The past week has been a tumultuous one for health policy. In the wake of the firing of Dr. Susan Monaez and the resignation of three top officials of the CDC, more than 1,000 HHS employees signed a letter asking for the dismissal of RFK, Jr., as head of HHS. The Secretary before Congress yesterday ended up shouting at some of the Senators who had been fooled into voting for his confirmation.
What happens when ideology trumps (sorry, that word) science? Well, we’re not burning people at the stake as in the 16th century, not literally. What is the problem with science? Perhaps because it does not offer certainty, but the demand that we question our previously cherished notions.
Sometimes we confuse faith and ideology, or hard held beliefs. Living in faith requires that we be open to question because none of us have a corner on what we might call “truth.” Having faith means we live faithfully, trusting in God for guidance and strength. It may mean letting go of old beliefs from time to time as we discover more about the deeper meaning of faith in our lives. Exploration and discovery are what faith and science have in common.
Prayer for the Day
Perplexed, we look to you, Refreshing Holy Power,
Often feeling uncertain about your Presence in our lives;
Created with the ability to think, question, and discern,
We search for ways to be faithful to your call,
For it is often found in the most unlikely of places.
Embrace and guide us as we strive to live your Gospel
As did the One we follow,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
Judge a man by his questions, rather than by his answers.
Voltaire, French philosopher (1694-1778)
I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.
Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist (1918-1988)
O Lord, you have searched e and known me,
You know when I sit down and when I rise up,
You discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
Psalm 139: 1-2