This weekend, throughout the Archdiocese of St. Louis, we are observing what is called “Respect Life Sunday.” There is a great deal to talk about, especially considering that we are in a general election year and there is much at stake. But before we dive into all that, I think it is important for us to first go back to the gospel of last Sunday, where Christ gave us two direct orders. The first was to be sure and never lead another person, another child of God into sin. Jesus used the image of a millstone, which is a large, heavy rock, and said it would be better to have one of those around your neck and to be thrown into the sea than to be responsible for causing another person to sin. The second command, equally strong, was that we are to avoid sin at all costs. To drive this point home, Our Lord uses the image of cutting off one’s limbs and plucking out eyes if they are the things that are leading us to sinful behavior. Obviously, Jesus is not telling us to act on this literally, otherwise we Christians would be a blind and gimpy lot. But what Jesus IS telling us is that he takes sin and scandal, which is the act of leading another to sin, very, very seriously and that we should stop at nothing to drive them out of our lives.
Which leads us to today, Respect Life Sunday. Traditionally I have used this Sunday to preach about the scourge of abortion in our country, a legalized genocide that has taken the lives of more than 50 million of our fellow Americans. I usually point out the gross hypocrisy of our society, which will vigorously defend the lives of some innocent people, which is good, and yet will allow the murder of millions of others in the name of a mother’s choice or convenience, a possible birth defect, or a perceived lack of quality of life. But today I want to to focus less on abortion, not because it is any less important. No, abortion is the number one evil in our country today. Instead I want to focus more on voting because that civic act has the potential to end abortion and protect the right to life to generations to come. I also want to focus more on the Catholic teaching on voting because there is a terrible amount of confusion and dissent among Catholics.
Now as soon as I said Catholic Teaching and voting, some people probably started getting uncomfortable and angry. Many people say, “what business has the Church in politics? Stay out of it!” But how can this be? Jesus commands us to be a light to the world and to spread the Good News to every person on the earth. How can this happen if we turn off our faith and even ignore it in public matters like politics. Especially when those politics affect our rights and the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves! Others simply dismiss the priest by saying, “the Church tells me I have to vote according to my conscience and my conscience tells me to vote for A, B, or C.” It is true that the Catholic Church believes that you must vote according to your conscience. But the Church also tells us that we must form our consciences according to Catholic Teaching and Natural Law. To vote without first forming our conscience would be as irresponsible as turning on a fire hose full blast without holding on. It would be dangerous, unhelpful, and end up doing more harm than good!
So what is the Catholic Church’s teaching on voting? First of all, our Church teaches that it is a serious responsibility that we should make every effort to fulfill. As good citizens, we need to vote unless there is some serious reason we are prevented from doing so. This is one of the ways that we participate in building a Christ-like society, by choosing the leaders who will represent us in making public policy and defending our rights. Secondly, there is a hierarchy of goods or, put another way, a hierarchy of evils. Some things take precedence over others, some things are more important and others less so. On one hand there are significant political issues like education, foreign policy, fiscal policy, healthcare, green energy, and transportation, to name a few. Each of these political issues are open for debate and argument. You can make an argument for your position and, unless your thinking is off the wall or downright immoral, your position can be totally valid. However, there could be another person who disagrees with you and could have another completely rational and feasible viewpoint. These sort of things are true political “issues.” They are not hard truths and you are not required to subscribe to any particular view.
On the other hand, there are other topics that have been adopted by politicians and political parties, which transcend the classification of a political issue. These matters are not up for debate, they are not one person’s opinion against another, they involve a definite right and wrong, they are always and everywhere black and white. These topics are different because they deal with basic human rights, inalienable rights that are not granted by the decree of any government but instead are due to every human person because that person is created in the image and likeness of God. These topics tap into natural law, a law written on every human heart, regardless of that person’s religion creed or upbringing. They have a definite right and wrong because they deal with the very foundations of society and order. To violate them would be to attack the basis of civilization and human dignity. So what are they?
There are six major topics that all Catholics must consider this Fall when they go to the polls to vote. They are: Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception. Each of these are intrinsically wrong, which simply means that they cannot be justified in any circumstance. No matter what sort of supposed good might be accomplished through any of these actions, they remain wrong, always and everywhere, no matter who you are.
Now this bothers some people a great deal. They say, “I don’t agree with the Church’s position on these issues, so I don’t have to follow this” Well, what if we took the same approach to gravity. The law of gravity has been very inconvenient and even deadly for some people. I can disagree with it all I want. But if I go a very high place, and denounce gravity and tell the world how I don’t believe it is true for me, and then I jump...well, gravity doesn’t care what I think. It will still be true when I reach the ground.
Others say that they follow most of what the Church teaches just not one of these topics. But our Faith doesn’t work this way. Being Catholic is not something that we do partially or even mostly. Being Catholic is something that we must embrace fully and completely. And each of these six subjects are fundamental teachings; if we disregard them, we are no longer living a faith that is Catholic. It’s kind of like trying to have a pizza without cheese.
Which brings us to the final point of this homily, which is putting all this together so that we can live our catholic faith with integrity while fulfilling our civic duty. There are many political issues that all of us can differ on and come to various conclusions. In fact, most of the issues in a given election fall into this category. However the six major topics that I mentioned earlier: Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception require that we always select the candidate who supports the church’s teaching in these areas. And if there is no candidate who upholds all of these teachings, which is usually the case, then we must pick the candidate who supports the greatest number of these fundamental truths.
I think its important that each of you know that I don’t enjoy preaching on this topic of voting. I wish there wasn’t even a need to have a respect life Sunday on the calendar because all us Catholics were on the same page concerning the six major topics. Sadly, this is not true. But it is my responsibility as your priest to share the teaching of the Catholic Church and to make sure that your consciences are formed as you prepare to vote in a few short weeks. We are responsible for the choices we make in the voting booth, even if no one else never knows who we voted for. Our choice, as insignificant as it might seem among the millions of others, is a statement of who and what we support, of who and what we stand for. Will it be with the Catholic Church, who has weathered the storms of many centuries and still stands strong and consistent in her moral message? Or will it be with something else that is worldly and fleeting and prone to change?
In the end, it is indeed our choice and ours alone. But we must remember that our vote has consequences, not only for ourselves but also for others. If we claim to follow Christ, we need to do so from beginning to end, A to Z, in the fundamental truths of our faith which are under attack with Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic Stem cell research, cloning, Same-sex unions, and contraception. Voting to support candidates who promote these immoral things, especially when there exist other candidates opposed to these evils, is wrong, plain and simple. Such a choice separates us from the Church because we are choosing to act in a way that is not consistent with the Catholic faith. My prayer for all of us is that we have the humble courage to do what is right, even if it be difficult, even if we struggle to completely embrace these teachings. Let us trust the wisdom of our Church, which has been guaranteed the guidance of the Holy Spirit until the end of time. May God bless and protect our great nation.
