Fortnight For Freedom: Freedom to Bear Witness

The theme for this year’s Fortnight for Freedom is “Freedom to bear witness.” Explaining this concept, Archbishop Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ committee on religious freedom, said, “Keeping the spirit of

the Gospel means that Catholic institutions are to bear witness in love to the full truth about the human person by providing social, charitable, and educational services in a manner that fully reflects the God-given dignity of the human person."

As we observe this Fortnight with its theme of bearing witness, words of well-known writer George Weigel about our Congregation are a great encouragement to us Little Sisters: The Sisters and all who collaborate with them to serve the elderly are helping to teach our culture a critical lesson at a moment of great crisis.

Pope Francis often talks about the problem of a throw-away culture. What is being thrown away is not just stuff, but people. Think back to 2003 in France. It was a brutally hot summer, yet thousands of French vacationers remained on holiday rather than returning home to bury their parents who had died in the heat wave, leaving them in refrigeration for sometimes 2, 3 or 4 weeks. This is the throw-away culture.

This is the opposite of what happens at the Little Sisters’ homes. What goes on in these places is in sharp contrast to what goes on today, where the sick and the elderly are NOT cared for. In place of this coldness, the Little Sisters of the Poor radiate warmth, caring and love. The Little Sisters of the Poor and their guests — friends — are living reminders that there are no disposable human beings, that everyone is a someone for whom the Son of God entered the world, suffered, died and rose so that we might know both the truth of our humanity and the face of the merciful Father.

The Sisters remind us that whatever else the grace of God has enabled us to do in our lives, we are finally going to be judged on what we did to the least of the Lord’s brethren. Those questions will be put to us (Matthew); the Little Sisters of the Poor are living witnesses that the pro-life movement in the United States is first and foremost about service to those in need. The Little Sisters of the Poor, like crisis pregnancy centers, make it perfectly clear that we care about life along its entire spectrum, and anyone who says we Catholics only care about life before it is born has never been to St Joseph’s Home (Weigel was speaking at a fundraising event for St. Joseph's Home in Palatine, Illinois).

Please join us in praying for religious liberty, especially during these days leading up to Independence Day, July 4!

Main source: littlesistersofthepoor.org...