Lex Cordis Caritas - The law of the heart is Love

Most people in Illinois are probably aware that the state legislature passed and the governor signed a new law that legalized civil unions effective June 1. Did you know that the full title of the new law is the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act? If not, you might be wondering why the Catholic Charities of the dioceses of Springfield in Illinois, Peoria and Joliet recently went to court to seek a declaratory judgment and an injunction to allow Catholic Charities to continue to provide foster care and adoption services as it has for decades. You might think that foster care and adoption services offered by religious organizations under contract with the Department of Children and Family Services should be forced to place children with civil union couples if you didn’t know that the new law was also designed to protect religious freedom.

Earlier this month, six of my classmates who were ordained priests with me at Mundelein Seminary on May 10, 1978 drove down to Springfield to celebrate our 33rd anniversary of ordination. Joining us were the priests of the Cathedral along with Msgr. Carl Kemme, who was celebrating his 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. Msgr. Kemme was also ordained on May 10, albeit a few years later.

Many of the priests, nuns and lay Catholics in our diocese are descendants of German immigrants who left Germany in the 19th century during the Kulturkampf of the “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck of the German Empire.

In our Catholic tradition, we often speak of “giving something up” for Lent, whether that be candy, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, meat, movies or whatever habitually gives us a great deal of pleasure, satisfaction or enjoyment. The idea is not simply to break some bad habits on which we have become dependent — although that in itself is not a bad idea — but “giving something up” involves the theological concept of sacrifice.

Ash Wednesday falls on March 9 this year, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. In the Gospel for Ash Wednesday, Jesus reminds us that prayer, fasting and almsgiving are three key ways for us to make the most of this sacred season.