Posted on July 31, 2016 View all news
Laudetur Jesus Christus! Gelobt sei Jesus Christus! Sia lodato Gesù Cristo! Praised be Jesus Christ!
I would first of all like to thank everyone who helped in any way with our parish picnic this past Sunday. It was a great success, with many people from Old St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart braving the heat to come out for a nice time. Thank you to everyone who brought a side dish and something to share. I particularly thank Kate Schneider, Roric Schneider, Eric Muench, Christina Smith, Stephi Sieverding, and anyone who assisted in any way with the planning or execution of the picnic. Thank you!!
Now that the political conventions are over, we will be hearing quite a bit about politics and government over the next several weeks and months. There will be the attack ads, the name calling, the promises. Everything that we have come to know and expect during an election cycle.
As these weeks and months drag on, I ask that you keep a few things in mind. The purpose of government and politics is for the promotion of the common good of the people. Government exists in order to enable us, the citizens of a nation, to work towards our end in a peaceful and productive manner. It exists for the defense of the people, for the protection of the vulnerable, and the continuation of basic services for the operation of society. What we as Catholics must work for each day, in our homes, work places, cities, and states is the social reign of Jesus Christ.
The Incarnation radically altered the world. What Christ declared in His Incarnation, and subsequently in His Passion, is that sin and death no longer held sway over us. He elevated the baptized and gave to them a new calling, to become saints. What we must do is work to promote policies and politicians who best aid us in that calling.
We may want to fall into the trap of separating our secular life from our religious life. We must remember, however, that we are but one person. We don’t have a split personality, nor do we have the ability to partition off certain parts of who we are in certain circumstances. This is especially true of our faith.
If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and born of the Virgin Mary. He who suffered, died, and was buried. Who then rose from the dead on the third day. If in our hearts we believe and profess this, then it must change our very being and way of life. We should change how we interact with others and live in this world. A world that so often has empty promises of happiness. The only person who truly has the answers, who truly offers solutions, who truly desires our good, for our own sake, is Jesus Christ.
May each of us, whether it is in our political life, social life, or family life remember this. May we strive to live that day in and day out, working so that Christ the King can reign not only in our hearts, but also in our homes, our cities, and our nation. Have a blessed week ahead and God Bless!
