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"Faith and Government"Thank you, Jim (Towey), for that kind introduction. It's good to be here with all of you today. There are days when I wish I could give up speaking for Lent - especially when it comes to giving Congressional testimony - but this isn't one of those days. Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank the United States Senate for passing a ban on partial birth abortion. Every child is a precious gift, and a civilized society recognizes and protects these gifts. Outlawing this gruesome procedure that offends the conscience will be a great step for the health, safety, and dignity of all Americans. I'm happy to be here to talk about something I care deeply about - service to our communities, and the faith that guides us to that service. President Bush has urged us on in this, through these conferences, through the policies of the Administration, and through his words. I'm proud to serve a President who is so willing to discuss his faith in the public square. Some people have criticized the President for talking about God in public. They are alarmed that a politician would speak about his faith in such honest terms. I'd like to read you the kind of comment that unnerves these folks: "We are inspired by a faith that goes back through all the years to the first chapter of the Book of Genesis: "God created man in His own image." We on our side are striving to be true to that divine heritage. We are fighting, as our fathers have fought, to uphold the doctrine that all men are equal in the sight of God… There never has been - there never can be - successful compromise between good and evil. Only total victory can reward the champions of tolerance, and decency, and freedom, and faith." The President said that in 1942, and the President's name was Franklin Roosevelt. I doubt that the next day's New York Times took President Roosevelt to task for invoking his personal beliefs in a public setting. Roosevelt had a good point, one that he shared in common with many other leaders, and one that is still repeated today. As President Bush said in his State of the Union this year: "Liberty is not America's gift to the world, it is God's gift to each and every person." We believe in that gift. We believe that all people are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Rights are granted not by the powerful, not by governments, not by despots, or even by Presidents - but by God. We believe that all men and women possess these intrinsic rights. And we believe those rights deserve defending. I've also always believed that patriotism isn't just expressed by flying the flag. It's about more than that. Patriotism means we all share a part in something larger than ourselves. In all of our differences, there are some things we all have in common. In all our diversity, each of us still has a bond with every other person. Our patriotism is proven by our concern for others, by our generosity and our compassion, by a willingness to sacrifice for people we may never see and families we may never meet. My friends, you fulfill this charge every day. When it comes to health care, the role of government is to protect the freedom of all people to act to improve their own health, and the health of those around them. Those of you gathered here today are determined to employ that freedom to its fullest measure, bound together in righteous missions of love and compassion. We all recognize the problems in our communities. We know that too many people in our cities are plagued by disease and malnutrition, by crime and drug use, by broken homes and broken dreams. At HHS, we are striving to do our part to help people live healthier lives. Through waivers and state plan amendments, we have already expanded access to health coverage for more than 2.2 million people. We have proposed tax-based supports to help low-income Americans purchase health insurance. And we have expanded our support for community and faith-based health centers - here in Chicago, we continue to provide the grant money to support Lawndale Christian Health Center, and the compassionate work of Bethel New Life, as they seek to build a healthier community. We are excited about the prospects for the Compassionate Capital Fund, a new initiative that provides grants to faith-based and community organizations delivering health and social services to people in need. The President's 2004 budget calls for an increase in funding for this program from $30 million to $100 million - and with your help, I am committed to fighting for more. We are also excited about a new proposed drug treatment program called Recovery Now. President Bush has called for a $600 million investment in this initiative, which would provide vouchers to assist 100,000 Americans a year in obtaining alcohol and drug abuse treatment through faith-based and community organizations. My friend Charley Currie will tell you more about this new proposal later today. I believe that the best social program is a healthy and independent family. We're fighting to make sure that federal and state welfare programs recognize this fact by helping and encouraging Americans to build and maintain healthy and independent families. And finally, we are working to level the playing field. When your faith-based group applies for a grant, you should stand on the same footing as secular groups. You shouldn't be penalized for your faith. And if you are, give me a call. The fact is that individuals, working in their communities, motivated by faith, can accomplish more than any government program. Alexis de Tocqueville, one of the few Frenchmen who ever understood America, described it this way: "Countless little people, humble little people, throughout American society, expend their efforts in the betterment of the community, blowing on their hands, pitting their small strength against the inhuman elements of life. Unheralded and always inconspicuous, they sense that they are cooperating with a purpose and a spirit that is at the center of creation. The constitution of their nation undergirds and strengthens this activity." God commanded us to love our neighbors as He loved us - and you have taken that calling to heart. You live it through your faith and your works, through charitable giving, offering food and shelter to the ill, and through the small sacrificial acts of your daily lives. You care for the health of your neighbors one day at a time. You have heeded different callings - as clergy, as professionals, as volunteers - but you have also heeded the universal vocation to love your neighbor. In His first sermon, Christ said: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Your light shines as you minister to the sick, as you walk amidst illness, drugs and despair. Your light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. Let us glorify God as we gather together today. Let us glorify God as we return to our missions. Let us glorify God all of our lives as we continue to serve our neighbors. George Washington exhorted us in his farewell address: "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." That was true then, and it's still true today. Thank you, and may God bless you all. Last Revised: March 18, 2003 |
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