Today’s scriptures invite us to reflect on a vital question: What does it mean to truly love God and neighbour? The first reading from Deuteronomy provides us with a powerful reminder of the importance of allegiance to God. Moses implores the Israelites to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and strength, and with this love comes a promise of prosperity—a land flowing with milk and honey, an image of abundance and peace.
Fast forward to the New Testament, where Jesus reiterates this commandment, revealing that the love of God is inseparable from the love of neighbour. In a world that often feels divided, where tensions rise and compassion seems scarce, these words ring truer than ever. Jesus’ emphasis on the two greatest commandments challenges us to evaluate our priorities: are we more inclined toward personal gain or societal welfare? Are we actively seeking to build bridges between ourselves and others, or are we retreating further into the comfort of our own ideologies?
The letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is a high priest who transcends the limitations of human frailty. He is not merely another mediator but the ultimate expression of God’s love for us, offering Himself once and for all. This foundation of love empowers us to engage with the world around us meaningfully and justly. When we acknowledge the gravity of His sacrifice, our response is an invitation to love—a love that manifests in our words and deeds, especially in how we treat those who are different from us.
In our current landscape, many political parties call for adherence to moral truths that they believe uphold the fabric of society. This is obviously a worthy stance, but we must ask ourselves: Are we advancing these values out of a genuine love for God and our neighbours, or are we simply defending a position? If our convictions do not stem from a heart full of love—a love that seeks the common good—we risk becoming a clanging cymbal rather than a harmonious body of Christ.
Again, for Catholic voters in the world, and especially this week in the United States given this pertinent week of elections, I would refer you to what the United States Bishops put forward in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - Part I - The U.S. Bishops’ Reflection on Catholic Teaching and Political Life, (art. 34 (1) and 37 (2)) regarding a well-formed conscience which takes into account Church teaching and that there are morally abhorrent and intrinsically evil stances which outweigh others and therefore need to find precedence in our opposition to them.
This being the case, what has the Church indicated is the greatest moral evil to be countered with utmost determination? The moral evil which makes war on the innocent life in the womb—on the sanctity of life from conception—abortion. If a party tries to protect the dignity of human life from conception, but gets a lot of things wrong in the process, like supporting the highly abortive IVF procedure, while the other party is clearly and vehemently dismissive of the sanctity of life in the womb, which one do you pick? The lesser of the two evils. So this is the primary issue always for a Catholic voter to consider if we truly are to go about such things with a well-formed conscience, because all other social justice causes fall by the wayside if the first and most fundamental right of all is not safeguarded.
Again, one of my favourite quotes from a Church document is this, by Pope Saint John Paul II in his Post-synodal apostolic exhortation “Christifideles Laici” which addressed the vocation and the mission of the lay faithful in the world. He says this, “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination” (Art. 38). And now, in my private and personal opinion, I think the second issue of greatest importance pressing the common good today is nuclear warfare. I think we really have to consider the party who can put an end to this threat and work with other countries on the road to “disarmament”. Again, I think this is an utterly urgent issue, because the destruction of billions of people at the press of a button will also make all other social justice issues pale in comparison. The Church has spoken a lot about the intrinsic evil of nuclear warfare, so much so, that it has declared that the just war theory so scrupulously formulated in generations past, is no longer possible when nuclear weaponry is involved because it does not discriminate between the soldier and the non-combatant.
We must remember, that whenever we discuss or deliberate issues with family, friends and anyone else, we must be respectful and do so with charity, understanding, compassion and love. Let us strive to be not only defenders of our deeply held beliefs but more so ambassadors of God’s love. Let us walk with our neighbours, listen to their stories, and reach out in authentic understanding. Indeed, the strength of our political and social endeavors must hinge on this profoundly simple yet paramount truth: True love for God compels us to love our neighbours as ourselves.
As we go forth today, let us recommit ourselves to live out this commandment—not as mere words but as a way of life. Let our
hearts resonate with compassion, our minds be open to understanding, and let our actions reflect the love of Christ. For when we do this, we draw closer to the kingdom of God and help others to do the same.
Amen.
- “Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases, a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.” –Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - Part I - The U.S. Bishops’ Reflection on Catholic Teaching and Political Life, art. 34
- “In making these decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.” 37
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PROTECT THE RIGHT TO LIFE Beautiful homily father Pierre God bless you