Hope…in the Coming Election

 As women and men of the Word we have been reflecting on what Pope Francis has said about hope in our lives. What faces us in the coming weeks is no exception. The stakes are high, and at such times, Satan often struts around as an angel of light. Dominicans above all cannot allow themselves to be duped at a time like this.

 It seems the media is presenting us with the news that some priests are telling their people that Catholics will sin mortally if they vote for pro-choice candidates. Sadly, these misinformed clergy are using their influence to misguide, and have not read or heeded the directives of their own bishops. These directives are found on the USCCB website. If you don’t have time to read the entire Voter’s Guide, check out #7 and #35. The latter was drawn from a principle given by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (formerly Pope Benedict XVI) which is important enough to quote in full:

A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons (emphasis added), it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.

(Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 2004.)

 ‘Proportionate reasons’ means evaluating the overall possibilities for good or evil ensuing from such a vote. We need to pray for these priests, and if possible direct them to the Guidelines of their bishops so they cease using their influence to cause scandal and misguide the consciences of others.

 

 

 

Whistling in the Dark

We’re into the seventh month with no end in sight. It’s hard to believe we’ve been living with this virus for six months. But those are the facts. We wonder when it’s going to end. Liturgically we are at that mid-point between the events of the Great Paschal Mystery and Advent. It’s the time of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, and right alongside, several feasts of Mary, the Mother of God: her Birthday on September 8; her name’s day on the 12th, her sorrows on the 15thand that ancient feast of Our Lady of Ransom on the 24th. 

What is this Great Mother we call the Church thinking? First of all, who on earth wants to exalt the cross, that instrument of torture? And then, what does this humble woman have to do with the cross? I think a lot. Mary is always ourselves –fast forwarded. Yes, she is what we shall be after struggling through the agony and darkness of faith. She is us...come to fullness after hanging on for dear life by our fingernails. She stands there...Star of the Sea, and calls to us to get out of the boat and walk on water. 

Water in scripture is pure chaos. Many of us are doing just that. Our faith upholds us and we keep walking.Not only are we walking,we are whistling in the dark. No matter how dark it gets, we have an assurance. We have Someone walking with us...holding us, in fact...and carrying us at times. That faith enables us to walk on water...the chaos of Covid-19. It is, for now, the cross that has us hanging. But while we wait, there is that assurance. So,there is that little secret smile. So,we whistle in the dark.

 Are you there?

 Do you have hold of us never to let go? 

 Sometimes it gets so dark we think the Son is never going to come up. 

But faith tells us otherwise. 

You ran to the cross. 

You said you had to ‘enter into your glory.’ 

Was it because the cross revealed your immense love?

 Was it because you knew the cross would tell us all was made right?

 Was it because you wanted us to know you would be there, when it is dark? 

So through our tears there is that knowing smile... 

You are our assurance.

Hope has a Content

 

Sometimes what surrounds us in the News gets so heavy we are seriously tempted to despair of things ever getting any better. We all know this space. Yet Pope Francis stands there with us, but calls us to look elsewhere. All of us live in this present world, and it is broken, wounded, corrupted, abused, and blind. Not a happy picture. This is real. But something else is real too. The more permanent reality is the content of our hope.

We are talking about real stuff here, not just pie-in-the-sky. By stuff I mean tangible realities all around us that give substance to our hope. Deepest of all are the promises of our God, that life comes out of death, and that there will be a new creation. God does not lie. Yet we say, we must wait for the future for these to be fulfilled, right? Right maybe that they be fulfilled in their fullness, but in the meantime, we simply need to open our eyes. What are the signs of the content of our hope already at work right now?

Let’s start with ourselves. We are a bundle of possibilities. Every morning we have a new 24 hours before us. We will create, as we put our feet on the floor, what will actually fill those next 24 hours. Contacts, calls, choices, reflections, quiet, grief, joy, surprises, actions…like a canvas, the day awaits our artistry. With God’s assurances humming in our hearts, we will turn possibilities to actualities. This is going on all around the world among all peoples. What can we do today to create better government? Better health care for everyone? Eradicate homelessness? Protect the environment? How can we comfort the grieving? Speak a good word? Watch the flowers bloom…they silently speak of hope’s content here and now. Watch the sunrise…it announces another day for caring, loving, helping. The Mystery deep within us is singing of hope. In stillness we can hear it. In living it we can make it visible…right now, today.