The Pope & the Speaker
theophilus February 20th, 2009
There are two churches on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. – St. Peter’s on the House side, St. Joseph’s on the Senate side. In their tabernacles, the real presence of Christ surrounds the Capitol. Some Catholic Congressmen choose to acknowledge his presence both before the tabernacle and with their votes.
Their votes are joined by like-minded members of other faiths who realize that our laws need to be predicated on a moral and natural law that just so happens to come from God. It also just so happens that these laws are embodied in the teachings of Christ.
It is not an issue of the separation of church and state; our founding fathers drew this very connection between the basis of our laws and the moral and natural law promulgated by God.
Believing as I do in the primacy of natural and moral law, I often wonder how some politicians can take policy positions that are diametrically opposed to Church teachings, say on abortion, and still sit in church on Sunday. Isn’t there any sense of guilt or that something just isn’t right? Don’t they question that maybe the Church is onto something and that, yes, their eternal lives may be at stake? If they actually go to confession, do they fail to do even one moment of examination of conscience? How do they rationalize what they do and say on the national stage?
Do they truly look themselves in the mirror? I’m especially thinking about those who started out their political career pro-life and “grew” in their understanding of the issue concerning “a woman’s reproductive rights.”
The Speaker of the House had an opportunity this week presented to very few of us – a member of the Catholic laity meeting privately with the Holy Father. For most of us, it would have been a moment of profound humility and interior reflection. But, it appears that she decided to take the opportunity to “educate” the Pope, instead of accepting personal, spiritual direction from the direct apostolic successor to St. Peter.
What she may have failed to realize is that the Holy Father was probably most concerned with her soul, and those Catholic politicians who take similar culture of death positions. Very few really know, but I bet she presented herself at this meeting failing to realize that she, like us, is a member of his flock, for which he is accountable to God. She probably tried to ignore her abortion positions the same way we try to ignore certain sins while in the confessional.
And we have all been like her in one way or another, for we are all sinners and in need of understanding and redemption. We have all done things in our lives that we have ignored, rationalized or just lied to ourselves about. I, for one, didn’t go to confession for years because I didn’t want to face the hard questions I was getting while at Mass about my life choices. I was in the pews on Sunday but hiding from Christ all the same.
Politicians need our prayers, because it is so easy to get spiritually lost while in power. The soul tends to get buried underneath an avalanche of rationalizations.
Nothing is hopeless with God. Christ can reach even the most virulent of the culture of death crowd. If he can reach the “Roe” of Roe v. Wade, he can get through to anyone.
I would venture a guess that the Holy Father included the Speaker in his private prayers this week. We are called by Christ to do the same.
- Church , Culture , Mercy & Forgiveness , Pope , Prayer , pro-life
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