… there are good arguments why to mention it in the next confession! And not the least of reasons is to honor the responsibilities conveyed to us by God. Catechism 1730: God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. “God willed that man should be ‘left in the hand of his own counsel,’ so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to Him.” That brings responsibilities!
The current age of persecution has a global spread, but at least in the U.S. we still can vote. And it is reasonably arguable that failure of faithful Catholics to exercise all their rights in the last few decades has, in part at least, led to a moral malaise which metastasized into full blown cancer, as government initiated and protected immorality. Exercising the vote responsibly means being informed, and that means finding the Truth. Since Jesus, Himself, isn’t running for office, perfection can’t be expected in any candidate. But once we know where they say they each stand, and how they have acted in the past, the burden is on us to prioritize. Bishop John Paprocki of the Springfield, Illinois Diocese, put this into astute perspective in the prior presidential campaign:
“A vote for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors
that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful
makes you morally complicit
and places the eternal salvation of your own soul in serious jeopardy.”
It is also fair to say that failure to do our duty to oppose candidates who support intrinsic evil also makes us complicit. That means not only evaluating the candidate, but also PRIORITIZING the issues, with serious moral issues at the top of the list (way above property taxes, attracting business, plowing the streets.) The moral issues are quite rightly divided by the Church into matters of intrinsic evil, and matters of prudential judgment. And, frankly, there is no moral issue that trumps abortion. Over 55 million dead babies is a holocaust many times the size of what Hitler and the Nazis did. And there are very few of us who can say we did everything we humanly could have done to fight back against the abortion holocaust. I know I can’t.
So action at the polls — going to the polls and voting morally — is one of the few things that lies within our power now in the face of real and intrinsic evil. It is the least we can do. And, in case there is any confusion, “matters of prudential judgment,” include immigration, taxes, gun control, capital punishment, length of prison sentences, government mandated health care and much more. That is not to say there are not moral aspects to prudential judgment issues, but abortion itself, in every circumstance, is intrinsically evil.
Candidates for Governor
Thus, the candidates’ positions on the intrinsic evil of abortion must not be ignored by faithful Catholics exercising their rights at the polls. Fortunately, the positions are clear — expressed by the candidates themselves. Governor Andrew Cuomo (Democrat) has repeatedly pushed hard for abortion right up until birth, in a state which is already the abortion capital of the country! He had a 10 point program for women, including fair wages and against human trafficking, of which 9 points passed separately were supported by both the Assembly and State Senate, but Mr. Cuomo refused to allow it to become law, holding all 9 points hostage to getting his way with mercilessly expanding abortion. He is at it again, and if he wins the governorship again, it is likely to be seen as a mandate for his point #10. Mr. Cuomo claims to be a Catholic but is divorced, publicly living with a woman not his wife.
The principal challenger (Republican and Conservative) is Rob Astorino, a Catholic husband and father. I went to his early meeting in Benton when he came to the area for the first time, and when he was quizzed by the audience he made not the slightest hesitation in saying he is Catholic, that he opposes abortion or any expansion of abortion. A governor can’t repeal any law himself — that is in the hands of the legislature — but he can encourage something he can sign, and he can rearrange priorities. He avowed that he will not sign into law any expansion of abortion. He also is opposed to Common Core. Mr. Astorino has had two successful terms heading up Westchester County. His Catholic roots show that, very early in his career, he was station manager and program director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and hosted a weekly radio show from St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the then archbishop of New York. Below is a picture of Mr. Astorino and his family, and Sheriff Chris Moss of Chemung County, who is running for Lieutenant Governor, and his family.
Candidates Astorino & Moss and their families
Please vote on election day, and let your true Catholic voice be heard.
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wow – very well said, Diane! Let’s see if we can get Rich Funke a victory as well. If you get the negative campaign mailers about him, remember that being against “women’s equality” is code for being against abortion expansion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McuM0sCp778&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sp&utm_campaign=20141101_21646066_Sheila%20Astorino&utm_content=body_img_youtube_1&action=email_click&ha1=3e026f4c7b9e2eec85fd0d228fe77e182f5ad566
is worth watching — just about a minute long.
Lifesite News has carried Fr. Shenen Boquet’s article from Human Life International: https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/a-catholic-obligation-to-vote-november-4?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=cd33c7a062-LifeSiteNews_com_US_Headlines_06_19_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0caba610ac-cd33c7a062-326215702
which details the Catholic obligation to vote.
I, for one, am fed up with Andrew Cuomo continued attempts of holding 9 of the Women’s Equality Act hostage because he can’t get number 10 regarding the expansion of abortion passed. To begin with, I think it’s deceptive to sneak in the Abortion Issue with the other 9 components of the Women’s Equality Act. I’m sure it’s frustrating to not only voters who are pro-life, but also to members of the Assembly and State Senate who have had the 10 point Women’s Equality Act including the Abortion Issue thrown in their face repeatedly.
I wonder if Gov. Andrew Cuomo thinks this tactic will wear pro-life voters and members of the Assembly and State Senate down so all 10 points will be passed.
One thing is for sure, the All 10 points or None of the Women’s Equality Act will continue if Gov. Andrew Cuomo is re-elected as Governor of New York State.
Another factor a close relative pointed out to me in regard to the Nov. 4th Election, is Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being investigated by the Federal Government in regard to corruption. In a pre-primary, inter-party radio debate, both Democratic and Republican challengers regarded Cuomo as being “corrupt.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/gov-cuomo-branded-corrupt-republican-democratic-challenges-debate-blog-entry-1.1927804
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/nyregion/us-attorney-warns-cuomo-on-ethics-case-.html?_r=0
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gov-andrew-cuomo-under-fire-for-meddling-in-corruption-investigation/
It was upsetting to learn that Andrew Cuomo won re-election. I, nor anyone from my family or relation voted for him. I think the large LBGT population and the large amount of women who are trying to mobilize abortion as a means of birth control, have much to do with Cuomo’s victory. I also think there are a lot of people in New York who identify with Andrew Cuomo’s divorced state in life but his current living situation without benefit of marriage.
It is sad to admit, but we live in an extremely Liberal State where many people do not abide with traditional church teaching in many aspects of their life. What had previously been coined “the moral majority”, is more accurately “the moral minority.”
Here is a solid summary of the achievements in yesterday’s voting: http://www.catholicvote.org/five-take-aways-from-yesterdays-midterm-election/
It’s good to hear that women’s reproductive rights AKA the right to an abortion funded by tax payers, lost out in so many states.
I wouldn’t have a problem with a Democratic victory for governor of New York State if it was another candidate who didn’t have a pro-abortion agenda. I do not understand how Andrew Cuomo can be a Catholic in good standing when he advocates for expansion of abortion. And this is in addition to his part in getting same sex marriage passed in NYS as well as personal living situation with a women without benefit of marriage.
Surely, everyone should be able to attend church because after all, “a church is not a museum of saints but a hospital for sinners,” but by the mere fact that Andrew Cuomo is not publicly chastised by the local archbishop or cardinal, and is permitted to receive Holy Communion by a parish priest, it signals to all citizens of New York State and voters that the Catholic Church is in harmony with him and his agenda.
It actually sends the message that local church officials support him and are in agreement with his pro-abortion, same-sex marriage position, as well as his sexual relations and living situation outside of marriage.
The Catholic Hierarchy especially of New York State take credit in good part of Andrew Cuomo’s re-election and his continued effort to expand abortion.
I do think Andrew Cuomo can be that serious about improving conditions of women and children if he has consistently held up 9 out of the 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act.
I thank God for Sen. Joe Robach. May God Bless and Strengthen Jpe to keep up the Good Fight.
I take exception to any comparison of the number of abortions to the Holocaust and the many other horrible , evil crimes that are perpetrated in warfare. Is the gravity of evil a matter of some arbitrary measure such as counting bodies? That trivializes the whole notion of evil. To say that one evil does or does not “trump” another is not a winning argument. Would abortion be less evil if the numbers would be reversed?
That said, Cuomo’s complete disingenuous stance on the WOmen’s Equality Act by holding 9 of the parts hostage so he can get the 10th. He is damaged goods nationally, assuming he has his eyes on some higher office.
Just catching up and want to make two comments: christian, you say you wouldn’t have a problem with a Dem governor if he was pro-life. Perhaps you want to dig deeper in thinking on that because abortion is actually a platform of that political party: you sign on to work from that party… you give the nod to abortion.
y2kscotty, you object to comparing aborted babies to the Holocaust by virtue of numbers. Numbers don’t matter regarding the labeling of both as evil, as you say, but why the problem with it?! Both come under the heading of systematic mass slaughter. We all know what we’re dealing with in such referrals: person to person single murder is evil; organized groupings by mandate is evil. No one’s counting… we all know that even one murder is evil; conversely, Jesus would have come to save even one of us. Seems personal semantics to me, but perhaps I totally missed your point?
Peace.
+JMJ
y2kScotty: Correction:
You say “… the Holocaust and the many other horrible, evil crimes that are perpetrated in warfare.”
The Holocaust was NOT a war-crime (although atrocities were tried under the rights of a war victor to bring criminals during the war to account in the absence of other legitimate government). War was a cover for Hitler’s hatred of the Jews. The Holocaust did not happen because of the war, but rather was shrouded behind it, so that rescuing the Jews required war to even get access to the extermination camps. Today we are seeing all kinds of clues that elected leaders, especially like Obama and Cuomo, are perpetrating law instead of war to express their own hatreds. So many dead babies could not be done without hate.
JLo-I meant-it’s hard to swallow Cuomo’s re-election. It wouldn’t have been as hard if the Democrat who won didn’t have such an out and out campaign to get the expansion of abortion passed.
I was shocked that Cuomo had such a landslide victory as none of my family members and relation, and others I know, voted for Cuomo. (Are all pro-life people going to the polls to vote?)
Also, what does it say when a governor who is being investigated for corruption by the Federal Government gets re-elected?
I belonged to the Pro-Life Party until they folded and was even asked to run for an office.
I think a better solution nowadays would be for candidates to run devoid of any political party affiliation, and only on their own character, their personal and public record, and their personal and political views on topics such as abortion, same-sex marriage, support for the middle class, medicare, etc.
I think we need to continue to pray that point 10 of the Women’s Equality Act gets voted down and that the Life At Conception Act gets passed. We also need to pray for more and more unmarried people to practice abstinence, and that if a woman finds herself pregnant under any condition, she has the strength, love, courage, and support, to carry her child until birth.
y2kscotty- Not comparing the Holocaust of Jews or the present Holocaust of Christians in Syria, Iraq, and certain parts of Africa,(there is also a Holocaust of certain Muslims, and Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists of smaller numbers), there is still a Holocaust of the Unborn. Substitute the term Genocide and acknowledge death is by cruel, inhumane, violent, painful methods. In all these cases of Genocide, there is evil destruction done against God’s Creation.
Thank you to those who commented on my previous posting. The nub of my objection comes from the use of the word “trump”. I urge refraining from saying that any horrendous evil somehow “trumps” another horrendous evil. Regarding public policy, it is legitimate to say that one issue trumps another (such as the issue of abortion trumping immigration reform or Obamacare). Both major political parties believe the abortion issue trumps everything else: one cannot be a candidate for national or statewide public office unless that person adheres to the party “orthodoxy”. We have a Republican majority in both houses of Congress. I doubt that they will do anything about abortion. Will they be held accountable?
Hello y2kscotty,
I think you misunderstood what I wrote in the post. What I explicitly said (unchanged since the original post) is: “And, frankly, there is no moral issue that trumps abortion.” And I carefully worded it to NOT say abortion trumps all other intrinsic evils.
That means just what it says: there is no issue MORE important than abortion. It does not say that abortion is more evil than any other sin. (This is a logic syllogism that must be carefully read. I’m sorry if it was confusing, but it does not say (as I think you have interpreted it) that abortion trumps every other sin.)
What I was getting at was triggered by a homily I heard just before the 2012 election (and which about 15 of us wrote to the priest who gave it, complaining, copying his pastor. His point was that several of the prudential judgment issues he preached on (saying explicitly that he would tell us how to vote) was that immigration, death penalty, war and taxes (economy) were ‘in toto’ more important than the abortion issue. NO! And this is what I was again writing about. All the prudential judgment issues do not “trump” abortion. But I agree with you that evil is evil and we don’t prefer certain mortal sins to others. All intrinsic evils destroy. I hope this clarifies.
As to whether or not the new Congress will do anything to fight back Roe v. Wade (given to us by the SC, of course, not the Congress), please help, anyone, if you remember clearly… weren’t GOP members trying to pass legislation that would mark the personhood of a fetus, thus rendering abortion murder? I have nothing but a nagging tease in my head on this, not a concrete memory. Hope someone can set me straight. Also hope it’s a viable fractured memory I have; because if so, now with the Dems in the back seat of both chambers, we have a chance it will happen.
+JMJ
Last Tuesday a Personhood amendment failed resoundingly in Colorado and North Dakota but it passed with a little over 52% of the vote in Tennessee. Of course there will be challenges, but one out of three in a first wave and with all the PP resistance concentrated in those 3 states is a good sign, IMO.
http://www.ibtimes.com/personhood-initiative-same-abortion-how-colorado-north-dakota-tennessee-voted-1719043