What’s a Catholic To Do?

No  one  needs  to  tell  anyone  that  the  national election is now approaching and so other than sighing in relief that the vitriol and  scandal  on  all  sides  will  soon  subside  (hopefully),  how  are  we  to  make  our choice in the voting booth? Some may try to tell us for partisan reasons that one candidate is better for Catholics than another, but a look at the last four  decades  will prove that even when that claim has been made before any election is has not really turned  out  to  be  true  because we  are  still  struggling with many of the same laws and policies that go against the Catholic moral grain.  In  this  pluralistic  society  and contemporary culture, it is extremely unlikely that  any  major  party  is  going  to  propose a candidate that promotes an agenda that is completely palatable to us as Catholics.


Indeed for us to be credible as people of faith we must be unequivocally pro life, that is in  the  womb  and  beyond,  so  not  only  must  we  care  about  abortion  and  euthanasia,  but  everything  in  between  including capital punishment, immigration, and economic and social justice for those who are truly poor or authentically oppressed. These  priorities  are  seldom  authentically shared in any cohesive way by parties that are  trying  to  get  their  candidates elected in  what  in reality is anything  but a truly United States. Therefore what should be  more  important  to us than  partisan politics  is  preserving  our  own  unity  as Catholics.  It is our  consistency  and  cohesiveness in moral matters that will permit us  to  make  some  strides  in  influencing  a change of mind and heart in others rather than unrealistically thinking we are going to change  the  votes  of  legislators  or  the minds of presidents who need more than the  Catholic  vote  to  obtain  or  keep  their jobs! So what is a Catholic to do on Election  Day?  Realize  that  there  is  seldom  if ever any perfect candidate for us, and this time  it  may  well be a matter of choosing what is the depth of our own consciences we see as the lesser of evils.

So let’s all hold our noses if necessary as we pull the lever or  whomever  we  will  vote  on  November 8th  confident  that  there  is  no  mortal sin in  voting  for  either  candidate  when  there is  no  formal  cooperation  on  our  part  in positions  and  policies  which  they  may hold with which we as Catholic Christians cannot agree. Thereafter, while we must always discuss religion among ourselves let’s vow not to discuss partisan politics lest we continue  to  argue  with  one  another  unnecessarily about things we are unlikely to change  and  end  up  diminishing  the  unity  among  us  which  is  our  most  precious source of power in influencing change for the better in the moral matters of life and death.