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THE QUESTION OF AMERICA

LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY 1 (JUL 2024)LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY I

By Brother Patrick

For many years before becoming a diocesan hermit, I taught undergraduate courses in American Government, Comparative Government, and International Relations at a college near Boston. Although trained at the Catholic University of America to think and talk as a political scientist, I was never comfortable with this title.

Politics is not a science. Human beings are not laboratory animals. Nevertheless, scientific methods and statistical analysis can reveal certain truths about human beings and political behavior. In the United States, for example, a majority of African-Americans tend to vote for Democrats. A majority of white Evangelical Christians tend to vote for Republicans. A majority of women tend to vote for Democrats. And a majority of men tend to vote for Republicans. But when we enter the voting booth, do we as individuals intentionally cast ballots as representatives of a race, religion, or gender?

Most of us vote as individuals, not as agents of a particular group. We vote for the party or candidate that we think will best serve our interests. We vote for the party or candidate that we believe will best enable us to care for ourselves, our families, and our communities. But how and why do we come to believe that this or that candidate will best preserve, protect, and defend all that we hold dear? We come to believe that one candidate offers a new deal, a better deal, or change we can believe in. We come to believe that one candidate can make America great or bring America back.

Most often, we vote the way we do because we come to believe in a party or candidate based on our personal connection with their ideas, agendas, and personalities. In many ways, we form a personal relationship with them. My grandfather was an orphaned child of poor Irish immigrants. He came of age during the Great Depression. He served his country during the Second World War. He raised his family with help from the G.I. Bill. And he lived a happy and healthy retirement thanks to Medicare and Social Security. Over long years, my grandfather voted a straight party line. When pressed to explain his political philosophy, he said: “Franklin Roosevelt saved the country. So I vote for Democrats.” That is not science. That is simply human.

As an educator, my approach combined insights from various disciplines to better understand American government and politics. We applied the lessons of history and the timeless truths of philosophical inquiry to the ideas, institutions, and enduring controversies that provide foundation and structure to American political life. We did not focus on the dates and details of history, but we considered the lasting influence of events and leaders on our lives. After September 11, 2001, for example, we discussed the ever-increasing powers of the presidency, the burgeoning bureaucracies associated with homeland security, and the sacrifices required to keep us all safe.

Most of all, we discussed ideas. In my classes, we thought critically about ideas like freedom, checks and balances, rights and responsibilities, and the rule of law. And we focused on the core values and shared beliefs that shape our attitudes, opinions, and perceptions about politics and government. How we as individuals understand these values and beliefs influences how we vote. These are the ideas that created the American republic. These are the ideas that made America the most successful democratic experiment in world history. These are the great ideas that still have the power to bring us together: freedom, democracy, equality, individualism, regulated capitalism, and a commitment to the common good.

These core values and shared beliefs gave birth to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These ideas prevailed against the evils of fascism, communism, and civil war. These ideas have sustained our nation for more than two centuries. They are blessed by the God in whom we profess to trust. And they are now endangered by anger, division, enmity, a hunger for vengeance, and an insatiable appetite for power. In his book, The American Soul, Jacob Needleman asks: “The question of America is there: If America loses the meaning of its existence and if, in fact, America is now the dominant cultural influence in the world, then what will become of the world?” What, indeed.

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LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

Art Credit: Dana Rothstein – 341575 – Dreamstime

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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In Memory of My Grandfather, John J. Garvey, Jr.