From Our Pastor: Faithful Citizenship and the Call to Love and Truth
“Hear oh Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.”
These words from Deuteronomy the Jewish people called the Shema. The Shema is memorized, placed in what’s called a Mezuzah (which is a little metal object at the door of the house that has a little piece of paper wrapped up inside with the Shema written on it, which they touch every time they come and go from the house), and in the tefillin, which are small black boxes they wrap around themselves on their arms and heads that contain the Shema. The Shema is not only memorized, but touched anytime they come and go, and they wrap themselves in it because it helps them make it even more real and physical in their lives to never forget.
Jesus quotes this passage to show us how important this is. The Shema and the love your neighbor as yourself are the summation of the 10 commandments. The Lord is to be our Lord above all other things in our lives. Before sports, before sleep, before vacation, before work, etc. etc. Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, not just part of it.
One place where we need to put the Lord first above everything else, is in our politics and voting. We as Catholics in a free country with elections have a moral duty to vote. If we are eligible to vote, we should. See the United States Catholic Conference of Bishop’s letter on “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (Updated version).” Our Faith must guide our political views and voting, not the other way around. So often people put their political party before their faith and the Lord. Look to the party platforms, as they are the foundation for what each party must stand for and what you sign onto when you vote. Look for intrinsic evils. The platform should tell us if we can morally vote for someone from that party. Look to the fact that there are more than two parties. Look to the fact that voting and leaving a specific area of the ballot blank is an option in voting, but not voting at all really is not morally justifiable.
Local and state elections are so much more important and they effect everyday lives of people. Sadly, they are often overlooked and not taken seriously. Make sure we are putting God above the party of my parents or the party that I always have voted for or the party that I like, and instead choose the right candidates based on the morals and values of our faith; making sure we are not choosing a candidate based on what we like or don’t, but instead morally for what they stand for or not.
The document states: “The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone.” None of this is to tell you which person to vote for in any specific races, but to start to make us consider, “What is God asking of us in each race of every election?” instead of “What do I want?” Ponder God’s will and make Him first above all aspects of our life, and do your moral duty and vote.
May we elect people who will enact just laws that make God’s will more and more the will of our country. May God bless Quincy, May God bless the State of Illinois, May God bless the United States of America. Besides voting, pray for all involved in politics, even the ones you personally may not be able to stand. Pray for our country. No matter who wins, love one another, but stand for truth with Love.
- Rev. Steven Arisman