Interesting week

I've been attending daily Mass this week, getting up early enough for the 7 AM liturgy. The Gospel readings this week have been from the Sermon of the Mount. In the current readings, Jesus talks about how we are to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, pray for our enemies.


This is especially interesting considering that Mass this upcoming Friday will focus on St. Thomas More (for whom my parish is named and the patron saint for my diocese). This is especially particular timing given the focus on religious freedoms and President Obama's HHS mandate plans.


While we should be concerned about religious freedom in this country, we also need to keep in mind this: if it comes down to a choice of whom we should obey, we should obey God first. We can and should obey our leaders in government if the laws they pass do not conflict with God's laws.


But most importantly, we should pray for our leaders. We must pray that they will pass good laws and not laws that would attempt to force us to deny our faith.