FAITHFUL (AND FAITH-FILLED) CITIZENSHIP

 

For years I have been interested in news and politics.  My day is not complete without a daily newspaper as well as television news broadcasts and  news talk shows.  I probably inherited this from my father.  He grew up in Austria under the Hapsburg monarchy and, when he came to the U.S. in his early 20’s, he was enamored with the democratic way of life and the privilege of voting. Though his education was limited, he read the daily newspaper from first to last page and was happy to give you his opinions on politicians and issues! And, knowing his deep love for his faith, I’m sure they were-well-thought-out and well-prayed-over opinions based on Catholic principles as he understood them.

 

Today we use the term “Catholic social teaching” to describe those principles and, every four years, the U.S. Catholic bishops issue a document describing the principles on which one should make voting decisions. There is to be no preference given for a specific party or candidate(s) but only moral principles based on what we believe Jesus said and did.  How did Jesus treat people?  How did he ask us to treat others?  What did he encourage and what did he condemn? 

 

This year’s statement by the bishops is entitled “Faithful Citizenship—The Challenge of Forming Consciences.”  It begins with the statement “Our nation faces political challenges that demand urgent moral choices.” The bishops go on to say that they believe participation in the nation’s political life is a moral obligation, one that requires each of us to develop a well-formed conscience. They then set out 7 key themes that can provide a moral framework for the decisions we are called to make. Here is an abbreviated version of these themes….

 

1.  The right to life and the dignity of the human person.  Direct attacks on life (abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, destruction of human embryos) must always be opposed.  But this principle also compels us to oppose genocide, torture, unjust war, and the use of the death penalty.

 

2. Call to family, community, and participation.  Marriage between a man and a woman is the fundamental unit of society. Supporting families should be a priority for economic and social policies. 

 

3. Rights and responsibilities. Every human being has a right to religious freedom as well as a right to access to those things required for human dignity—food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities—to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. 

 

4. Option for the poor and vulnerable.  A moral test for society is how we treat the weakest among us—the unborn, those dealing with disabilities or terminal illness, the poor and marginalized.

 

(to be continued in a future bulletin)

 

 

Sister Marie Wiedner, O.P.