Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship A Call to Political Responsibility

I.Current Realities & Signs of the Times

Current Realities  We are founded on guarantees of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”  …but the right to life is not fully protected.

Current Realities  We are called to be peacemakers…  …but we are a nation at war.

Current Realities  We name as our national ideals, “liberty and justice for all…”  …but we are too often divided against lines of: Race, Ethnicity, and Economic Inequality.

Current Realities  We are a nation of immigrants…”  …but we have let fear restrict our welcome.

Current Realities  We are an affluent society…  …but the poor are becoming poorer and lack access to basic health care, quality education and good jobs.

Signs of the times 2008  A Post 9/11 World & Terrorism  Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…  Subprime Mortgage Crisis  Record high gas prices  Wall Street Failures – Bear Sterns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers  Record budget deficit  Growing gap between rich and poor  Rising Unemployment

I.The Church’s Role in Public Life

What is the Church’s role in public life?  Public issues have moral dimensions.  Our moral convictions need to be brought to public life.

What is the Church’s role in public life?  Catholic social teaching needs to be applied in the public square.  We are called to be a community of conscience within society.  We need to witness to the fact that religious values have significant public consequences.

The Bishops say…  “We do not tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote.”  “Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth.”

III. The Role of Conscience

A Well-formed Conscience  “Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he or she is going to perform.” – CCC#1178

A Well-formed Conscience  A well formed conscience includes:  A desire to embrace goodness and truth  A willingness to seek God’s will  An openness to God’s revealed word in scripture  Prayerful reflection and discernment

IV. Faithful Citizenship

What is our focus as Faithful Citizens? “The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on…  the dignity of every human being  The pursuit of the common good  The protection of the weak and vulnerable.”

 “We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity to meaningfully participate more fully in building the culture of life.”

We are…  Called to be political, not partisan  Called to be principled, not ideological  Called to be engaged, not manipulated

Why be a Faithful Citizen?  “Our nation’s tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions and concerns into public life.”

VI. Catholic Social Teaching & the Issues

In the Catholic Tradition…  Responsible citizenship is a virtue.  Participation is a moral obligation.  We are called to exercise moral judgment.  Citizenship is a form of public discipleship.

Key Issues  Terrorism  Jobs  Life Issues  Education  Immigration  Health care  Environment  Economy  Taxes  The Deficit  Affordable Housing  War in Iraq  Trade  Global Security

Skills needed:  Willingness to put some time and effort into educating ourselves on the issues.  Think of this as an investment in the formation of conscience.  Critical analysis  Discernment  Engagement

Principles to guide analysis and reflection  Option for the Poor  Solidarity  Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers  Common Good  Stewardship, care for earth  Respect for Life  Human dignity  Participation  Subsidiarity

On election day, it will take at least 270 of the possible 538 electoral votes for John McCain or Barack Obama to win the Presidency. Use this map to predict possible state combinations each candidate needs to win the election. Electoral College

VII. Prayer

Let us pray,  Give us, O God, leaders whose hearts are large enough to match the ideals and vision of this great nation.  Help us to attain a government that provides for the well-being of all people without creating greater distance between rich and poor – have and have not.

Prayer  Grant us the willingness to form our consciences well and take seriously our work in discerning the choices before us.  Grant us wisdom and insight to choose a new president who will bring integrity, justice, cooperation, and vision; who will lead with strength and build bridges to peace.

The Candidates - online  Barack Obama  John McCain

Web Sites as Resources  USCCB - Faithful Citizenship Website:   Education for Justice-Center of Concern   Network:   FactCheck 

The End.