Private/Political Conversion

Dear Editor: Of all the debates in America perhaps the most heated is the role of religion in politics and politics in religion. Over the past 30 years, abortion has made this debate more intense each day. Tablet readers have often debated political and moral issues in terms of an imaginary position our Lord would take, even to the point of registering Jesus with a political party. This debate, as it is currently argued, does more harm to our spiritual life than good. Let me explain.

First off, we must be honest. Every citizen votes his or her conscience, regardless of what faith, if any, they belong to. To ask someone to leave their Christianity outside the voting booth is to ask the impossible. The same goes for politicians. Any politician claiming his or her faith will not play a role in their leadership is a disingenuous politician whom I would not vote for, regardless of party. Politicians of any faith who claim to be both religious and capable of putting that religion aside are lying about one of those claims. I don’t see how a Catholic politician can claim to be “personally opposed” to abortion, yet be pro-choice. When I vote for a “person” I expect him or her to do what they “personally” believe in. That is why I vote for that “person” rather than a party.

For roughly three quarters of my 40-plus years on Earth, we have had a Republican president. For the last quarter of my life, both houses of Congress were run by a Republican majority. Yet abortions are at epidemic numbers, divorce and unwed births continue to rise and our culture gets more and more hideous each day. With all the talk from Democrats, our poor continue to need help, our healthcare costs continue to rise and our environment continues to deteriorate. And through it all, we argue which side Jesus would be on. My guess is neither.

As we continue to debate, we lose sight of some very important lessons from Scripture. For one, Jesus did not come to set up an earthly political kingdom. Throughout the Gospels, we see Him rebuke those who yearned for this kind of change. Even His own Apostles were excited at the prospects of Jesus leading some sort of revolution to re-establish a Davidic Kingdom. But when the Jews wanted to make Him king after the multiplication of the loaves, He escaped into the mountains. This was not His mission. Nor did Jesus preach against the Romans.

In fact, His command that the Jews love their enemies, including those who were oppressing them, was not exactly met with a round of applause. The only leaders He despised were the religious leaders of the time, whom He considered to be hypocrites. Jesus stayed out of the politics of the time in order to establish God’s Kingdom, much to the dismay of the Israelites but much to our benefit.

This is because Jesus was leading not a political movement but rather what we would today call a grass- roots movement. The lesson of the Gospels is that a godly life cannot come from our leaders but only from our own repentance. He wants us to witness by our own lives. If we want change in our culture, we cannot force it. We need to live it first. Religious hypocrites were and are the enemies of Jesus’ message. I often look at our political leaders today as if they were the Pharisees: They quote Scripture, invoke the name of God and preach “values” yet their actions show nothing but hypocrisy.

If Catholics, and all Christians for that matter, stop having abortions, stop getting divorces so quickly, stop participating in the moral degradation of our society and openly show the joy life can bring through faith and love in Jesus Christ, others will want to follow. That is true witness. “You will know them by their fruits” is a message of the Gospel, not you will know them by their voting record.

Ninety percent of our nation claims to be “Christian.” If none of them had abortions, the Supreme Court decision would be rendered irrelevant. We need to show one can live a Christian life and still be happy and productive. We need to fight for what we believe in, to be sure. We should be involved in politics and organizations which hold the same values we do. But none of that will do one bit of good unless we openly and joyfully lead a Christ- centered life and encourage others to do the same. We must start with ourselves and our families before we can demand politicians do it for us.

As The Tablet recently stated, we do indeed have a civic responsibility to vote and engage in the politics of our day. But that can never trump our Biblical responsibilities. I am not suggesting anyone disengage from politics; I am suggesting we engage as Catholics rather than partisans. We can, and should change the landscape. We must change our society from the bottom up, and that begins in our homes, in our families and in the manner in which we engage in political discourse. We are blessed to live in a free country. As long as we are free to be Catholic, this should be our number one priority. Unlike Jesus’ political affiliation, that is crystal clear in Scripture. Jesus even told us, and St. Paul reiterated, that the world will hate us for it, but our faith must guide our lives.

Jesus was not a political figure. He was not a philosopher. He is the Son of God. His message is clear: He is the Light, the Truth and the Way. We need to follow Him instead of demanding He follow us. We need to stop trying to turn Jesus into what we want Him to be and put more effort into turning ourselves into what He wants us to be. If we do that, and do it openly, others will follow. It has worked for 2,000 years. They will know us by our fruits.

Rick Lewis
Bellerose

‘Juno’ Not a Great Film

Dear Editor: I was reading the Feb. 2 copy of The Tablet. I was dismayed as I turned to the last page, Page 24, and discovered that the film “Juno” was picked as one of the top 10 films of 2007.

Teenagers’ attitudes and morals are deeply influenced by the media and their peers. While the acting in “Juno” was above average, I found the underlying theme and message to be repulsive.

This film actually suggests that it’s okay and politically correct for an unmarried teenage girl of 16 to have sexual intercourse with a younger boyfriend who also happens to be a very popular high school track star.

The resulting pregnancy is treated in a very accepting manner throughout this film. The baby is delivered and given to a more mature wealthy couple for adoption as easily as a box of candy is given on St. Valentine’s Day or a birthday.

Finally, the two teenagers are shown pursuing their adolescent activities of bicycle riding and guitar playing in a sun-drenched, middle-class neighborhood as you would find in Bay Ridge or Bayside.

I am a practicing Catholic and a former NYC Board of Education guidance counselor for 30 years and cannot understand choosing “Juno” as a wonderful film. We’ve witnessed an explosion of unmarried teenage pregnancy in the last 15 years which is affecting both junior high and high school students.

William Gray
Palm Beach, Fla.

God’s Great Gift of Woman

Dear Editor: Little girls are God’s living flowers who are to grow and beautify the Earth. Yet, today’s society has seen fit to make them the “equal” of men and in so doing is removing their essence.

Women now box, similar to the Roman arena where they fought midgets. In the arena was death. They are now in combat zones, law enforcement, fire departments. Here there is a great chance of serious injury.

They are told abortions are a “choice” to destroy only what women can give. If men could only see that women are the gift that God not only gave Adam, but also to the entire world in Mary, more thought would be given to the word “equal.”

Joseph T. Klonowski
Middle Village

Correction on Nun’s Obituary

Dear Editor: A classmate of mine sent me a recent issue of The Tablet because he knew that I had stayed in touch with Sister James Liguori, CSJ.

In your obituary, the Immaculate Conception School where she taught first grade between 1939 and 1947 was the one in Jamaica Estates (associated with the Passionist Monastery there, and sometimes referred to as The Monastery School). It was not at St. Mary’s, Maujer St. I know, because I attended Immaculate Conception between 1940 and my graduation in February, 1948, and Sister James was my first grade teacher (in Grade 1A, as it was called back then).

Also, I’m surprised that the notice made no mention of her many years of service as a kindergarten aide, adult education facilitator, and First Communion preparer at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Brooklyn between 1987 and 2007. There will be a “Month’s Mind” Mass celebrated there for her on Saturday, April 5.

Bernard P. Bernsten
Annapolis, MD