TO VOTE, OR NOT TO VOTE == THAT IS NOT THE QUESTION

Note:
Every week at ParishWorld.net we have a Burning Question for all of you readers. We do go to some lengths to make these questions relevant to the meaning of what it is to be a real disciple of Jesus Christ. This week, we were the ones who got the Burning Question, not in the public forum, but in the form of a personal e-mail to the publisher. We therefore offer you, the readers of ParishWorld.net, the considered opinion of our publisher on the topic, "To Vote or NOT to Vote."

Some of you may remember that some months ago during the primary season there were a lot of comments about whether or not Catholics could vote for a "pro-choice" candidate. Do you remember that discussion? There was even some space dedicated to it here. The topic comes up again, briefly in the following exchange, but it doesn't swallow the discussion.

As the theology editor for this publication I am comfortable with the ideas thrown before you in this presentation by the publisher. If it means anything to the publisher's friend, I have to say that I am in accord with the spiritual position of Mr. Arida on this topic.

All of you, Edgar included, must feel free to make your comments about this question. We ask you to keep them objective and to make them polite.

So, let's follow this opinion about voting that was stated in response to a position that was, in paraphrase, I can't find a candidate who holds my moral views, so I am not going to vote. Were I to vote, should I vote against candidates instead of abstaining?

My Election Advice to a Friend - round 1

Folks,

I would like to share with you an email I sent in response to a question by a friend.

Wally Arida

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Edgar,

Not voting is always a choice you can make over making the wrong vote. So a revenge-vote for or against any candidate is never a good thing. If you can't make up your mind, sit this one out.
That being said, let me point out that elections are not all about politics and economics. It's also about what you believe your heart tells you about our God. For once, consider making this election about your Christian faith and which candidate you feel can best exemplify what we as Catholics really stand for. For once, look at this election from the point of view of our faith. Life is not the only God issue during these elections but it is the key issue – respect of Life from conception to death. Ask yourself which candidate will best bring forward the Kingdom of God in our United States for the next four years. This will change the way you will look upon this election. For in the end, what is good for the Lord is good for His people.

As you ponder this, don't ask yourself what Jesus would do. Ask yourself, what Jesus would want you to do. Try to come to grips with yourself with this with your conscience as your guide and see how this whole election process can take on a whole new perspective. I encourage you to cast your vote. For once, let's put our trust in the Lord regarding this one.

I hope this helps.

Keep the Faith. Peace.

WALLY ARIDA
Publisher & Editor in chief
www.ParishWorld.net

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Editor's Comment
It is evident here that the one driving issue was abortion. Respect for life. OK, as the theology editor, I buy the concept that this is a fundamental Catholic moral issue. After all, God spared Cain's life didn't He? But there is more to it than that. In the United States we think nothing of having a capital punishment law in our culture. We think nothing of holding people captive even without any definitive proof that they have committed a crime. We think nothing of sending work off-shore so that we can get the results at a lower price at the cost of the welfare of our very own community. We think nothing of permitting automotive companies to enslave us to an oil-based fleet of vehicles rather than to force them to apply technologies that have been available for years to spare us from the monopoly of oil. We think nothing of a government that passes laws and then does not expend any effort in the enforcement of them. Talk about "Cafeteria Catholics"...we are in a country supposedly founded on the "rule of law" yet we vote people into office who scoff at the very concept. We think nothing of having the prescription drug companies lobby our legislators into enacting laws that are detrimental to our ever being able to institute a universal health care system. Yes, we are a "Cafeteria law enforcement country".

For those of you who think that this is new. Please consider this:
The prophet Amos who preached 800 years before the coming of Jesus decried the government's treatment of prisoners. What was happening? The prisoners were being released
into slavery to third person countries (The common allies of the Israelites against the enemy defeated by the Israelites.) Is there a relationship there between us and the the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay? How about the prophet Jeremiah who raled at the practice of Child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom at the foot of Mount Moriah, the high point of Jerusalem? There is never a single issue election. There are many more examples in the Bible, but I won't take up the publisher's space! We Catholics have to vote according to our conscience, formed as it is by the revelation of the Lord Our God given to us through the pronouncements of Sacred Scripture and of our Holy Mother the Church.

Now, let us look at round 2

From Edgar,

Wally,
If you base your vote on what your conscience tells you, works only in theory, try to listen to a democrat or a republican candidate will flip flop, depends on the polls, for example, abortion. Democrats tend to favor abortion, but on the other hand consider also the carnage created by war, and the lies that railroad us to what we have now, a job well done..morally, what will you consider less evil? It just boils down to; we need more oil to fuel our SUV's and blame the whole world for everything that ails us..

Edgar:

Our faith and belief in God and what is right is not - as you put it – theoretical. It is a way of life, a choice we make. Our Christian lives and the way we live them are never perfect, they never were, they never will be. No one among us is perfect. But we try – all of us do – and we try hard. Because in the end we are judged – and this, my friend, is not theoretical - on how we live our lives according to His will. Have faith, Edgar. God will make all things right in the end. He always does. All He asks is we put our trust in His will.

Think this election over clearly and consciously. Look into your heart and really talk to Jesus. Ask him what he wants you to do. (Remember it’s not what Jesus would do but what you think Jesus would want YOU to do.) Put your Catholic faith to heart and believe that His will is the right thing for all of us.

This conversation will be between Him and you; no one else will be involved. Our whole life boils down to love for God and love for others. It boils down to love and respect for Life as God gave it. Your relationship with Jesus has always been between Him and you. And this election is no different. God’s plan for mankind and the salvation of the world was never a theoretical hypothesis. He gave all of us – you and I included – the free choice to do His will. Or we can choose not to. It is our individual choice.

Please don’t think of this as a guilt trip, Edgar. No one will know how you voted or who you voted for or for what reasons. It’s between you and Him. All I’m offering you is a different way of looking at this coming election. When the choices and issues are muddled, it’s always a good think to go back to the constant – God and his infinite love for each person, His infinite love for Life. How you discuss that with Him is between Him and you. It’s what praying is all about.

Re-think the issues from this new perspective. It could give you the answer you’re looking for. Who knows? You just might discover answers that will go way beyond this simple matter of elections at hand.

Kindest regards, my friend. God bless you and your family

Keep the Faith. Peace.

WALLY ARIDA
Publisher & Editor in chief
www.ParishWorld.net
"OUR CATHOLIC FAITH -
Learn it. Live it. Share it."

That is the opinion of our publisher. We leave it to you to think about it. Upon leaving you, we remind you of this: if you vote your conscience, you will be able to defend yourself at the "city gates" (a book of psalms expression). If you play games with your conscience, you will always be wondering where the Truth can be found. So go out and vote and be forever at peace with your own seriously considered decision.

That is my final say about this. All that I can say now is, if you vote, and vote your conscience with strong, none negotiable conviction, this will comfort you to the point where you will not have the least little inclination to cry at my funeral.

DIES IRAE...O MORS... NOT!!

The smiling widow shown here welcoming the earthly remains of her husband in the narthex of the church before the beginning of the liturgy is none other than the long time wife of Bob Brancamp whose story is the post preceding this one. This was not a "Dies Irae" (day of wrath) funeral. This was not an "O mors inevitabilis, mors amara, mors crudelis" (O inevitable death, bitter death, cruel death) kind of funeral. This was a spiritual event at the highest plane. I did not have to ask the widow to smile, she was already smiling. She is sure that her beloved is looking down upon her. She is sure that God has assigned her to his care. She, and the community of faithful participating in the rite of committing the soul of the beloved deceased to God, just know that Bob is in heaven. We just know that Bob has been born into the presence of God. Just as a person is escorted into the community ocupying the nave for rebirth by Baptism, so was Bob escorted into the church to celebrate his birth into heaven.
The entire environment told the same story. From the white drape enveloping the casket, the white suit worn by Elvira, the saintly widow, white vestments on the eight priests who concelebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the signing of "Allelluia" and the lilting tones of the carefully chosen music, all was hope and thanksgiving. The sharing of the peace was a true blessing of one to the other and all eight of the priests made their way to Elvira's pew to hug her and bless her and the rest of her family. We went to the communion stations to partake of the sacrificed body of Christ, knowing that He was also carrying Bob with Him.

After the Mass and the final blessing of the remains, we heard the eulogy of Elvira, delivered by a beloved chosen emmissary. It is reproduced here, with Elvira's permission.

"Bob is a wonderful husband. In our 35 years and 8 months of marriage, he probably got angry only three or four times. He is a very patient person. He is always there for me whenever I need something. During our married life together he was very caring, especially when I had to go into four types of surgery. We did not have all the luxuries in life, but we were able to manage for we both worked and helped each other. He would always say 'Thank you' in every little thing you would do for him. I gave him his haircult since we got married in 1972, and he would always say, 'I feel 10 pounds lighter' after the haircut.
"We have our senior moments and who doesn't when you get to be a senior. We both love to go bowling, play bingo, visit different casinos, play the penny machines, and when he passed out, it happened in a casino, although I was not beside him or near him when it happened.
"On behalf of Bob's family and I, I would like to thank you all for showing your gratitude. I will always cherish and keep all your prayers and sympathy in my heart. God has been good to us. He always directed us to the right path, and provided us with everything we need. I will love Bob forever, and we will see each other in the next life."

It is good for all of us to be able to look up and see Bob in heaven. He is a good example for us all. Yesterday was more like "Haec dies quam fecit Dominus" (This is the day the Lord has made). Yesterday we saw God in a new light because Bob showed us a side if Him that we hadn't seen before.

No, I did not cry at this funeral. Frankly, not too many of us did. Bob was that kind of guy.

IN THE BOSOM OF ABRAHAM

"The whole lifetime of Enoch was three hundred and sixty five years. Then Enoch walked with God and he was no longer here, for God took him." (Gen. 5: 23-24)

Bob Brancamp, pictured above took God's hand this morning and is not here any more. His soul, along with "...the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment will touch them (him). (Wisdom, 3:1)
This is not the only picture that we have of Bob, but we think that this is the one that fits him best. He was always in high fettle when he was with the young people of SONshine Summer. He would arrive at the "office" 20 minutes ahead of time and stay for as long as he was needed after the final bell. Next June, we will have to put his picture on the admin table, so that happiness can come to the hearts of the children that he enjoyed so much for the four summers of SONshine Summer.
God has taken him by His side as a sacrificial offering for our labors and efforts in the Mission given to us by Jesus so that we might keep our eye on the goal and wear the laurel when our race ends. The book of Wisdom says that to the foolish they seemed to be dead but in fact they are in peace. God tried them and they proved themselves to be worthy of Himself. If God can embrace Bob, is it so bad that we can no longer give him the hugs that we gave him? He has been given the consolation for which we all live and aspire. He has proven himself to be worthy of a smooth and suffering-free transition from the difficulties of the "valley of tears" to the "Pearly Gates".
It is in the culture of human beings not say anything negative about the dead. In English we call them "the Dearly Departed." I am not (and never have been) a believer in this part of our culture. I don't expect anyone to say anything about me that would not be perceived as a true evaluation. But I have to say this, that if I hear a bad word about Bob, the speaker had better be ready. I wish I could have the smooth and gentle disposition that this holy man had. He will never be absent from my life. I will always envy him this wonderful gift of God; to be taken swiftly for the long, leisurely walk through the Garden. What better evaluation of our lives can we hope for? I stop and think that I have outlived everybody on my father's side and am fast approaching the outside limits of the longevity on the mother's side. It's got to be that God must be wondering how long it's going to take me to finally discover how sweet it really is to live in his love so that he feels that I have finally "made it?"
Can I pray for the repose of this soul? How much more repose can I pray for when it comes to Bob Brancamp? He's got it all wrapped up. Like Enoch, God Himself came in the middle of a moonless night and brought him to the light of the Eternal Kingdom. I pray for all those who were touched by the glowing light of Bob's life so that they, and I, can thank God for making Himself present to us in Bob's life.
Bob has died; Bob lives on. Let's all ask Bob to inspire us as to how he did and made it look so easy. May God turn the human suffering that comes to us as a consequence of such a sudden loss into atonement for the sins that we still have to cleanse from our lives so make us ready for His Kingdom. We thank God for giving us the light of Bob's life.
Even though I can't claim to be nearly as holy as Bob Brancamp, I still remind you that crying at my funeral is not allowed.

TIM RUSSERT -- DEVOUT CATHOLIC

This is not a eulogy about Tim Russert. I did not know him personally, so I do not come here to eulogize him. I come here as a person who makes comments about Catholic life for the Internet Catholic Life Style Magazine, "ParishWorld.net".
Tim died suddenly, at work, on Friday, June 13, 2008. He was the moderator of the television show, "Meet the Press" for more than 20 years. It appears in Sunday morning, so many of us never get to see it. I, for one, used to "catch it" occasionally in replay later in the evening. It was always interesting, but not always worth my staying up late after a busy Sunday of RCIA and other Church oriented efforts.
The reason why I am taking some time to write this is because it is rather uncommon, if not rare, to see a public person such as this referred to as "Tim Russert, a devout Catholic" time after time by those making comments about his life. So many practitioners of journalism came before the television screen and said something like, "Tim and I were Irish Catholics..." I am writing this because this is one of those times when Catholics get their moment on the sun. The person who has just died has shown us what it means to be a "devout" Catholic. The virtuous and righteous life that this man led was an example of holiness for all those around him and it did have an impact. It was so powerful that even they who would not normally confess their faith in public now do so with pride. This is evagelization in the prophetic mode. We too must go forth and do the same.
I leave you with a quote from one Irish Catholic, ex-Senator Patrick Moynihan to Tim Russert when Russert had just begun working for Moynihan, "Don't be impressed about their education. What they know, you can learn. What you know they can't learn." Let's keep that in mind as we live our lives in the world.
I have been following the on-going covereage about Tim's untimely death and I have to confess that I have never before heard public people testify to their personal faith to the extent that I have experienced over the last two days. Reporters have testified to their Judaism, Anglicanism, Catholicism, Lutheranism and said that Tim's witness to his Catholicism was an important element in teaching them the importance of religion in their own lives.

This is a person who has had and will no doubt continue to have an impact on our lives. Don't cry for him...and for sure, don't cry at my funeral.

A PRIEST COMES TO LIFE

It was June 8, 2008 when Father Eduardo Aguirre came back to St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley to celebrate his first Mass. The reception was nothing less than magnificent. The Church was packed, for two Masses in a row. The plaza in front of the church was overflowing. There were some tents to accommodate the faithful who wanted to receive his first blessing. They were protected from the sun but even if there had been no tent, they still would have been there.
This is no ordinary priest to the people of St. Christopher. This is their priest. This is the priest who as a deacon for the last ten months attended to their every need, blessed their children, their homes, their cars, their rosaries and their sick, suffering and dying. He is a priest who became a priest gifted as much by the faithful as they are gifted by him. This is a priest who doesn't stand on ceremony and doesn't expect to be served hand and foot. This is a priest who blesses people with his firm and sincere embrace, the whole family at the same time, not just with a waving sigbn of the cross over their head. This is a priest who knows that in the embrace of blessing, the Grace flows both ways.
Father Aguirre was ordained a priest by Bishop Barnes on May 31 at the church of St. Paul the Apostle in Chino Hills. ParishWorld.net was present at the ordination. St. Christopher parishioners in droves were peppered around the nave. These same parishioners are so happy that "their" priest, the fruit of their prayers and their help is now able to perform to the fullest extent of the sacrament that he chased for so long. Father Aguirre was a deacon for seven years before being ordained to the priesthood. He served archbishop Mahony for many of those years. Then, God solved his problem, he introduced him to Bishop Barnes. Bishop Barnes asked Father Romeo Seleccion, MS, pastor of St. Christopher to form an internship committee to work with the deacon. So it was done. The committee was sincere and honest in its calling and the deacon was docile and responsive. In the end, it was easy to recommend that Eduardo Aguirre be ordained to the priesthood.
There are those at St. Christopher who are convinced that this experience has been God planting the seed of priestly vocations in this parish. The one thing that has not happened in the parish yet is that one of its children be ordained to the priesthood. After more than fifty years, there are now some from the parish who are in seminary preparing for the day of priesthood. One is getting very close. A couple more are two or three years away and a couple are just beginning. The response to the success of Father Aguirre, as it relates to the community of St. Christopher is, in the mind of some, the furrow which will accept and nurture the seed of more priestly vocations in the parish in the years to come.