The Easter season is a time to look back at what has transpired this past year and to commit to some positive changes in our lives.
Since this was the year of health care reform, it seems fitting to comment on changes I would like to see in myself and others who aren’t jumping with joy with the recent legislation.
It will take some time for the realities of the reform bill to play out, so for now we can only speculate. Most of us are sure that Medicare cuts will affect some services; we will probably pay more for medical coverage, and we may have to wait a little longer to receive a medical procedure that is vital to our well-being. Instead of looking on the negative side by thinking, what is in this for me, why not look on the positive side by thinking, what is in this for us?
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote: “Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each person’s life and dignity must be respected…” The Hebrew prophets said that the measure of a nation’s righteousness and integrity is in how it treats the most vulnerable. Jesus says the nations will be judged by how they treat “the least of these” (Matthew 25).
Why not look at the 47 million uninsured Americans as children of God who need health coverage so each person can begin to recover their dignity and integrity promised in Scripture?
St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12: “To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good … Through the Spirit one receives faith; by the same Spirit another is given the gift of healing …” This Easter season, why not give the gift of health care reform for others?
James Harder
Davenport
