ATC 20 Faithful Citizenship

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Hola and welcome to another edition of All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we will explore what it means to be Catholic. If you have a question that you’d like me to address, send it to me. You may use the comment form on the website or by email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org. I invite you to share this podcast with everyone, you know!

Whew! What a rocky time since our last episode! I continue to get calls about whether or not a Catholic can in good conscience vote for a Democrat this November. I don’t think I recall a more politically charged time in my lifetime! I wonder if the ‘60s were like this? So in today’s episode, we’re going to talk about faithful citizenship.

Let’s try to map out a few points to help us as Catholics – to help us as Christians. Why do we vote? As Christians, what is it that we’re trying to accomplish by our votes? What guidance is there for us when we vote?

Why do we vote?
For those of us who are blessed to live in democracies (and I’m using the term “democracy” generically to mean any form of participatory governance, including representative democracies), for those of us who live in democracies, we vote for many reasons not least of which is out of responsibility. <1> Our rights are not “free.” The freedoms we enjoy come with corresponding responsibilities, one of which is to vote. <2> In the United States, the government belongs to the people. <3>

So, we are or should tune into government. Citizens have a responsibility by our votes to shape and to guide public policy. At the heart of a well-functioning democracy is an educated, well-informed electorate. <4> While Thomas Jefferson did not specifically say this, this idea about the need for knowledgeable and well-informed voters is consistent with his writings.

As Christians, we are sent into the world to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15) <5> Pope Francis reminds us that our redemption has a social dimension because “God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person, but also . . . social relations.” <6> And Pope Benedict XVI taught that “charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity.” <7>

Next, let’s consider the question as Catholics, what is it that we’re trying to accomplish by our votes?
Ah, now this is a good question! We are trying to promote the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity. <8> Indeed, these four principles reflect the richness of our faith that the US bishops suggest we bring to the public square. <9> Now there is a lot of room on the political scale of the West for us to discuss and interpret what “human flourishing” means. There is no one right answer. Discernment, discussion, open and fair debate are key.

The first principle, the dignity of the human person, flows from our understanding of creation and the Incarnation. <10> From the creation accounts in Genesis, we believe that we are the image and likeness of God. Distorted by Original Sin, we believe that the Incarnation sanctified all creation – that grace rained down and soaked this world. This made humans more receptive to salvation through Christ Jesus.

These teachings are so foundational that they are part of the Nicene Creed. These aren’t words we recite at mass. These statements make up an operating philosophy that should guide how we treat each other – not only in coffee shops or in traffic but also in all aspects of our lives. How can there not be public policy implications?

The second principle is the common good, which is about encouraging human flourishing. <11> There’s a lot of room to interpret that idea, but I think that at a minimum that means we must make education available to all at least through high school and strive to maintain access to a free and open market and workplace. The “system” should not be rigged to exclude any citizen or legal person based on some contrived ideas (like sexism, racism, ageism). Again, there is a lot of room on the political spectrum for us to maneuver. <12>

The third principle, subsidiarity, means that decisions that can be made at the lowest level should be made at the lowest level when and where possible. At its core, we respect the family to make decisions appropriate to their household. For example, the government should not attempt to manage family life. Towns and cities should be given latitude to make decisions that affect their community. There are, of course, things that belong to the state or federal government. Providing for the common defense is an example of something that should remain at the national level. <13>

From our understanding of the fourth principle, solidarity flows the preferential option for the poor. <14> Scripture tells us that we are our brother’s keeper (Genesis 4-26). What does that mean, and are there any limits to this idea? This is another example of the wide latitude along the political spectrum we have to discuss this idea.

The richness that we bring is rooted in our biblical and theological tradition. <15>

How do we do this? The Church offers two suggestions to help us navigate the murky waters of politics: a well-formed conscience and the virtue of prudence. Just as a refresher, conscience is the interior voice of a human being, within whose heart, God’s inner law is inscribed. Moral conscience is a judgment of practical reason about the moral quality of human action. It moves a person at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. <16> Prudence is a virtue. Think of virtue as an intentional good habit that helps us grow closer to God in the way we live our lives. The Church teaches us that prudence helps us to “discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.” <17> Together, these principles help us to do good and avoid evil. <18>

So, what guidance is there for Christians when we vote?
The US bishops give us some excellent guidance in their document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. I’m going to include a link to a version you can download https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf, but you could also buy a printed copy if you’d prefer.

It is a helpful document, and I encourage you to read it. But neither the US bishops nor the Church tells us who to vote for or what political parties to support. As we’ve described above, there is a lot of room in our understanding of the deposit of faith to negotiate with each other along the political spectrum about what sorts of public policies advance our principles and values.

Putting it all together
We bring with us into the public square a rich tradition informed by faith and reason. We carry with us into our political parties the conviction in Jesus Christ to transform politics. “We should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths or approve intrinsically evil acts.” <19> Now, if you were looking for straightforward advice about how to vote, I’m sorry to disappoint you! The Church won’t do that and nor should any responsible member of the clergy. Each of us is called to participate in the electoral process to the best of our abilities, guided by our consciences and the virtue of prudence. We should do our best to encourage our political parties to promote the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity.

Hang in there! The elections will be over before you know it! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to All Things Catholic. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment – I’d love to consider what you’re thinking. If you’re on the webpage, just click the title of the podcast, then scroll to the bottom, and you should be able to post a comment. Do you have a question that you’d like me to address? Please send it to me using the comment form on the website, or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.

This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. All Things Catholic will be back next month and don’t forget to tune in for the weekend edition where we break open the Word. Peace!

Notes:
<1> Political scientist Larry Diamond suggests that democracy consists of four key elements: a political system for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections; the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life; protection of the human rights of all citizens; a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. See Diamond, L., Lecture at Hilla University for Humanistic Studies 21 January 2004: “What is Democracy”; Diamond, L. and Morlino, L., The quality of democracy (2016). In Diamond, L., In Search of Democracy. London: Routledge.
<2> US Citizenship and Immigration Services provides a good description in their article “Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities” https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/learn-about-citizenship/citizenship-and-naturalization/citizenship-rights-and-responsibilities.
<3> Preamble of the Constitution of the United States, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript.
<4> This statement reflects Thomas Jefferson’s ideas on education, see “Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia,” https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/educated-citizenry-vital-requisite-our-survival-free-people-spurious.
<5> Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, vatican.va, no. 181.
<6> Ibid, no. 178.
<7> Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, vatican.va, no. 29.
<8> United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States, (Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2020), no. 5. https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/upload/forming-consciences-for-faithful-citizenship.pdf (accessed September 28, 2020).
<9> FCFC, “Introductory Letter.”
<10> FCFC, nos. 44-45.
<11> FCFC, nos. 48-52.
<12> FCFC, no. 55.
<13> FCFC, nos. 45-48.
<14> FCFC, no. 53.
<15> “These Catholic social principles reflect and flow from biblical and theological foundations. For example, the tradition grounds its fundamental commitment to human life and dignity in the sacredness of all human persons as revealed in their creation in imago Dei and the consecration of humanity in the Incarnation. A commitment to human rights flows from this fundamental human dignity.” Heyer, Kristin E., Prophetic & Public: The Social Witness of US Catholicism, (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2006), 37. Also FCFC, 26-29.
<16> Pennock, Michael Francis, This is Our Faith (Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2018, 250-254, 359.
<17> FCFC, no. 19.
<18> FCFC, no. 21-30.
<19> FCFC, no. 14.