The newspaper screams today, “Twelve Days Until the Ohio Primary!” So the presidential candidates have been tromping around Ohio. As a matter of fact Hillary Clinton gave a campaign speech just about three city blocks west of good ole’ Saint Clare effectively cutting off the whole western part of the United States from us. (You can’t get there from here.)
When deciding whom it is you want to be your leader it is imperative first to remember who you are. The person that you are asked to choose is the person you want to be YOUR representative. Vote that way. There is not a part of you that you must needs lay aside when considering a candidate. Doing that does not make you a better citizen; it makes you fall into the political practice of another’s worldview THAT HAS NO LESS THEOLOGICAL PRESUPOSITIONS THAN YOUR WORLD VIEW DOES. There is NOT a neutral and value free position from which one might vote. That is a fallacy and one for which more and more Americans are falling.
By sticking to who you are you are not shoving religion down anyone’s throat. You are exercising the role of a legitimate citizen of the United States. This is the country, the laws, and the government under which you must live. And yes, some of us citizens are Catholics. Catholic is who we are
and not what we do. And it is as legitimate way of being as being an agnostic, or humanist or atheist or what have you. DEMAND that that effects the way you vote and informs and forms your opinion. It is your right though perhaps not politically correct. It is not that we are citizens except for our Catholicism. We believe that our Catholic faith shows us how to best live this life for the greatest benefit of all – therefore it forms our political philosophy and it is disingenuous to expect Catholics to lay that aside when they go to the polls. That tells us, “You are second class citizens.” Do not allow yourself to volunteer to be a second-class citizen.
When deciding whom it is you want to be your leader it is imperative first to remember who you are. The person that you are asked to choose is the person you want to be YOUR representative. Vote that way. There is not a part of you that you must needs lay aside when considering a candidate. Doing that does not make you a better citizen; it makes you fall into the political practice of another’s worldview THAT HAS NO LESS THEOLOGICAL PRESUPOSITIONS THAN YOUR WORLD VIEW DOES. There is NOT a neutral and value free position from which one might vote. That is a fallacy and one for which more and more Americans are falling.
By sticking to who you are you are not shoving religion down anyone’s throat. You are exercising the role of a legitimate citizen of the United States. This is the country, the laws, and the government under which you must live. And yes, some of us citizens are Catholics. Catholic is who we are
and not what we do. And it is as legitimate way of being as being an agnostic, or humanist or atheist or what have you. DEMAND that that effects the way you vote and informs and forms your opinion. It is your right though perhaps not politically correct. It is not that we are citizens except for our Catholicism. We believe that our Catholic faith shows us how to best live this life for the greatest benefit of all – therefore it forms our political philosophy and it is disingenuous to expect Catholics to lay that aside when they go to the polls. That tells us, “You are second class citizens.” Do not allow yourself to volunteer to be a second-class citizen.
11 comments:
Thanks for your Blog :) God Bless you
OFF TOPIC ... OFF TOPIC
a short while back you had some posts and comments about Mass intentions - I received this today from my obviously mis-informed brother:
Catholic Dog
Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and asked, "Father, my dog is dead. Could ya'be saying' a mass for the poor creature?"
Father Patrick replied, "I'm afraid not; we cannot have services for an animal in the church. But there are some Baptists down the lane, and there's no tellin' what they believe. Maybe they'll do something for the creature."
Muldoon said, "I'll go right away Father. Do ya' think $5,000 is enough to donate to them for the
service?"
Father Patrick exclaimed, "Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn't ya tell me the dog was Catholic?
............
ON TOPIC ... ON TOPIC
sounds like good homily material to me.
I've been impressed as to how people can so casually separate "church and state" in their own lives. Politics is always in the end analysis a theological matter since politics is about answering the question, "how ought we to order ourselves and live together?" The idea that one can be "Catholic" and support public policies which are in direct contradiction to the teaching of Holy Mother Church is a sort of spiritual schizophrenia. It is symptomatic of a deep spiritual disorder in my view.
Uncle Jim,
I think the joke goes like this:
Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and asked, "Father, my dog is dead. Could ya'be saying' a mass for the poor creature?"
Father Patrick replied, "I'm afraid not; we cannot have services for an animal in the church. But there are some Baptists down the lane, and there's no tellin' what they believe. Maybe they'll do something for the creature."
Muldoon said, "I'll go right away Father. Do ya' think $5,000 is enough to donate to them for the funeral service of me ol' St. Bernard?"
Father Patrick exclaimed, "Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn't ya tell me the dog was Catholic?
Fr. V, thanks for this post. We are approaching the primary here in Texas as well. The very idea that any Catholic should leave their Catholicism at the door when they enter the polling place is repugnant to me. The only thing it really means is essentially submitting to the Church of P.C. Secularism and all of its false gods. Win or lose, we are free and responsible to be true to God, our nation, and ourselves. No mob is entitled to expect or demand otherwise. God be with you, and God bless America!
Uncle Jim, Rich,
I am stealing that joke. :-)
To my knowledge, there are only 2 pro-life candidates. Dr. Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. And few speak more resoundingly on the gravity of it all than this fellow.
Rob.. In the picture of you and your wife, I am reminded of a couple from Nazareth.
I thought that picture would only be in my profile! I didn't know they published it with your comments! Yuck! I shall erase!
I knew that would be your reaction. It only shows up in Blogger, and you can choose for it not to be your avatar, I think, but you shouldn't. It's wonderful. I'm glad we got to see it!
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