OK, so I have been negligent in my writing duties; again. Yes, I did let quite a few other things pull me away from this blog. It was not out of a lack of desire to write, but rather out of a recognition that we each have to choose our priorities wisely. In the current political scene here in America, it is no different. We have to choose our priorities wisely. The problem with this is that we live in a radically selfish society that is filled with people who make all of their decisions based on short term pleasures. In a society like this, we are fairly well guaranteed to see our leaders chosen based on selfish (and therefore evil) motivations.
Picking a president is not as simple as asking "who do you want as your leader?" Laying aside for the moment the question of whether it is proper for every single adult in society (including those uneducated in political and civil matters) to help make the choice of who is qualified to lead an entire country, we need to ask what the basis is for our decisions. One of the easiest ways to determine the "lay of the land" in our homeland is to look at the laws that have been passed. It is currently legal to murder the unborn; it is legal for two people of the same sex to receive a "marriage license" (notice that I did not say "get married"); it is legal to take money away from the citizens to support evil practises (the list could go on).
In a society like this, it would be hard to believe that people are making choices based on the good of every man, woman and child. No, they are clearly making decisions based on what is most convenient for the self, regardless of the harm that it causes to others (as well as to society as a whole). With this in mind, what are the priorities that are being used in the decision making process of Americans? The only apparent question that is asked before someone makes a decision is: "how does it please me in the immediate future?" Not a very promising outlook when we apply this to the political scene.
For every Catholic there should be one initial question: what has Christ revealed through the Church? And the first answer is not the one we would necessarily expect: Christ has revealed through the Church that He is reigning over all His enemies (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28). That should impact everything that we do. It should impact how we make decisions; it should impact how we vote; it should impact whether we have hope for the future. I always hope for the best--because Christ is on His throne--but I also always try to have a realistic view of the future. This means, I know that Christ will be victorious in the end, but it also means that I expect here in America we are going to have a president who is basically at war with God.
Right now we have a choice between two dragons. Whether we end up with Mrs. Dragon, or Mr. Dragon, neither one is a friend of God's Church. Mr. Dragon might lead us into a societal disaster a bit more slowly, but that is not necessarily a good thing. In the long run, it is not these two dragons that worry me the most. It is those who are still making their choices for completely selfish reasons. It is those who are living for "me first" and "forget the rest". This will actually determine the path of our country more than who lives in the White House.
So what are your priorities? Ask that question when you think about voting. Are your priorities that which is in accord with the revealed will of God (e.g. we can never vote for someone who advocates the murder of unborn children)? Ask that question after November 8th. Whatever happens, I want to keep my priorities the same then as now. Be faithful to God. Believe that Christ will conquer all His enemies, and His Kingdom will continue to grow. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, and trust Christ in all things.
