I must have too many subscribers and visitors to RosaryMeds because I’m going to write about something that may turn some of you off — politics. With the upcoming elections in the United States, I feel like I need to speak up with my thoughts on how we should proceed as Catholics. Even if you’re not a US citizen but live in a country with a free election process, I believe these thoughts also apply to you.
Flawed People
As I listen more to Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year, I learn how God uses imperfect and broken people to accomplish his plan for humanity. Look at King David, someone who God handpicked as king of Israel. And yet, he lusted over Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and had him killed in battle so he could marry her. Look at David’s son, Solomon, who honored God by building His temple. And yet, he married foreign wives and was influenced by their pagan ways. Jump to Saint Peter, our first pope, who denied knowing Jesus at His arrest. These were all mighty people, chosen by God, and yet flawed.
Our elected officials aren’t perfect and have many flaws. And yet, God can use them to bring about good. When we cast a vote for a particular candidate, we aren’t endorsing their personal behavior. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to elect anyone because no one is perfect. We should elect people not based on their personalities, but on their platform. Will they promote the values and ideals we want as a society? Will they promote the freedoms all people deserve? Will they apply the law fairly?
Values Matter
Let’s talk about values for a minute. As we should know, some sins are more serious than others. There are mortal sins and venial sins. Similarly, there is a hierarchy of values; the Church holds certain values higher than others. The bishops in Colorado neatly summarizes these values. As Catholics, we need to do these two things:
- Learn why the Church ranks certain values higher than others. Why are life, family, and freedom ranked higher than the environment and immigration? We must be always learning Church doctrine and, like the saints, humbly accept Her teachings.
- Choose leaders who promote these values. Is a leader going to perfectly execute the laws according to these values? Probably not. But we need to elect leaders that align closer with our values and certainly don’t attack our values. With certain propositions, the Catholic answer is clearer. For example, it should be obvious that we must reject laws that expand abortion since they attack our primary value of protecting life.
A Moral Obligation to Vote
We have a moral obligation to vote. I know many people who want to “sit this one out” because they don’t like either candidate. But when we do that, we are not bearing witness to our Catholic values. If we truly believe in what the Church teaches, then we will want a society based on those values. We can’t say, “well, I personally think valuing life, religious freedom, and family are good but I’m not willing to promote them with my vote.” We need to be courageous in our faith and help the larger world understand why our laws need to reflect our values.
I will cut right to the point. We need to elect Donald Trump. He’s not perfect and has many failings. But when you compare him to Kamala Harris, his plans and track record aligns more closely with Christian values. In the last four years of the Harris/Biden administration, we’ve not only seen a move away from Christian values, but an attack on it. The FBI circulates memos labeling church-going people as terrorists. The Department of Justice has been throwing people in prison for opposing abortion and turns a blind eye to attacks on churches. And don’t get me started on the woke agenda which will only accelerate under a Harris presidency. I know Trump isn’t perfect, but we aren’t electing a Messiah. We are looking for the flawed people who will help align society with our values. We want people who will allow us to freely worship and live our lives and not impose their 1984 newspeak on morality.
