Choice is a Gift from God

originally published in The Current May 19, 2007- re-edited October 20, 2012
"As they traveled from city to city, they handed on to the people for observances the decisions reached by the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.  Day after day the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number"  Acts of the Apostles 16:4-5

     As a lay person in the Catholic Church, I have learned that I need to look to the teachings of the Church for guidance, support, discernment, and decision making.  Although there are many sources of Catholic doctrine, especially the easy to read Catechism of the Catholic Church. it is through the daily and weekly homilies at Mass that much information is translated to the faithful.
     Today's clergy are commissioned and obligated, as were the early disciples, to teach the truth about our faith in God and how we practice that faith in our personal and public lives.  We as  lay people are commissioned with the same gifts and responsibilities in our ministries.
     Our private beliefs and actions have a direct effect on our public beliefs and actions whether we admit it or not.  When we reach intersections where public and private come together, it usually means we have to decide on a choice between right and wrong.
     It can be a time in which we are tested in the crucible of fire.  Several Catholic politicians are feeling the heat now because of their statements regarding abortion and their willingness to intrude into the religious practices of faith organizations that support life at every stage.  The U.S. system of government did not come up with the idea of rights and freedom of choice.  Choice is guaranteed, not because it is written in a Constitution, but because it is a gift from God.