Today is a conclusion, of sorts, of what turned into a series of reflections on Faithful Citizenship, which we have discussed throughout October.
Saint Paul gives us a fitting conclusion as he reminds us how to build a community capable of loving our neighbors just as Jesus commanded. He describes virtues that are helpful in discerning how to love the child in the womb, love the individual struggling with their identity, love the immigrant in a foreign land, and love the person whose life is deemed to no longer hold value by the standards of our society.
He calls us to embrace what it truly means to belong to one another. As we have been discussing, the ultimate foundation of our life is not found in political ideologies, alignments, or divisions. There is one God and Father of all, who cares deeply for the most vulnerable among us. As Christians, we are called to defend the dignity of those who cannot speak for themselves, an obligation that extends directly to the ballot box.
Our faith is not meant to be a private matter; it should carry profound, real-world consequences. We are called to actively transform society and extend the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart into the world around us. For nearly 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has consistently taught that all human life is sacred from the very moment of conception through natural death…no exceptions.
The Church also teaches that certain actions are intrinsically evil—meaning they are a radical contradiction to the good of the person. These actions are always wrong, regardless of the intentions or the circumstances surrounding them. A full list of intrinsic evils would be quite lengthy, but of the intrinsic evils that are more common in our political dialogue are Abortion, Human Cloning, Invitro Fertilization, Euthanasia (and really all forms of suicide), Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Homosexual "Marriage", and Transgenderism.
Because intrinsic evils directly attack human dignity and oppose the will of God, we must form our consciences in alignment with Church teaching and vote accordingly. We are called to vote in a manner that firmly opposes these evils and promotes human dignity at every stage of life.
As we cast our ballots, we can take Saint Paul’s words to heart. We have an opportunity to carefully evaluate candidates and amendments, weighing whether they align with life-affirming positions or support intrinsic evils. By voting "Yes" on Amendment 3, we can fulfill our responsibility to vote with a properly formed Catholic conscience. By choosing candidates who will work to build a genuine culture of life, who will work against the spread of all forms of intrinsic evil, we cooperate in transforming our society for the glory of God.
To lift these intentions up in prayer, we will hold a special Holy Hour for the election on Monday, November 2nd, at 6:00 p.m. here at the church. Please consider joining us that evening to surrender the outcome of the election to our Blessed Lord, praying that His will is made manifest in the election and that the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ may be spread throughout the world.
As the hour of our election is upon us, answer us Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Thanks be to God!
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