Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Continued from last week…

When Catholics came to the United States, they were a minority community, often looked upon as foreign and undesirable. Political parties were a way to become more American and find protection from the rampant anti-Catholicism prevalent in the public sphere (a spirit that has never disappeared from the American political landscape, only sometimes dipped below the surface). While this may have assisted in assimilating to American culture, the cost for many Catholics has been a prioritization of party over faith. Unfortunately, we often see Catholics trying to express or justify a way that the political party agendas fit within Catholic social teaching or fundamental principles. Increasingly, candidates and platform policy items from both parties are presented to us that stand for things contrary to Catholic belief – what is problematic is that so many Catholic politicians simply embrace the platform or candidate rather than engaging it and influencing it from a place of faith. This is one manifestation of the idolatry of party and platform to which I alluded last week.

This can also manifest in a subtle yet pervasive belief that the state must take the lead on all social issues and charitable work, or that a particular government, party, or candidate is the solution to those issues. The book of Exodus, handing down divine law in the first reading today, shows us that the responsibility for social order lies with the individual first. “You shall not oppress the alien” “You shall not wrong the orphan or widow,” “You shall not extort the poor.” In the Gospel, Jesus powerfully and beautifully summarizes the whole law and the prophets, calling us to love of God and love of neighbor. If we fall into the trap of believing that a party or government will fix the social ills we see – will take care of the poor, the migrant, the oppressed, the hungry – we risk also believing that we are absolved of any personal responsibility. But the whole law and the prophets, summarized in a simple phrase, binds each of us in faith to love of God and love of neighbor. I can never be excused from this responsibility. If it is true that I cannot be excused from the responsibility for personal action, I must examine the ways in which I can take action. The first, and most obvious, is to serve the person next to me, in front of me, or wherever I meet them. The second, similarly clear, opportunity is to give of my time, talent, or treasure in support of those who can more directly work for the good of the alien, the poor, the orphan, the widow. A third way, one which is heavy on many minds and hearts at this time, is by participation in public or civic life; by exercising the right to vote. How then, ought a Catholic seeking to live out their faith in the public square, approach voting?

We read in the Gospel last week that we are to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s. To illustrate this, Jesus took the coin used to pay the tax, asking whose image was stamped on the coin. To his listeners, the word “image” had instant resonance. For an image stamped on a coin pointed to a man, but for observant, believing, faithful Israelites, “image” refers to the image and likeness of God, that is, to the way in which humanity is created. What belongs to God, then, is that which is stamped with His image and likeness – every human person. While the follower of Jesus will operate in the world, their highest duty is to give to God what belongs to God, to protect what belongs to God. Whoever Caesar might be, whatever form Caesar might take, the Christian in the world bears the responsibility for that which bears the image of God: human life.

Every human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Pope Francis has said that the right to life is fundamental to all other rights, while the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” make clear that issues related to human life are of preeminent importance. Catholics must know and understand the fundamental dignity of the human person as the foundation for all interaction in public, civic, and political life. Recognizing the dignity of the person will allow us to embrace civility in dialogue, and exercise genuine empathy and concern for those most in need. Some of the issues related to human life fall into the category of intrinsic evils, that is, things that are evil in themselves, by their very nature. Others, are things that should be regarded as incompatible with the Gospel, even if they are not always and in every situation evil per se. Other human life issues relate to justice and prudential decisions. There may be disagreements over prudential judgments, there may be some grappling with how best to handle things that are incompatible with the Gospel, but there can never be tolerance of or allowance made for things that are intrinsically evil.

The Catholic faith cannot tell us for whom to vote, only how to form our consciences correctly so as to make the best choices possible. I encourage you to take time to read “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” which is available on the USCCB website (www.usccb.org) in a free PDF format. We do well to remember here that abortion is an intrinsic evil, and thus it should not be permitted in law.  The death penalty, while not intrinsically evil, is, as Pope Francis teaches, inadmissible, and should, in general, not be applied as it is contrary to living the Gospel. There were 22 executions in 7 states in 2019, compared to over 800,000 abortions in the US in the same time period. The Church is clear that immigrants do not lose their human rights simply because they have migrated, though how to handle immigration law is a matter of prudential judgement. Nevertheless, every country, every person, has a duty to help human beings in need, and so immigration law must reflect care for the dignity and rights of migrants. Racism can never be tolerated, because unjust discrimination denies a person their human dignity, and Catholics are called to uphold and defend the dignity of every human life. There are far more issues than I have space available to write about. Remember, the Church’s teaching on this is not based on political ideals, but on the divine moral law. When an issue of intrinsic evil is on the table, a Catholic can never support that which is intrinsically evil; for example, a Catholic should never vote for a candidate because of their support for abortion. If other issues, factored together, can be considered weighty enough in proportion to the (intrinsically evil) issue, the possibility of voting for a candidate in spite of their stance that issue can be discussed and discerned. An informed conscience, taught by our faith in Jesus and His Gospel, shaped by the teachings of the Church, can then lead us into prayer for guidance before casting our votes.

If we Catholics come to know and understand the consequences of our faith more perfectly, we can be the salt and light that Jesus calls His disciples to be in the world. At no time does our Lord suggest that living as Christians will be easy – often, living our faith, will place us in contrast with prevailing currents of socio-political life, and there will, we are assured, be challenges, persecutions, and troubles. Rather than giving in to the pressures of society, we know that our faith has something to offer to our society. Our voice and our vote, influenced by the gift of our faith, can be used for the good of our society. May our faith move us beyond voting, and toward greater support for those organizations and persons who are working for truth and justice, and even more, may our faith move us to concretely put our faith into action in our own service and personal efforts on behalf of a world in need.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The call of the Lord in this Sunday’s Gospel, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s,” always has special resonance for me, as it is a call to sincere conversion away from earthly things and the idolatry of worldly concerns to a more perfect following after Christ. This conversion is always needed, and rarely easy. We are all susceptible to worldly idolatry, and especially to the temptation to put our hope in civic, state, or federal leaders rather than in God. This, in fact, is an important consideration in interpreting our Lord’s words. In the Roman Empire, Caesar was not only a ruler, but was also revered as a god. Thus, governing authority and divine authority were, for the Roman Empire, considered virtually as one. The Jewish people, on the other hand, knew and understood that God was the head of their nation and people. They remembered well the warning given when Saul was anointed king and the danger of putting their trust in earthly princes. For Israel, the king was God’s servant, first and foremost, and only insofar as he served God did he merit his crown. While the king was to be honored, the king could never take the place of God in the heart of a faithful Israelite. In an election year and at the height of the campaign season, this seems to be an even more timely Gospel passage on which to meditate.

For ancient Israel, God’s primacy was never in doubt, even when Israel had been overrun by a foreign power. With the ascendancy of Rome, Israel falls under the influence of a pagan, Gentile power. And so it is that we come to the question posed to our Lord: is it lawful to pay taxes which are given in to the Emperor who views himself as a god? Isn’t that idolatry? With the famous “render unto Caesar,” Jesus expresses a pithy approach to public life and citizenship to be adopted by His followers. In the second century, a letter to Diognetus, a non-Christian cultural leader, expressed the application of “render unto Caesar” and the Christian approach to public life. It reads in part:

          “Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

          And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.

          Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

          To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen.”

Jesus does not separate citizenship from discipleship. “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” reminds us that the two are not the same. Political action and agendas belong in the earthly sphere and are not divine. What is God’s takes priority. In the first reading this Sunday, the Prophet Isaiah speaks to Cyrus, king of Persia, who famously set Israel free from captivity in Babylon. Through the prophet, God reminds Cyrus that whatever power he has, whether he knows it or not, is subject to God’s divine plan and providence. No earthly power can measure up to the divine: “I am the Lord and there is no other.” Yet the king has a role, and to render unto Caesar is part of the Christian’s responsibility in the world. That responsibility, of course, is not equal to the Christian responsibility to be salt and light, to be leaven, to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. A tax paid to Caesar is simply an acknowledgment of earthly authority, not divine. Our Lord shows us that we can be citizens of the world, while at the same time keeping our eyes fixed on our citizenship in Heaven.

Space constraints prevent me from finishing this column this week. For now, we do well to examine our consciences. Is my political party or are my political concerns such that I think about them more than I think about God? Do I talk about (or post about, for the social-media-savvy among us) my politics more than I talk (or post) about my faith in Jesus Christ? Have I embrace policy ideas that I know are in direct contradiction to the moral law, to the Commandments, to the Gospel, to the teaching of the Church? Next week, I will continue this discussion.

To be continued…

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

An occasional experience, though not very common in my life but more common for me in my years as a pastor than ever before, is receiving an interview request. Each time one comes, I confess that I get excited. Only people writing for our Diocesan newspaper ever want to interview me – I’m not that interesting – but that does not make the request less entertaining for me. And so it was that I was asked to give an interview to the Fairfield County Catholic this week. The subject matter, frankly, surprised me. I was asked to speak about the Annual Catholic Appeal and our success at St. Pius. I thought, “Why have an interview? Here’s the whole story: the people at St. Pius are incredibly generous and they responded to the ACA with the generosity with which they respond to everything. The end.”But no, an interview was necessary. At the risk of sounding lazy, I realized that I would have to say that I had done nothing. The simple fact is that in a quarantined world, paying attention to the ACA was my least concern, and I gave almost no time at all to promoting it, talking about it, or thinking about it. As you know, the Annual Catholic Appeal helps the Church in Fairfield County put our faith into action in charitable service and pastoral ministry. The ACA helps feed the hungry, provide counseling to people in need, funds the education of our seminarians, supports Catholic education, and provides resources for people throughout the area who find themselves in want. It is always a worthy effort, but one which, this year, I said very little about. My relative silence did not dissuade you, though! In the form of 326 gifts, our parish raised $238,166, which is 111% of our total fundraising goal. I did nothing; you did everything. This is an incredibly generous parish. The end.

All that is a long preamble to say thank you. Thank you for your generosity to so many different efforts and needs, for your kind concern for our parish, our diocese, and our community. Whether the weekly offertory (increased online giving and your constant fidelity has helped us navigate uncertain financial times in the pandemic with real strength!), our ongoing food drive for area shelters and pantries (your regular gifts of food and supplies have been a beautiful gesture of support from our parish to those most in need!), the Christmas Giving Tree and Box of Joy efforts (we will impact many lives this Christmas because of you!), or the Annual Catholic Appeal, you respond with generosity to every need as it comes. Thank you! While I praise your generosity, I hope you will forgive me a moment’s selfishness. Financial matters are not my forte, and parish finances, especially in relation to the Diocese, are more stressful for me than they should be or might be for other pastors. Selfishly, because you have given so generously to the ACA, I have one less stressful thing on my plate. So thank you also for relieving me of worry!

To end on a more positive (and less selfish) note: the gift of your stewardship in time, talent, and treasure is much more than numbers. It is an inspiration. When I see your generosity, I am inspired in turn to generosity. You remind me of why I am a priest, why I am a pastor, and of all the reasons I have to be grateful to God. Your generosity challenges me, in the best possible way, to be a better servant to this community. Thank you for providing me with that inspiration. Thank you also for the many gestures and words of support in this last month. To be the beneficiary of such support is a tremendous gift and I can never adequately express what a beautiful thing it is to receive such goodness. There are many reasons why I am not often asked to give interviews. Fortunately, this week’s interview really had nothing to do with me and everything to do with you. And you are easy to brag about, easy to hold up as an example, easy to recognize as a true model of parish life!

Peace,

Fr. Sam