You might not realize it, but there is a major election just around the corner! Seriously, it has been impossible to escape the impending election for the past year as our nation contemplates its next commander in chief and various other national and local leaders. This election, more than ever, has seemed contentious, divisive and almost surreal. For many voters, there appear to be few, if any clear-cut, choices. More and more people seem to be thinking in terms of compromise and who or what might be the less awful choice.
It is not my place nor my job to say who or what you should vote for. And I am not just saying that because of the IRS rules for tax-exempt institutions. Each and every one of us is called, as Catholics and American citizens, to participate in the process of electing leaders for our country. We need to make those decisions with prayer and thoughtful reflection because our vote has an impact on many people for years to come. Each of us has to be able to stand before God and explain the choices we made. God, unlike any human person, knows the heart and also sees through our excuses and rationalizations.
It is my job, as your priest, to make sure you have the tools necessary to make good and holy choices at the polls. I have to stand before the Lord and tell him that I helped his people build up the kingdom of God and form their consciences. This is not something I can do in one week or with one homily. So, I am going to spend the next several weeks, not speaking about any particular candidates, but about the principles we need to keep in mind when we vote as Catholic Americans and the hierarchy of issues in light of Church teaching. Each homily will build upon the others so remember they will be posted on my blog and the parish website in both written and audio format so you can revisit them, even if I was not preaching at the Mass you attended.
The scriptures center on two fundamental christian virtues: faith and hope. In the first reading, the prophet Habakuk feels abandoned and forgotten by God. Everywhere he looks, he sees violence, division, chaos, and suffering. He wonders where God can be found in any of this? Doesn’t this sound familiar?! The lord answers the prophet and encourages him to be patient, that God has not forgotten his people or the promises he made to them. The salvation of God, even though it seems delayed, will come. The person of faith, who hopes in God shall live.
In the gospel, the disciples realize their faith needs to be increased in order to truly follow after Christ. Perhaps they saw the miracles that were being worked and knew that their faith needed to be more like those who trusted in the healing power of Christ. Or perhaps they were starting to understand what it meant to follow Jesus and what it would cost them and they knew that their faith needed to be deepened. Whatever the case, they ask the Lord to refine and deepen their faith.
As we prepare to vote in a little over a month, it would serve us well to first contemplate where we put our faith and hope. Have we unconsciously placed it other people and institutions, rather than God? There never has and never will be a candidate for public office who will guarantee our safety, success, or the protection of all our civil rights and religious liberties. Is it possible the angst, anger, and division we see in our country and in the upcoming election is due in some part because we expect humans to solve problems that only God can handle? Are we making choices at the polls without prayerful reflection? Has our hope and faith in God been replaced by cynicism or apathy? In the past, if we have voted at all, has it been informed by faith and hope in God?
The practice of voting can and should be an exercise of faith and hope. We believe our Catholic faith has something worthwhile to contribute to the future of our nation and we shouldn’t turn it off when we go to vote. We believe, as followers of Christ that this world, as broken and messed up as it can be, is fundamentally good. God cared enough to send his Son to redeem humanity by dying on the cross. We should care enough to invest the time and effort to learn what we are about to vote on and what principles the different candidates operate on in making decisions. We cannot just shake our fist at the world, at the injustice or corruption we see and excuse ourselves from participating in legitimate government. Christians cannot put their heads in the sand or shake their heads in despair. We sincerely hope that the Lord can redeem our society, no matter how broken or crooked it may seem. If our faith and hope is in God, that can happen. If our faith and hope is in public officials, laws, or any other human institutions, there is no way it will.
It is true; there is no perfect candidate for any of the offices that are up for grabs in November. In fact, there never has and never will be. As followers of Christ, we don’t sit around and bemoan the problems of the world. We work with what is available and combine it with God’s grace to make the impossible happen. That is what God does with us! The vote we cast should be a reflection of our faith in God. It should not be a product of anger, cynicism, laziness, selfishness, or wanting to be on the winning side.
As November 8 draws closer, let’s reflect on where we put our faith and hope for the future. Can we honestly say it is in God and God alone? Let’s make sure we begin prayerfully preparing to cast our vote, inviting God into the discernment process. May our faith and hope be reflected by the way we participate in the coming election and let us do our part as Catholics and citizens to make our nation more just, compassionate, and united under God.
