Speaking the truth through charity is one of the greatest signs of Christian living. It’s the most powerful message that one can deliver.

I’m talking Mother Teresa here. She literally walked the streets of Calcutta with the poorest of the poor, picking them up and giving them comfort.

I’m talking St. Damien of Molokai, who served among the lepers of Hawaii, leading to his own death by Hansen’s disease.

I’m talking about the many priests and sisters of the diocese who live among the poor and seek no spotlight for their actions.

And I’m talking about the Little Sisters of the Poor, who day after day care for the elderly and ask only to be allowed to perform their good works and practice their faith.

The Obama administration doesn’t think the Little Sisters of the Poor are religious enough because they dare to work with people of all faiths. They employ people of all faiths. They spend their time doing good works without regard for color or creed.

The Little Sisters, of course, are a Catholic religious order and as such they act according to the principles of the Catholic faith. But the government’s Health Patrol says these sisters must violate their consciences and contradict Catholic teaching in order to stay in the business of helping others.

This is why the sisters have been forced to sue the government over implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act which would force the sisters to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs in their health plans they offer to their employees. Churches are exempt from complying with this regulation because it compromises religious freedom but the government says the Little Sister of the Poor are not religious enough to be considered a religious organization.

Fortunately, for all of us, there are magnanimous groups out there like the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom that will intervene and defend the likes of such obstinate people like the Little Sisters of the Poor.

A series of lower court rulings have ruled against the sisters but now the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take a look at the sisters’ case, as well as cases involving seven other religious groups that feel their rights have been similarly violated.

“The Becket Fund is grateful that the Supreme Court has decided to weigh in on this important case,” said Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “The Little Sisters spend their lives taking care of the elderly poor – that is work our government should applaud, not punish. The Little Sisters should not have to fight their own government to get an exemption it has already given to thousands of other employers, including Exxon, Pepsi Cola Bottling Company, and Boeing. Nor should the government be allowed to say that the sisters aren’t ‘religious enough’ to merit the exemption that churches and other religious ministries have received.”

Daniel Blomberg, senior legal counsel with the Becket Fund, says that the arguments will be heard before the Supreme Court in March with a decision coming down sometime in June.

Forcing religious people to violate their own consciences certainly has nothing to do with speaking the truth with charity. The Little Sisters of the Poor are all about truth and charity, which is why my money is on them. Having the Becket Fund on their side can only enhance their argument.