everyone is created equal now. Many are being killed while they are still in their mothers’ wombs. The right to choose to kill some and to let others live is the law of the land. Liberty is no longer respected at least by the President and his administration. It is unfortunate and ill-fated to hear the Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department to announce that after Aug. 1 of this year, new or significantly altered health plans will be required to provide all FDA-approved contraceptives, including some that can cause abortions, without co-pays or deductibles as part of preventive health care for women.

The Truth of Human Sexual Act

I don’t understand how our government comes up with this “preventive health care for women.” Every one of us knows that human sexual act is not a virus and, by nature, does not carry virus. Human sexual act does not carry virus that needs the government to intervene with this invention of preventive health care plan. Human sexual act carries the seed of life. Our government is using this preventive healthcare policy to cover up its anti-life agenda and promoting and mandating a healthcare plan that blocks the seed of life. Our government is treating sexual act as a virus and pregnancy as a disease. This is not healthcare. This is population control and sexual promiscuous advocate. Our government is disguising its demonic policy against life and protecting uninhibited sexual activities. Its aim to require all health care providers to provide contraceptive is not healthcare, but to block the seed of life. Every one of us knows that pregnancy is not a disease. All mothers sitting here know that pregnancy is not a disease. Cows, chickens, dogs, fish and all the animals do not need this kind of preventive healthcare. It is immoral and unethical that our government invents this kind of idea on preventive healthcare by forcing healthcare providers to cover free contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients to their employees. It is irresponsible that our government is posting this unethical and immoral signpost as a policy for our nation’s healthcare. This is an anti-life policy. This is anti-religious liberty policy. I believe that anyone who does not want to get pregnant should not have sex. People would like to have sex without getting pregnant should be responsible for their own actions and pay for their own means. Religious institutions should not have to pay for their personal sexual conducts. Sexual act is private. Government should stay out of it. It is easy and simple. And you know that sexual acts should be exclusively in marital relationship. For those of you who are parents, you don’t want your sons and daughters going out there to sleep with their boyfriends or girlfriends, do you? You, husbands and wives, you do not want your spouse to sleep with someone else either! That is the evidence and valid reason for us to say that sexual acts are only between husband and wife. This is only common sense. You do not have to have a college degree in order to agree with this or to understand this. So the government should stay out of this.

Forcing churches and religious institutions to offer healthcare plan with free contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients is to tell our children that it is ok to have sex. If we allow our government to do this, believe me, soon they will treat us like the Chinese government telling its people how many children a couple should have. Forcing churches and religious institutions to offer healthcare plan with free contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients is telling our children that life is not important. It is an attitude hostile to life. Life is not welcome. This is a wrong life’s signpost!

Obligation to Preach

The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans. “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty. . . The government should not force Americans to act as if pregnancy is a disease to be prevented at all costs,” added Cardinal-designate Dolan.

Like Saint Paul, we have the obligation to preach the truth. We have the obligation to preach the Good News to the people of our nation and to the world. Jesus’ good news has power. If we preach Jesus Christ and his good news, people will continue to listen. Government healthcare policy is not giving us the cure, believing in Jesus will. St. Mark reports in the Gospel, “They brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons . . .”

Life is not easy. In our first reading, we have an instance of Job’s struggle because he had been faithful to the Lord, yet he suffered greatly and did not have a reasonable answer for his misfortune (Job 7:20-32).  He is enmeshed in the experience of the question of human existence and suffering. The story of Job is a reflection on what to do when our theology - our image of God and of human life - no longer fit our experience. Job laments loudly about this, seeking to find the living God in the midst of his suffering. In the midst of all this, he turns his lament toward God. He continues to trust the Lord, and he trusts his relationship with God. He never blames God for his misfortunes. The lesson for us is to learn to put our faith in the Compassionate God, knowing that, not the government’s unethical healthcare policy, but God alone heals the brokenhearted. The responsorial psalm invites us to praise the Lord who heals the broken hearted.