FREE TO BE FAITHFUL
A truth of Christianity is the equality of all persons in the eyes of God. Whether you are male or female, black or white, gay or straight, healthy or not, Christian or not, a baby still in the womb or born – the list could go on. It is within the Christian Faith that human freedom is established and maintained. Take this Faith away and our freedom will follow.
Just as the walls of a playground protect children from the traffic outside, so does the Faith protect us from harm. God’s commands are for our own good. It is not unlike a parent telling kids to not play in the traffic. Within the borders of Faith we can have confidence. Like jumping on a trampoline with a protective net we are free to be ourselves; without it we are insecure.
Sports Illustrated recently ran an important article on sexual abuse. It exposed the fallacy of sexual abuse as only being a problem of the Catholic Church or the Boy Scouts. It likened sexual abuse to a disease found throughout all of society.
But whereas disrespecting the dignity of others cannot be seen under a microscope, it can be seen in our lifestyle decisions. One item of the article jumped out at us: “in an age rife with divorce, children living with a single parent or with a parent and an unmarried partner were at more than five times the risk of violation as children living with married biological parents.”
We have always believed the Life Athletes Commitment gives us the best chance of having good relationships. Its inspiration comes from God’s revelation, and this statistic on marriage and abuse only strengthens the conviction of our commitment. Like the author of this article we are grateful to those who are not afraid to speak the truth, seek justice, and extend mercy and understanding among us.
Some of the best examples come from within the Catholic Church too. Msgr. Charles Scicluna worked heroically for years investigating abuse case within the Catholic Church as its “Promoter of Justice” a special office within an important curial congregation. His work helped restore the Church’s credibility. He once reviewed our curriculum and said it was “very good” and encouraged us to keep it up. He was recently ordained a bishop in his home country of Malta.
Another positive example comes from the Knights of Columbus who have long supported faithful family life. Its leader Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, reminds us that we are missionaries who proclaim the Gospel with our daily lives.
Our Life Athletes Commitment prepares us to create families that guard, reveal and communicate God’s love. This is at the very heart of our Faith. This is the basic truth that protects our civic freedom.
