Moral Coherence and Voting: Courageous Bishop Daniel Jenky Calls Catholic Citizens to Loyalty to the Lord First

11/3/2012

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abortion inducing drugs, and contraception in their health care plans. The purported "accommodation" offered later is a sham. Anyone who denies this, even a sitting Vice President at a recent debate, is lying.

One of the silver linings in the cloud is the way that it has elicited courageous leadership from many Catholic Bishops. Among them is Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria, Illinois. He gave a homily on April 14, 2012, at a Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral during the annual "Call to Catholic Men of Faith" event which showed great heroism. It also provoked a strong reaction.

Over 500 men marched through downtown Peoria bearing witness to the ancient but ever new Catholic faith. In his homily the Bishop reflected on the readings of the day for the Liturgy. The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4: 13-21), recounted the hostility faced by Peter, the first Pope, and the beloved disciple, John, as they exercised their apostolic ministry in another culture which had grown hostile to the Church and her message of genuine liberation. Peter and John left an example which has been followed for over two millennia whenever the Church faces open hostility from the State.

It is in this account that we find these often quoted words: "So they called them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John, however, said to them in reply, "Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges. It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard."

The Gospel of the day was from St Mark's gospel (Mk 16: 9-15). Jesus told the believers to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature." The Apostles did just what the Lord said and they turned the world of their age upside down (Acts 17:6). So too have their successors, like Bishop Jenky of Peoria. He told the men "We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction."

That outstanding homily was quoted in piecemeal fashion and became fodder for those who simply o not want Catholic Bishops to exhibit a backbone. Threats were made against the non-profit status of the Diocese, simply because the bishop had the courage to speak the truth. Groups such as "People for the American Way" (a misnomer), who produced the video clip with which this article is published, were incensed over the courageous way in which the Bishop addressed the faithful. We offered the entire homily in an article entitled "The Courage of Bishop Daniel Jenky: Catholics by Conviction!"

The Bishop told the men "it has never been easy to be a Christian and it's not supposed to be easy! The world, the flesh, and the devil will always love their own, and will always hate us. As Jesus once predicted, they hated me, they will certainly hate you. But our Faith, when it is fully lived, is a fighting faith and a fearless faith. Grounded in the power of the resurrection, there is nothing in this world, and nothing in hell, that can ultimately defeat God's one, true, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church."

I now offer a letter from this good Bishop which was sent to all of his priests to be read at all of the parishes in his Diocese the weekend before the election. It is causing quite a stir among those who do not know how to deal with Bishops who demonstrate such backbone. His unapologetic exercise of episcopal authority irks many in the media. It is also upsetting some dissenting Catholics. It is not only proper, it is timely and refreshing.

His willingness to make the following statement, "Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin", is similarly refreshing - and inspiring.

Bishop Jenky needs our prayer. He deserves our deep respect and appreciation. His detractors better get used to courageous Bishops - they are multiplying at the beginning of the Third millennium in much the same way they did at the beginning of the First Millennium. His call to heroic Catholicism - to be Catholics by conviction - has application in the voting booth.

*****
Most Rev. Daniel Jenky, C.S.C.
OFFICE OF THE BISHOP
DIOCESE OF PEORIA

By virtue of your vow of obedience to me as your Bishop, I require that this letter be personally read by each celebrating priest at each Weekend Mass, November 3/4.

Dear Catholic Believers,

Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present.

Neither the president of the United States nor the current majority of the Federal Senate have been willing to even consider the Catholic community's grave objections to those HHS mandates that would require all Catholic institutions, exempting only our church buildings, to fund abortion, sterilization, and artificial contraception.

This assault upon our religious freedom is simply without precedent in the American political and legal system. Contrary to the guarantees embedded in the First Amendment, the HHS mandates attempt to now narrowly define - and thereby drastically limit - our traditional religious works.

They grossly and intentionally intrude upon the deeply held moral convictions that have always guided our Catholic schools, hospitals, and other apostolic ministries.

Nearly two thousand years ago, after our Savior had been bound, beaten, scourged, mocked, and crowned with thorns, a pagan Roman Procurator displayed Jesus to a hostile crowd by sarcastically declaring: Behold your King. The mob roared back: We have no king but Caesar.

Today, Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin.

For those who hope for salvation, no political loyalty can ever take precedence over loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel of Life. God is not mocked, and as the Bible clearly teaches, after this passing instant of life on earth, God's great mercy in time will give way to God's perfect judgment in eternity.

I therefore call upon every practicing Catholic in this Diocese to vote. Be faithful to Christ and to your Catholic Faith. May God guide and protect his Holy Church, and may God bless America.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.
BISHOP OF PEORIA

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C., Catholic Vote, Campaign 2012, Romney, Ryan, Obama, Biden, HHS Mandate, religious liberty, Right to Life, Marriage, courageous Bishop

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1 - 10 of 22 Comments

judy claar
6 months ago
Rob, Once again, I find myself agreeing with you. When it comes to voting our Catholic Faith, of course Love of brother and sister in Christ is the cornerstone. When it comes to building anything, Love is the answer. I agree hands down. No ifs or buts. I hope I have not conveyed in my writing otherwise. However, I am very much concerned about any ethnicity that is Catholic, Not voting Catholic Values. Not living Catholic Values..but living Catholic Examples. And I do not say I am w/o sin. I walk in as much justice and holiness as the Lord bestows upon me, and it grieves me to see Catholics/Christians in name, and vote with a pagan heart. It is my Love and Concern for others for which I write. Blessings...
KarlVDH
6 months ago
THERE WAS NO PRO-LIFE CANDIDATE IN THIS ELECTION. There was one who was up front about being pro-abortion, and one who lied and pretended not to be. And we Catholics are utter fools for accepting either.
Rob
6 months ago
Continued in-fighting is not going to solve our problems as Church. Speaking the truth is one thing, demonizing those who perhaps are less formed than we, trying to proclaim who is a good catholic and not, will only increase the divide and render us irrelevant. We seem to have developed this moral checklist that somehow equates to being a good catholic. Unless you say and do the following, we'll you aren't catholic.

I have always equated my walk with Christ very similar to my practice of ninjutsu. In this martial art, there is always a focus on the basics. The basic postures, punching, kicking and tumbling. It is only when those skills are done to the point that they are almost inistict that somone can master more advanced fighting techniques. They form the bedrock of the art. In our advanced class problems in technique are always because of a failure in the basics. I see our Catholic faith in much the same way. When we have that encounter with Christ and profess our belief, we begin a journey. That journey involves a period of the basics and the beginning of a relationship. Our practice of faith always has to come from it's primary source and from that source we form the foundation that shapes our practice of the faith. Love of God and neighbor have to be the cornerstone...that is the basic principle. Someone does not profess belief and then all of the sudden is able to live out every jot and tittle of our Catholic faith. The conversion of the soul and the process of repentence takes time. Sometimes folks have a Saul/Paul moment, and sometimes God chooses to work with them more gently and over long periods of time.

As I have planned large men's conferences over the years, I always ensure that at least one talk is devoted to conversion and repentence. We all need it. And the moment we only see the sin of our brothers and sisters and not our own, then we really have become nothing more than pharisees who are in love with the law and forgot that the law was nothing more than the telescope at which to see God. A "basic" principle that is so badly needed in our time is to acknowledge our identity. We are all sons and daughters of God. God loves us all. Our neighbors are not just the child in the womb but also the rabid pro-abortion advocate. We are called to love both. But if all we do is work hard to evict people from the church because they don't tow the line, well don't be suprised when that focus turns on you, a sinner, and you are shown the door.
Paul
6 months ago
Marriage as defined by the state, and marriage defined spiritually have long been sundered. To be legally married, and to be married in the Church are wholly separate things. The words may be the same, but the purpose is intrinsically different. Marriage in the legal sense mostly affects taxes.

I may be missing something, but I don't understand spending so much time trying to insist marriage means the same thing in both contexts rather than explaining that they don't. When two people are married, they do so in the church and it's spiritual. To be married by the state is just paperwork for convenience.
Paul
6 months ago
@Jake, I also found Romney's stance, or lack-thereof disappointing. He seemed to become a slave to party politics when he began running. Obama also disappointed me greatly during this campaign. While I've voted for second-terms on the most recent two presidents, I feel we badly need more viable choices.
Little brother Jose
6 months ago
Peace and goodness to all, thus say the Lord " Fear not, I am with you"

First of all, we have a great opportunity in our times to make the light of Jesus Christ shine in
this world which is in most darkness.Secondly, I am a bit confuse in how the laws on our country function for example a mother who kill her three months old baby or three years old child is consider insane or mentally ill and indee she is. She gets to be all over the media, and everyone is talking about her being evil.On the other hand, a mother kills a three months old baby in her womb, and it is o.k., and she is even encourage,and support to do it by same government. Wouldn't this be more insane and evil or the same because they are still both her children.There is no logic on these practices. Finally, Let us cry out and demand our rigths for us and those who has no rights and voice in the womb in faithfulness and love to our Lord Jesus Christ who strenght us. In conclusion, Let us not fear hostility but embrace it with obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ for He is our true freedom and life. No one has any power to take Him away from our heart.

Little brother Jose
Jake
6 months ago
I have read everything I could find on Romney's stance on abortion and I could only find contradictions. So this issue is a wash as far as both candidates are concerned. As far as who is for the poor and needy, which my Lord Jesus Christ cradled in his arms, i think it is rather evident. My vote is going Democrat.
cthlcrg
6 months ago
As an aside to this, we need to view most of the elite media coverage as part of the Obama campaign. 3 examples that come to mind are:
1) Remember all the front page print and tv news stories regarding gasoline prices and those hurt by them at the end of the Bush Administration in 2008 when gasoline was less than $2/gallon? Well, prices have since doubled, but we don't hear nearly as much about it with Mr. Obama as President. The Freerepublic says the ratio is 4 Bush gasoline stories to 1 Obama gasoline story.
2) There were 575 troops killed in Afghanistan during the 7 Bush years, and more than 1,300 troops were killed in 3 1/2 years under President Obama. You'd never know this by the proportion of news coverage.
3) Same with the back and forth on Libya regarding what was said, who knew when, yes, no, maybe, etc.
My point is that Bishop Jenky courageously spoke for the Catholic Church, and against the efforts of the elite media.
KarlVDH
6 months ago
Let us remember that our loyalty is to Christ... not only to Christ FIRST, but to Christ ALONE.
...NOT to either political party or any other ideology.
Neither party is "The Godly One."
Judy Claar
6 months ago
WOW! To All of you posting. Very Interesting. And keeping with the Faith!
@ Jackie, may I ask , Where in Oregon? I know it is a very liberal and Democratic state, but ...
@Deacon Keith: Personal Note: Oregon was one of the states in my travels, where I met quite a few "stung" by the Jesuits. There are some persons who think like the Pres. of Pro-Choice, in that they "... have the right to dissent and freedom of conscience". It is sad, but some have gone as far as leaving the Church. Let me be clear. I am not attributing these negations to the Jesuits.

I am saying, that WE INDEED ARE THE CHURCH MILITANT. The Church is being attacked from within and without. This needs to Show Through Our Voting! Blessings to All...

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