Our story from the Book of Chronicles today focuses on a troubling period in the history of the southern kingdom of Judah. This was the kingdom of David, who, despite his sin, was faithful to the Lord, the true God. But of all the kings of Judah, maybe four and a half were any good. The people of Judah were called to orthodoxy--right worship--but they constantly turned to false gods because they perceived them as more enjoyable, earthy, and economically viable. They were the gods of the land; they began to worship them just like the people of the land. But God loves us too much to let us alone in our self-destructive sin. And so he permitted this period of revolution and war and death so that His people might turn back to Him and ask for His mercy. And every time they did, God forgave and helped them.
In time, God brought about another revolution, which we call the mystery of Christ and Mary. The whole time from the Immaculate Conception of Mary to the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was only about fifty years. It was a period that would fit inside the lifespan of most of those in this church today. It was a revolution of mercy that was first manifest by the preaching of John the Baptist and then reached full fruition with the preaching of Peter in the Temple at Pentecost.
Today, we are faced with another period of crisis. We have to admit that the Health and Human Services mandate is a plague that we have brought on ourselves. Fifty years ago, with some clever marketing using so-called Catholic theologians and doctors, the birth control industry sold us a lie: that the birth control pill is a natural way to control fertility. We have bought that lie for over forty years.
So when the HHS mandate comes out, and the bishops object to having to condone an institutional endorsement of evil, the government looks at us and says, "what hypocrites. Ninety percent of you have been practicing contraception, so how can you object to this decree?"
We brought this crisis on ourselves. Every sin returns to haunt us, and this one threatens to burn down the house.
But God is merciful and forgiving. That's why if we have not done so already, we need to repent of this sin and turn to Him in prayer. God's mercy and compassion are without end. He can save us from this unjust mandate. Let's use this fourteen days to pray unceasingly for His forgiveness and our deliverance.
