Every election since America’s earliest days had divisive and mean-spirited rhetoric, but this past one seemed to hit a new low of vilifying the other side.
Catholics don’t always fit neatly into the American political landscape. We are called to build unity wherever we can, while working for justice and peace.
It’s not easy. Like everyone else, we are constantly tempted to outrage and derision.
But we can consciously fight this temptation, trying to see others in the kindest light, with the eyes of Christ.
A conversation that matters
The Catholic role in politics was a big focus these past months at The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
The Institute hosted a series of conversations on the topic, “Reimagining Politics in the Light of the Eucharist,” seeking to answer questions like these:
How do Catholics balance the call to participation without making an idol of politics? Is our call to participate exhausted by our duty to vote? What is the mission of Catholics in the public square? How can the Eucharist transform our understanding of politics? Can we envision a world where charity, not political ideology, guides all our actions and decisions?
Aleteia had the chance to listen in on these conversations and catch up with one of the panelists, Theresa MacArt, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Service at Holy Cross College.
Drawn from these conversations, here are 6 ways Catholics can move forward together in the new administration.
1Think more broadly about politics
It helps to think more broadly about politics beyond voting. We can all look for ways to promote the common good.
MacArt said:
Broaden your understanding of “politics,” which for classical thinkers like Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas was not limited to the ballot box or the chambers of Congress. St. Thomas Aquinas describes a virtue called “general justice,” which is a habitual disposition to act for the sake of the common good. Sometimes I call it “common-good justice” in my classes. St. Thomas does not limit this virtue to politicians; it can be lived out by all citizens.
Our ways of promoting the common good might seem small or insignificant, but they all add up. She gave this example: “As a mother, I can contribute to the common good by doing my best to raise virtuous children who grow up to love God and love their neighbor, and themselves strive to build up the common good.”
2Build up healthy and strong institutions
We can help to establish and maintain healthy schools, churches, charitable organizations, youth organizations, businesses, and other civic associations in our local communities. These institutions help restore the fabric of civil society. MacArt said:
Often people cling to their political party or “tribe” of choice because they lack robust communities of friendship and support in their ordinary life. As Catholics, we might try to heal the wounds of polarization and identity politics by embracing the principle of subsidiarity, which encourages strong social bonds and shared pursuit of the common good at every level of civil society—from the smallest communities to the biggest.
3Strengthen our faith with prayer and sacraments
The closer we are to Christ, the better we are able to work for His kingdom. MacArt said:
Drink deeply of the graces poured out in the sacraments, so that through grace we might come to see as God sees and love as God loves. Frequent reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, draws us more deeply into the unity of the mystical body of Christ.
The divine love of charity, infused in us by the Holy Spirit, transforms our minds and hearts so that we can recognize and embrace others—including our worst political adversaries or seemingly unlovable enemies!—as God’s precious children, loved into existence and called to divine life with Him.
4Build coalitions on common issues
Panelist Kathleen Domingo, Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference, encouraged looking for ways to build coalitions with non-Catholics around specific issues. Catholics might unite with others on shared concerns such as human life and dignity, strong healthy families, racial justice, environmental justice, healthcare access, housing, restorative justice, educational excellence and religious liberty.
5Keep our eyes on heaven
Panelist Fritz Bauerschmidt, Professor of Theology at Loyola University Maryland and a deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, warned against both over-investing and under-investing in politics.
There's a danger in over-investment in worldly politics and in particular in any one of the of the current political parties. Neither party really embodies the fullness of Catholic teaching, the Catholic vision of the common good. But there's also an a danger in under-investment, where you just say, "This world's not my home. I'm turning my back on it."
He cited scriptural passages calling believers to work for “peace on earth.” While this peace is not our final hope, it is real and important. “It is a worthy aim as long as we moderate our expectations and keep our eyes fixed on heaven as our ultimate end,” MacArt said.
6Look to examples in history
We can look to the past for models of charity and civic healing, both within the Catholic tradition and outside of it. The panel moderator recommended Dorothy Day as an example of Christian “politics”: “She perhaps never cast a vote, yet devoted much of her life to building up the peace and common good of the earthly city,” MacArt said.
Within the American political tradition, MacArt recommended reading Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address as “a beautiful expression of humility, hope in divine Providence, and the love of charity as the avenue for healing the wounds inflicted by the Civil War.”
