Study the platforms.
Know the platforms.
Vote according to the Faith.
Dear Parishioners,
What a few wonderfully "saintly" weeks we've had!!! We've celebrated some of the "great ones". (Hey! They're all great.) We Beatified a young one, a role model for our youth. (You read about him last week.) We've even started the cause for nine more - four women and five men - some with miracles attributed to them, some martyred for the Faith, and some with heroic virtues.
So... here's a question for you. What do we have in common with them? What could we possibly have in common with these tremendous men and women of such character? You know the answer. They were sinners, too. The thing about them was they recognized the frailty of their nature, acknowledged their sins, confessed them (very, very important on that path to heaven), always wanted to receive the Eucharist, and never - not once - stopped trying to be like Him. One Saint put it this way:
"The struggle is the sign of holiness. A saint is a sinner that keeps trying.”
We are not perfect because we are human, but no Saint ever thought - 'I sinned but it's OK, because I'm only human'. Instead they oriented themselves to thinking - 'I sinned and I distanced myself from Him, and for that I repent and will change, because I am human and I can do better'.
We have been given Freedom by our Heavenly Father. In fact, God, Who knows all things, stresses the importance of Freedom. We have been granted, by God, the Freedom to make our own choices, for good or bad. The tricky part is distinguishing the good and the bad. This is only difficult when we are away from Him - from the Word, from the Sacraments, from the Mass. That is when things get foggy. That is when we lose focus, or forget, or get swayed by popular thought. But... When we are close to Him, it is easier. Good, the Truth, shines. What is bad requires justification and stories and "proof" and manipulation and deletion.
You can stay close to Him by exercising your Faith. Can't make it to Mass in person? Please watch it online or on TV. Pray. Come to Confession. Make every little thing you do a shining example of the Glory of God. And when it comes to the big things - yes, like voting in this election - PRAY.
PLATFORMS
Even the Saints did not live their entire lives as Saints. Some of them were villainous before they changed. Human beings are not perfect, and our leaders - all of them - are far from it. We were counseled to give to Caesar what is Caesar's - but our souls... our souls belong to God. That is what we need to consider before we vote.
When you vote, if you haven't yet, make sure you know each candidate's platform. Read the platforms in as many sources of differing perspectives as possible. Study their records as public servants. Study their long range plans. And once you have done all that, remember that we are not gods. There is only one God and He is very clear in what He asks of us. Then pray, and liken your choice to the pavement upon which our Lord will walk because it is we that "Prepare the Way of the Lord". What will Christ encounter on your road?
A Blessed Feast of All Saints.
A Blessed Memorial of All Souls.
God Bless You, and
God Bless America.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Fr. Ashman
The Mass for All Saints will be posted on the homepage of our website tomorrow afternoon. The readings for this Sunday are attached below.
