On The 2000 Presidential Election
John Michael Talbot, November , 2000

Brothers and Sisters,

With the celebration of Thanksgiving, Christ the King, and the prolongation of our presidential electoral process in the United States corresponding, I thought I should add a word from a spiritual perspective.

We have much to be grateful for in the United States of America. We are free to worship in the religion of our choice. We're free to participate in a democratic government. We enjoy many moral and temporal benefits unknown to many nations not far from our borders. The list goes on and on. Most of us are aware of these benefits to be grateful for, but it is good to stop on a specific day to intentionally give thanks to God for these freedoms.

We are in the midst of the democratic process of electing a new president. As most of us are aware, this process has reached historic proportions due to the closeness of the vote between the two candidates. Let me offer a few words of encouragement and caution.

First, the Catholic Church has not endorsed a particular candidate. She has put forward the consistent life ethic, including a pro-life message regarding abortion and contraception, the care of the poor of the world through the civil relief of just governments and faith based organizations, the right to die a natural death in contrast to the practice of euthanasia or physician assisted suicide, and opposition to capital punishment.

Consequently, neither candidate from either the Democratic or Republican parties represent the fullness of the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding pro-life. The Church has simply encouraged people to vote with an informed conscience, based upon the teachings of the Church. Of course she tends towards those that are more overtly pro life regarding the abortion issue, since the other issues flow from the right to be born, and the ones that are more sympathetic to the educational ministries of the Church.

However, vehement feelings about how a person votes resulting in the questioning of the integrity of another's faith are clearly beyond a Catholic response. We are to manifest the love of Jesus Christ to all. As the Church teaches, the basic human rights of each individual must be respected. We also recognize that the deepest conviction with all of the above moral issues is by free personal choice rather than the legislation of law. Law only serves as a minimal deterrent to would-be violators. The best answer always lies within where God speaks to each human heart.

Regarding the prolonged electoral process; it seems that both sides are willing to use whatever legal means at their disposal to gain the election. Therefore, whichever side wins will most likely be accused by the other side of, "stealing the elections." This could give rise to bitter feelings, verbal warfare, and even physical violence. It is this that we must pray to avoid.

Let us pray together that peace will be maintained, with only a minimal outbreak of verbal clashes. Up to this point the nation has behaved in a remarkable fashion. In other nations violence would have broken out under similar circumstances, and the use of the military would have been invoked. We are most fortunate for the peacefulness and patience of the American public in this extraordinary circumstance. Let us pray that it continues.

As St. Francis said, to announce, or pray for peace, we must first have it in our hearts. Before we can vote for a particular presidential candidate we must first have the King of Kings in our heart. This brings the authority of His peace in any circumstance. Often we try to fill that void through the external gratification of our opinions. This results in inevitable frustration that can lead to godless anger in its many forms. Only when we find spiritual fulfillment through Christ can we try to bring the Christian message to others, be it through the Church or the government of our land. May we have His peace in our hearts as we continue through this memorable time in our nation's history. May our presence always be as Brothers and Sisters of Charity.

May God bless you all on this Thanksgiving, and Christ the King weekend.

John Michael Talbot