There are less than three weeks until Election Day. I can’t wait for it to be over. No more emails, texts, or random calls from people claiming to represent the candidates asking me for money. I won’t have to deal with those on social media who hate my candidate, and all the people who voted for the other guy will be cut off completely. Well, if you’re a Catholic, not so fast. Let’s take a look.
What Does Jesus Say About Relationship?
God asks us to love and care for one another, and this is mentioned numerous times in the Bible in different ways. My favorite scripture quote is Matthew 25:31-46:
Those Who Act with Love:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations* will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.“
Those that Don’t Always Act with Love:
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
What Does It Mean for Me After Election Day?
One of the Deacons in my parish summed it up very well:
“You don’t have to like them, but you got to love them.”
This is an example of where following Jesus is hard. When our emotions are involved, it may be very difficult to “forgive and forget,” especially with family. Election Day is a very volatile time, especially in our culture today. Most conversations around the election end up with people insulting and then blocking each other. Now you may never meet that person again. Jesus still expects us to take care of that person and put his/her needs above our own. Disputes between family members affect all in the family. These are the people we should prioritize first to resolve the issue. They may not be willing to let go of the past, but Jesus expects us to try. God is with everyone. Sometimes you may need to dig a little deeper to find Him past the emotions, but he is there. Following Jesus isn’t always easy, but the rewards if you do outweigh the anger and frustration you may feel after Election Day.
Has this ever happened to you? Did you try and resolve the issue with the person after the fact? If you had an experience or a comment you would like to share, all are welcome.
God Bless
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