During last weekend's homily, I quoted our United States Bishops who said how important it is to read the ENTIRE document "Forming Our Consciences for Faithful Citizenship."  While I echo their sentiment and urge everyone to pull-up the link to that document on our website:  www.hsvsacredheart.com or look forward to prayerfully reading it when hard copies arrive, I feel it is important to quote two paragraphs from this teaching for our reflection before we go to the polls to vote.  The first is paragraph 34 on page 18.  It says "Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote.  This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-informed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods.  A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, IF THE VOTER'S INTENT IS TO SUPPORT THAT POSITION.  In such cases, a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil.  At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity."

Since we are all aware that some people are truly considering not voting for either of the two major candidates for President of the United States and are understandably conflicted about doing so, I quote from paragraph 36 on page 18 which says this:  "When all the candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma.  The voter can decide to take the extra-ordinary step of not voting for any candidate or after careful deliberation, can decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed postion and more like to pursue other authentic human goods."

I encourage all of us to ponder these and all the other points our bishop makes in this document AND pray before, during and after this election for our leaders, citizens and all who have the responsibility to advance the common good in our country and throughout the world.

Please join with me and many other people of faith in praying a prayer to Mary, Immaculate as a Novena from October 30 through November 7 for election day.  The prayer can be found in this weeks bulletin.