As the election season looms closer, we at Wisdom’s Dwelling are taking the opportunity to give space to the challenges that always arise at this time. In the coming weeks, you will see postings that give resources and offerings of good will and conversation. Use these posts as an opportunity for you to dialogue with yourself, God, and others as we enter officially into the 2024 election.
We will start our series off by discussing Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - a teaching document on political responsibility, created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The document recognizes the important role that our faith plays in selecting a political candidate. It reminds us to review, side-by-side, the teachings of the Catholic Church and the political candidates and their platforms, to choose the candidate and platform that most aligns with our Catholic beliefs. It makes it clear that it is each and every citizen’s responsibility to properly form their conscience in this way before voting.
The document is written in three parts - The Bishops’ reflection on Teachings and Political Life, Applying Catholic Social Teaching to Major Issues, and Goals for Political Life. It offers connections to church teachings and opportunities to think and process. Of utmost importance, the document and, equivocally, the Bishops of the United States do not tell any citizen which party to align with nor do they promote a particular candidate. As faithful citizens who have been properly formed by the Church thus far and through this document, that burden lies with us alone.
As you prepare to vote this season, whether or not you have read the document in the past, I would invite you to read it now. We have an opportunity as a nation and as a Church to form our consciences and shouldn’t we take it?
Before I close, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the Introductory Note that was added in 2023. The Note quotes Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical, Scripture, and the Catechism to remind us to work against polarization by continuing to remind ourselves of our purpose to promote good and oppose evil, especially in thinking of the marginalized. It encourages genuine dialogue. It reminds us that it is our responsibility, as both people of the faith and people of the world, to vote. To vote for a candidate that can help us in promoting good and opposing evil. We must turn out in November. But to do that, we must take the time to sit with this document and listen to the way our Creator is moving our hearts. Read and Pray. Then, read and pray some more. And then, probably more. Just keep reading and praying from now through November. And let us allow the voice of the One Who Loves to be heard in our vote.
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