Dear Friends,
Why don't we pray about the war anymore?
There is a piece of paper on my desk with this question on it. There are many things on my desk! These months have been very busy, with much new learning, many new people (with new parish registrations week-by-week), and new ministries beginning. Now that Sr. Marlene is here as the new Administrative Assistant, the piles on my desk should be getting smaller. In any case, once she gets settled in, I should be able to keep up with telephone calls and E-mails a little better. For now, there are many things on my desk that need attention. This question is one of them.
The person who called with this question did not leave a number for a return call. It seems that the caller just wanted the question to be heard. I would like to take this opportunity to respond to the question and also to talk about some things related to it.
The truth is, we can be more intentional in our public prayer about remembering all of those who are affected by war. But it is also the truth that there has hardly been a small group meeting, communion service, or evening prayer session that I have been part of here where there has not been prayer about the war. These prayers take different forms. Sometimes, it is prayer for our soldiers in Iraq and for their families who suffer worry or loss. Other times, it is prayer for those who are often forgotten, like the innocent citizens of Iraq or the mothers and fathers of those who are fighting against American soldiers in Iraq. There is even one group in our parish, the Liturgy Committee, which is working on establishing a peace shrine for the first of the year, when we celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Peace.
I do not know what was on the mind of the person who called with the question that now sits on my desk. Why don't we pray about the war anymore? I want the person who asked the question to know that we do. And we can do more. I also want to thank the person who called with that question. Many times, people are reluctant to talk about anything which could seem even remotely related to politics in our country, especially during an election year. Some people seem to think that the separation of church and state means that religious people should not discuss politics. The Catholic Church teaches differently. While the Church as an institution and its leaders in their official capacities may not endorse particular candidates, and while we must respect the rights of all to vote in conscience for the candidates of their choice, the Church teaches that Catholics have a moral obligation to participate in the political process - to vote, to be involved in public decision making, and to seek the common good.
This is an election year and there are many things that should be of concern to us as Catholics when it comes time to vote. From various corners, there are people pushing for us to vote based on a single pro-life issue. In fact, the bishops of the United States ask us to take into consideration all of Catholic social teaching when we prepare to vote. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has produced a 9 minute video highlighting some of the points of their document called Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility. We will be showing this film after all Masses during a weekend in October. The bishops urge us to be concerned about protecting human life at all stages and in different circumstances. They also say that we should be concerned about pursuing social justice, promoting family life, and practicing global solidarity. This should not be a single-issue election. Rather, Catholics should take all of these things - and the common good - into consideration in their lives as faithful citizens of our country. This does not make voting easy because neither political party has a platform that is completely in line with Catholic social teaching. However, becoming better informed of Catholic social teaching can help us be better prepared to vote in conscience as Catholics.
With this in mind, besides showing the video at weekend Masses, we will be sharing information in the bulletin about Faithful Citizenship. There will also be follow-up event in October that will be facilitated by representatives of the Office for Peace and Justice for the Diocese of Joliet. At this two hour event, facilitators will share more in-depth about the bishops' call to us and they will give parishioners the opportunity to share their own thoughts and questions. The dates of both events - the sharing of the video at weekend Masses - and the follow-up program in Barrett Hall - will be announced in next weekend's bulletin.
This weekend, we recognize those who share in the role of teaching about the Catholic faith as catechists. Their role is indispensable to the life of the church. It is good that we can occasionally have the opportunity to hear from the bishops through a video presentation in church. But it is in the daily life of religious education in all its forms at the parish level that this teaching can have the most impact. I thank all of those who have devoted themselves to catechetical ministry in our parish. May God bless you and those whose lives will grow in faith and service through your ministry.
Mary Michele (Regina) Foley
Pastoral Life Coordinator