As I reflected on our Gospel reading today, I could not help but reflect on the current state of our world; and in particular, the state of our country.
Everyday, it seems we are bombarded with noise from polarized sides that contradict love in almost every way.
One side continues to push the extremes of human secularism, sexual and gender liberalism, various forms of fanaticism, and many other “isms” that stand in stark contrast to love of neighbor.
The other side really is not really any better. Zionism, fundamentalism, dispensationalism, and the like continue to push us into situations that violate the very core of what love is supposed to be.
Both sides allow intrinsic evils to continue to spread practically unchecked. Calls to let a child live returned with hate and vitriol. Calls for peace returned with anger and condemnation. Violence and threats have become the negotiation language of the day for both sides.
Pope Leo recently said “He (God) does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood.’”
Regardless of how our media and our politicians spin this statement out of context, there is a very real truth in our Holy Father’s statement that is worth heeding.
The language of God is love…not anger, not hatred, not threats, not violence, not conflict, not vitriol, not condemnation.
Simply put, God is not going to be found in any of the “isms” that currently define the political landscape of our country. Ideology and extremism, on both sides, is only going to continue to pull us further away from the Christian core we claim this country was built on.
Often, we hear “The Pope should stay in his own lane”, or “The Church should stay out of politics”, or something else to that effect. However, statements like these only serve to undermine the true authority of the Catholic Church, which is the Kingdom of God. These statements only serve undermine the position of the “Al Habayit”, the Roman Pontiff, the prime minister of the Kingdom. These statements only serve to undermine the role Catholics are to have in the political sphere.
Pope Francis said the following:
- “We, Christians, cannot ‘play Pilate’ and wash our hands…We must participate in politics because politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good. And Christian lay people must work in politics.”
- “However, in these days of hyper-partisanship and ‘cancel culture’ we need to be aware that this “is not easy; politics has become too tainted“.
- “Why has it become tainted? Because Christians have not participated in politics with an (authentic) evangelical spirit”.
The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a responsibility to be the voice of Christ in all aspects of life…including, and perhaps especially, politics. The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a responsibility to form consciences based on moral principles and guidance. The Church, and therefore the Pope, has a moral obligation to help society see what is truly just through the lens of faith and natural law.
Catholics must then apply the teachings of the Church to the political sphere. Lay Catholics must translate Church teaching into concrete legislation and policy.
As it says in the Catechism: “Catholics are called to act as ‘salt for the earth’ and ‘light for the nations,’ actively transforming the world by promoting the common good, upholding human dignity (from conception to natural death), and engaging in public life. They are to bring Gospel values into social, economic, and political spheres while living out their faith through love.”
Truly living out our faith through love (especially in politics) is how we will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
Thanks be to God!
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