Catholic Social Teaching and Voting

Do you ever consider what Adam and Eve discussed in the Garden of Eden? Do you think they conversed endlessly about the beauty all around them and how glorious it was to be alive? Or do you think they complained about the lack of good roads and health care and the need for clear signage around a certain tree?

Who knows what they talked about, but sometimes it seems like our conversations with one another often center on what is wrong with society. Taxes are too high, the speed limit is too low, crime is up, and morale is down. Yet, when the opportunity to change things comes along – the chance to vote in elections – we decline. It’s too much trouble, and it won’t make any difference in my life anyway, right?

While we are called to love ourselves because we are made in the image and likeness of God, we are also called to look out for others. In Scripture, God makes it clear that not only are we our brother’s keeper, but our neighbor’s keeper as well – and our neighbor is everyone. Jesus’ message in the story of the Good Samaritan was that we should love everyone, including our enemies, and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

This Golden Rule, coupled with the Great Commandment to “love God and love your neighbor as yourself,” forms the basis of Catholic Social Teaching, which is a blueprint for taking care of one another. The principles of Catholic Social Teaching include the right to life and dignity of the human person, the dignity of workers and their rights, caring for God’s creation, and the rights and responsibilities necessary to foster the common good.

The Catholic Church does great works of charity and supports the common good, and these efforts can be multiplied through the far-reaching scope of local and national governments.

As our conversations turn from the blessings of life to the ills of society, let us remember our responsibility to one another and the power we have to effect change.

The Catholic Church does not tell us how to vote. However, the Church does provide, though Catholic Social Teaching, principles which should guide our consciences. Become a knowledgeable voter by taking the time to study the issues and candidates. Talk about them at the dinner table with your children so that you can help them form a political conscience as well. As Catholics, we are called to mix religion and politics as faithful citizens.