RBWords - Volume 21 - Number 10: October 2008
Something to Think About
The long presidential campaign is drawing to a close as I write this. If you’re like me, you’re saying, “Thank the Lord!” Needless to say, there is a great deal at stake. The current state of the economy and the current state of war seem to be the top issues in the minds of most voters. However, some of our American bishops have tried to put the positions of the candidates on the subjects of abortion, embryonic stem cell research and gay marriage – all of them important moral issues, especially to Catholic tradition – in the forefront for Catholics who may, indeed, be worried about their financial situation and their relatives who are fighting in our two-front war in Iraq and Afghanistan! The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued their official document, FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP to assist Catholic voters in making decisions about voting. Some of the bishops have interpreted that document very strictly and others very broadly, leading to a wide perception of division in that body! Everyone seems clear on what the church teaches, but there is considerably less clarity on how to apply it to voting! I will take the document and a “consistent ethic of life” to heart and go with millions of others to vote on November 4th and get on with my life on November 5th. IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!
It Has Been Said
Voting with a good conscience is not an easy task. It is much easier to give in to the sound bites and the catchy phrases. It is much easier to go the party line blindly and mindlessly. It is much easier to choose because of personality rather than the content of character. It is easier to say \"I just like him or her; he or she is one of us\" rather than to ponder, reflect, and pray for our choice prudently.
As we form our conscience, we must be aware of the need for prudence. Prudence is not easy to define, but according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prudence helps us to \"discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.\"
Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD Bishop of Memphis – West Tennessee Catholic 10/23/08