I’ve thought long and hard about giving this homily. I prayed about it. There was a part of me that thought of not giving it. But that didn’t feel right. It felt like I was backing down from something I’m called to speak to. So, here goes.
Like we heard in the story about Jesus and the Pharisees in Matthew 22 with a coin. Suppose on one side of the coin was an elephant and on the other side a donkey. Whatever side it lands on that’s the side you vote for, republican or democrat. That’s one way to do it.
Or, if you’re waiting for me to tell you which side to vote for, don’t hold your breath. I’m not going to do that nor can I do that. But I do want to share with you a few thoughts as you go to the polls Nov 3 for the midterm elections.
I think of some of the issues that over the years have been hot buttons for people. During Covid it was things like, masks or no masks, vaccines or no vaccines. Now it’s other things, gun control or no gun control, Vikings or Packers? And the list goes on.
Good people on both sides of an issue, that’s expected. It’s the way we humans are. We have different ideas about how to solve the challenges before us. With the midterm elections coming up the same is true, good people on both sides.
The problem is that on both sides we have people looking for simple answers to complex questions and black and white solutions to complex problems. But it doesn’t always work that way. So, let’s not demonize those on the other side. That’s what polarizes us into the different camps we find ourselves in these days.
So, how do we come together in our differences? The U.S. bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” reminds us that the decision about who to vote for is discerned with a conscience based on Gospel values, values that underscore the preciousness of life and the dignity of the human person.
In the document the bishops continue to identify abortion as a “pre-eminent priority” and objectively morally wrong. However, some Catholics have taken that phrase as if it’s a voting instruction that says one issue alone determines how a Catholic should vote.
While the bishops continue to identify abortion as a “pre-eminent priority” they also call Catholics to consider the many other threats to human life and dignity; degrading poverty, exploitation of the environment, God’s creation, the dehumanizing effect of racism, euthanasia, and other similar issues.
That sentiment is expressed by Pope Leo when he prayed that Jesus would accompany all those who are marching on behalf of the unborn. *At the same time based on what Pope Leo says we could conclude that if someone stands against abortion but is indifferent to the plight of the suffering poor (and has no interest in standing in solidarity with them), then it is questionable if they are truly standing on the side of the prolife effort.
While the bishops do not tell us who to vote for, they call us to form consciences according to the teaching tradition of our Catholic faith and then to make carefully informed judgements on the complex issues before us.
Think of it. As followers of Jesus, we are sent into a badly divided and wounded world that is hungry for hope. We don’t go into that world carrying a list of political answers.
We go into the world carrying Christ. We go into that world carrying compassion in our hearts. We go into that world with a strong sense of justice. Yet we go into that world with a heart that’s willing to forgive old wounds. And above all we go into that world with the conviction that every human being bears the image of God.
That’s why Jesus doesn’t give the Pharisees the answer they wanted. He gives them something much more difficult. He gives them a way to live. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.“
What this means is that before we identify as a liberal or a conservative, a Democrat or a Republican, you and I are a beloved son or daughter of God. Despite our differences that’s what all of us share in common. So is the person sitting next to us, so is the person who disagrees with us, so is the person we find difficult to love, and so is the starving child on the other side of the world.
The coin may belong to Caesar, but you and I belong to God. So, Tuesday November 3 make sure to vote. As you know a lot of people don’t vote. As you go to the polls let Christ shape whatever choices you make. Then remember to choose a seat with those who want you to choose a side. Use that seat to listen, learn, and discuss. That’s what’s needed if we’re to walk together in our differences.