I hate to post anything that could come off as white noise, but it’s the election that’s on my mind and rather heavily so.
I turned on Fox News Tuesday evening brimming with confidence in a Romney/Ryan success. Regardless of party affiliation, I thought it was perfectly clear that President Obama’s job performance was pretty horrendous over the past four years, so how could he possibly be re-elected? The American people are smarter than that. At least according to the popular vote they are, but the electorate seems to think differently. Receiving news of Obama’s re-election in real time, I sat and stared blankly at my computer. Facebook and Twitter immediately blew up with varied reactions while fear crept in with its grip on my mind, flooding it with a million What Do We Dos? What will happen to the Catholics in America? The Catholic institutions and insurance? Abortion? The deficit? Gas prices? On and on…
photo by Mahatma4711
Today my mood was at its lowest – tears came, anxiety too and I was constantly reminded of the reality of Obama’s re-election by talk radio, which I finally made myself shut off. I had despaired – I had no hope in anyone and I had no idea what to think of God’s plan except that I didn’t care for it. Without the outrage of Rush buzzing in my ear, I recalled the Israelites’ 40 years in the desert. 40 years. And I was weeping over 8. For 40 years the Israelites doubted, became hopeless, established an idol to worship and fell out of touch with God because he didn’t do what they wanted when they wanted it. They lost their faith in God who sent them a deliverer and freed them from hundreds of years of oppressive bondage. Sitting at a red light, quiet with anger, I felt like I had lost my trust in God after such a short time and after just one event. After the re-election last night, I said to Andrew, “I don’t know how my trust in God could be tested any more.”
O me of little faith.
God works outside of time; his plan is whole and complete and he desires only goodness and love for mankind. He allows unfortunate things to happen, but always brings goodness out of the most evil of situations. Trust and faith are not emotions, but acts of the will – I have to choose faith. Emotions will follow but I have to decide to trust and the comfort will come.
The most important act of faith for me to take now is one toward thankfulness. God brought the Israelites out of bondage, out of the desert; he has protected the Catholic Church for 2,000+ years and those who are faithful to her teachings. The Blessed Mother told St. Bernadette at Lourdes, “I cannot promise to make you happy in this life, but in the next.” Jeff Cavins, a well-known theologian, encourages people to recall God’s nature, the salvation history within the Bible, and the miracles he has performed since those times in order to affirm one’s faith.
God does not abandon, so neither should I.
I’m from the Philippines and not a US citizen but I worried for the Catholic faithful after learning of Obama’s reelection. I had exactly the same worries as you for our brothers & sisters in the Church there. So to hear this from you was a load of my back. Yes, in this Year of Faith, we really must practice it to increase it. How wise of our Holy Father to declare the Year of Faith. It confirms to me even more that the Holy Spirit indeed guides him to give us all we need to cope with the trials we must go through before we reach eternal peace. God bless you and know that we are with you in spirit and prayer from all the way down here.
Katie,
Thank you for this reflection. In times of doubt, I often meditate on the Israelites and their desert purification. We also need God’s purifying love to release us from our bondage today. God Bless, Cindy
Nathaniel and I help with the high school youth group in our parish. We have a group of students who’ve come to our house every Wed. night since they were freshman and they’re seniors now. I was SO INSPIRED by our discussion about the election last night. They were all disappointed in the outcome, but they talked respectfully about all the parties involved, and while they shared concerns about what it means for us as Catholics, they also were fired up about the opportunity to be out there, fighting a real fight for our faith, almost looking forward to the potential for martyrdom (though probably more in a figurative sense than literal) to come. It was awe-inspiring. Truly. Our Catholic youth are incredible. All will be well. By the grace of God, it will.
– Staci
I’ve been trying to remind myself that God is more interested in souls than in who is president. I don’t like what’s going on in our country right now, but maybe it’s needed for souls. I think people have become so comfortable in this country, and greedy, that they’ve forgotten God. Many don’t even realize they’ve forgotten him. (You know, the whole – I go to church, I haven’t killed anyone or robbed a bank, so I’m a good person thing.) It seems to me he HAS to do something to wake people up for the good of their souls. This is currently the only sense I can make of this because it is beyond my comprehension how the election could possibly go the way it did.
Thank you for this,
It was helpful in a couple of ways: 1) to know I’m not the only one feeling this way
2) to give some direction of where to go/what to do now
3) to give the reminder of Hope and Trust in God.
Thank you.
Katie,
Thanks for your thoughtful post. My husband and I feel/felt similarly, but I tried to remind us of one thing (that is so easy for me to forget):
Jesus Christ is the Lord of ALL and has complete control over everything that happens. As St. Therese of Lisieux says (and I have posted on my computer monitor and need to read at least once a day!), “CONFIDENCE! Remember, it’s the hand of Jesus that directs everything.”
Keep the faith! Non Praevalebunt!
Lina
Thank you so much for this post, and for so clearly expressing exactly what I and so many other Catholics and Christians and republicans in general are feeling. Before the election I prayed for strength to bear the results, no matter the outcome, and to trust in God’s will even if it meant another four years of Obama…all the while thinking in the back of my mind that Romney would win anyway! I prayed for trust, but two days post-election it’s a lot harder than I had imagined! I am still feeling teary and anxious and so very disappointed that people of faith and traditional values are apparently the minority in this country. I choked up at my daughter’s school this morning when the kids said the Pledge of Allegiance for goodness sake! But I am comforted to know that we are not alone, even as we struggle to come to grips with the reality that dark days still lay ahead. Thank you for the reminder that trust in the Lord will be the light that guides us, always.
Katie, I felt just as you did when I woke up to the news yesterday! Reading this article (http://bob-rice.com/2012/11/07/the-most-important-result-is-still-to-come/) gave me some perspective that HE WANTS US TO STAY AWAKE. God is the only one who can make good out of bad; let’s continue to do our thing and He’ll continue to do His!
Thanks for your comments, everybody. For me, I am pretty much going to forget about what goes on in Washington. There is no use attempting to change anything there anymore. They have won on that level. We are finding out more and more who the traitors are in our own Church and there are many. However, there is much that I (and, hopefully, others) can do on the local level. We are making some inroads in our State Legislature. And there is much prayer that needs to be done here in front of our abortion centers. Daily Mass, Rosary, Adoration is what I am concentrating on. Also, assisting our local crisis pregnancy centers. Try to make the 40 Days for Life, if you can.
Thank you Mr. Wyatt! Your thoughts are insightful and I appreciate your practical tips for turning the situation around. God bless and thank you for your advice!