We Christians are not indifferent to the political realm – far from it we care deeply about working to protect human life, promote peace, and provide for the general welfare. We cannot accept Christ’s love while despising or being indifferent to our fellow human beings. Because of this, we also like many people of good will may have experienced a sense of anxiety or a lack of peace. Our Christianity informs our actions in everything we do and that includes our choices in the voting booth. In all of this, nevertheless, there is a danger of becoming too consumed with the things of the world. The Bible is replete with stories of God intervening in love for his people. Despite this evidence, we often we let ourselves become so afraid and anxious, and this leads to a whole host of personal sins which impact our salvation much more directly than the outcome of a political race. No matter who wins the election, we can be sure that God will provide everything we need to be with him forever.

Questions for us to ponder:

1. Have I let politics become a God for me? How has this anxiety contributed to sins in my personal life? Do I trust that God is sovereign?
2. How can I inform myself politically? What are resources which can help me to form a Catholic conscience with regard to the important issues?
3. How do I react when people disagree with me politically? How can I reflect the love of God to them?

Today’s readings can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm

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(29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Mass in the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite)

"Nothing could be more untrue than the often-repeated statement that we all worship the same God; or that other, that whatever we worship is the same. Nothing matters more than having a true knowledge of Christ. We become what our conception of Christ is: God made us in His own likeness, but we have an extraordinary power of changing ourselves into the likeness of the idols we make, of those caricatures of God which we set up on the altars of egoism and worship. In the degree of falseness of our conception of God, we restrict and narrow our interests and sympathies; we grow in intolerance and hardness or in a flabbiness which turns to a rot of sweetness like a diabetes of the soul. In the degree of the truth of our conception of Him, our minds grow broader, deeper, and warmer; our hearts grow wiser and kinder; our humour deeper and more tender; we become more aware of the wonder of life; our senses become more sensitive; our sympathies stronger; our capacity for giving and receiving greater; our minds are more radiant with a burning light, and the light is Christ." C. Houselander (1944). The Reed of God. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press. 130

Unity #peace #love #communion #justice