Pastor's Message
Site last published: 01/30/09
John’s Jottings, 9-8-09
Wed, Sep 9 2009 10:38
I hope you and your family had a good Labor Day weekend. Even though summer is not officially over, it is, for all practical purposes, over as we return to school and a more “normal” schedule for many of us.
Many of us have spent the summer enjoying life and seeking to slow down and get our bearings. The debate over health care reform seems to have gone off its bearings. Members of Congress holding public hearings about the various bills in Congress have been shouted down. Some commentators have purposefully misled folks about what is and isn’t in the various bills. Some have called the President Hitler. We seem to have gone off the rails rather than have a rational discussion of this important issue for all of us.
Like so many of the issues that confront us this is not an easy one and is fraught with much emotion. There are those who feel that the existing system is just fine and should be left alone. There are others who feel, just as strongly, that the present system is not fair and needs to be changed. Some favor “single payer” insurance while others see this as “government control.” What is a person to do?
How are Christians to confront this issue? I doubt there is a single Christian position on this issue. There are, though, certain Christian values that need to be taken into account including fairness, justice. No one should disagree about these. Throughout the gospels, Jesus singles out the least and the lowest and the lost for his special attention. Do the health care reforms being debated speak to such as these?
No matter how your feel about specific plans, as Christians we need to have a caring spirit as we pray for guidance as to how we can all have needed health care. There is no excuse for the explosive anger and seeming uncaring spirit that has been evidenced at some of these town hall meetings this summer.
Father Ed Polombus, pastor of the Church of the Assumption, here in Fairport, reminds us that as Christians we have the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He says:
“The whole sacrament means Jesus pouring himself out for others, giving up himself for others.”
We need to keep this in mind as we continue to watch and participate in this great national debate.
John
Many of us have spent the summer enjoying life and seeking to slow down and get our bearings. The debate over health care reform seems to have gone off its bearings. Members of Congress holding public hearings about the various bills in Congress have been shouted down. Some commentators have purposefully misled folks about what is and isn’t in the various bills. Some have called the President Hitler. We seem to have gone off the rails rather than have a rational discussion of this important issue for all of us.
Like so many of the issues that confront us this is not an easy one and is fraught with much emotion. There are those who feel that the existing system is just fine and should be left alone. There are others who feel, just as strongly, that the present system is not fair and needs to be changed. Some favor “single payer” insurance while others see this as “government control.” What is a person to do?
How are Christians to confront this issue? I doubt there is a single Christian position on this issue. There are, though, certain Christian values that need to be taken into account including fairness, justice. No one should disagree about these. Throughout the gospels, Jesus singles out the least and the lowest and the lost for his special attention. Do the health care reforms being debated speak to such as these?
No matter how your feel about specific plans, as Christians we need to have a caring spirit as we pray for guidance as to how we can all have needed health care. There is no excuse for the explosive anger and seeming uncaring spirit that has been evidenced at some of these town hall meetings this summer.
Father Ed Polombus, pastor of the Church of the Assumption, here in Fairport, reminds us that as Christians we have the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He says:
“The whole sacrament means Jesus pouring himself out for others, giving up himself for others.”
We need to keep this in mind as we continue to watch and participate in this great national debate.
John