love in u.s. politics?

am i primarily a democrat, republican, green party, libertarian? or an i primarily a christian? these are questions we can ask ourselves as a gut check. how i self identify is a big part of how i guide my actions and words.

i started this blog because of my experience in 2016 on facebook. while there are many advantages to social media, there are many dark places there too. as a country, we have become more divided in great part because of the misuse of the internet/social media. critical thinking, ad hominem fallacies, self absorption, and mean-spiritedness can all flourish in social media. these all become more over-the-top in politics

we who proclaim to be christians ought to take greater pause in our judgments– especially in the political realm. how do we live out our faith and the basic tenets of who we are as followers of Jesus as we respond to the Holy Spirits promptings in the here and now?

for me, when things get murky in this complicated world of ours, i fall back on the basics: love God and neighbor. so i try to unpack the question: what is love in this particular context/situation?

our catholic teaching ought to help us love. stories of how jesus acted and what he taught help form my imagination. the good samaritan, the washing feet at the last supper and the final judgment (matthew 25: 31ff) help us see the inherent dignity in all people.

as i wrote in an earlier post, our catholic social teaching are a prime resource in how to love. ( http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching.cfm ). these have inspired me for many years and my appreciation for these teaching deepens as time goes on. they are especially important during election years.

i pray that we as a country can grow in our understanding and actions that lifts up the dignity of each human person. i pray that those who represent us politically will enact laws for the common good. i pray that through it all, we all become people of compassion, care and justice and show in our lives what it means to love one another