If I Voted

                “If I voted .”  This phrase pushes a hot button for me.  I recently read it as a response to a Facebook posting.  The post outlined his/her point of view and then concluded with, “If I voted.”  Maybe it was the time that I grew up (the Vietnam War was raging when I was in elementary school), or maybe it is the strong obligation to participate in our democracy that my parents instilled in me.  I don’t view voting as a choice.  (A personal fun fact -The only speeding ticket I received as a young adult was when I was driving to register to vote just two days before I left for college.)

As an American, I have always believed that it is my duty and obligation to prudently and justly review the candidates and issues and then vote.  Certainly, I’ve casted some ballots with more enthusiasm than others, but I have spoken through my vote.

At this point in my life, as a committed daughter of God, I believe even more strongly that it is my duty and obligation to vote.  God put me in Silver Spring, Maryland in 2012.  As His daughter, I have many duties and obligations that I will be held accountable for at the end of my life.  Participation as a citizen in our great nations is one of those duties. Voting is not an option for Christian men and women.

Today, it seems that people are looking for the perfect candidate.  The one that represents all of her/his values.  As a Catholic who believes in the teaching of the church, I will never come close to finding that person.  My values resonate with stands from both parties.  As a daughter of God, I must use the conscience that He has given me.  The one that He has formed in me to make the choices I believe are best for this country.

My family and I watched, “Man for All Seasons” last month.  It is the story of St. Thomas More.  He was a well loved father and husband and friend.  His imprisonment and execution were excruciating for his family and friends. The scene that struck me the most was when a friend of Thomas’ asked him to “just sign the paper” that recognized the King of England as the head of the church. Thomas stated that he couldn’t sign the paper because it would be against his conscience.  He asked his friend, “If I sign that paper, will you follow me to Hell.”

His choice was a dramatic one that is well known today, nearly 500 years later.  My choices at the polls may not be as dramatic as the choice facing St. Thomas, but it does have an element of similarity.  I need to be an informed voter, making my choices according to this conscience that the Lord has given to me. And I as a daughter of God, I don’t have the choice to say, “If I voted.”

Living a Holy Life

A couple of years ago, I receive a letter or email from a young friend who was considering a vocation to the priesthood.  The missive let me know about some of the decisions he had made, including the acceptance to high school teach Latin in New England.  It was his closing sentence that gave me pause.  He said something to the effect of “let us each continue to grow in holiness”.

This young man is less than half my age, and until I read that sentence, I had not thought about living a holy life.  Yes, a good life, a life filled with virtue, one that loves God first and then neighbor, but a holy life? That would be far beyond what I could even imagine.

I was reminded of this letter on Thursday which was the feast of Anthony Mary Zaccaria.  This priest was a contemporary of Martin Luther.  And like Luther, he believed the Church needed to be reformed.  His solution was to work within the Church.  He founded the Society of Clerics of St. Paul.  They strove to imitate St. Paul in every way.

It was by living a life of holiness that St. Anthony was able to contribute to some reform of the Church.  In one of his more well known sermons he said, “Spiritual life demands that you never turn back or stop going forward; but rather that, as soon as you taste it, you make progress day by day and, forgetting what lies behind, strain forward to what lies ahead.”

The homilist at Mass on Thursday urged each of us to live lives of holiness in our own efforts to be Disciples of Christ.  I think my young friend, who is completing his Novitiate Year with the Dominicans, may know of this second quote by St. Anthony:

"Do not think that my love for you or the good qualities you are endowed with, may have me desire that you be just little saints. No, I greatly desire that you become great saints, since you are well equipped to reach this goal... All that is required is that you really mean to develop and give back to Jesus Crucified, in a more refined form, the good qualities and graces He has given you"  [Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Letter XI]

The Forenight for Freedom has ended -now what?

                I attended the Closing Mass for the American Catholic Bishop’s Fortnight for Freedom at the National Shrine on July 4th.  With over 3000 of the faithful, hundreds of religious women and men, concelebrated by more than 100 priests and five bishops, the Papal Nuncio and a Cardinal, it was a beautiful celebration of our faith.

                Those in attendance wove the exquisite tapestry that is the American Church.  Young and old, diverse ethnicities, those born in the United States and those who have emigrated from other nations were all celebrating Eucharist in this final mass of the Fortnight.  I thought how wonderful the beautiful singing and strong responses during the Mass must have sounded in Heaven!

               

  Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput was the Homilist.  He preached primarily on Matthew 22, what to render unto Cesar and what to render unto God.  He made the thought provoking comment that “we belong to God and only to God”.  Therefore if we render to God what is His, we must give ourselves – all of ourselves.

               

  He spoke about freedom and how seeking His kingdom first makes us free.  When we let go of earthly things that are supposed to make us happy and live for Him first, we become free.  There is much to consider in his remarks and much for me to pray about over the next days and months.

                

The recessional song was America the Beautiful. The final verse ended with celebrants still walking down the aisle.  The crowd cheered the Bishops as they left the altar.  The smiles on their faces were priceless!

                

As the music concluded, the woman sitting next to me looked me in the eyes and said, “And now we need to go out and witness.”  Simply and wisely said.  It’s now in our hands - those of we the people - to go and speak to our neighbors, co-workers, fellow parishioners to help them understand why this fight for religious freedom is vital.

Why

The decision by the Supreme Court on Thursday surprised many faithful Catholics.  One of my colleagues at a client came in saying, “God help America.”   My initial reaction was one of dismay, and then I said to a friend, “Well, we haven’t geared up for nothing.” 

While the Bishops and our priests have been distributing good messages of religious freedom, I don’t believe it has even begun to resonate in the pews.  Evidence of that is the showing of the rather paltry 2,000 people for the rally for Religious Freedom in DC last weekend.  The space would have held 4,000 and the Archdiocese communications department was almost pleading for people to come.  If the message of religious freedom was resonating in the pews, the tickets should have been long gone before June 24^th. 

It is my thought that if the Supreme Court decision had nullified the Health Care Bill, we would have gone back to our regular life, not being pressed to defend our religious freedom.  The second reading in today’s Office of Readings is from a homily by Pope Paul IV.  For me, the entire portion of the letter rings true to what we, as American Catholic’s, are being asked to do.   The first paragraph of the text is as follows:

“Not to preach the Gospel would be my undoing, for Christ himself sent me as his apostle and witness. The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on.  I am bound to proclaim that Jesus is Christ, the Son of the living God.  Because of him we come to know the God we cannot see.  He is the firstborn of all creation; in him all things find their being.  Man’s teacher and redeemer, he was born for us, died for us and for us he rose from the dead.”

“The more remote, the more difficult the assignment, the more my love of God spurs me on,” is the phrase that got my attention.  So we have a more difficult assignment that we originally thought.  Perhaps this gives us the time to help our friends and neighbors in the pews truly understand the need for defending our freedom as we are spurred on by the love of God!

What is the morality of the soda ban?

Each day (or at least most days), a little after 4:00pm, my phone lets me know that I have an email.  It is the Dominican Daily bringing me the most recent posts from the Dominican Friars of St. Joseph's Province.  Today's first message made me laugh at its simplicity and its truth.  

Typically, I don't re-quote other people in my blog, but today, I don't know how to say this better.  Thanks Brother Sebastian!  You can get other wisdom from the Order of Preachers or sign up for the Dominican Daily at http://www.ordopraedicatorum.org/TheologyoftheSodaBan

Posted in: Faith & Morals|By: Fr. Kevin Gabriel Gillen, O.P.|June 27, 2012

Student brother Sebastian White, O.P. is a summer fellow at First Things magazine, a publication of The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.  As part of his duties, Br. Sebastian publishes regularly at First Thoughts, the blog site for the journal.  Below is an excerpt of his recent blog post :

Theology of the Soda Ban

 It’s the combination of values that is puzzling: a quasi-religious zeal to eliminate soda, salt, and saturated fat on the one hand, and the toleration—nay, promotion—of grave offenses against human dignity and health on the other. When premarital sex, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion are encouraged in health class, isn’t Michael Bloomberg’s crusade against sugary drinks a bit odd? As the Church is backed into a corner because of its teaching on sexuality, and its institutions face increasing pressure to compromise and cooperate with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, and after the city bans religious groups from using public property, lawmakers are getting moralistic about food. It’s a good thing if people eat less fat and sugar, to be sure, but let’s put first things first.

Why is the American flag hanging on a church?

I didn’t think about it when I got up this morning, but I am wearing white and blue today.  Too bad that I did not reach for a red sweater while getting dressed!  This is the first day of the Fortnight for Freedom.  As an average woman in the pews, I don’t know that I have the ability to effectively speak about the issues that have brought about this Fortnight.  I wonder how I will participate and how these two weeks might change me and my relationship with Jesus.

               

Last night I attended a panel discussion at the Catholic Information Center in DC.  Three articulate women in their 30’s and 40’s traced the timeline and the events that created this need for a national time of prayer for our freedom.  For me, the issue that resonates most is that a person of Catholic faith can’t be Catholic if it is a personal religion.  If Mass doesn’t change me and if I am not able or willing to go take Jesus with me into my everyday life, then I’m not leading a Catholic life.

               

One interesting thought is that, with the government definition of what constitutes a religious institution, Jesus, who reached out to all around him, would not have qualified.  As a convert, one of the things I find most rewarding being a Catholic is the combination of faith and works.  We do reach out to all who have a need, whether it be food and shelter, healthcare, education or other needs.  It is in the Catholic DNA to extend compassion and love and assistance.

                

As I walked to the mail box this morning at work, I saw a huge American flag hanging on the tower of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  Perhaps many who drive by it on Michigan Avenue today will wonder why the flag is flying on a church.  For me, it is a reminder that these next 14 days are not just ordinary days.  We believe that prayer, study, catechesis and public action will make a difference in the battle for the right to not violate our conscious and will also make a difference in our own lives and how we interact with others.

It's Just the Next Step

                During the past year, I have had a regular confessor.  I wasn’t particularly looking for one.  Then, one day at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC, I entered the confessional and the counsel that I received from the priest was so completely on target, that I would have thought that he had known me for some time. 

                A few weeks after that encounter, I learned of his confession schedule and began to go every other Sunday to “Mary’s House” to confess my sins to the Lord and receive His counsel though Fr. Bob.  Over the months, Fr. Bob spoke often of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit - sometimes asking me to listen for those subtle nudges and sometimes pointing out the times when I followed the Spirit’s direction.

                The greatest benefit in going to him regularly, is that he challenges me in various areas of my life.  His words are not judgmental or harsh, but he asks me to consider my actions in the context for God’s love for me and for the world.  I found my definition of sin changing from what I did “wrong” to what I have done (or not done) that is not pleasing to God.

                Often, the penance I received focused on the Our Father. Rather than simply saying the Our Father, he would ask me to concentrate on a particular phrase of this powerful prayer.  Over the past year, my understanding of and joy in praying the Our Father has increased drastically due to focusing on phrases such as “Thy will be done” and “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us” .

                 It has become our habit to talk for a few moments after absolution, if there wasn’t a line.  So in addition to being my confessor, Fr. Bob provided spiritual direction.  On Palm Sunday, after receiving absolution, he said, “our time together is coming to an end”.  I certainly wasn’t prepared for this comment, since this routine of regular confession has become an important part of my spiritual growth.          

                I learned that he is leaving Washington DC for a position in another part of the country.  His Ph. D., earned from Catholic University last year, will be put to tremendous use in this new position. Intellectually, I am thrilled for this opportunity for him and for the Church. Yet, I left the Shrine, one week before Easter, feeling sad, and a little abandoned.

                After prayer and consideration, I have put this loss of this Holy man of God into context.  And realize that it is time for him to take the next step and the same can be said for me.  Perhaps it means finding another regular confessor or perhaps the Spirit will guide me through a variety for priests.  It does not mean giving up my regular, comfortable schedule of celebrating the sacrament of Confession.  I need to be open to listening for that nudge that will help me take the next step in the right direction.

                Isn’t that what he asks me to do everyday!