August 1, 2005
Last week we were praying at an abortion site in Englewood, NJ and I saw a bumper sticker that read, “I’m a pagan and I vote”. On the same day I heard a report on a radio news station about the stem-cell debate in Congress which stated matter-of-factly that the opposition was from faith-backed groups. It’s no secret that many non-Christian voters resent the fact that faith has a prominent role in the public square. There is indeed a battle going on for morality, and silence on the part of Christians only benefits the other side.
The pagan’s proclamation on the bumper sticker reminded me of another self-proclaimed pagan I met in London. As we stepped onto the “tube” (subway) one night, a gentleman asked us what (not who!) we were. When we told him we were Franciscan Friars, he responded “Fine, but don’t try to convert me – I’m a pagan.” When I asked him what he believed as a card-carrying pagan, he said he worshipped that sun and the moon and tried to be nice to people. When I asked where he got the strength to be nice to people, he said from the energy of the sun. So I replied that that must be difficult with English weather as it is! He had to agree with that!
As much as society may try to remove faith from morality, it will be like trying to build a powder puff presentation of niceness. Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, whom the Church honors today, is a patron of moral theologians. He gave the Church and the world a clear presentation of the truth in Christ that sets us free as human persons. Let us pray through his intercession for great courage and insight for moral theologians, especially those in seminaries.
As Saint Peter learned the necessity of keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus, not on the frightening waves, may we also look to Him always as the source of real strength to rise above pagan darkness – the real Son who breaks through that darkness with the rays of His mercy.
Fr. Richard Roemer, CFR
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