The dumbest thing the Obama administration ever did was to try to make an example out of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, whose values are Reverence, Family Spirit, Humble Service, Compassion and Stewardship, have a target on their backs.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, who serve the elderly poor in 30 countries around the world, are the enemy.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, who live out vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and proclaim a fourth vow of hospitality, are a national threat.

Here in this diocese, we know well the mission of the Little Sisters because of their ministry at Queen of Peace Residence in Queens Village. We have personally viewed their kindness and dedication to the elderly who are facing their final years and cannot care for themselves.

I recall visiting Bishop “Iggy” Catanello who spent his last months at Queen of Peace. He described it to me as the anteroom to the Kingdom and the Sisters who cared for him as angels.

The Obama Administration regards the Little Sisters of the Poor as criminals because they will not pay for health care insurance that would offer abortion and birth control to the employees at their nursing homes. To do so would violate the beliefs they hold as Catholics.

Thanks to The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a pro bono group of lawyers, the Little Sisters are challenging the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, which is attempting to force the nuns to violating their consciences.

In recent months, the Courts have ruled in favor of several religious organizations and family-owned businesses on this very same topic. But when the Becket Fund asked for the same accommodation for the Little Sisters, the Tenth Circuit Court said the nuns were not Catholic enough to qualify for relief from the mandate.

Last summer, the Little Sisters, who face $70 million in fines, appealed to the Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear the case in March. Twenty states and numerous religious groups have filed friend-of-the-court briefs defending the rights of the sisters.

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops brief, filed Jan. 7, argues that the contraceptive mandate not only damages religious freedom, but society as a whole.

“If the petitioners abide by their religious beliefs, they face the loss of the ability to sponsor health coverage for their employees and millions of dollars in fines, threatening financial ruin. No one benefits from such an outcome – not the organizations, their donors, their clients, or their employees,” the brief said.

Seven other Catholic and non-Catholic organizations signed onto the USCCB brief: Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities; Catholic Relief Services; Family Research Council; Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance; The Cardinal Newman Society; Thomas More Society; and World Vision.

When President Obama delivered his State of the Union address, two members of the Little Sisters of the Poor were seated prominently in the gallery, guests of House Speaker Paul Ryan. It was a clear statement of support for the sisters.

When Pope Francis visited the U.S. last fall, he added a stop at the Little Sisters of the Poor’s Jeanne Jugan Residence in Washington, D.C. He made no statement concerning the sisters’ legal struggle, but the symbolism of his visit was clear.

There’s always apprehension when a small select group of people decide the fate of rights such as religious freedom, but the Little Sisters are betting on common sense and a little divine intervention prevailing.