Politics

The President was re-elected a couple weeks ago. Many other legislators, local and national, were chosen. Policies were passed or rejected. As far as I can tell, the planet continues to spin on its axis, hell has yet to freeze over, and our country is moving forward.

Now, do not mistake me. I voted. I care who gets elected and what laws go into effect. However, I also recognize that the leaders I favor will not always win, and the hopes I have for government will not always be realized. Despite disappointments, I will not cease civic engagement nor lose the hope that compromise is possible.

In the past few weeks I have had many conversations about the presidency, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate, life issues, liberalism, conservatism, the two-party system, deceit in politics, the usefulness and purpose of debates, immigration, economic policies, foreign diplomacy, ongoing wars, troops, the relationship between religious faith and government. Most of these conversations produced a substantive discussion about voting priorities. A few, though, devolved into lectures portraying the political sphere as black and white, right and wrong, heathen and Christian. I adamantly disagree with this understanding.

No political party is a moral arbiter. Republic and Democratic factions seek to serve people in different ways, and the individual person has all sorts of reasons for voting one way or another -- experience, knowledge, and priorities vary greatly. As a Catholic, I have been taught that civic engagement is vitally important and that forming my conscience is a duty I must undertake seriously to adequately prepare myself as a voter.

My vote should express the value of human dignity, from the moment of conception to birth, offering the opportunity for education, religious freedom, and dignified work in life, and recognizing the preciousness of the unrepeatable, individual person to natural death.

After the election is finished, when the leaders are chosen and the policies decided, my role changes. I should always strive to be informed and use the many resources available to continually be forming my conscience. I should be participating in my community, engaging in dialogue with neighbors and at times with legislators and leaders, and offering help to others where I am able.

In conjunction with all these actions, I must be civically engaged through prayer. Our leaders, no matter what we think of them, need our prayers. They make decisions daily that change lives, both in our country and around the world. That comes with being a nation as materially and monetarily powerful as we are. Even if I despise a politician, Christ commanded us to pray for our enemies. Too much vitriol and polarization characterize the political conversation. How can we progress if we continue to stand in our corners plotting, bemoaning, and pronouncing armageddon?

For the rest of this month, I am making a special effort to pray for political leaders each day. Will you join me in prayer? Will you challenge me to be civically engaged? Will you walk with me in trying to understand how we can best uphold human dignity and live the Catholic principle of subsidiarity?

Let us pray: God, Our Father, Giver of Life, we entrust our nation to Your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people.

Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nations' leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will.

Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, grant us the courage to reject the culture of death. Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.