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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Catholic Vote was Heard!

Unfortunately, it was the wrong voice that was speaking.  If Catholics had voted in accordance with Church teachings, not Church orders, but by its teachings, our president would not have been re-elected.  First, let me go over Catholics today and then I will cover those issues that caused the President to win.
 
Today, we have a lot of "cafeteria Catholics".  Those are the Catholics who pick and choose those things about Catholicism that they like and can live with.  They are the people who like to say they are Catholic, but find that being a true Catholic is a lot of work.  These are the Catholics who voted for the President.  A true Catholic, following the Church's teachings should NOT have voted for President Obama.  Here are just a couple of reasons why:

Abortion:  Abortion is an intrinsic evil as taught by the Catholic Church.  No matter how you slice it, abortion is wrong.  To vote for someone or be involved with an abortion makes you an associate of that evil.  President Obama is the most Pro-Abortion president we have ever had.  Four times he voted against a law that would protect a baby born from a botched abortion.  He supports abortion on demand throughout the duration of a pregnancy as well as the procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion. You cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion.  To say you are is a lie...and a stance you will have to defend on judgement day.

Religious Freedom:  The HHS Mandate that the Obama administration is pushing onto religious organizations is NOT a Catholic issue, it is a Christian issue, a religious issue.  We constantly hear about the Separation of Church and State...when people want religion to stay out of abortion laws, etc.  But when Government wants to tell a religious organization that they MUST provide a service to someone that goes against their beliefs and conscience, we see no issue?  This is not about birth control and access to pills and abortion.  It is about the government telling religions what the will do...or else.  Honestly, I see it also as a thinly veiled attack on the Catholic Church specifically by the President, who is no fan of the Church.

Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide:  This has become a new thing in our country.  Massachusetts called it "Death with Dignity" on their ballot.  The culture of death that the Democratic Party tends to espouse is a moral affront to everything the Catholic Church teaches.  Pro-Life is not just about abortion.  The Church teaches that life is sacred from conception to NATURAL death.  So, take out Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and the death penalty in all but severe cases.  The point at which we start deciding who will live and who will die based on age, health, legal matters...is scary.  In Europe there has been a suggestion that people should be able to "post-birth abort" their child who may have gotten sick, have a health issue, or is just a financial burden; up to one year after it was born.  Is that a route we want our country to follow?  Have we become that morally sick?

Same-Sex Marriage:  This really should be a no-brainer, but we are seeing more and more Catholics treating this issue as if it is no big deal.  It completely goes against the natural order and God's law.  The Church does not hate homosexuals.  Quite the contrary.  We are told to be compassionate and not to judge.  We are also told that homosexual acts are wrong.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear on the Church's position.

There are other issues that makes our current President a wrong vote for Catholics, but these are the big ones that were prominent in this election.  It is not easy being Catholic.  We have a lot of rules to follow and many of them are not easy.  A former priest at my home parish once answered a question about why the Church doesn't change and modernize to attract more people by saying, "It is not God who needs to change for us, but we who need to change for God".  I believe that is what Jesus told us during his time on Earth and yet, here we are 2012 years later trying to tell Him he is wrong.

So if you say you are a Catholic, BE a Catholic.  Let your actions, your words, and your vote show your Catholicity.  When we say we are Catholic and fail to act as our church teaches, we confuse those who aren't Catholic and present a false position for our Church.  Like I said, it is really hard being a Catholic, but I am proud to say I am one!

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