Sanctity In The Public Square

People are often surprised to learn that many politicians became saints.

Some of them were kings, such as Saint Louis of France and Saint Stephen of Hungary. They were devout men who used their authority to ensure that the people under their rule were treated justly. Others, such as Queen Elizabeth of Portugal, used their wealth and positions of privilege to care for the poor. Rather than use their power to enrich themselves and ingratiate themselves with other powerful people, they served the needs of those who were less fortunate. Sometimes, as is the case with Saint Wenceslaus, the King of Bohemia, it cost them their lives.

There are also other saints who served as lower rank politicians. One was Saint Thomas More who served as chancellor under King Henry VIII. When the people of England were being forced to renounce the Catholic faith, he stood firm citing his duty to his conscience as greater than his duty to the king. Because of this position, he was beheaded in 1535.

We do not commonly think of politics as a path to holiness. But these women and men, by committing themselves to the service of their countries, relieved the burden of poverty, fought for the oppressed and ensured that families could enjoy peace and security. In doing so, they followed Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor and to serve the poor. Now, in heaven, God has rewarded them for putting their power and wealth in the service of others.

Jesus’ words in today’s gospel, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s but give to God what is God’s” are often used to justify keeping religious people out of politics. Especially in today’s world, we think that religion should only be about worship on Sunday and should not have any influence on our day-to-day lives or how we vote. On the other hand, many people worry that bringing religion into the public square will only divide people and lead to violence.

There are also those who say that politics is a dirty business. It demands compromises that people of faith are incapable or unwilling to make. To advance one’s agenda often requires “spinning the truth”, which is a political way of saying “telling lies”. As the common belief goes, it is just not the type of business a person who aspires to live a good and holy life should get into.

However, our Christian faith does not exempt us from getting involved in the affairs of our city, state or country. Rather, it requires us to serve others and the common good. Our duty to love our neighbor requires that we speak up for the oppressed and serve the needy. Sometimes that means working to make sure laws are passed that respect the rights of workers. Sometimes that means fighting laws which discriminate against immigrants or the unborn. Other times it will require using our freedom of speech to influence others to recognize and respect the right to life for all people.

In doing so, we are not trying to impose our faith and beliefs on others. Rather we are advocating for rights, principles and responsibilities that people of all faith and those with no faith can agree upon. We can all agree that workers should be paid a decent wage. We can all agree that the rights of all people should be respected, especially those who are the weakest among us. We can all agree that human life is precious and that it should be protected, especially when it is most vulnerable. By speaking about these values which come from God but are shared by all people of goodwill, we are serving the common good rather than promoting any religion.

As people of faith we are required to be good citizens, to love our country and to follow its laws. It is a religious duty for us to vote in accordance with our conscience formed by solid reasoning. We should also involve ourselves on the local level in school committees, town meetings and city councils. By keeping informed about the issues that people in our neighborhoods are facing, we will be better able to serve when we are needed. It is often in these small and unnoticed ways that the faith of Christians can make a real difference in the life of the community.

Finally, we should treat politicians with honor and respect. It can be tempting to make fun of them when they fail or to demonize them when they take unpopular positions or ones that differ from our own beliefs. However, they have a difficult responsibility. We should keep them accountable for their actions but always in a spirit of charity, as we would like to be treated.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church  tells us

It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities

to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.

The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude

and belong to the order of charity (CCC 2239).

Jesus’ commandment to us to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” requires us to serve our brothers and sisters by working alongside them for the common good no matter their religion or beliefs. While not imposing our faith on others, we can use the insights we gain from the word of God and from the teaching of the Church to advance peace, justice and security for all people. Our faith also gives us the perspective to realize that we will never find a perfectly equitable political or economic system in this life. So we do not get discouraged when politicians or political parties let us down. We are not working for them but for a higher purpose. We serve with our eyes focused and our hearts fixed on the things that belong to God and the justice which His kingdom will firmly establish in the world to come.