During a visit with the sick at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France (just weeks before he would become a surgical patient), Pope Leo XIV told those gathered, “Mary did not keep the Lord for herself but offered him to the world, saying to each of us, ‘The Lord is with you.’”
The Holy Father said “this truth is the foundation of our dignity as persons … the human person is ‘worthy’ simply by virtue of existing and of being destined for eternity.” Pope Leo also drew a distinction between legality and morality, given the recent legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in France.
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What might Our Lady of Lourdes, those suffering from illness and our Holy Father’s remarks to the citizens of the Church’s “eldest daughter” have to offer those striving to be faithful citizens this election cycle?
The answer, I propose, is simple. They extend an invitation to live the universal call to holiness. Simply put, to be a faithful citizen is to be a faithful Christian.
The sick who go on pilgrimage to Lourdes bear witness to the reality that God’s love is the measure of human worth, not perfect health or the capacity to produce. Knowledge of this superabundant love cannot help but evoke a response.
In fact, as life in the family and in community demonstrates, love has practical demands. Like Our Lady, we cannot keep the Lord to ourselves, we must share him, bringing the light of Christ even into our social and political lives.
With the November General Election approaching, the Catholic Conference of Ohio (CCO), the representative of the state’s Catholic bishops in matters of public policy and government relations, has prepared a Faithful Citizenship Guide. The document aims to help individuals form their consciences as they prepare to go to the polls.
Readers will find that the CCO’s guide differs greatly from other voter prep materials in that it begins with a perhaps unexpected invitation: encouragement to steep oneself in prayer, the Sacred Scriptures, the sacraments and in study of the Church’s Social Doctrine. The faithful are invited to prayerfully allow Christ to be Lord over all aspects of their minds and hearts, even the formation of one’s political views.
The guide, then, invites faithful citizens to consider how the principles of Catholic Social Doctrine apply to the concrete conditions of our time in policy areas concerning the sanctity of life, the protection and empowerment of the poor, the education of children, access to healthcare and care for creation, to name a few. An overview of what Ohioans will vote on in the coming election, alongside reflection questions to discern how to be “media mindful” or thoughtful about information and media we consume, is also provided.
The Church teaches that all are obliged to participate in promoting the common good (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1913). We contribute to the common good by serving our families, being attentive to the needs of our neighbors and treating the “least” (Matthew 25:40) among us as we would the Lord. Further, “as far as possible, citizens should take an active part in public life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1915).
While voting is one way Christians can live their call to faithful citizenship, the invitation goes deeper. The duty to participate in society is not merely a task relegated to the voting booth. It is an integral part of the Christian mission to be salt and light in the world.
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Faithful citizens can stay informed and allow their well-formed consciences to influence the policy making process year-round. It is often much easier to get in touch with state or local legislators than the public may realize. Catholics can enter into regular dialogue with their leaders about issues impacting their communities, and in so doing, contribute to the building of a civilization of life and love.
We can also be light in a world marked by division by striving to “live in a manner worthy of the call (we) have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love (Ephesians 4: 1-2) in the election season and outside of it.
With the help of grace, we possess the real capacity to foster concord by refraining from sins of speech and employing an “evangelical language (which) avoid(s) humiliating or antagonistic words, opting rather for a clarity that sheds light and a frankness that unlocks new possibilities” (Magnifica Humanitas, 14).
To mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, the bishops of the United States consecrated America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus this year. If we remain close to the Sacred Heart, we can be assured that we will come to love what he loves.
Our response to his love will form our consciences and make us capable of bearing his light to the world. By learning from this “meek and humble” (Matthew 11:29) heart, our lives as citizens will not be divorced from our lives as Christians.
May our faithful citizenship, marked by integrity of life and magnanimity of heart, prepare us to one day receive “our citizenship … in heaven. (Philippians 4:20).
To find the Faithful Citizenship Guide and other resources visit www.ohiocathconf.org/voting.