Election Novena

Dear Friends: 
 
As our Election Novena concludes today, I write to share some thoughts as we vote and prepare to assimilate in our lives newly elected leadership throughout our government.  
 
Our Novena prayers have asked God for justice, solidarity, peace, and equity in the ordering of social, economic, and political relationships. We pray for elected leaders who are committed to a vision of the common good, one firmly grounded in the Church’s longstanding commitment to social justice. To that end, we pray that all citizens may recognize the fundamental dignity our Creator has imprinted on every human being, a dignity that remains despite the many ways this dignity is demeaned in our present social and political culture.  
 
Elections are a good time to reflect on our proper role in supporting a society that reflects more fully the virtues of justice and dignity. St. Augustine, a 4th Century Doctor of the Church, wrote that Christians live in Two Cities: the City of God (heaven) and the City of Man (earth). It can be confusing to live faithfully within our dual roles as citizens of the Two Cities. But there is a “meeting point” where these apparent oppositions come together, and that is the incarnation of Christ: the divine made human. Jesus lived out the truth of God’s Reign while simultaneously suffering the contradictions of human affairs. Yet he remained faithful to the transcendent reality that remained his focus. All of us must struggle toward reconciling these in our lives. It is in the crucible of this conflict that Christ calls us to a continual purification of our hearts. We are to resist the distorted uses of politics, economics, ethics, and religions that strives to stratify and isolate peoples from one another. As people who live with Christ in the meeting point of divine and human agency, we cannot live solely by the rules of the City of Man, contributing to the disparagement of human dignity, nor permitting our most cherished religious and spiritual ideals to be subsumed by self-serving social or political movements of the times. 
 
In a time when it seems that a desire for political power promises us vindication over our opponents, we must remember that the politics we practice cannot be treated as an end in itself, at least, if our politics are to carry an authentic Christian identity. Our deepest convictions, no matter how fervent, can never do justice to the eternal City and life envisioned by God, in whom all truth and perfection ultimately lie. If we fail to resist the temptation to idealize ourselves, our issues, our aspirations, we suppress within our hearts and communities the sacred space best reserved for reverence, awe, and worship of a transcendent, omnipotent God. The end we make then is our own god, an idol to our own ideas. Such utopian fantasies only yield catastrophic spiritual and moral failures, countless repetitions of which litter human history with the blood of victims of war and oppressions of every kind, sins against justice that continue to this day.  
 
I invite you to hear with me Pope Benedict XVI reflect on this in his brilliant encyclical Deus Caritas Est:  
 
 “Justice is both the aim and the criterion of all politics... This is where Catholic social doctrine has its place: it has no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith. Its aim is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just.” 
 
And so, may we approach our civic responsibility in this year’s election with humility and patience, recognizing that no matter the outcome, the Reign of God will not be realized by the fulfillment of my wishes, nor will it be delayed in its coming by my despair. To faithfully live in this City of Man, our hearts must continually be renewed by the vision of the City of God. In that, our practical choices must always take into account the conscience of the risen Christ, which is alive in the heart of every community of faith in the power of the Spirit. As we exercise our duty to vote, and then prepare to move forward through the days ahead, may his encouraging words to his disciples resonate also with us now: “My peace I leave you, my peace I give, not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled…Have faith in God. Have faith in me.” (John 14:27, 14:1) 
 
Finally, I extend my sincere gratitude to all who offer to serve through elective office, and for the many civic officials and volunteers who make our democratic process possible, safe, and accessible. We owe them our prayers and gratitude. And I thank all of you, who by voting honor the heroic witness given through the centuries of those who have sacrificed to protect the freedom we are privileged to share in expressing our political opinions, especially through the vote. May God bless all who loyally serve. And may that blessing, peace, and graciousness abide in our hearts and in our cities as we exercise the vote. Together may we joyfully come to share in the reconciliation and peace of the Heavenly City that God has prepared for us all.  

Father Joe Whalen

November 5, 2024

A novena is a nine-day period of prayer and is a longstanding Catholic tradition. The Church of St. Timothy is inviting parishioners and all people of good will and faith to join in praying a novena leading up to election day. Set aside time each day to pray for that intention and offer an Our Father and Hail Mary. 

Below are the intentions for the nine days. These are also posted daily on our Church of St. Timothy Facebook page. Thank you for joining us in prayer!