By Judie Brown
This past Tuesday’s election results were not a blessing to the Republican party. In fact, if one observes the variety of comments being made about it, the truth is that partisan politics in America has become an egoistic contest having more to do with sound bites than the substantive questions confronting our nation on matters of life and justice.
Yet there is a valuable lesson to be learned, at least for those of us who fight for human rights at every stage of life and for the preborn to be recognized as a human person. Slowly but surely Americans have lost their will to defend their most vulnerable brothers and sisters. They have turned a blind eye to the needs of expectant mothers and their children, stepped away from affirming their elderly family members, and have chosen to do these things regardless of who is or is not elected.
You see, Christ is waiting for total surrender to Him as the path to healthy families, stable families, and most of all holy families. Politics has nothing to do with it.
But somehow in the wake of talking heads, blathering voices, and alluring enticements, too many people have stopped seeing who truly loves each and every one of us.
When we choose to walk with Christ in the world, events like this past election come into clearer focus. As one writer explains, “St. Peter commends that we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). St. Paul prays that the Lord may make us increase and abound in love for one another and for all people (1 Thessalonians 3:12). The Lord Jesus invites us to follow Him, and gives us His example of obedience (John 15:10), sacrificial love (John 15:12-13), and patient suffering (1 Peter 2:19-23). We are lucky to also have the example of the apostles who patterned after Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).”
In this era when so many obfuscate all things Christlike, we are called to remain steadfast. Politics and its issues come and go, but Christ abides with His hand outstretched to be with us, to guide us, and to show us the way to the eternal truths that no opinion poll, election, or politician can ever change.
Therein resides the response we offer to those who practice the politics of denial by rejecting the preborn, not to mention every member of society without exception and most certainly without compromise.
For example, Planned Parenthood tells its followers that “there are no ‘reasonable compromises’ on someone’s reproductive freedom.” This is based on a business model that is built on aborting children, chemically assaulting the wombs of women, and affirming gender changes that benefit its bottom line.
We respond to this with Christ, in Christ, and through His teachings. Thus, we are inspired by the recent words of two Catholic bishops, Robert Barron and Daniel Thomas, who said, “We encourage greater support for authentic, life-affirming health care providers that serve mothers and their children in need. We urge all members of Congress and the administration to work in good faith to protect vulnerable women and children from mutilating ‘gender transition’ services and the scourge of abortion.”
Rather than addressing ancillary problems, we pray that our politicians will pay closer attention to the integrity of the message these Catholics bishops speak. Their words ring out a truth that far too many choose to ignore. Now is the time for genuine honesty that will bury the politics of denial in the dustbin of malicious regimes that have gone before us in history.
Nothing less will do!