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Bishop Morlino, Diocese of Madison,WI, Advises Catholics to Embrace the Common Law of Human Reason to Defend the Faith
3/28/2009
By Karl Maurer -CCI
Over 500 Chicagoans gathered at the second
annual Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast in
Chicago on March 27th. They were treated to a
program that included introductory comments by
Francis Cardinal George and keynote remarks by
Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin.
Amidst the chaos in the economy, challenges
within the American Catholic Church, and the
rapid unwinding of Bush's social policies by
President Obama, most Catholics would agree
there's a lot to pray for.
Opening his remarks, Bishop Morlino cautioned
that language is increasingly being politicized
and that we need to be attentive to the fact
that our opponents will continue to engage in
the Orwellian tactics of redefining words to
suite their purposes. "We have to be careful
when people change the meaning of words from
reality to something else," said the Bishop,
"for example, pro-abortion vs. "pro-choice",
toxic assets have become "legacy assets", and
the global war on terror is now the "overseas
contingency operation." Catholics should not be
afraid to challenge the agenda-driven language
of our opponents and expose the reality behind
that language.
Responding to a recent cover in TIME magazine
trumpeting the "end of excess" in America,
Bishop Morlino encouraged Catholics to enter
into serious reflection and prayer on how to
respond to the current economic crisis, saying
"as disciples of Christ, we know something about
sacrifice, and we should seize the moment." In
the midst of great need, suffering and
uncertainty, there are opportunities like never
before to demonstrate our faith, hope and
charity. The Bishop noted that billionaires
can't possibly spend all their money in their
lifetime, and asked, "Isn't there a point where
a sense of social responsibility causes
billionaires to freely help others?"
And what of President Obama and the avalanche of
social policies and laws hostile to Christian
beliefs? Bishop Morlino suggested that God's
providence and will are at work at all times and
in all things, recalling that the Persian King
Cyrus was instrumental in ending the Babylonian
captivity and that former Soviet ruler Gorbachev
was instrumental in the transformations that
ended the Cold War. "God's providence uses
people to bring about His will, even when those
people may not be of our ilk." As for Obama, "he
claims to be a disciple of Christ, so we should
pray that President Obama becomes a primary
instrument of God's will - like Cyrus and
Gorbachev - to stand up for Life."
Bishop Morlino encouraged Catholics to embrace
the natural law of human reason when confronting
the many challenges we face today, because that
law is true for all humans and the natural law
is fully incorporated into core Catholic
beliefs.
As for Obama speaking at Notre Dame, Bishop
Morlino noted that President Obama is not a
Catholic, and as President of Notre Dame, he
would NOT have invited Obama to speak. But while
Obama is not Catholic, he is still bound by the
natural law of human reason, a concept that has
not only escaped Obama, but the majority of
Catholics in the pews who elected him President.
"It's hard to hold President Obama accountable
to a standard of understanding of the natural
laws that most Catholics can't comprehend. We
have to do a better job of teaching the natural
law."
As we engage in public debate about social
policies that have such a grave moral outcome,
it's important for Catholics to recognize that
"the natural law of human reason is human, not
Catholic. We're not asked anyone to go to Mass
or accept the Catholic sacraments," said Bishop
Morlino, when we base our moral arguments on
human reason and common sense. It is in the best
interest of humanity that we insist that the
civil laws reflect the common law of human
reason, the natural law. The Bishop insisted
that Catholics have to make this clear to our
opponents as well as to our supporters.
How does one define the common law of human
reason? Bishop Morlino noted that there are four
components: firstly, the fact that God exists;
second, that each individual has sacred dignity;
third, the sanctity of marriage; and fourth,
that violence is irrational.
The Bishop noted that since the First Vatican
Council, the Catholic Church has taught that the
existence of God can be known by reason alone.
In a society that is ordered by the common law
of human reason, where human reason can be used
to justify the existence of God, is it
unreasonable for citizens to insist on a moment
of silence before school starts for silent
prayer? Of course not!
Bishop Morlino recommended that Catholics become
familiar with St. Thomas Aquinas' writings on
being and essence, and that an outstanding book
on the topic was "Aquinas on Being and Essence:
A Translation and Interpretation" by Joseph
Bobik. The justification of the existence of God
offered by Aquinas should be understood if one
is to defend the common law of human reason
along with the natural law.
Since the foundation of the Catholic Church, the
sacred dignity of each individual human being
has been an essential element of teaching. Even
Emmanuel Kant, hardly a "Catholic" thinker,
stated that every human being should always be
treated as an end, and not as a means. We know
this is true because our human reason tells us
it must be true.
As for marriage, "Love is the complete knowledge
and acceptance of another," noted Bishop Morlino.
Unfortunately, even among Catholics, it is not
easy to abide in this love at all times with our
spouses and families. "Love has to be in the
mind, heart and body, and it is plain to see
where love can and can't be." For there to be
order and harmony in a society, reason tells us
that marriage is one man, one woman, and a
lifetime commitment with openness to children.
We can determine this is true by human reason,
and thus this truth is incorporated into the
teachings of the Catholic Church.
Just as we can recognize through reason the
inherent truth and goodness in the existence of
God, the sanctity of life, and the sacredness of
marriage, we also recognize the evil and
irrationality of violence. Violence isn't
limited to war. The violence we are most closely
confronted with is in our own communities and
neighborhoods. Soaring murder rates,
murder/suicides and instances domestic violence
are indicators that there is much work to be
done in moving society toward an acceptance of
the common law of human reason in regulating
personal and public behavior.
None of this is easy, but all of it is
necessary. "Let's do this with joy and
enthusiasm," Bishop Morlino said with
encouragement. "God's purposes and providences
in history cannot be thwarted. In the end, God
wins."
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