We just heard a well-known line used by some who advocate a separation of church and state. I doubt that was what Jesus or Matthew intended since such a notion was unheard of back then. Rather, Matthew depicted Jesus as being thought provoking and clever, teaching his critics that everyone holds a dual citizenship. Our birth makes us citizens of an earthly nation for now; our baptism makes us citizens of the heavenly kingdom for eternity. Jesus is telling us that we need to live out both citizenships responsibly.
The degree of separation between church and state varied throughout history. Some argue that the Church is no place to discuss politics but as you can see, even Jesus did that. The first amendment simply states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The intent is to prevent Congress from imposing a certain faith on its citizens, which King Henry VIII had done in England. The Church has authority in political matters when politics invades its turf, namely upholding the dignity and meaning of human life, all human life from conception to natural death.
The founders of our country were convinced that the American experiment could not succeed without the benefit of religious belief. They considered religion to be the backbone of society and the strength of its citizens. They knew religion was good for the country. And how could it be otherwise? Politics is the social organization of a culture, the structure of a country’s values, the daily operations of its beliefs. But religion is the depth dimension of a culture that gives everything else it’s meaning.
Politics and religion are different aspects of people’s lives, but they are intimately connected because they deal with how people relate to one another, and religion highlights our relationship with God, which serves as the foundation of all other relationships in our lives.
When people argue that church and state should be separate, that is akin to making God subject to our laws, our politics, and our ideas. But think back to our first reading from Isaiah. There we heard God say, “I am the Lord, there is no other.” The truth of God’s sovereignty is echoed in many of our country’s founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence.
The Church doesn’t seek to run our country or the world by means of political power. Nonetheless, she needs to be actively engaged in seeking the good of others. Her power is vested in Christ the King. Our loyalty to him is for eternity, while our loyalty to our country is only for this lifetime.
In a democratic society such as ours, where all citizens can participate directly in the political process, we have certain responsibilities, such as paying taxes and voting. We have to make a decent effort to stay informed about important political and cultural issues so that we can vote responsibly and intelligently. That isn’t always easy since not all issues are on the same level.
We are only weeks away from a national election that many concede has great consequences in these unusual days of pandemic and rancor. In the past week, ballots were mailed to every registered voter; hopefully every voter will take time to study the issues, consider the strengths and shortcoming of the candidates, then complete and sign their ballot.
Unfortunately, there are voters who won’t bother to vote, convinced that their vote won’t make much difference. Let me share with you the value of a single vote.
Because of one vote in 1921, Adolf Hitler became leader of the Nazi Party in Germany. That one vote ultimately cost the lives of six million Jews in the worst holocaust in history. If just one more person had voted for the other candidate, might we have been spared all the pain and deaths of WWII? Yes, one vote can literally change history.
Contrary to what some people assume, the Church is not telling us whom to vote for. The Church does not endorse candidates for public office. Rather, the Church respects your right and duty to study the issues and to make an informed, conscience-driven decision about whom to vote for. Alas, neither major party reflects or supports all that the Church teaches regarding the sanctity of human life and rare is the candidate that does so.
For those who are using abortion as a litmus test, Pope Francis cautions that a conscientious Catholic cannot be a single-issue voter. Being pro-life means far more than opposing abortion. To be pro-life means to care about the life of the unborn, the newly born, the sick, the elderly, the poor, the homeless, the refugee, the inmate on death row, and every other human being. To be pro-life also means to be committed to uprooting the terrible scourge of racism, which continues to tear our nation apart.
If we want to know how to help our nation heal, how to treat one another, or even how to vote, we need only ponder the awesome gospel of Jesus Christ, which provides us with the very basis of Catholic moral and social teaching. Its broad embrace should influence how every Christian exercises the sacred duty of voting responsibly. May Jesus Christ and his Gospel inspire and challenge each of us as we prepare to cast our vote in this and every election.