Real Citizenship: More Than Just Your Vote

I just got an email from a Senator of mine that I had emailed a few weeks ago. I was surprised, because usually you get a quicker turn-around. So much time had passed that I had forgotten I had even sent him an email, and so I wasn't expecting his reply! Anyway, it was a good reminder to me that I haven't responded to any "Action Alerts" lately. So I decided to go looking for some!

Since the Obama Drama unfolded here at Notre Dame in May 2009, and the November 2008 Election, it has become increasingly clear to me that it's not enough to show up to vote. Our Catholic Social tradition has a much richer notion of active citizenship. There's so much we can do to really support causes which our Tradition says are of primary importance beyond electing candidates that share our views -- and our action becomes particularly important precisely when the ones who get elected, DON'T.

Even more surprisingly, there are simple things we can do to remain politically engaged - beyond the vote. Take emailing your reps, for example. Lots of good Catholic orgs have "action alerts" you can respond to: you enter your information, they email your reps. And voila! You've let your voice be heard and have encouraged them to support Catholic values on a variety of issues in just a few minutes!

That being said, here are some good action alerts I encourage everyone to respond to.

http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=14503781&type=CO
JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS - USCCB COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/2010-01-27-Alert-healthcare.pdf
HEALTH CARE REFORM - USCCB

http://actioncenter.crs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ac_homepage
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES (CRS) -- ACTION ALERTS

http://crs.org/act/
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES - ACTION IDEAS

And if you need a little Catholic Inspiration:

As Pier Giorgio Frassati used to say:
"Charity is not enough; we need social reform."

And as Pope John Paul II aptly reminded us in Christifideles Laci:
"A new state of affairs today both in the Church and in social, economic, political and cultural life, calls with a particular urgency for the action of the lay faithful. If lack of commitment is always unacceptable, the present time renders it even more so. It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle."

Prophets of a Future Not Our Own

So this week in field education, we had a time of faith sharing, and my classmates who led it had us reflect a beautiful passage from the writings of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The words were so beautiful, I thought I'd post them here:

PROPHETS OF A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the
magnificent enterprise that is God's work.

Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.

We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything,
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see th ened results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders.
ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.