Tribulation 2012

In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, 

and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky.
(From our Gospel today, as we near the end of our liturgical year.)

It seems that a lot of us are feeling as if that tribulation in underway.

We still see the sun and the moon.

The stars are still held up in the sky.

Yet, there’s this growing, darkening mood and talk of looming doom.

It’s been building now for 12 years.

We shouldn’t have to feel so fatalistic just because of election results.

We should all be accustomed by now to results that show a 50/50 split among the voters.

Only half are happy with any result.

The other half are disappointed; sometimes bitterly disappointed.

It’s been that way for the last four presidential, and seven congressional, elections.

We all wonder, how could the other half of the country have voted the way they did.
Often that other half includes some of our good friends, even family members.

For some, the discontent  may stem from blind partisanship.

For most, it stems from disagreement on how to apply fundamental moral principles.

Not disagreement on the principles, but on how to apply them.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops published voter guidance on their website.

They list critical moral principles and divide them into four major categories:

Human Life, Family Life, Social Justice and Global Solidarity.

They urge us to consider those principles and to vote with an informed conscience.

And they note that people of good will may sometimes choose different ways

to apply and act on [these] principles.

A deep analysis of the issues is not easy, and doesn’t necessarily lead to clear answers.

Let’s take a most serious and difficult example.

Certainly the human life issues are most fundamental and carry more weight than others.

Abortion, euthanasia, death penalty, torture, terrorism, and targeting civilians in war.

Among those, abortion has long been a most divisive issue in our elections.

But we can’t directly vote against abortion.

And even if we could, that wouldn’t really end it.

We vote for people.

None of them say I’m pro-abortion; they say I’m pro-choice. 

There is a legitimate distinction between those labels.
And that can complicate the issue in the mind of the voter.

At most, we can vote for those who we hope might help reduce the number of abortions.

But can they succeed?  What changes could they work toward?

Laws criminalizing abortion?  Criminalization didn’t work well in the past.

Maybe other types of legal and policy changes might be more effective.

Like changes to promote adoptions, and increase education and services for pregnant women.

Those are changes that the bishops recommend.

Generally, Republican candidates seem more pro-life, and Democrats more pro-choice.

Those who voice their sincere opposition to abortion deserve credit for speaking out.

But even the Democratic Party has said that abortions should be rare.

Whose policies offer the greatest hope of actually reducing the number of abortions?

And considering other critical Human Life principles—

Who’s got the right policy on the death penalty, and on war?

People of good will, acting in good conscience, might easily disagree on the best path.

That's not to say we can ignore or minimize the principle of protecting life.
Or that there's no right and wrong.
It's to acknowledge that complexities might lead others to a position different from ours.

Analyzing the other principles the bishops urge us to consider can be equally complex.

Nurturing, protecting and educating children.

Protecting marriage and family.

Ensuring affordable health care.

Seriously addressing global climate change.

Ensuring just wages, the right to unionize, and a more just economy.

Providing for the welfare and the dignity of the poor.

Increasing Child Tax Credits.

Providing care for, and standing with immigrants; both documented and undocumented.

Protecting religious freedom.

Pursuing world peace; supporting United Nations programs.

Whose policies offer the greatest hope of actually advancing those goals?

People of good will, acting in good conscience, might easily disagree on the best path.

When we consider all those moral principles the bishops laid out for us

We see that there’s no perfect candidate.

We’ve all been winners and losers in all the elections.

So, why all the rancor and stubborn divisiveness?

The unwillingness to work together?

The quickness to demonize those we disagree with?
I don't mean just in the halls of congress—I mean among the people.

Who’s to blame?

The politicians?  The media?  Those who don’t think like us?

Yes—all of them.  Especially those media extremists who stoke the fires of division.

But it’s not just all of them—it’s us, too.

How do we get past this?  …

The solution starts with each of us. 

It won’t be easy, but we need to:

Enter respectful dialogue, listen, and try to understand the other’s point of view;

Try to see their good will—even though we disagree.

We certainly shouldn’t compromise on our own moral principles.

But we should concede that those who apply them differently aren’t necessarily evil.

Nor immoral, nor heartless, nor greedy, nor elitist.

They may have reached their position through sincere efforts to find the greatest good.

We can hope that they’ll eventually respond to us with equal respect and openness.

We might even be able to persuade those who are wrong to see their error.

The tribulation of today’s Gospel, the Great Tribulation of the end times, is not upon us.

Mankind has been watching for it for 2000 years now.

So odds are slim that it will happen to come in our lifetime.

But our own time is indeed short.

For most of us, that end will almost certainly come within a number of decades.

Maybe tomorrow.

And our greatest commandments in this life are to love God and love our neighbor.

So, while we still have time—let’s be the peacemakers—let’s lead the reconciliation.

33^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mk 13-24-32                                    Read this Scripture @usccb.org