Catholic women and the political process

by Fr. Mark Steffl

The recent resignation of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has once again brought to light many questions about the responsibility of Catholics in regards to their faith, their rights, and their responsibilities as American citizens. I hope, in this short reflection, to discuss the importance of Catholic women in the political process.

The Gospel that Jesus preaches and teaches is a message that is integral. It is complete, and we must always be wary of choosing to live by only this or that part of it while disregarding what we find too difficult or challenging. So too must our lives as Catholics be lived in an integral way, a complete way. Somehow it has become acceptable for us to practice our faith on Sunday by going to church as a society, yet leaving what we do on Sunday in the church when we go out the doors. Jesus wants us to let the Gospel affect all aspects of our lives. There should be no part of our lives that is off-limits from Jesus’ loving touch, nothing that keeps us from making the Gospel the "rule" of our lives and embracing it completely.

Unfortunately our American society has opened itself to the error that "separation of Church and State" means that faith and religion is only a personal thing that is not lived in our society and in our world. Christians are condemned as "fundamentalists" if they speak about their faith in public.

Yet all of us as Christians have an obligation to do our part to bring about the Kingdom which Jesus came to proclaim. We all have a duty to practice our faith in the world and not to be content to relegate it to something that we do only Sunday. Our faith should inspire us to change the world for the better. We cannot advocate economic justice for example, in the world without proclaiming that abortion and euthanasia are wrong. We cannot just choose a part of the Kingdom to proclaim and leave the other parts for someone else.

Our faith should permeate all we do and we should want to share it with the rest of the world. You, as Catholic women have a special and unique part to play in the whole political process in our country. You have a voice to be heard; you have a message to proclaim that only you can proclaim: a message of hope and a message of the goodness of life as only you as mothers and grandmothers, sisters, aunts, and daughters can proclaim and share with our country. In doing so, you will help tremendously in proclaiming the message of Jesus’ Kingdom.

Assuredly, no single political party in the United States has a monopoly on Catholic beliefs, or makes a claim that it represents Catholic women. Both major parties reject some aspects of the Gospel and both uphold some Catholic teachings. Fortunately for us though, we can then make our beliefs known through our votes to our political candidates and elected representatives so that they can truly represent us and our beliefs, particularly on the issue of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.

Not only is it important that you share your beliefs and values with your elected representatives as Catholic women, but I would go so far as to say that it is an important obligation, an important part of who you are. I am convinced that our society and world today more than ever needs to hear the voice Catholic women have in proclaiming the message of the faith that you practice and the life that you nurture so devotedly day in and day out.

Fr. Mark Steffl is the DCCW Legislation Commission Moderator.