'Saints were thrown to the lions': Paul Ryan on faith

'When faith is ruled out of bounds, then happiness itself is put out of reach.'

During Tuesday's National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, House Speaker Paul Ryan delivered a message concerning religious liberty, the Little Sisters of the Poor and Catholic faith.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to The Blaze, Ryan began with a few words about the Little Sisters of the Poor: "I think we can all agree [the Little Sisters of the Poor] are doing some of the noblest work out there. And yet the administration has been trying to force them to offer benefits that violate their beliefs. The sisters have tried to negotiate with the administration, and frankly its response has shown a total misunderstanding of faith."

On Monday, the Supreme Court sent the Little Sisters' case to the lower courts, which Ryan used to call out the Obama administration and demand "religious liberty."

"Thankfully, we got some good news from the Supreme Court yesterday, when it sent the case back to the lower courts," Ryan stated. "Clearly, the court does not believe that the government has done a good enough job protecting religious liberty. And that's why I'm calling on the administration to eliminate this burden once and for all."

With the rise of transgender and religious rights, Christian bakeries and other controversial topics, Ryan explained the decline in religious support. Despite the negative light the secular media bathes the religious in, Ryan believes religious rights are "going to make a comeback, because there is a growing need for faith."

He explained how religion is twisted by secularists who believe "faith is just an odd, colorful mask for the ugly face of intolerance," but said: "I am not saying we should feel put upon. I mean, saints were thrown to the lions. By that standard, we have it easy. What I am saying is, we have to advocate for our faith. And we should defend religious liberty not just on material grounds - that is, because people of faith do good things, like give to charity or volunteer. We should also defend it on spiritual grounds - that is, because living out our faith gives us joy."

The House Speaker then took a moment to describe the life-altering experience that comes with knowing the Lord, understanding we are beloved and realizing we are no longer alone. He then described the importance of prayer and explained: "And that is why we object when government restricts religious liberty: When faith is ruled out of bounds, then happiness itself is put out of reach."

Ryan's powerful speech concluded with a request of prayers for himself and other elected officials, "that we may be instruments of God's will."

As Ryan exited the stage, Sister Constance Veit of the Little Sisters of the Poor stood and addressed those in attendance. She expressed her thanks for everyone's prayers of support and firmly stated God "will not abandon us."

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