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O Lord,
Do not let us turn into "broken cisterns"
That can hold no water…
Do not let us be so blinded by the enjoyment
of the good things of the earth
That our hearts become insensible to the cry
of the poor,
of the sick or orphaned children,
and of those innumerable brothers and
sisters of ours
who lack the necessary minimum to eat,
to clothe their nakedness,
and to gather their family together under
one roof.
-Pope John XXIII
Any serious reading of Sacred Scripture points to poverty as a religious issue. I believe that Jesus and the prophets of the Old Testament are concerned how we treat "the least of our sisters and brothers." The Bible also calls us to care for all of God's creation. We must be good stewards of the earth, air, water, and all the creatures of our world. The eighth commandment calls us to be honest, not to lie. Every elected official in our country, from the top down, must be honest with all the citizens about reasons for war, tax cuts, or any policy. As citizens, we answer first to God, to our faith community, and then to our country. No elected official can replace God, the Gospel of Jesus, our baptismal calling, and the role of the Christian community in our lives. Each one of us must be faithful to our conscience that is formed by the Gospel, our Christian values, family, and education.
As you know, I am against all war, especially this war in Iraq. This war is a theological matter. It is the near unanimous opinion of religious leaders worldwide, including Pope John Paul II and the American Catholic bishops, that the Iraq war failed to fit "just war" criteria. Is the Holy Father wrong about war but right about other issues? Are the religious leaders around the world wrong when it comes to this war? The "plagues of war," as John Paul II has referred to the continuing problems in Iraq, are, in part, a consequence of this Judeo-Christian country and its elected officials not listening to the counsel of religious leaders from around the world. The wisdom of religious leaders has been unheeded by our government in the U.S.A. WE, Roman Catholics, believe in a "consistent ethic of life." We are against abortion, capital punishment, poverty, war, and human rights abuses. Pro-life Catholics cannot stop at abortion… but do we?
As Catholic Christians living in the U.S.A, all of us, both the right and the left, must be challenged by the Gospel of Jesus and the prophets. In politics, this country is best served when the "prophetic voice" of religion is heard. Without the voices of the prophets, where would the civil rights movement and women's suffrage be now? If we are truthful, most of the important movements for social change in the U.S.A. have been fueled by religion--
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