Urging out of Love: Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time (PHMN 7-20; PS 146:7, 8-9A, 9BC-10; LK 17:20-25)

Jesus, enthroned in Heaven, doesn’t suffer.  But, He does suffer through us.  I think that can be a comforting thought to keep in mind as we suffer through the wake of this last election cycle and the emotions we may feel as a result of some of the outcomes.

On the one hand, we can be grateful that the Pope’s call to vote for the lesser of two evils was answered.  As Catholics, we have to call a spade a spade and understand that the Trump administration will be supportive of two intrinsic evils, evils that must be resisted by Catholics in good faith.  However, those two intrinsic evils are certainly outweighed by the more than six intrinsic evils that would have been further propagated to the most aggressive extent possible under a Harris administration.

On the other hand, the state of Missouri now has two amendments to the constitution that violate human dignity.  Amendment 2 takes advantage of the weaknesses of human nature for material profit, and of course Amendment 3 reverses the abortion ban and opens the pandora’s box of a whole slew of intrinsic evils under the guise of reproductive health care.

At the national, state, and local levels, there will be much suffering of the children of God, and Jesus will suffer through them.

I’ll just echo the following statement from the Missouri Bishops:

We are saddened that Missouri voters chose not to safeguard vulnerable women and children by voting for Amendment 3. However, this result is not the end of our work. The Catholic Church in Missouri will continue to advocate for policies that uphold the dignity of all human life, protect the vulnerable, and provide support for those in need.

We reaffirm our commitment to walking with mothers and fathers facing unforeseen pregnancies, along with parents facing hardship in their pregnancies. For those women and men who have been wounded by abortion, the Church will continue to provide true hope and healing.

We are grateful to the Catholic faithful, clergy, and all people of good will who worked tirelessly during this campaign to uphold the dignity of life and defend our state’s most vulnerable. They, along with us, remain committed to uphold and proclaim the inherent dignity of all. Let us continue to pray and work for a greater recognition of the gift of each and every human life in our society.

Signed Most Reverend, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski.

This is the time to truly accept that God permits evil in our lives in order to bring a greater good out of it.  This is the time to truly embrace our identity in Christ, the identity of Christ who suffers through us.  This is the time to forget our regrets over the election, perhaps our demand for justice, and any resentment towards the enemy.   This is the time to truly be an instrument of love and reconciliation to the world.  Ultimately, love and reconciliation is the only way we will ever convert others to the Truth of Jesus Christ.  I urge you to embrace the mission of evangelization with love.

Perhaps those times Jesus spoke about have finally come…the days where we truly long to see one of the days of the Son of Man.  It maybe hard to see at this point, but with faith, we know the Lord will reign forever.

Thanks be to God.