September 22, 2024
As a rule, I must refrain from discussing “politics” in my position as pastor and even in conversation with most as their priest. I do not name candidates or parties and never have from the ambo. Personally, I have almost always considered it to be a choice between the lesser of two evils. However, there is always someone who gets upset when certain things are spoken of during the homily at Mass or written about in the bulletin - nothing new there. Be it abortion, contraception, marriage, gender ideology or some harmful policy that has been or could be enacted and that the Church is very clear on. Take for instance proposition 3 which, to my never-ending shock, passed in our state due to the help of many “catholics” and made abortion a “constitutional right” in our state up to the very end of 9 months and also removed the requirement to provide life saving care for the babies who somehow survive. There were those in the congregation who were angry or upset that this was brought to attention and that they were reminded of this as being not only against the teachings of our faith, but also as something absolutely evil and should be voted against. That we were reminded to oppose this was for some “bringing politics into the Church”. As if I were giving you my opinion on a tax issue – and not speaking to what the Church actually teaches regarding morality. I respect and love you enough to actually tell you the truth.
I don’t discuss politics; I discuss morality and right and wrong in light of our Faith. I am concerned and consumed by the desire and task that God has entrusted to me – to help you get to heaven by living a life on this earth that can make that possible. The fact that politics likes to delve into morality and try to take control of it means nothing. It does not belong to politics.
The question is then, who has the primary right and responsibility to teach about and safeguard morals and morality – the Church of Jesus Christ or the political system? Which is most concerned with my eternal salvation and the genuine good? The Faith or our broken society? Who is always going to tell me the truth about good and evil and its consequences? The teachings of our Church founded by Christ or the news media?
Politics and law in general have the goal of making sure that a society, person or place, is operating within the guidelines of good and constructive behaviors and choices. It is to help safeguard the ability to live that moral life. It is the task of the Church to remind us and teach us what those types of behaviors and choices are and how to conform my will with the will and desire of God – which is the ultimate goal. Politics and society at large are not the creators, arbiters or source of morality and good. God is. God works through His Church and His creation to give us this knowledge and provide us with concrete help in making the proper and right decisions in the societal and political life which are to help myself and others live good lives and get to heaven. Just as there are gradations of penalties and punishments in society for various levels of crime and such: the punishment for stealing a potato is much less than for killing someone; the punishment for an auto accident is less for those who inadvertently caused it than for those who through intentional neglect did. So also it is with sin and offenses against God’s laws and the moral code. Which is the worse form of stealing? Stealing 10 dollars from the IRS through an intentional mistake on our tax filings or deliberately stealing 100 dollars from the local food bank which relies on donations? Both are wrong because stealing is always wrong, however, stealing those 100 bucks from the local food bank is going to have a lot more grievous effect than the 10 bucks on my taxes from a government that rakes in billions a year. It is clear which one would be the greater evil. It is the same with the whole debate on which issues are most important for the properly formed Catholic conscience. We hear often how the environment or immigration or something else is the priority. While they are important and we should strive for justice in those areas, priority is always first and foremost on the area where the greatest evil and injustice is found. Without a doubt and without anything even coming close, the single greatest evil and injustice in our country and our world is abortion. There were 1,026,700 abortions reported in the USA in 2023. Anything I place ahead of the defenseless unborn, I am declaring to be of greater importance than the most innocent and defenseless of all.
Recently, Pope Francis in speaking on the coming election in the US said that people need to vote and to choose the lesser of two evils. He commented “Both are anti-life — both the one who throws out migrants and the one who kills babies — both of them are against life.” But he also went on to say that “To have an abortion is to kill a human being. The Church does not allow abortion because it is to kill, it is murder,” he added. “It is murder. And this we have to be clear about.”
Pope Francis reminds us to choose the lesser of the two evils in politics. So, the question remains, do we realize that the issue of the wholesale destruction of innocent human life is the most evil and the one that we should stand against the most? Enclosed is a Catholic voter guide from the Michigan Catholic Conference to help all of us understand what our Faith teaches us and how to ensure our consciences are properly formed according to God’s laws and make our choices in November with full knowledge and awareness.
God love you,
Fr. Anthony
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