Bishop Reminds Catholics to Remember Judgment Day in Voting Booth
20-October-2008 -- Catholic News Agency
St. Louis, Oct 18, 2008 (CNA).- Bishop Robert J. Herman, the administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has written a column reminding Catholics that their vote will be a decision weighed on the Day of Judgment. He urged Catholics not to treat the unborn as the neglectful rich man treated Lazarus in the biblical parable.
“Judgment Day is on its way,” the bishop wrote in the St. Louis Review. “We cannot stop it. We don’t know when it will come, but just as surely as the sun rises daily, the Son of Man will come when we least expect.”
“For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us,” he continued, referencing Christ’s words of judgment in Matthew 10:32-33:
“Everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Bishop Herman asked the faithful to consider what kind of witness they give to God when they enter the voting booth on Election Day.
“The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system. If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble,” the bishop wrote.
He cited Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici, which said outcry on human rights is “false and illusory” if the right to life is not defended to the maximum.
“The right of our children to be protected from destruction is greater than my right to a thriving economy,” Bishop Herman continued.
“My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion.”
Bishop Herman looked to the spiritual dimension as well.
“Those 47 million children our nation destroyed are still living. We have destroyed their bodies, but their souls are still alive. When our Lord comes again, they may very well be there to judge us. Even worse, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do to Him. We would truly shudder if we heard the words, ‘I was in my mother’s womb but you took my life!’
“It is quite possible that we might see these children, but, depending upon the choices we have made, we may very well be separated from them by a great chasm which cannot be crossed, much as the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man, during his lifetime here on earth but was separated from him after death.”
Bishop Herman said the “deepest problem” with many Catholics is that they have become accustomed to rationalizing away a “life of sinful actions” headed in the wrong direction.
“My goal is not to engage you in some political party way but to engage you with our Savior and His teachings. We need to constantly challenge our accustomed behaviors in the light of the Gospel,” he wrote.
He said the issues of the coming election could help people learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church and to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“When we do this, both we and the heavens will be filled with joy!” he asserted.
“Judgment Day is on its way,” he repeated, encouraging people to pray the family Rosary daily between now and Election Day.
In a previous column for the St. Louis Review, Bishop Herman urged Catholics not to put politics ahead of the Fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”
“Save our children!” he wrote. “More than anything else, this election is about saving our children or killing our children. This life issue is the overriding issue facing each of us in this coming election. All other issues, including the economy, have to take second place to the issue of life.”
Comments (4)
It's great to hear a bishop get uppity over abortion. It makes you wonder what happened to get him going, and what course of action he recommends. I don't recall a bishop getting this hot in past elections, not even when Clinton ran in '92. If this election is special, and our salvation is on the line, must we vote for McCain under penalty of sin?
We still don't have a clearly defined Catholic plan, mainly because most bishops don't care. Bp. Herman hasn't brought us closer to a plan. What he doesn't note is that, in better times, his speech would be clearly recognized as condemning pro-abort McCain, just as it now clearly condemns pro-abort Obama.
The problem is that we're stuck with pro-aborts every election, and we continually go along with the game. One guy does enough to get "pro-lifers" to vote for him, and blood keeps flowing unabated. At what point do we become culpable because of our participation in the dialectical game? Could we be giving scandal by supporting the corrupt political process?
One final thing, do aborted babies go to Heaven? Do you get that impression from the bishop's speech?
Posted by Cyprian
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October 22, 2008 4:41 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 16:41
Here's a good read, from my perspective:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig9/dilsaver1.html
Obama's Marxism, or maybe more accurately called black national socialism, is a societal wrecking ball. That clearly trumps more-of-the-same McCain's white fat-cat socialism (can you count to 700 billion?). What to do?
Posted by Cyprian
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October 23, 2008 12:06 PM
Posted on October 23, 2008 12:06
A bishop with a spine! Deo gratias! Let the war begin:
"This is Bishop Rene H. Gracida, reminding all Catholics that they must vote in this election with an informed conscience. A Catholic cannot be said to have voted in this election with a good conscience if they have voted for a pro-abortion candidate. Barack Hussein Obama is a pro-abortion candidate."
This is from a radio ad by Bp. Gracida. He neglects to add that McCain is also pro-abortion, but it's great to have a bishop name names. They must lead a war: we must make a Catholic bloc, run Catholic candidates, and send thousands of Catholics to pray at the mills. This demon will go, but only with much prayer, fasting and suffering.
Posted by Cyprian
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October 24, 2008 9:26 PM
Posted on October 24, 2008 21:26
Maybe history will be recorded like this:
And the Master decided to give a great trial to the land of democracy, and sent to them candidates of unrighteous men's choosing. One was Obama, but the other was McCain. And there arose a great rancor among the people, and unrest even among the tribe of Trad. The election being held and the dust cleareth, whence the Judge called upon men and opened the ballots. And to those who chose McCain, He said, "Ye good and faithful servants, come sit at my right hand, for thou hast defeated the raging lion and placed the jackal on the throne." And the rest were cast into the abyss.
Posted by Cyprian
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October 27, 2008 4:40 PM
Posted on October 27, 2008 16:40