Real Hope
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Tuesday, November 04, 2008 6:34 AM
I imagine I’m not the only person who’s felt ready for this election to be over.
I’m convinced that exercising our civic responsibility in the political arena is one important part of doing our duty as Christians to love God and those around us. I’ve invested in this election, praying and making my decisions carefully. I care about the outcome of today.
Perhaps, however, I let myself get a little too caught up in the issues and the possibilities surrounding this election, because by this past weekend I was feeling stressed about the whole thing. Enough so that by the time Mass rolled around on Sunday morning, I was too distracted to concentrate well.
See, that’s a sign. When it gets to the point that something else feels more worthy of your attention than the King of Kings himself, it’s time to reassess.
Fortunately, on Sunday we celebrated the Feast of All Souls. Praying before Mass for the loved ones who’ve gone before me, I started to gain perspective.
And then our pastor gave an excellent homily about the communion of the parts of the Church - Militant (on earth), Suffering (in Purgatory), and Triumphant (in Heaven) - and about the importance of ordering our lives toward the eternal. Our pastor is a gifted homilist who paints pictures with his words, and his homily gave me even more perspective.
Hours later I was still contemplating his words, and mentally renewing my goal of living my life in a way that will help me spend as little time in Purgatory as possible. The election had gone out of my mind almost completely.
When I did think about the election again, it occurred to me to consider how I might someday feel about the topic from a place in Purgatory. This is what I realized:
I may someday look back and wish I’d spoken up more in defense of all life and worked harder to protect it.
I will not look back and wish that I had trusted more in the promises of the political system to save us from evil.
Only God can save us from evil, and ultimately, that battle is already won.
I still think it is important to utilize every tool we have to fight for truth and justice. We’re here on earth to work for God’s kingdom, and I believe we must do it in the political arena as well as everywhere else. But I will also strive to remember that the kingdom on earth is not, and can never take the place of, God’s kingdom. Even as I work here, my real hope must always be in Him.
I’m going to vote today. By God’s grace, I’ll be doing it with peace in my heart. A week ago I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.
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