"Religious freedom is the first freedom." The first amendment to the constitution affirms freedom of religion, not just freedom of "worship", by stating that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Our saint would surely understand that! St. Stanislaus became bishop of Kraków in 1072, a time when the Church was reforming itself, especially against the interference of the state. It is always the Church's duty to speak out against evil and immorality. St. Stanislas spoke out against the unjust wars and immorality of the Polish king, Boleslaus II. King Boleslaus repented, but reversed himself and eventually St. Stanislas excommunicated him. Boleslaus was infuriated enough to kill St. Stanislaus with his bare hands!
We are not in danger of martyrdom for following Church teaching today in America. But there have been efforts at curtailing our freedoms little by little. The current administration tried to define who was a minister in a religious school, but was defeated in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court. The administration also tried to force companies to go against their religious beliefs by requiring them to provide certain contraceptives in their health plans. This attempt was also defeated in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision in 2014. There are other situations that threaten our freedom. As Catholics, we need to stand up against immorality and injustice wherever we see it. Freedom is not free. We must remain vigilant. Freedom of religion is more than the right to worship. It means the right to practice our faith in the public arena. St. Stanislaus would approve.
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