Our citizenship is in Heaven

For those who had imagined that merely ringing in the new year might bring a swift end to the nightmarish events of 2020, the eruption of violence at our nation’s Capitol burst that bubble. 

We are a nation that is angry, wounded and deeply divided. Even so, this is not the time to surrender to discouragement, apathy or despair. It is a time for hope and renewed determination. I often have found strength in the opening remarks of Saint John Paul II’s pontificate when he cried out confidently, “Be not afraid.” The words of the Gospel have a special urgency about them today: Fear is useless, what is needed is trust (Luke 8:50).

Great trust, rooted in a firm faith that professes Jesus Christ as the Lord of history, is precisely what we need during these times. On Jan. 20, we will witness the inauguration of a new president. Ordinarily, an inauguration is a time for great patriotic fanfare in our nation. This year is more ambiguous. The inauguration of President Biden will be the culmination of one of the most divisive elections in recent history. 

As Catholics, as Christians, we never can seek our ultimate security in any political party or economic system. Jesus is Lord! Fidelity to Jesus and the teachings of his Church always will leave us feeling a bit like outsiders because “our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20). It is Baptism that should give us our primary identity, not our party affiliation or even our nationality. 

We are beloved sons and daughters of our heavenly Father and members of the Body of Christ. This is prior to our affiliation as Republican or Democrat or our identity as Americans. 

Nonetheless, as Catholics we do have responsibilities as citizens. We take them seriously. Our faith and the teachings of the Church ought to serve as reliable guides in making the many prudential judgments that guide our decisions and actions as good citizens each day.

There certainly are ways in which the incoming Biden Administration will be sympathetic to some of our concerns as Catholics, perhaps around access to health care, the needs of DACA youth and migrants or care for creation, for example. 

But, the preeminent priority that the American bishops have identified – eliminating abortion –
will present a serious challenge if the Biden Administration acts on its promises and proposed policies that expand the so-called right to abortion. It will be a special source of scandal if a Catholic president is responsible for overseeing what could become the most pro-abortion administration this country has ever seen. 

There likely also will be many challenges to our ability to practice our faith freely. It will be important for us as Catholics to let our voices be heard, not just in the voting booth, but in working with our civic leaders, elected officials and fellow citizens to shape a more just society that protects and promotes the dignity of every human life from conception to natural death.

I am encouraged by the many newly energized young people who are willing to let their voices be heard around issues of vital concern for the sanctity of life and human dignity. I would like to encourage our young people, specifically, to join me for the upcoming Sanctity of Life Mass on Jan. 20 at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and via live-stream. 

Given the challenges that our nation is facing it is more important than ever to speak up and bear witness to the sanctity of life with civility and respect. What is needed is more than activism, however. We must ensure that our actions are sustained by prayer and guided by virtue so they might bear fruit in justice. 

We are at a critical moment in our history as a nation. I ask your prayers for our incoming president. He will need the wisdom of Solomon to heal our divided nation, a task that he has declared to be one of his first concerns. Let us go forward with confidence and trust. Be not afraid!