Voting is an Act of Love

November 3 is four weeks away.  Many are already voting.  Local, state and national races — a lot is at stake. We are called to “faithful citizenship.” We are called to be engaged. 

I don’t think there was anything like voting in Jesus’ day.  He grew up and lived his short life during a time and in a place under Roman occupation. But we live in a democracy.  We have the right and responsibility to vote.  

Our Adult Faith Formation Committee has produced a voter education flyer, “Voting is an Act of Love.” We were inspired by the work of the Ignatian Solidarity Network.  We quote Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, who said, “Love ought to show itself in deeds more than words.” We reference Pope Francis’ 2018 Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et Exsulte – Rejoice and Be Glad” where he states that EQUALLY SACRED to the lives of the innocent unborn are “the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly…the victims of human trafficking…and every form of rejection.” We cite the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s “Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship” document that makes clear that “all life issues are connected.” And we invite our parishioners to pray Matthew 25: “whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers…that you do unto me.”

Let us pray for our nation and our leaders. Let us pray for the most vulnerable among us. Let us pray for the Common Good.  Voting is An Act of Love flyer