Was separation of Church and State established way before America?
As Catholics we believe that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We are to tie to Him ourselves, we belong to Him who created us. As Catholics we must be very careful before we lobby the government to take care of the sick, the poor, the educational needs of children, the homeless, etc. This is God’s kingdom. These acts of mercy fall on those who bear the image of God.
- To give drink to the thirsty;
- To feed the hungry;
- To clothe the naked;
- To harbour the harbourless;
- To visit the sick;
- To ransom the captive;
- To bury the dead.
Here are the spiritual works of mercy:
- To instruct the ignorant;
- To counsel the doubtful;
- To admonish sinners;
- To bear wrongs patiently;
- To forgive offences willingly;
- To comfort the afflicted;
- To pray for the living and the dead.
After rereading these responsibilities, I am amazed at how much of God’s kingdom we have given over to government. Even the spiritual works are left to the secularist to define and instruct. If we are not going to do it, then why have a church? I understand that taking care of the sick, hungry, naked and the uneducated takes funding, but that should come from us too. We as a church have educated children, cared for the poor and sick at a cost of pennies on the dollar compared to government funded agencies. Christ gave the keys to us. We are the ones responsible to serve God’s people.
Mathew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
We do such a disservice to those who are in need when we blame the government for not taking care of them. I am reminded of Mother Cabrini how she would storm into board meetings and demand that businessmen help her in building orphanages and schools. She lobbied her neighbors. Elizabeth Ann Seton established the first Catholic School in our country and Saint John Neumann established the first Catholic diocesan school system in our country. St. John Neumann increased the number of schools in his diocese from one school to two hundred, establishing the seeds of the Kingdom of God. It is the church militant that set up our modern day school system, hospitals, and food pantries. We have to keep our God given kingdom and responsibilities. If we as Catholics were doing kingdom work, government would not need to. One has to wonder: why does the government want our kingdom and why do so many Catholics want to hand it over to them?
Our religious obligation to our help our neighbor is different than our obligation to the state. And what happens when the government confuses these obligations? Our country’s First Amendment guarantees our religious freedom, freedom from the government having control of God’s kingdom. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion… digest this part of the amendment for a minute. Corporal and spiritual works of mercy is religion. Have we allowed the government to establish itself as religion? This is what our founding fathers wanted to protect us from. …or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; Have we allowed the government to control our free exercise of these acts of mercy? Are we handing over power of the Church to the government? Two things that come to mind is marriage and procreation. The state was never given the power to define marriage. Only the Church through truth has that authority. The state does not have the power to control procreation. That power and authority is reserved for God alone He is the Author of life.
Nowhere else in the world is the church this victorious, because of this amendment. Nowhere else in the world is there a quite a government like ours — established of the people by the people for the people. We have prospered beyond the imagination of our founding fathers, because of this gift of freedom.
History has proven how tyrants flood and muddy these waters to take away the liberties of others. So Catholics beware, this is your kingdom and your throne that you are abdicating. We will be held accountable to the Lord for doing so.
There comes a time when we all will need social justice. I certainly do not want to rely on the cold hand of some government worker who is over loaded and underpaid to provide for me or my family. I want the loving hands of my family, and the face of Christ, my church to care for me and my family when we are in need. I am called to be the loving hands and feet of Christ. Right now God’s kingdom is my home, where acts of mercy are always tested. I pray that I perform my responsibilities better than my abilities allow me.