Faith doesn’t belong on the sidelines

By Father Bob Nieberding
 
Q: How are Catholics supposed to apply what we believe to politics and voting?
 
A: It certainly can be a tricky question. But it is one that pops up again and again. We always seem to be in some political quagmire. Pope Francis gives us the backdrop for the answer to this question in the fourth chapter of his 2013 apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium.

Of the social dimension of evangelization, he writes: “An authentic faith ... always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave the world somehow better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet in which God has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters. If indeed ‘the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of politics,’ the Church, ‘cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.’” (Evangelii Gaudium, No. 183) 

Included in this “mandate” is an engagement in political and social life. The political realities of our nation present us with opportunities and challenges. We claim to be a nation founded on “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but the right to life is not fully protected for the unborn child, the terminally ill, the elderly. We claim to be united, but we are so divided by race, ethnic background and economics. We claim to be peacemakers, but we find violence, war and discord on every side. We struggle with immigration and health issues and our responsibility to be good stewards of our environment.

The list goes on. The challenges, the needs, the issues are real! What can be done? What
can we do? What can I do? It seems that everyone supports something we don’t.

We must realize that by reason of our baptism, we share in the mission of Jesus. He came to make us at-one with the Father, to show us the way, to bring the Good News to all. He came that we might have life in him. Before his Ascension, he commissioned the apostles to go into the whole world and make disciples of all peoples. At our baptism, he gives that same commission to us. We became children of God, disciples of Jesus, temples of the Holy Spirit. We were called to live, to act and to share the gift of life with others.
Our faith must be a vital part of our daily lives. We cannot separate what we believe as Catholics and what we hold as faithful citizens of our country. And so, our question regarding our faith and politics needs to be considered.

It is not enough that we say, “I believe.” It is not enough that we identify ourselves as Catholic and call upon God in prayer. Our faith cannot be an award to place on the shelf to be admired. Our faith must be alive and active. It cannot be something treasured but never lived. We must live our faith!

To live our faith it is important that we know what we believe. We learn about our faith from the Scriptures, where we hear God’s word, from the Church who keeps us nourished, from the Sacraments which nurture us, from prayer and reading and reflection and from spending time with our Lord in the Eucharist. We are guided and directed by the Holy Spirit.

To know our faith should lead us to live our faith. St. James wrote: “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” The moral responsibility of each Catholic is a lifelong task of hearing, receiving and acting upon the teachings of our faith. As we strive to be “faithful Christians,” let us also work to be “faithful citizens” of our country!
 
Father Bob Nieberding is vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Lexington.