Seamus Hasson: Defender of religious freedom

		The Catholic  Difference  George Weigel

Kevin Hasson - "Seamus" to one and all - is the founder of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm and educational institute, and a true hero of contemporary Catholicism.

Now, after a decade of legal work in defense of the "first freedom," Seamus has written his first book, The Right to Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War over Religion in America (Encounter).

As his Irish name might suggest, Hasson is a great storyteller, and The Right to Be Wrong begins with a corker - "How the Parking Barrier Became Divine, and Thus Caused Problems." Let Seamus tell it in his way:

Divine parking barrier

". . . The Japanese Tea Garden of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park . . . had long been a particularly well-groomed part of the park, a haven from the stresses of urban life. [In 1989, though] there was a problem. A crane operator had abandoned a traffic or parking barrier at the back of the tea garden. It was a small, bullet-shaped lump of granite that clashed with the ordered nature of the place, an irritant that park-goers periodically tried to have removed. Bureaucrats being what they are, however, the stray parking barrier remained.

"It remained, that is, until 1993, when the bureaucrats learned of a New Age group's interest in it. The New Agers . . . had recognized something significant about the shape of the parking barrier: it resembled a Shiva Lingam, a manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva. What was more, they had come upon it unexpectedly and in a wooded setting, just the way you're supposed to discover a Shiva Lingam. The little band of believers had rejoiced and begun to worship. In fact, they now came regularly to pray and make offerings of incense and flowers to the stone bullet. All of which greatly alarmed the very same authorities who had resolutely neglected to remove the traffic barrier as an eyesore. The bureaucrats roused themselves and announced that it was their duty to prevent worship on (not to mention of) public property; the parking barrier had to go.

"Whereupon the New Agers . . . sued for an order blocking removal of the little granite lump. . . . The authorities agreed to give the spare barrier to its devotees, who agreed to pray to it in private, someplace else."

Amendment inverted

The tale of the divine parking barrier illustrates just how goofy American constitutional law on religious freedom has become since the Supreme Court began inverting the First Amendment in the 1947 case, Everson v. Board of Education.

The framers' intent to foster a robust religious life in America by preventing the federal government from "establishing" any denomination as the governmentally approved faith has now been turned inside out. Today, the First Amendment is widely understood to require, not simply governmental "neutrality" between denominations, or between belief and unbelief, but governmental suspicion of, bordering on hostility to, any public manifestation of religious conviction in the public square.

As Hasson nicely puts it, "nobody could ever have mistaken parking-barrier worship for an officially established religion, even in San Francisco." But the Supreme Court's crabbed and cranky First Amendment jurisprudence, filtering down to the level of petty city bureaucrats, resulted in the removal of the eyesore-that-had-become-a-god, not because it was ugly and obtrusive but because somebody thought it was divine and behaved accordingly. Mr. Madison, call your office.

Freedom of religion

The Right to Be Wrong explores, historically and conceptually, the convictions that drive the Becket Fund: "Freedom of religion is a basic human right that no government may lawfully deny; it is not a gift of the state, but instead is rooted in the inherent dignity of the human person.

"Religious expression (of all traditions) is a natural part of life in a civilized society, and religious arguments (on all sides of a question) are a normal and healthy element of public debate. Religious people and institutions are entitled to participate in governmental affairs on an equal basis with everyone else, and should not be excluded for professing their faith."

It's now been 40 years since Vatican II's Declaration on Religious Freedom. Celebrating Seamus Hasson's accomplishment, and reading his book, are good ways to mark that historic anniversary.

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

Mary: The model of Advent waiting

	Guest commentary  Fr. Don Lange

Mary is the model of Advent waiting because she patiently and prayerfully waited for the birth of Jesus whom she carried in her womb close to her heart.

From Mary, who participated in the original Advent, we can learn the importance of prayerful reflection and of openness to God's will in helping us to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

God chose Mary

Many young Jewish girls dreamed of the privilege of being chosen by God to become the mother of the Messiah. As a Jewish girl, Mary carried the Messiah in her dreams, in her prayers, and in her heart next to her womb.

Then from among all women, God chose Mary to be the mother of Christ because from the moment of her conception, Mary was free from original sin.

Fr. Kevin O'Shea said that Mary was so filled with love for the Messiah that she conceived Christ in her heart before she conceived him in her womb.

Because Mary was free from original sin, and because her heart burned with unselfish Jesus-like love, God invited her to become the mother of Jesus. When Mary bravely responded "yes," through the Holy Spirit she conceived the "Anointed One." As a result we have Christmas, Easter, and other graced salvation events.

Christ in her womb

Poetically speaking, in the silent secret solitude of Mary's womb, the Creator-Artist knit the exquisite sacred hands that would cure the sick, the caring feet that would sprint the extra mile for even one lost sheep, and the warm heart that would beat with compassionate love for humanity.

Mary carried Christ in her womb and calmed Jesus by the reassuring love beats of her heart.

Mary gave Jesus a home in her body and she fed him through the umbilical cord. Later her Son would give his body and blood to Mary and to the church as food to strengthen them to live their call to be like him.

Be signs of Christ

Like Mary we wait patiently for the coming of the Lord during Advent. Like Mary we are called to conceive Jesus in our heart so that we can be sacraments of Christ or visible signs of his invisible presence to others. We are called to reveal glimpses of God's loving presence by the way that we live, work, and recreate.

Despite the distractions of our daily lives, and the "hurry up" times before Christmas, Mary can inspire us to live the season of Advent in many ways. She can motivate us to reflect prayerfully upon the action of God in our lives. She can model for us how to be open to doing God's will.

During Advent we can listen attentively to the proclamation and preaching of God's Word, read Scripture or other spiritual books. We can listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us in prayer and in the ordinary events of our lives.

Advent is a graced time to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and participate in Advent family devotions. We can also offer the gift of our time, talents, or treasure to needy persons.

Encounter Mary in liturgies

The liturgies of the seasons of Advent and Christmas allow us to encounter Mary in ways that no other season offers. During the month of December we encounter Mary through the Mass readings and prayers during the feasts of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Christmas.

We also experience Mary at Mass on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Holy Family Sunday, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, Epiphany, and in other Masses.

With Mary as our model, may we invite Jesus to dwell in the crib of our heart during the Advent and Christmas moments of our lives. May our participation in the Eucharist help us to receive Christ at Christmas with the child-like surprise of the shepherds, the song of the angels, the wonder of the wise men, and the thankful joy of Mary and Joseph.

May we all have a fruitful Christmas and Advent. May God increase our faith as we use it during the new church year.

Fr. Don Lange is a pastor emeritus in the Diocese of Madison.