Pray for the election? Isn't that like praying for your team to win?

Well, not exactly. We pray for fair and just elections, for the common good to triumph, and for voters to be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as they examine their consciences at the polling place.

The U.S. bishops have come out strongly on a number of issues this election season, foremost among them the protection of human life at all stages from conception to natural death. This is the theme of the document "Faithful Citizenship," released last November, which the bishops ask Catholics to consult as they form their consciences. The document is non-partisan, yet makes a strong moral statement. The bishops assert that politics is not simply a matter of party affiliation or what's in it for me. Voting requires serious moral reflection and weighing of issues with charity, justice and the common good in mind. In this moral reflection, the life principles, the protection of innocent life, must be given the greatest weight.

So we come to the "Novena for Faithful Citizenship," available at the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. All Catholics are urged to begin the novena (meaning nine days) on Monday, Oct. 27. The prayer each day is brief but powerful, with Bible readings and reflection points that challenge us to reflect on what is truly just for our society, our common life together as a people.

Pray each day of the novena as a family, as a parish, as a people who take faith and citizenship seriously. If we love our country, we will pray this novena as though the future of the United States depended on it.

Comments

[Stephen]

Protection of life is the fundamental value of our nation. As Cardinal O'Connor used to say, there are no other rights without the right to life.