Deacon Mike: The sidelines are full. It’s time for Christians to get back in the game

I’m ticked off…

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato is quoted as saying, “There are two things a person should never be angry at – what they can help and what they cannot.”

OK, I can’t help it, I’m ticked off. Even the legendary American writer Mark Twain seemed to understand what I’m feeling when he said, “When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.”

Recently came the news that a Massachusetts couple was denied approval by the state to become foster parents because they hold to the teachings of their Catholic faith on matters involving marriage, sex and gender. The couple has experienced infertility but were desirous to welcome a child of any race or health challenges. The husband is an Iraq War veteran and small-business owner as well as a church organist. His wife is a special education caregiver, also a small-business owner, and both are cantors in the church.

Even though the couple met the criteria on qualifying for fostering in the state of Massachusetts, the state denied their application simply on the basis of their Catholic beliefs. The couple reported that much of their in-home interview focused, not on their ability to provide a loving and stable home for children, but rather on their Catholic beliefs in matters involving marriage, family, sexual orientation and gender. In the end, they were rejected based purely on the fact that their Catholic beliefs conflicted with the tenets of the Massachusetts foster care system, specifically those respecting a child's sexual orientation or gender identity. The state apparently considered the couple a potential threat to children entrusted to their care, even though they were called "lovely people" in their licensing rejection.

My anger doesn’t come from being Catholic, although I admit I am particularly sensitive in that regard. The truth is, I’d say the same if the parents were Muslim, Jewish, Bahai or certainly of any Christian tradition. And my anger isn’t an endorsement of Christian nationalism. My anger comes from the fact that people of faith are under attack in this country and this state, but more so in the larger culture. And my anger is not just directed at a nameless, faceless bureaucratic enemy, but in the apathy of those of us who profess to believe, and yet watch from the sidelines, not wanting to get involved. What happened in Massachusetts is not an isolated incident. Lest we get too comfortable, the political environment right here in Michigan is certainly primed to support such decisions as seen in Massachusetts.

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This is not another example of Christian extremist hysteria. Truth-in-point, I would not classify myself as a conservative Christian, but I am a committed Christian, and the sidelines are full. It’s time for us to get back in the game and start letting our voices be heard. But how do we do that in a culture that’s already full of deafening noise and rhetoric? We do it the way that Jesus modeled for us: Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but don’t sit back and let Caesar take from us what is God’s alone to give. If writing is your thing, let your voice be heard. If preaching is your thing, preach the truth with conviction. If modeling the faith is your thing, then model the faith by praying that God will strengthen and encourage the will of people of faith (including me) to put our convictions where our faith is.

Deacon Mike serves the Monroe Catholic Family of Parishes, St. Mary Catholic Central High School, and Monroe Catholic Elementary Schools. He can be reached at dcnmike@stmarymonroe.org.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Deacon Mike: Time to stand up to attacks on people of faith