by: Fr. Daniel E. Doctor M. Div, M.A. , Michigan
Voting Against Your Moral Conscience And The Teachings Of The Church Endangers Your Eternal Salvation!
“You Already Aborted Her”
Mother Teresa of Calcutta in the 1980’s was contacted by Harvard University because they wanted her to give a commencement speech. She refused. The University contacted her again explaining to her that they would be willing to not only pay for her trip from India to the United States, but would also be willing to donate 1 million dollars to her favorite charity. She decided to take them up on their offer.
During the commencement, when it came time for her to deliver her speech; she approached the microphone and said, “Love God, Love Neighbor” – she then sat down to which the whole place erupted in applause and all those present took to their feet – this ovation last more than 3 minutes.
After she had spoken at Harvard, she was boarding a plane back to India, a woman reporter approached her with the question, “Mother Teresa, do you think there will ever be woman president in the United States?” Mother Teresa responded immediately and without missing a beat, “NO,” she said, “you already aborted her.” Very sober and strong words from a future saint about our American way of life.
St. Charles Borromeo-Defender Of The Faith
Today we also celebrate another saint who did not mix words – who is our Church’s patron – St. Charles Borromeo. Twice St. Charles was shot at by those who opposed him and the teachings of the Church – he so vigorously promoted and defended. St. Charles was a man of the people, even when he was working in Rome, helping two popes to promulgate the teachings and degrees of the Council of Trent -because St. Charles was the “Defender of the Faith” during the Counter Reformation -he desired to be in no other place but back in his Diocese of Milan, Italy. Now the reason why St. Charles wanted to be home in his own diocese may not be clear to all of us – but he saw it this way – too many in the Church were sowing error and confusion and some had began accusing priests, and the lay faithful of terrible untrue things. These actions by the newly formed protestant groups as well as by some Catholics were killing the faith in Milan and in some cases destroying it before it ever got a chance to be formed in individual Catholics. St. Charles wanted to be on the ground, in the local churches, with his people, and on several occasions approached the Holy Father pleading with him to let him go back home. When the Pope finally gave he permission to go back home, he found a church in confusion and disarray.
The first thing he did was to make visits to the churches in his diocese to make sure that they were practicing the true Catholic Faith – most of the time he was met with anger and resentment from the local clergy. Not satisfy in what he found he started to reform and reeducate the clergy as well as reorganizing the administration of the Diocese. When visiting these churches he found the laity not educated in the teachings of their Catholic faith, so he started the first CCD programs and what we would call Adult Faith Formation, to get his people up to speed so they could defend themselves from the protestant invasion. St. Charles realized that none of this would take shape unless the people and the clergy had a deeper, more personal relationship with their Lord, so St. Charles was the first to have 40 hours devotion – he not only started this at the cathedral but ordered all the churches of his diocese to do the same. The pope was so impressed that he ordered this 40 hour devotion to be promulgated throughout the Catholic world.
When we look at the wonderful example of their teaching, the courageous fortitude in the face of danger, and their devotion to Christ in Holy Eucharist – always promoting Eucharistic Adoration – that is found in St. Charles Borromeo and Blessed Mother Teresa – it is no wonder that they had such a dramatic effect on those who encountered them. They wanted nothing else then to bring others to love Christ and His Church.
Become Modern Day Saints
As most of you know – because I have been preaching on this for over a month now – we are entering into one of the most critical times in the history of the Catholics Church and as American Catholic voters. We should not be afraid, or fear failure, because this has continued to happen all throughout our Church’s history and our future does not look much different.
So what do we do? – Well, we take these saints at their word. We need to stop aborting our future, we need to become unconditionally pro-life, we need to start praying and adoring our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – because if there is going to be a change in our world then it has to start with us. We can’t wait for someone else, or some other saint to lead the way – we have to do that now – we can no longer wait for other Catholics, or the clergy to get with the Catholic Church and Her teachings about life and religious liberty – because they may not, or by the time they do wake up it will be to late. We, the faithful, the remnant of Jesus Christ, need to become the saints of the present time and that means we are not going to be popular.
“Catholic Voters Have A Serious Obligation To Uphold Moral Law”
Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American, and a Vatican official stated that we as “Catholic voters have a serious obligation to uphold the moral law” which means“Catholic voters must defend life and traditional marriage.” He continued, one “can never vote for someone who favors the right of choice of a woman to destroy a human life in her womb or the right to a procured abortion” as well as to attempt to redefine marriage. Bishop David Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay, WI even goes further and says; to vote for someone in favor of these positions “could put our own souls in jeopardy.” This is very serious stuff that can lead to very serious sin. We are living in very difficult times to be a moral person or a good Catholic but the fact remains if we fail to follow our Catholic faith in the way we vote we are endangering our souls. Why? Because when you stand here in Church you make your profession of faith – you say that you believe what the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches to act differently, or to vote differently is to be a hypocrite and much worse a heretic.
St. Thomas More explained it this way – when you make such a profession you hold in your hands your own soul, like water pour into your hands, now say you act or vote in a hypocritical way – voting against your moral conscience and the teachings of the Catholic Church – you are opening your fingers and the water in your hands flows onto the floor – the only way to take back the immoral action is to able to collect all the water, that is your soul.
Christ Continually Condemns Hypocrites
Christ numerous times throughout the bible condemns those who act hypocritically. We, as modern day Catholics, will be treated no differently by our Lord and Judge. Even though it is extremely hard to follow what we profess as Catholics, we cannot act or vote in a way that is contrary to the scriptures or our profession of faith. If we do then we should already know that our future salvation is gone without sacramental confession and a life time of prayer and penance.
This last Thursday we celebrated the Solemnity of all the Saints, let us call upon them to help us, as individual Catholics, as individual American voters – to do the right thing, to do the moral thing, and vote as well as act like the Saints would – promoting and defending life, religious liberty, and the true happiness of every person conceived into our great nation. And let us remember the battle cry of our American forefathers; “Give us Liberty or give us death!!”
Click here to view Father’s writing on the ways liberal priests and theologians have lied to us.
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