Archbishop Chaput recently drew both praise and criticism when he asserted that we are Catholics before we are Americans. In an interview with the Catholic News Service he said:
We’re Catholics before we’re Democrats. We’re Catholics before we’re Republicans. We’re even Catholics before we’re Americans because we know that God has a demand on us prior to any government demand on us. And this has been the story of the martyrs through the centuries.
Many of those who were angered by his remarks considered them unpatriotic, yet Archbishop Chaput was really rephrasing the words of Christ himself. We are to be in the world but not of the world. Our hearts, our minds, our souls are focused not on this life, but the next.
That does not mean we ignore our earthly state for God has called each of us to a role in sanctifying this world. In all things, we must seek holiness and what is pleasing to God. We may be in this world as Americans, but our ultimate goal is not the success of a particular political party or even the material success of America.
The prize we seek is Heaven. Our earthly road includes building an American society that that is in concert with the principles of God’s natural law. We work within the American system to shape such a culture as part of the Kingdom of God.
Green Bay Bishop David Ricken offered a more pointed assessment. Actions that we do here on earth matter. If we support those things that are contrary to God’s law, we put the fate of our eternal soul in danger. Speaking specifically about abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and homosexual “marriage” he said,
“Some candidates and one party have even chosen some of these as their party’s or their personal political platform. To vote for someone in favor of these positions means that you could be morally ‘complicit’ with these choices which are intrinsically evil. This could put your own soul in jeopardy.”
Christ declared that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. He offered no such assurances for the United States of America. Our salvation rests solely with Christ through his Church.
So does the upcoming election really matter? If this election and even the nation itself are of no eternal consequence, why all the fuss? Remember that Christ did not tell his disciples to just bide their time until His Second Coming.
Instead, He said, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
That means that we cannot be complacent observers as fellow Americans unwittingly climb into a hand basket for a steep downhill ride. We have to speak out. We must work tirelessly to make them disciples. How can they choose God’s law if no one has offered them a compelling argument for the Gospel?
Our words, and even more importantly our lives, must be that compelling argument. This is what Pope Benedict XVI calls the New Evangelization. In extemporaneous remarks before the most recent Synod of Bishops, he characterized the two pillars of the Year of Faith as the confessio and caritas. The confessio is our confession of faith, what we believe. We must know the teachings of the Catholic Church. More importantly we must live these teachings. Every aspect of our lives must reflect our Catholic principles. Our Catholic identity must permeate our homes, our workplaces, and our communities.
Caritas is charity or love. Christ commanded us to make disciples of all the nations but this is not done through condemnation and threats. Rather, our lives should radiate the love that is the natural fruit of the faith we confess.
The defense of human life from conception to natural death is an outpouring of love for every life made in the image of God. The refusal to condone homosexual activity is an authentically charitable response. There is nothing loving about enabling others to separate themselves from God through sin.
So when we stand firm in our Catholic principles we must make clear that we do so out of love. As St. Josemaria Escriva said, “A disciple of Christ will never treat anyone badly. Error he will call error, but the person in error he will correct with kindliness. Otherwise he will not be able to help him, to sanctify him.” Demonizing or demeaning those who reject our invitation to discipleship is inconsistent with Caritas.
Between now and Election Day, the Great Commission demands that we speak the truth boldly and clearly. Both on our knees in prayer and on our feet in the public square we will seek the Kingdom of God and work for an American society that is rooted in holiness and virtue.
Even if politicians and political parties that oppose our Catholic principles prevail in the elections, there will be no change in our responsibility to make disciples of all nations. Our task undoubtedly will be fraught with obstacles and will unquestionably be more challenging.
Evangelization will require a greater personal sacrifice. But the results of the elections on November 6th do not change our mission on November 7th. They only change how we accomplish that mission. We are not aiming for political success, but for eternal life.
Dr. Denise Jackson Hunnell is a Fellow of Human Life International. She graduated from Rice University with a BA in biochemistry and psychology. She earned her medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She went on to complete a residency in family medicine at Marquette General Hospital, Marquette, Michigan.
Upon completion of her training, Dr. Hunnell served as a family physician in the United States Air Force. She was honorably discharged. She continued to practice medicine all over the country as her husband’s Air Force career kept them on the move. In order to better care for her family, Dr. Hunnell retired from active clinical practice and focused her professional efforts on writing and teaching. She has contributed work to local and national Catholic publications as well as to secular newspapers including the Washington Post and the Washington Times. She also teaches anatomy and physiology at Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge Campus. Her affiliations include the American Academy of Family Physicians, The Catholic Medical Association, The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She received her certification in health care ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in 2009.
Dr. Hunnell has been married for nearly thirty years to Colonel John F. Hunnell, an Air Force test pilot. They have four children and are blessed with one grandchild so far.
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