by

TAKE A STAND

LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY IVLETTERS TO MY COUNTRY IV

By Brother Patrick

On November 5th, I will vote in a presidential election for the eleventh time. Over the years, I have voted for both democratic and republican candidates. I have voted for six winners and four losers. I was disappointed by the losses. And I was once deeply disappointed by one of the winners. But I have never been cynical about politics. After each election, I was confident that I voted for the person most able to do good, serve the national interest, and fulfill their constitutional oath of office. I have never knowingly voted for what Pope Francis recently called “the lesser of two evils.”

Most Americans take their votes seriously. After watching debates and being bombarded with campaign messages on radio, television, and social media, we come to believe that one candidate will defend all that we hold dear. We come to believe that one candidate will promote programs that will benefit us, our loved ones, and our community. We come to believe in the honesty, integrity, and vision of one candidate over another. For most people, casting a vote is not knee jerk. It is not merely an exercise in party loyalty. It is a form of discernment. It is an act of conscience.

Conscience can be understood as the inner voice that helps us to distinguish between what is good and true and what is not. For Catholic Christians, our conscience is informed and guided by God’s law which is inscribed on our hearts, at the core of our being. Pope Francis says: “Conscience is the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, and the voice of God. It is the inner place of our relationship with God, who speaks to our hearts and helps us to discern, understand the path we should take, and once a decision is made, move forward and remain faithful.” In this way, when we listen for God’s whisper and vote accordingly, we act in good faith. We vote in good conscience.

So, how can God’s little ones, people like you and me, distinguish between the competing voices in and beyond the Catholic Church that seek to influence our consciences and our votes? The Colorado Catholic Conference, for example, recently issued a “voter guide” that begins with this statement: “As faithful Catholics, it is our duty and obligation to shape the moral character of our community, state, and country through voting.” Even during these turbulent times, most of us will agree with this proposition.

At the same time, however, the Colorado bishops propose what they call a “hierarchy of values” that reads like the platform of one of America’s two major political parties. They claim that this hierarchy is “objective truth” and it is “our duty” to vote as instructed. Their ten point hierarchy prioritizes one issue over all others. Caring for the poor is fourth. Caring for the sick is fifth. Working for world peace is sixth. Protecting the environment is ninth. Not a word about climate change. Not a word about defending our democracy. Not a word about their promised “radical solidarity” with mothers and children. Not a word about standing against hatred, bigotry, misogyny, and disinformation. Barely a word about the crushing inequality between the super-rich and the rest of us. Finally, the Colorado bishops make no provision for individual conscience.

By contrast, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, takes a different approach. In a recent interview, he says: “No political party and certainly no individual candidate…embraces the full range of Catholic social and moral teaching.” The cardinal affirms the importance of protecting the sanctity of every life, but he urges “a larger vision” of what it means to respect life. He says: “Can I sleep knowing that I did not vote for this person because of their position on abortion, but I will ignore the other issues that also fall under the umbrella of the dignity of human life (10-17-24)?” Indeed, can any of us sleep knowing that we did not exercise the gift of good conscience?

A friend who is a theologian affirms that all people of faith should maintain a genuine hierarchy of values in our lives. A true hierarchy of values calls us to love God above all else and then to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. A true hierarchy of values beckons us to live the Gospel, share God’s love, and build up our country — not tear it down. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Conscience asks the question ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must do it because conscience tells him [or her] it is right (1968).” This is the primacy of conscience that is at the core of Catholic teaching.

In the end, how we vote is not about naively following a politician. It is not about blindly obeying a conference of bishops or a narrow interpretation of Church teachings. It is not just about choosing a candidate for public office. It is about discernment. It is about being true to ourselves and our better angels. It is about listening for God’s voice in our hearts. It is about taking a stand. Vote your conscience!

__________

LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY

__________

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: Frank Gaertner – 312535664 – Dreamstime

__________

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!

Support us via PayPal
Follow us on Instagram

This Week’s Homepage
In Memory of My Godfather, Patrick R. Garvey