Apparently, my need for health care coverage is a threat to the comfort of certain 'Christians.'
Refreshingly, Prof. Vigen gets it so very right:
. . . If we are a people shaped by our respect for life and the dignity of the human person, how can we not be at the front lines of health care reform? Even more, why do many of us oppose a public option for health care? The Gospels overflow with stories of Jesus caring for people in need--not only the fortunate few, but whole gatherings of people--hungry masses, gaggles of children, and scores of the infirm. In one instance, Jesus healed too many to count (Luke 4:40). If we take Jesus seriously, then our obligations to the naked, hungry, beaten, suffering, and vulnerable are hard to deny. This is not new or revolutionary--Christians have understood this duty for centuries; it's why the first hospitals in the West were founded by religious communities and why so many doctors and nurses were also priests, monks, nuns, ministers, or lay members. . . .
Consequently, Christians are called to embody this grace for others--friends, family, neighbors, and strangers alike. Jesus did not favor V.I.P.'s, societal insiders, the affluent, or people with the best paying jobs. But that is exactly what our currently-fragmented health care system does. Significant numbers of people go bankrupt every year because of medical costs. Thousands of others are being cut off of charity care because hospitals and doctors can no longer afford to be generous. Others delay seeking care or are refused care because they don't carry the right or adequate insurance. Jesus cared for whoever needed attention the most--regardless of status, wealth, or employment. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) shines a spotlight on the responsibility to care for the stranger (and to pay the bills!).
Are we willing to put our money where our scriptures are? Health care is not free. I ask only that we shoulder one another's burdens. . . .
