A Homily for the 13th Week in Ordinary Time, 2009-B
[The Raising of Jairus' Daughter, 1878, oil on canvas, by Gabriel Max (1840-1915)]
It is funny how a homily takes shape. I usually read the readings for the next Sunday the Sunday or Monday before, and in prayer a theme or two will come to mind. Then during the week, as I continue to pray on the readings a specific idea comes to the forefront, so that by the end of the week I can start to organize my thoughts for the homily. Occasionally, however, at the last minute a new thought becomes pressing and sweeps away what I had been planning to speak on.
This was one of those weeks. All week I kept thinking that I would talk about the meaning of Jesus’ miracles for our life of Faith. Last night however, a completely different thought came to mind, and it really seemed to be more pressing, although I was somewhat reluctant to preach about it because I was concerned that despite my best effort, some people might get upset. But Jesus tells us to not be afraid.
The Gospel this week gives us the account of two of Jesus’ miracles of healing. Given the national debate that is going on in our nation concerning health care reform, I think that the Gospel is particularly fitting. What does our Catholic faith have to say about health care? It is important for us to know what the Church teaches, so that we, as responsible citizens and committed Christians can contribute to this national debate.
About 16 years ago the Bishops of the United States issued a statement called A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform: Protecting Human Life, Promoting Human Dignity, Pursuing the Common Good, (FCHCR) which still provides a relevant framework for bringing important values to our national debate on health care. As we heard in today’s first reading, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being…. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.” The Bishops emphasize, as the fundamental principle for grounding all discussion about health care, that the sanctity of human life and the dignity that all human beings have flows from the basic fact that we have all been made in the image and likeness of God. From this most fundamental human dignity, flows the right that every human being has to adequate health care. In other words, adequate health care is not just a nice optional benefit that can be provided to people. Rather it is a basic human right. It is rooted in the biblical call to heal the sick and serve “the least of these.” The Bishops state, “We believe that our people’s health care should not depend on where they work, how much their parents earn, or where they live.”
Even back in 1993 when they issued their statement, the Bishops recognized that the existing patterns of health care in the United States did not meet the minimal standard of social justice and the common good. Things have not improved in the last 16 years. An estimated 47 million Americans lack health care coverage. Most of these uninsured people, 64%, have full-time jobs. In our current economic crisis, it has been estimated that 14,000 people each day are losing their health care coverage. Clearly, this is one of the most pressing problems that we face as a nation.
The Bishops’ comments do not come from an abstract reflections on this problem. The Catholic Church continues to be deeply involved in health care. Catholic health care facilities are the largest network of non-profit hospitals and nursing homes in the United States; serving more than 20 million people each year. Of course our Bishops are also employers who know first hand the importance as well as the difficulties of providing their employees with adequate, affordable health care. It is from this experience that the Bishops identify four key policy priorities that we as Catholics should advocate in the current health care reform debate.
First, we must promote a look at health care reform from the bottom up. “Genuine health care reform must especially focus on the basic health needs of the poor” (FCHCR). This includes a call for universal access to health care. There should not be a two-tiered health system: one for the poor which is very minimal, and one for the wealthy which truly promotes human dignity. The Bishops suggests that the best assurance of comprehensive benefits and quality care would be linking the health care of poor and working-class families to the health care of those with greater resources.
Second, “real health care reform must protect and enhance human life and dignity” (FCHCR). Every human being has the right to quality health services, regardless of age, income, illness, or condition of life. “Neither the violence of abortion and euthanasia nor the growing advocacy for assisted suicide is consistent with respect for human life” (FCHCR). This means that any form of health care reform that would include abortion coverage, and would compel individuals, institutions or states to pay for or participate in procedures that fundamentally violate basic moral principles and their consciences would be inconsistent with what Jesus teaches us about the value of human life and the freedom we enjoy as God’s children. This week I heard a doctor at the Mayo Clinic complain about the amount of money that is “wasted” – his words – on the elderly and sick who are going to die soon anyway. Can we really put that kind of monetary value on human life? Even at the end of life, people are made in God’s image and likeness, and their dignity must be respected.
Thirdly, we must guard against those things that can undermine real reform in health care. There are powerful special interest groups who have a major stake in maintaining the status quo. Neither those groups, nor unnecessary partisan political diatribes can be allowed to undermine real reform. The Bishops wisely note that debate can be advanced by a continuing focus on the common good and a healthy respect from genuine pluralism. Genuine reform must respect the religious and ethical values of both individuals and institutions involved in the health care system.
Finally, authentic health care reform must include effective mechanisms for restraining risings health care costs, while still promoting human dignity. Without effective controls for constraining costs, the living standards of many working families will continue to decline.
Notice, the Bishops do not give us specific answers to this important problem. They do not suggest specific ways of constraining costs while expanding coverage to include the 47 million people in our country who do not have health care coverage. Rather the Bishops point out the important principles that must be considered while different reform plans are debated. Our elected officials need to hear our voices. We need to let them know about the values that we hold, especially concerning human rights and human dignity. None of us can afford to remain uninvolved on the sidelines during this debate. We are all called to participate in God’s work of healing the sick and serving the “least of these.”
[You can listen to this homily here]
