I remember praying for moral leadership to win the 2012 elections. My hope was that those leaders would drag our country back to the Christian roots upon which our country was founded. How naïve was that?

It is said that morality can’t be legislated. And now we see the results of morality being expunged from our laws and leadership. It seems we have so turned our backs on God over the past 50 years that we have become the kind of society that legalizes homosexual marriage, forbids prayer in schools, removes the Ten Commandments from Courthouse walls, approves of abortion, levies healthcare mandates, turns a blind eye to rampant divorce, and who knows what’s next. We can no longer rely on our laws or our government leaders to support moral lifestyles. How are we going to live our Christian values in an immoral society? It’s as if we must live in exile much like the Israelites endured when they were removed to Assyria, except ours is self-imposed.

We brought this on ourselves. We are imposing this on our children. We elect the officials who initiate and approve these laws. Even so, are we now required to act as meek little sheep and benignly accept these laws as good? I mean homosexual marriage is fine as long as two people of the same gender love each other and enter into a life-long, committed relationship, right? If the state says it is, then I cannot imagine a more urgent need for the separation of church and state. We cannot allow the state to force us to condone, much less participate in what has been known for millennia is unable to support society in a positive and healthy way.

I don’t condemn or judge homosexuals. Who am I to criticize the twig in their eye when I, the worst of all sinners, have a beam in my own. But if I truly love my fellow human beings, then I must speak truth as I understand it. I am not a theologian or a Bible scholar; just an ordinary Christian father and husband trying to live a Godly life. Here’s what I understand:

It is incumbent on all of us to make moral choices despite what the law says is legal. As Paul explains in 1 Cor. 6, “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial…the body is not for immorality.” It is now more important than ever that the institutional Church be more effective at catechizing and teaching God’s laws for righteous and faithful living. It is even more important now than ever that we, the church, heed those teachings and form right consciences.

It is hard to live as Christians in an immoral society. A truck load of courage and strength will be required to uphold our convictions especially when the media, government, friends, family, neighbors and co-workers support laws and actions which are contrary to God’s natural laws. They say it is all relative, that people can do what they want as long as they don’t harm others. But woe to us all who call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5).

I admit I’m guilty. My self-centered concern for my career success and my apathy toward political involvement have been the screens I hide behind. I’m tired and I’m stressed. I suspect I’m not alone. We silent majority allow the vocal advocates of immorality to relegate us to insignificance—our exile.

We aren’t at risk of being physically removed from our homeland and we probably won’t be in mortal danger. But, how will we choose to speak and act when confronted with labels of bigotry and insensitivity, and possibly putting our livelihoods and families at risk? How will the Church respond when, by adhering to thousands of years of teaching, and so not executing abortions in its sponsored hospitals and not performing marriages between people of the same sex, it may now lose tax-exempt status or government funding for its charitable works? And if they do, are we willing to step-up and fill the funding gap for those worthy causes out of our own pockets?

Now is the time for bold leadership from our clergy. Embarrassment and guilt for past inadequacies does not disqualify nor absolve the clergy from speaking truth. Legal threats, perceived or real, should not stop them from doing right.

Now is the time for us laity to be accountable and responsible for understanding our Christian beliefs and what those beliefs require of us. Volumes of information are available. We must be diligent in educating ourselves and live boldly our beliefs in the public square.

O God, by your grace may we have the courage to stand up for right. Show the light of your truth to those who go astray, so that they may return to the right path. Give all who for the faith they profess are accounted as Christians the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ and to strive after all that does it honor. May we speak and act in such ways that others know our love for you and for them.

I was chastised in Mass today by the Priest because of the way I put money into the collection plate. He called those who put in a yellow laminated “I Give Electronically” card his “true partners in ministry”. He basically labelled those of us who put in cash and checks as slackers, not willing to commit to the support of the Parish. He accused us of hiding behind the excuse of not knowing week-to-week how much we’ll have to give so preferring flexibility in the amount that goes into the plate. He called that lame; that just didn’t do it for him (his words).

I tore up my check, “Okay, Father. If the way I give isn’t good enough for you, fine. I’ll give to those who’ll be happy to take whatever amount in whatever form.”

Whoa!!!

Wait a minute. That’s not right. I caught myself. I got to thinking, why do I give? Is it because of the Priest? That’d be a poor reason. Whether the Priest dynamically drives all kinds of charitable works in the community or has the charisma of a puddle left by an afternoon summer shower, my Parish deserves my support. Thankfully, I had enough cash to make a regular weekly tithe.

Why does the Priest prefer automated electronic contributions, and why do I not want to give that way? He says it helps him to know how much is coming in so he can plan and budget better. Sounds plausible, but is that truly the case? I don’t know how many people give that way, or what percentage of the total collections it represents, but I suspect it’s a minority on both counts. By the way, the weekly collections as published in the bulletin have been remarkably stable for many years. So it appears to me that Father has a fairly good sense of revenue, and can budget expenses accordingly.

Another reason cited is that giving via ACH is giving of the first fruits. Hmmm. I establish ACH debits to my account, so I get to choose the day of the month that the draft hits. It’s arbitrary; I could choose any day I want. Whether the draft hits before or after a deposit can be manipulated, so I think it a bit naïve and disingenuous to contend that it is absolutely of my first fruits. And doesn’t giving automatically this way risk a robotic, unthinking approach to tithing? Is that an appropriate attitude to have about giving?

Why don’t I give on auto-draft? A couple of reasons. One is my income is variable. I’ll have measurable swings from month-to-month. Still, I could sign up for a low, base amount to transfer via ACH to the church if that would appease the pastor. That would even accommodate my other reason which is that we sometimes go to Mass at other Parishes. I want my donation to go to those churches on those weeks. Truthfully, I could do that anyway since my total charitable giving exceeds my weekly checks in the plate.

So what’s the real reason? What do I want from my Pastor and from my giving? Thanks and appreciation? No. Anonymity is just fine with me. What I really want of my Pastor is more preaching from the pulpit on stewardship in all its facets—including money. What a tremendous opportunity he has to teach us to recognize God as the source of all we have and who we are, dependent on God for everything, and thankful for all His gifts in all their forms—the essence of true stewardship. I want my Pastor to identify the charitable works that we as a Parish can and should do. Let us know the need, the resources available, and where the gaps are. Educate us on the importance of our giving; time and talent—sure, but especially treasure. Don’t get bogged down in the mechanics of how that treasure is given. Just trust that God will have us fill the gap. And when God does provide, exalt Him. Give Him the thanks and praise for what He has accomplished because we were faithful. Isn’t that how we are supposed to live?

Father, please plan and budget and do all those things necessary to be a good and prudent steward. Trust that God will provide. And trust that I will do my part. I will give, if not electronically. I will give because that is what I am called to do in thanksgiving for all the benefits He gives to me. I will give because it’s not my money.

I’ve been praying these many weeks for the moral leadership of our country. I confess I had a specific idea of how that was to come about this past election season.

It dawned on me when I woke up Wednesday morning after the Presidential election that my prayers were misguided. Shame on me for looking to the government for moral leadership. While I hope that those we elect are of good moral character, I wonder how effective is legislated morality. Shouldn’t morality, instead, come from within, from our lifelong obligation to develop a well formed conscience in accordance with human reason and the teaching of the Church?

Still, I sense there is a void in moral leadership in our country. Political party, ideology, competence, experience, and performance, while important attributes, should not be the sole deciding factors for who we elect as leaders. Given being qualified in the above issues, we should give primary consideration to those who stand for protecting the dignity of life—especially of those most vulnerable. Who will rise up to meet the challenge and how will we know?

Our Role
It is up to each of us, individually, to engage the public discourse, but to do so in an informed way and with civility. In the public discourse and debate, what do we gain if we vilify others just because they have different viewpoints of similar problems? What do we add to the public conversation if we lazily default to snap judgments and place labels on others because of their political party affiliation? Rather, what if our starting point for interactions with others was the belief that we all seek the common good; that we all believe in the sanctity of life, in feeding the hungry, clothing and housing the poorest of our neighbors, welcoming the stranger in the immigrant, and marriage as the fundamental building block of future society? The issues would then become how best to further the improvement of these areas of life. But, we must recognize that not all courses of action are morally acceptable.

Help from the Church
We need help from our Church and our clergy to understand what actions are morally acceptable. The Church is committed to clarity about moral teaching, encouraging us to develop the virtue of prudence. Prudence sometimes demands that we act courageously in defense of moral principles. We need our Church leadership to be bold and courageous and more effective in teaching us social principles that lead to behavioral change—especially as relates to the five non-negotiable life issues: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, cloning, and gay marriage.

One such effort by our clergy to be clear concerning what the Church teaches regarding our rights and duties as participants in our republic is the Bishops’ Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. Our responsibility as faithful Catholics is to understand what that document says. Forming Consciences lists the central themes of Catholic social tradition as providing a framework for our decision making in public life. The number one issue is the sacredness of human life. The document states, “Catholics cannot vote for candidates who take a position in favor of intrinsic evil, such as abortion…” (34 and also 22, 44, 64, 90)

 Forming Concsiences goes on to state that we are not “one-issue voters”, and so we face a dilemma when a candidate who supports abortion also rightly opposes other evils such as the death penalty and racism, and supports issues like overcoming poverty. Still, The Bishops tell us the guiding principle is that, “all issues do not carry the same moral weight…the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our conscience.” (37 and also 28, 40, 90)

How to Engage
My reading of the document makes it hard for me to understand how anyone, especially Catholics, can vote for candidates who favor abortion. Yet, I can’t believe that my Catholic brothers and sisters who vote for such candidates are evil. So, how am I to engage them and influence them for what I believe the Church teaches as good for society? Labeling them, dismissing and yelling at them don’t work.  Titus 3: 1-7 reminds us that we are to be obedient to authority and open to every good enterprise; to slander no one, be peaceable and gracious toward everyone. Wow! That’s not what I see and hear on the talk shows.

We need to first inform our own consciences with the Truth of the Church and then come along side our fellow citizens, make friends, understand them, and find common ground. Certainly there is common ground—we all want what is best for our children, and we all want the poorest and neediest to be taken care of. How do we do that in a responsible way?

My prayer now is not for the moral leadership of our country, but for the conversion of our country. If each of us would draw closer to God, recognizing Him as the source of all we are and all we have, then we would be good stewards of His resources for the good of all.

That these past two to three years has brought financial stress on us all needs no further illumination. We feel it in our bank accounts and see it on the news every night—especially now as the federal government endeavors to craft a new budget.

Our congressional representatives must wrangle with difficult choices as they try to balance tax revenues with where to cut expenses. One area under scrutiny is “discretionary spending”. In other words, areas they subjectively deem non-essential government spending.

What if the brunt of those cuts comes out of social programs? What if the government claims “Raqa”?

Raqa is a Hebrew term meaning to break out, to stretch. In 2 Samuel 22: 43 David praises the Lord for delivering him from his enemies and translates Raqa as, “I beat them fine like dust…stamped them down like the mire of the streets.” Our representatives must pursue budgetary expenses like enemies and beat them out.

In an effort to protect social spending, Bishops around the country are urging congressional representatives to heed the plight of the poor and maintain funding for social programs. Many directors of diocesan charitable offices express concern that they don’t have the capacity to absorb the needs created by budget cuts.

What is the Role of Government?
What will we, the church, do if the government reduces or eliminates programs that provide support to the poor? Will we step up to fill any gaps in responding to the needs of the most vulnerable among us, the least of our brothers and sisters? Should the Bishops’ efforts to persuade officials to keep social programs as a spending priority be instead directed at us to influence our own spending?

Anecdotal observation tells me that if we, the people of God—the church, would prioritize our spending in line with the Biblical teaching of Tithing, the weekly collection at local parishes would increase three-fold. What tremendous good for our communities could we accomplish with such a windfall of resources?

Too idealistic? Naïve? Too unrealistic? Not if we live according to what we believe.
There are many Bible passages that teach us the command to tithe. One to consider is Numbers 18: 29 “From all the gifts that you receive, and from the best parts, you are to consecrate to the Lord your own full contribution.”

I know your hesitation, the obstacles you put up to justify ignoring God’s teaching. I live with them myself. Let‘s explore the most common objections.

“I can’t afford to give any more to the Church. My budget is already stretched to the breaking point.”

This concern boils down to an issue of trust. It is a leap of faith to begin to prioritize our spending and give ten-percent, the full contribution, to charity. Malichi admonishes us in chapter 3, verses 8-10, “Yet you are robbing me. And you say, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and in offerings…Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse…and try me in this, says the Lord of hosts. Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven to pour out blessing upon you without measure?”

Here’s another. “Much of my tax dollars goes to welfare already, and I pay more than enough in taxes. So, I don’t need to give.”

Various websites report that anywhere from 2 to 20 percent of government spending supports welfare programs—depending on how welfare spending is defined. Has this spending eradicated poverty? Are government programs generally efficient? And anyway, in Matthew 22: 21 Jesus tells us, “to pay to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what belongs to God.” Relying on government to provide welfare for the poor is an abdication of our responsibility to take care of one another.

It is our time to determine who we are as Catholic Christian people. It is our opportunity to decide what we want our government to do for us and what we will do for ourselves and each other. If we embrace tithing as the foundation of financial stewardship, we live in thankfulness for all God gives and in trust that He will provide. We rely on the blessings of God and not on the fickle benevolence of government. And from those blessings, we will in turn bless our neighbors in need.

In a recent homily, we were challenged by being questioned if we were truly grateful for the many gifts God has given us. Pastor didn’t mean material gifts, but the deeper, more important gifts, like our ability to discern color, to think and reason, to breathe even.

The timing was uncanny as lately I’ve been thinking a lot about thankfulness and gratefulness—even though well past Thanksgiving. Even so, I saved a Thanksgiving article by Stephanie Raha published in the Miscellany and I pulled it out when I got back from Mass. She quoted a George Washington proclamation from 1789 where he told us that it is our duty to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God and to be grateful for His benefits. She went on to ask, “how many of us actually acknowledge with grateful hearts the many favors of Almighty God, whether on Thanksgiving or any other day?”

A morning meditation book asks this question:
“What if God took back all His gifts which you neglect to thank Him for?”
Oh, Wow!!

Here are some of the things for which I am most grateful:

• The wonder of our physical make-up, our faculties to see, hear, taste, touch, smell.
• Family – an obvious one, but how awesome to have their love and support, and to have others to love and support.
• Health – another obvious one, but even for those in difficult circumstance—access to first class health care.
• Freedom – to choose where and how to live, what to do for work and recreation.
• Basic necessities of food and shelter in an overabundance.
• Friends – especially my Cursillo group and my long-time high school and college buddies.

There is so much more. And I don’t have trouble being thankful for these. My trouble is more about taking them for granted. Or worse, thinking that I’ve acquired things because of my own efforts. I’ve worked for them, so I’ve earned them.

Here is another thing I’m grateful for – Scripture. In Deuteronomy 8: 11-18 Moses warns me to “not forget the Lord…do not say my power and might have gotten me this wealth. But remember the Lord, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”

I am lucky. The gifts I have are given freely to me by God’s grace. When I realize this and admit that He is the source of all I have and all I am, I want to do something for Him in return. In grateful response, I want to give back to others, to build His community. It is my duty to use the talents and abilities He gives me in service to His people. It is my honor to do so.

God bless us all in our efforts to thank Him and serve Him in the new year.