“… Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope …”
AAllow me to repeat that, “Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope …” Do you agree? Is that how you are feeling as we approach an election? Is that what you are hearing in the media, on the internet, or in your day-to-day conversations? Do you hear many voices saying that “election seasons … should contain a sense of gratitude and hope”? These words and this belief are shared by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in their “teaching document on political responsibility,” called Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Here is the first full paragraph of the introduction to that document:
“As Catholics and Americans, we are blessed to be able to participate in our nation’s political and public life. Our freedoms respect the dignity of individuals and their consciences and allow us to come together for the common good. Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope. Our love for this country, our patriotism, properly impels us to vote.”
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - Introductory Note
The second paragraph has a different, perhaps more familiar tone: “But increasingly, it seems, election seasons are a time of anxiety and spiritual trial. Political rhetoric is increasingly angry, seeking to motivate primarily through division and hatred. Fear can be an effective tool for raising money. The most heated arguments online often get the most clicks. Demonizing the other can win votes.”
“… anxiety and spiritual trial …” — Does that sound and feel much more familiar when we think about this “election season” and the upcoming elections? Although, personally, “anxiety and spiritual trial” describe more accurately my own feelings about the upcoming elections, I think there is a much more important sentence and belief, expressed right after the bishops tell us that election seasons “should contain a sense of gratitude and hope.” They continue: “Our love for this country, our patriotism, properly impels us to vote.”
How do you feel about reading 64 pages? That is the length of the document if you include all the parts:
I would guess that, if you like to read, 64 pages does not sound like much, but if reading is not a hobby or something you do regularly, then reading 64 pages (perhaps especially about voting and elections) could sound like a chore. I would like to ask you to “give it a try” — you might be pleasantly surprised. You may also find it a chore and, perhaps, not a “page-turner” nor “easy reading,” but I would ask that you try to make the sacrifice and commitment and keep going. If you read the Introductory Note and the three main parts, it’s only 44 pages.
Why is it important for us, as Catholics and Americans, to consider what the bishops are offering in this document? As Americans, we tend to be independent and usually don’t like it when people “tell us what we should do.” That sense of independence can (at times) make it seem or feel like it is difficult to be both an American and a Catholic. Does the Church “tell us what we should do?” We believe that Jesus called apostles and gave them the “authority,” responsibility, and mission to teach:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
(Mt 28:19–20)
In Matthew’s Gospel, those are Jesus’ “last words.” Matthew does not give an account of the Ascension. In the final Chapter (28) of his Gospel, we are told of Jesus’ Resurrection (v.1-10); a “Report to the Guards” (v. 11-15); and the “Commissioning of the Disciples” (v. 16-20). In all four of the Gospels and in the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of Jesus instructing his apostles, disciples, and the “community of believers,” a.k.a. the Church, to teach in His name and to teach others what He has taught them. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide them in their teaching and help them remember all that he had taught.
To be effective as teachers, the disciples must first listen to the Lord. Having heard the gospel message, the disciples are sent “two by two” (Mark 6:7) so that they must listen to one another. An integral aspect of conscience formation is listening to the Lord and to one another as we strive for consensus on the singular values for our society. Pope Francis highlights listening as essential for communication, “Listening is therefore the first indispensable ingredient of dialogue and good communication.”
Since the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Church has exercised Her “teaching authority” through the Pope and the Bishops, in communion with the whole “mystical Body of Christ,” the community of believers, well represented by the saints who have influenced the development of the official teaching of the Church, also known as the “Magisterium.” A document such as Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship is an example of the bishops of a certain area (Conference) exercising and participating in that sacred responsibility and ministry of teaching.
If you are able to read the document or part of the document, I hope you will realize that, in exercising their teaching authority, the bishops are not “telling us what to do.” Rather, they are encouraging each of us, as faithful disciples, to prayerfully ask God, “What do you want me to do?” Let us not forget that Jesus tells us, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find …” (Lk 11:9–10). So, as we consider our responsibility to vote, as faithful citizens, let us be open to some assistance from the Church. Taking the time to read Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship can help us in many ways. I will close with one example. The document invites us to recall what it means to have a “well-formed conscience”:
“The Church equips its members to address political and social questions by helping them to develop a well-formed conscience. Catholics have a serious and lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church. Conscience is not something that allows us to justify doing whatever we want, nor is it a mere “feeling” about what we should or should not do. Rather, conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil. Conscience always requires serious attempts to make sound moral judgments based on the truths of our faith. As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ‘Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right’ (no. 1778).” [Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - Part I pp. 17]
The document is not “easy reading,” but these are not “easy times” that we live in. In his encyclical, Pacem in Terris, Pope Saint John XXIII noted that the human person’s “personal dignity involves the right to take an active part in public life, and to make their own contribution to the common welfare of their fellow citizens.” In investing time and making a commitment to form our consciences well and to discern as best as we are able, we are using our God-given right to contribute to the common good of our society.” As we continue to pray for our country, let us also pray that we can consider carefully our vocation — and the responsibility we have to be “faithful citizens.”