Reflection on Religious Freedom Week - 22 June 2021 to 29 June 2021

     In his address to Congress during his visit to Washington in September 2015, Pope Francis made the following comments about religious freedom:  

“American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions. And, as my brothers, the United States Bishops, have reminded us, all are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”

      Today begins Religious Freedom Week in the Catholic Church in the United States as declared by our Catholic Bishops.  The reason for the choice of this starting date of religious freedom week is that 22 June marks the liturgical feast of Saints Thomas More and John Fisher, who were put to death as martyrs for the faith defending the primacy of the Roman Pontiff in the dispute over Henry VIII's marriage.  This Friday, we commemorate the birth of John the Baptist in a solemnity at daily Mass.  John the Baptist was a great prophet and a martyr for the faith who was put to death by King Herod.  John proclaimed the Kingdom of God against the backdrop of the Roman Empire.  Religious Freedom Week concludes with the Feast of St Peter and St Paul on June 29.  Peter and Paul, the two main leaders of the Early Church, are also martyrs for the faith who suffered persecution again and again during their lifetime for defending the faith and for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.  

       For many years, many Americans took religious liberty for granted.  However, in recent years, many Christians have felt that they were under attack here in our own country, and many have felt that the values of our faith have been under attack.  Religious Freedom Week helps us understand the importance of defending our religious freedom here in our country.  We are called to take a stand on this issue.  We cannot take our religious freedom for granted.  If we remain silent, it may be too late.