The election is coming up and if you are like most people whom I speak to, you're already ready for it to be over. 

I wish that sentiment were different. I wish we would look to our politics through the lens of a blessed opportunity. What a privilege it is that we get to shape the future of our county! What a blessed opportunity that even in the attempt to campaign, candidates are lured to modify and change their approach through the pressure our potential vote brings. In this process, we can move their ideas and policies in directions that better conform to the Holy Spirit's presence that dwells within each of our consciences. 

But in listening to our conscience, we have a lot of work to do! We have to clear out our egos and self-interest and listen more fully to the question, "What does God desire in our future?"  

Recently, Pope Francis spoke during an unscripted interview about the election in the United States. He reminded US citizens that "Not voting is ugly. It is not good. You must vote." And he entered the fray of our particular challenge by calling out both presidential candidates in the United States and reminding us of the requirement to follow our consciences when we vote. He said "You must choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don't know. Everyone, in conscience, (has to) think and do this."

To comment on this statement from the pope, I feel the constraints of my personal limitations. It is certainly not my role to comment on the candidates themselves or to advocate for any political party. I am responsible for passing along religious instruction (which is my role) and at the same time I parry because I am versed in moral theology but am not officially a moral theologian. 

The insight that I would like to offer (as you digest the pope's comment and listen to your own conscience) is some insight on the phrase "lesser evil."  

What Pope Francis did was to pull out a theological construct which is used widely in the filed of moral theology. Personally, I agree completely with the concept of the "lesser of two evils," but I don't agree it was wise for the pope to use it in a conversation that would be delivered to people who aren't versed in the nuance of moral theology. (For a short summary of the "exception" principles that moral theologian's discuss, I have placed a short passage from Fr. James Bretzke written in March 2007 in America Magazine below) 

The impact of such a comment might be to calcify people's opinions of Harris and Trump and to consider one or both of them as "evil." This was not the intention. It is not accurate to say that the candidates themselves are evil. As far as I can see, both of them have some policies which conform to the aims of the Catholic Social Doctrine. At the same time, both of the candidates have some policies that insult the Catholic conscience. 

The intentions behind the pope's comments were for us to engage in the broad dialogue about the candidates. We can't single out one despicable intention about a candidate and justify our support for their opponent in spite of the dozens of other problems that our support might cause. In macro terms, we may stay true to one isolated principle which we value and because of that decision, we would see a greater evil play out effecting thousands, or millions. 

The discernment before us is never easy, but we must do our best. That is what the pope has invited us to do, to have a holistic and prayerful approach to the sacred action of voting. Uniting this reflection with the Gospel from this weekend, one could paraphrase and say, "It may be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to vote our consciences in an imperfect world." 

Either way, we must listen to the Holy Spirit. As Rev. Warnock has recently said, "A vote is a kind of prayer for the kind of world we desire for ourselves and for our children." What an opportunity it is that we even have the chance!

From America Magazine, March 2027 - Fr. James Bretzke

Catholic moral tradition elaborates four basic principles that help us navigate a morally complex world. Each of these principles involves varying degrees of cooperation with evil. The principles are (1) double effect, in which a single action has two foreseen effects—one “good” and intended, the other “evil” and tolerated, such as the removal of the fetus in an ectopic pregnancy to save the life of the mother; (2) tolerance, in which we judge, following the Gospel principle of the wheat and the tares, that certain evils must be endured for the time being lest a greater evil ensue from our efforts to weed out the malefactors, such as tolerating legal abortion even if we disagree that this should be the case; (3) compromise, in which we in some way actively participate in actions or sinful social structures that have a clear morally evil component, such as purchasing goods made under exploitative labor conditions in foreign sweatshops; and (4) the lesser of two evils, such as counseling the use of clean needles among drug addicts. 

Baby Bulldogs

Registration is Now Open!

Baby Bulldogs is a weekly meeting for infants, toddlers and their caregivers.  There will be free play followed by music and movement.

Where: Saint Andrew Gymnasium

When: Thursdays from 9:00 am - 9:45 am

Dates: October 10th through December 19th (no class on November 28th)

Cost: $75.00 for one child, $125.00 for two or more children

Register here​​​​​​​

If you have any questions, please contact Anne Japsen at annejapsen@gosaintandrew.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

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