Hudson & Fournier: Catholic Countdown to Election 2012, Day 37: Defend Life,Pray for the Faithful

By Deal W. Hudson and Rev. Mr. Keith Fournier
10/1/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

We can't forget about the Church's teachings and the demands of God's law when we are engaged in our public life

"The taking of an innocent human life, whether inside the womb or not, and up until natural death, is always and everywhere intrinsically evil," the bishop writes. "Such issues as embryonic stem cell research and attempts at human cloning are also direct attacks against the dignity and uniqueness of human life made in the image of God."

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WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - On February 27, 2011 Archbishop Gomez assumed the office of Archbishop of the Los Angeles. His earlier appointment as a Co-Adjutor Bishop had fueled concern in some segments of that diverse Archdiocese based upon his undeniable commitment to theological orthodoxy. However, within a short time he won over even those who initially expressed concerns.

Observers were not surprised. He is one of "Benedict's Bishops", possessing that wonderful combination of doctrinal fidelity and human warmth. He is well known for his pastoral heart and his sincere love for the Lord and His people. People immediately like him. They discern his close relationship with the Lord when they are in his presence.

He is a long time proponent of the "New Evangelization" first advocated first by Blessed Pope John Paul II, to whom he has had a deep devotion. His marvelous letter entitled "You Will Be My Witnesses" is one of the best statements on the call to the New Evangelization available. It was written when he was the Archbishop of San Antonio, Texas.

He is a passionate advocate for the poor who lives and proclaims the authentic Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, properly understood. His July 28, 2011 address to the Napa Institute entitled "Immigration and the "Next America": Perspectives from Our History" should be read by anyone who seeks to inform their political, cultural, social and economic participation in fulfilling our obligation to faithful citizenship, informed by the truth as taught by the Catholic Church.

He has wisdom to share with all of us, teaching that we must approach all public policy issues first, last and all in between, as Catholics. That includes the numerous and complex issues surrounding immigration. The Archbishop does a brilliant job of presenting the Social teaching of the Church and placing immigration within the context of this New Evangelization.

Archbishop Gomez recently told California Catholics, in an article entitled "First thoughts about this election year" "We can't forget about the Church's teachings and the demands of God's law when we are engaged in our public life....the most important thing is to form our consciences. We have to make sure our participation and our contributions always reflect the moral and religious values that we find in the Scriptures and in the teachings of our Church." His words apply to every Catholic. Words like this should be shouted from the housetops. He and many other Bishops are doing just that.

Wow! The newly-appointed bishop of St. Augustine, FL Bishop Felipe Estevez has made a powerful statement http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-felipe-estevez-tells-floridas-catholics-to-vote-pro-life-pro-family about the importance of voting for life and marriage. If the Latino Catholic vote is ever going to align itself with those settled issues it will be because of leadership like this and that of Archbishop Jose Gomez in Los Angeles.

It comes as no surprise to us that Pennsylvania is "in play" in spite of media pundits' attempt to spin the recent Pew poll. With Obama showing only a two-point lead in a traditionally "blue state," the stage is set for Catholic voters, who constitute 37 percent of the overall votes in national elections, to make the difference on Nov. 6.

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

Bill Sr.
8 months ago
We need to ask ourselves "What do you Catholics believe when you proclaim, I believe in one God........and in all that is seen and unseen or visible and invisible as it is now? These are not and must not be just words to a devout and conscientious follower of Christ and faithful Catholic. Hopefully you are saying we are aware of the forces of Evil constantly surrounding us trying in any way to tug, tease, or tempt us from accomplishing our mission to do God's will among men. We realize we live in an imperfect world as the result of sin which lives in those Evil forces attempting to steal as much of mankind as possible from the shelter of Christ's sacrifice of Love within the Fathers house. Understanding this allows us to look beyond the seen for the unseen within what men propose as solutions to our problems or methods to improve conditions or to the vain attempts to tamper with the very physical elements of life itself. These are the areas where the powerful forces of Evil can disguise themselves as benevolent benefits or evolving enlightenment for a society too eager to advance to an earthly man made Utopia without pain or consequence and privilege without price.
Our Lord came seen as a humble but faithful servant of Father in heaven teaching the ways of the Father of Love but also acknowledging the ever invisible presence of the devious deception of Evil opposed to His Will, promising us that whoever would believe in Him shall be worthy of the unseen Glory of God awaiting redeemed mankind.
We may consider what we see as our modern western society the height of human achievement and marvel at our accomplishments but at the same time are we not also witnessing the unforeseen collapsing of it both morally and structurally?
Far too often in recent history we seen how leaders have avoided the moral challenges in the light of truth and chosen do their work in the cool comfort of darkness where their deeds are less visible and the sleepy eyed gatekeepers have often been unwilling to sound the alarm for fear of disturbing the peace. As a result decisions have been made, choices are in place, and worst of all we have changed our language and vocabulary to fit an agenda contrary to our conscience. An unborn child is no longer a human being. Killing it is not a crime it is a right. Pregnancy is a disease or at the very least, as our own president has declared, it is a punishment for poor hygiene practice. Preventing pregnancy is praised and to be rewarded by a benevolent Federal government with free contraception for women and young school aged girls. All the while the same government disallows any mention of God in all its public schools and buildings. Religious liberty is no longer constitutionally protected but subject to the interpretation of bureaucrats in Washington. Free speech is soon to be a thing of the past as power hungry elitists and legislators have assumed the role of judges of vocabulary allowed to determine what can be publicly permissible speech. Every Christian value which helped build the shinning city on the hill is being challenged or cast aside to establish the Utopia of fools and it is time for us to unmask and reveal the Evil presence in the public policies proposed by the blind or misguided individuals perpetuating the corruption of our culture. The most potent weapon of Evil is our unwillingness to recognize its existence among us.
Pary that the hearts of the faithful will be opened that they may see clearly the unseen and live and vote according to an enlightened Christian conscience. God Bless
Spiritus Gladius
8 months ago
@Tom The security of a Nation is It's first priority. That said, I don't understand why there is an "issue" surrounding immigration policy. There are legal ways to immigrate into a country. There are people who break the law. People who break the law are subject to the law. Why is there an issue here?
Tom McGuire
8 months ago
What about immigration policy? How about an article that centers on this important issue? I am sure by now your readers now about the evil of abortion, but do they know the Catholic Church teaches about immigration? I would welcome the kind of perspective you describe as the perspective of Archbishop Gomez.

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