Denver Catholic

2 I MARCH 26, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA For Catholics and non-Catholics alike, Lent is often asso- ciated with eating fish on Fridays, since we are required to refrain from eating meat. But abstaining from meat is more than a custom that we follow; it is a practice that strengthens our spiritual awareness. Blessed Pope John Paul II described fasting as "obviously something very different from a therapeutic diet, but in its own way it can be considered therapy for the soul." "In fact," he added, "practiced as a sign of conversion, it helps one in the interior effort of listening to God." For those who are unfamiliar with the difference between fasting and abstinence, fasting means significantly reducing the amount of food that you eat in a day. Abstinence, on the other hand, involves not consuming any amount of a specif- ic food or pleasure that you decide to sacrifice. This is why we differentiate between not eating meat on Fridays in Lent and the more intense obligation of both fasting and abstain- ing on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The point of these practices, as Blessed John Paul II and other popes have said, is to discipline our bodies and strengthen our spiritual muscles. Most Catholics are familiar with not eating meat on Fri- days in Lent, but what is not well known is that we are called to practice penance every Friday of the year. Besides improv- ing our spiritual awareness, engaging in penance unites us with Jesus in his suffering. We know from the Scriptures and Church tradition that Jesus died on Friday, so when we do not eat meat or we practice another form of penance on Friday, we are able to identify with Christ in his death on the cross and unite our sufferings with his. Younger American Catholics may not realize that refrain- ing from eating meat every Friday of the year was standard until 1966. At that time, the U.S. bishops decided to allow people to choose another act of penance or charity or to continue to abstain from meat. In the 1980s, bishops in oth- er parts of the English-speaking world followed suit. Unfortunately, the result of this change was that many people stopped engaging in penance all together, thus los- ing the chance to calm the noise generated by their appetites so as to focus on listening to God's still, small voice in their hearts. In September 2011, one year after Pope Benedict XVI visit- ed Great Britain, the bishops of England and Wales decided to reinstitute the practice of not eating meat on Fridays. The beauty of this common sacrifice is that it unites us not only individually but as a community of believers with Christ's sacrifice on the cross; it strengthens our bond as Catholics, as believers who are united in pursuing holiness. Will Desmond, a 20-year-old from Sussex, England, de- scribed in an online video how his experience of feeling hunger connected him in a small way with the suffering that Christ went through. "It's obviously so much more than my hunger and so my love for him, my appreciation of what he did increases a huge amount. The cross was a sacrifice of love, and I suppose my fasting can be a sacrifice of love on my part for Jesus but also for others as well." As we continue to journey through Lent, I urge all of you to increase your prayer, acts of charity and penance so that you can hear Christ more clearly. Most especially, I invite you to return to the fruitful practice of abstaining from meat, med- itating on Jesus' passion, or engaging in acts of charity every Friday of the year. May God the Father draw you closer to himself through the sacrifice of his Son, and illuminate your hearts with the love of the Holy Spirit this Lent. Penance sharpens spiritual awareness CATHOLIC LIFE Panelists lay bare moral stakes in Obamacare CATHOLICS' 4 OPTIONS WITH OBAMACARE 1) Willingly comply with the contraceptive mandate and purchase a morally-objec- tionable insurance plan. This constitutes formal cooperation, which is never justifiable. 2) Do not comply at all. Fines on individuals and businesses who don't comply make this economically improbable. This option does not cooperate with evil. 3) Drop coverage for employ - ees. The preferable option since it does not cooperate with evil, but employees who purchase on their own may be unaware of or unable to purchase a morally-acceptable health plan. 4) Temporarily comply but under protest. Continue health plans for employees or pur - chase individually to continue coverage. This option could be material (unwilling participa- tion in an evil act) cooperation. It could be acceptable under certain conditions. - From the National Catholic Bioethics Center PHOTO PROVIDED Priests join Little Sisters to thank St. Joseph LITTLE SISTERS of the Poor celebrated the March 19 feast of their patron, St. Joseph, at Mul- len Home for the Aged in a joyful manner that included the participation of 21 priests from the Denver Archdiocese. Events began with a festive eucharistic celebration in the home's chapel, according to Sister Joseph Marie Cruz, with main celebrant Msgr. Bernie Schmitz, vicar for clergy; and concelebrants Father Timothy Kremen, O.S.M., Mullen Home chaplain; two resident priests — Fathers Jan Mucha and John Canjar — and 17 visiting priests. DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by Signature Offset in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic Register, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or e-mail circulation@archden.org. Editorial: 303-715-3215 or editor@archden.org Advertising: 303-715-3253 or dcrads@archden.org Circulation: 303-715-3211 or circulation@archden.org Online: www.DenverCatholicRegister.org General Manager Karna Swanson Editor Roxanne King Business Manager Michael O'Neill See Obamacare, Page 3 BY NISSA LAPOINT The options are grim and moral stakes are high for Cath- olics faced with Obamacare, according to a group of Catho- lic panelists. Faith-filled consumers con- sidering health insurance options through the Afford- able Care Act, also known as Obamacare, are cornered by its contraceptive mandate, forc- ing many to choose between their pro-life beliefs and health care coverage. "The (Health and Human Services) mandate is forcing us to fund abortion, sterilization and contraception, which if we consent in that we become formal cooperators in an evil," said moral theologian Michel Therrien. "We, by virtue of our faith, cannot do that." The Church, a longtime sup- porter of universal health care, opposes the federal HHS man- date that includes potential life-terminating drugs. The Augustine Institute's Therrien discussed the mor- al dilemmas with fellow pan- elists John Suthers, Colorado attorney general, and William Newland, president and CEO of Hercules Industries, who pre- sented legal and business pre- dicaments to a crowded room last week at Holy Ghost Church downtown. The presentation, co-spon- sored by the Catholic Medical Association and Holy Ghost Church Respect Life Minis- try, came before the March 31 deadline for non-exempted consumers who must enroll in a compliant plan or pay a fine. Family first Before all other obligations, Catholics must put their fam- ily's needs first, Therrien told the crowd. But faithful must also consider two principles of Catholic social teaching—the principle of religious liberty and subsidiary. Christians may tolerate ideas and positions contrary to their own in society, but this ends once they're forced to violate their beliefs, he said. "A civil law that commands us to violate the moral law does not have the character of law, and therefore it is not binding on our conscience," Therrien explained. "We believe we are obligated to disobey a law that commands us to violate the moral law. That's why we're in the predicament we're in right now with the HHS mandate." The principle of subsidi- ary, as explained by Pope Pius XII, states it's a grave evil and injustice for a higher organi - zation to make decisions that

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