Tomorrow is Election Day. I voted by mail already, but for
those who haven’t voted yet, may I suggest reading the scriptures read at Mass
this morning for a little examination of conscience as well as an examination
of the candidates and issues? The readings can be
found here:
Americans are in the process of discerning the right
candidates for both national and local elections. We are asking, “Who can do
the best job for us?” Implicit in our thinking is the question: Which
candidates can best contribute to our personal prosperity. More starkly put:
Who can do the most for me?
But in his letter to the Philippians Paul suggests a quite
different criteria, a criteria that has less to do with personal self-interest
and more to do with the welfare of the community: “Do nothing out of
selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important
than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone
for those of others.”
As Christians approaching the election booth, we are
encouraged to keep uppermost in our minds those candidates embracing programs
fostering the best interests of our neighbors, and especially of our neighbors
most in need. As Christians we are asked
to look beyond narrow self-interest and to ask who is advocating programs that
can most contribute to the common good of our local and national communities.
Scripture asks voters to transcend a cultural American
individualism that focuses on personal interest and asks us to consider what
best serves our communities. And like
everything else for those who wish to follow Jesus, the choices are never easy because
each of the political parties embraces policies that hurt the most vulnerable
of us. Abortion is always wrong. The death penalty is always wrong. Discrimination and racism are always
wrong. Welfare programs are not evil,
and they do not ‘breed’ criminals, they are charitable—although some take
advantage of the generosity of others. (Side
note: who cares? As Christians we are called upon to be charitable
for charity’s sake, not our own.) Immigration and compassion must go hand in
hand. Because someone has entered the country in a manner contrary to law and
happens to need medical or other basic needs, it isn’t Christian to deny those
needs, nor to complain about it while providing them. Taxes are a necessary expense and should be
paid, but we should also elect representatives who will use those revenues
prudently and judiciously. By these
examples you see that I have pretty much offended hard line Democrats,
Republicans, Independents and Socialists.
The only real choice we must make is to love God with all our heart,
soul, mind and strength. And to love our
neighbor as ourselves.
Pray before marking your ballot and ask the Holy Spirit to
guide you. He will, if you are truly
sincere. Don’t overthink your vote. Whenever I notice that I am overthinking an
issue, I try and remind myself that it’s not about me and my wants. It’s about getting to Heaven and loving God and
neighbor unconditionally. I find that
when I have stilled and quieted my soul and let the love of God and neighbor
take over my mind…I have found my peace and I know I’ve made the right decision. And if not, God knows my heart and will have
mercy on me.
Let us each gently pray today about any areas of our lives
where we are tugging, pushing or blocking God’s love and peace. May God win, and may He bless America.
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