A North American Example of Losing Religious Freedom

No. This isn't about the HHS Mandate. Actually, this isn't directly even about any of the religious liberty issues we face here in our nation today.

Ah, al contrario. This is about México.

Whenever the movie, For Greater Glory, came out a year ago, I found out about the Cristero War. Up until the movie was about to be released, I had never ever heard about it.  Thanks to all the talk on Catholic radio, I was able to learn more about the War.

Basically, in the early 1920's, the Mexican government made it illegal to be Catholic and to do anything Catholic. It got to the point where the Mexican government and army hunted and killed Catholics. This sparked a rebellion known as the Cristero War.

Sure, that was nearly 100 years ago in a country that isn't the United States, and times are different. But the question is...what kind of parallels can we draw from the Cristero War with some of the things that are happening in our world today? ...in our nation, today?

Patrick Madrid, prominent Catholic speaker/writer/radio host, gives a 45 minute talk on the topic, entitled "Attack on Religious Liberty."  He had family members who were killed during the Cristero War.  In his talk, he provides the historical context which led to the Cristero War.  He also details a lot of examples of how the Mexican government took away religious liberty (besides dealing death).

Here's the link to a message Patrick Madrid sent out if you'd like to download it yourself:

http://www.flocknote.com/note/76696

Or you can watch a longer version of his talk here:


Why do I even care about this?  
I think it's important to learn history, even as difficult as it is sometimes, so that the same mistakes aren't made.  People will always cite the Inquisition, the Crusades, and other examples to paint the Catholic Church as a violent force in history, but it works the other way around too where other entities violently oppose Catholics and the Church.  From what I've been hearing and reading about in recent news, it is a great challenge to live a peaceful Catholic life in the Middle East because some of those in power have a great love for persecuting Christians to the point of killing them. And not just in the Middle East, but other governments and entities have made it super hard to do anything Catholic.

But what about here in the United States?  While I don't expect us to get to the level of killing people of Catholic faith like in Mexico (at least, not in my lifetime...I hope...)... are we getting comfortable with allowing our liberties to be limited or taken away? Are we getting comfortable with being forced to do un-Christian things because the government said so? Are we getting used to the idea that our  faith is being forced to stay within the confines of our church walls and the Sabbath? Hmm.

Well, I will not make this a full commentary on everything regarding the attacks on religious liberty here in the United States.  But I'll just say that it is important to know about the Cristero War so that we can take action (hopefully peacefully) in the defense of religious liberty if necessary.  After all, it is a First Amendment right that we're able to enjoy here in the United States. As long as the U.S. doesn't begin impinge on our other First Amendment rights, we'll be able to publicly and peaceably address issues of religious liberty.

And then! To be Catholic means that our faith goes beyond the doors of our churches ("Mass" in Latin is "missa" which means "dismissal" or understood to be "mission"....or simply put, we "are sent out").   We are Catholic in everything that we do, 7 days a week, no matter where we are.  And there are those who have issues with this idea that Catholics are to be Catholics outside of Catholic churches.  Awkwardly, we do have hospitals, universities, humanitarian efforts, religious communities, businesses, etc. that identify as Catholic and they are fully expected to be in line with Church teaching because if they aren't...then they cease acting in an authentically Catholic way.  Or more gravely, they cease being Catholic. And there are those who want this!  President Calles of Mexico wanted to erase Catholicism out of his country so that his grand ol' scheme wouldn't have the Catholic Church standing in his way. So he took away Mass. He destroyed churches. He killed priests. He killed anyone associated with the Catholic faith.

It seems to me that anytime that the Church finds herself being persecuted heavily, she all the more grows and grows in a profound way.  And saints arise.  In fact, here's a Wikipedia list of saints (some waiting canonization) from the Cristero War. What saints will arise out of today's forms of Christian persecution? Who will make a stand by the life they live and the actions they take? Who will be martyred?

But anyway...

...because it's a good movie to get a feel for what happened during the Cristero War! :-D

...oh and yes, preparation for the greater glory of rising above persecution in all of its subtle and blatant forms. We must prepare for that too.

So let us all learn about the Cristero War and hope/pray/fast that this country never reaches that point.  Besides, I selfishly think it would be a shame if things started going downhill for the American Catholic Church when my knowledge and appreciation for it is steadily growing.  But, what can I do to help? That's what I should reflect and take action on. :-)

Blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

- JD

Fr. Francisco at the moment of being shot / TouchStone's Jests

Clinic & Museum

Day 4 - Saturday January 27, 2013

2:26PM - January 28, 2013
On an airplane from CLI to DFW

(Ok, so I didn't really type sentences on the plane...I just made a bulleted list of what I did on Day 4)

(which brings me to...)

8:17PM - February 25, 2013
Today was our last day of major events for our Washington, DC pilgrimage.  Us group of guys who stayed at our particular host family home were quite blessed to wake up to homemade muffins of varying flavors.

So, we started out our pilgrimage getting to know each other, then we did a little bit of sightseeing of Catholic locations as well as attending the Vigil Mass for the March for Life.  All of this was to help gel our group together and prepare us to experience the Arlington National Cemetery, participate in the March for Life, and visit various memorials.  Through deepening our spirituality and appreciation for the Catholic faith the past few days of the pilgrimage, we were better able to appreciate life and death through a Catholic lens.  How precious a gift life is and how dignified death can be!

What then, is our response?  How do we take what we've gained from these experiences and put them into action?

Today we prayed in front of an abortion clinic and visited a museum.

Planned Parenthood
First thing on our schedule was to go pray in front of Planned Parenthood in DC.  I heard from one of our group leaders that this particular location usually ranks in the Top 5 for number abortions performed in the United States.  Wow.  That's...crazy to think about... since I'm used to a Planned Parenthood that isn't as busy.

Now, praying in front of abortion clinics is not a strange thing for me.  Before I further recount my experiences here at this Planned Parenthood, I must preface this by saying that while it is arguably cool that Planned Parenthood does provide other women's health services, they are not ashamed of promoting abortion.  And because some (not all) Planned Parenthood clinics do provide abortion services, that attracts folks who stand in front of clinics, praying for all involved: the women, the men, the volunteers, the  clinic workers, the doctors, the unborn babies, etc.  According to the 2011-2012 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood performed 333,964 (surgical) abortions. I can honestly say that I personally participated in two 'saves' in the past year by the simple presence of me and the group I was with...praying in front of abortion clinics: here and here.  Also, not every woman that walks into Planned Parenthood is seeking an abortion.  But, still...we pray for her health and if we're able to offer her alternatives, then we will.

Also, I must further mention that I strive to maintain an environment of peace while on the sidewalk.  40 Days For Life, a prayer campaign for life started by Fightin' Texas Aggies, made it a point that there are things that we should and shouldn't do when maintaining peaceful presence at an abortion clinic, and I definitely try to keep those in mind.  However, in my firsthand experience at the sidewalk, I find it unfortunate that some pro-life groups do not adopt such peaceful practices and exemplify the "anti-abortion protesters" stereotypes that pro-choicers love to criticize.  I assure you, dear reader of this blog post, that I do not yell Bible verses at clients or hold angry/graphic signs.  I am not yet properly equipped to provide clients with material help, so the best I can offer for now is spiritual help through prayer.

With all that said, our band of cold pilgrims approached Planned Parenthood.  However, we decided to stand across the street rather than join the groups of other people already praying directly in front of the clinic's entrance.  But one of our own went to join the group in front of the clinic.  Accompanying us on our pilgrimage was a fellow class of 2009 Fightin' Texas Aggie who works for the Coalition for Life.  I met her when she joined up with us on Day 2.  She's a trained and seasoned sidewalk counselor, so while we were off praying across the street, she was engaging clients as they walk in and out of Planned Parenthood.  Oh, and of course she talked to the volunteer escorts and other people present in front as well.

When we settled in to our spot across the street from Planned Parenthood, I couldn't help but notice this group of Dominican friars standing in front:

But, a part of me just really wanted nuns to be standing in front.  Oh well.

We were across the street praying for a good long while.  Starting out, we prayed all 20 Mysteries of the Rosary, and we finished with a Divine Mercy Chaplet.  I didn't really keep track of time, but I'm sure it was about 1.5-2 hours

In that time, lots of stuff happened.

Something I found to be intriguing were the reactions of people driving or walking by.  Mind you, this was a busy street.  Many double-takes.  Some were confused at the sight of seeing people on either side of the street in front of Planned Parenthood.  But, the reactions that weren't so nice were the ones that stick out to me, even now.  One particular gentleman wasn't particularly gentle in calling us morons, yelling out through his rolled down window.  I also remember the woman who flicked us off while she was waiting for the light to turn green.  Ooh, and then there was the guy who yelled four-letter words at us.  Of course, I understood why they were angry at us.  Perhaps, in their mind, we didn't belong there and that somehow our presence made it unsettling for them.  Whatever the case, I was not shocked by their expressions of anger.  I wasn't really bothered by it. My group just kept praying with little or no reaction to their angry words and gestures.  Someone in my group made the comment later how sometimes we in the pro-life movement are thought of as the intolerant ones.  Sure, some might be.  But in these angry moments, maybe not so much.