There’s Hope, If We Know Where to Look

 There’s Hope . . .

There’s hope, and then there’s Hope.  The first is what this world calls “hope.” That is, mere optimism. Or maybe simply a desire for something, without any real expectation of ever obtaining it. The second one, that is Hope, is something else altogether.  This is Christian Hope. This is no mere wishful thinking or optimism.  Christian Hope is faith in the promises of Christ, a confidence which transforms our life right now. St. Paul describes it this way: “Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” (Romans 5.2) We can only find true Hope in the Lord.

That is, of course, the name of this site, Spes in Domino is Latin for “Hope in the Lord.” I started this blog four years ago immediately after a year that reminded us just how little any of our human institutions deserved to be repositories of hope, even the most modest, human kind of “hope.” In the light of the evident bankruptcy of the secular order we had built for ourselves, I saw my return to bloggery as a reflection of “how important it is to keep independent voices in the public square – especially Catholic Christian voices.”

 The Intersection of Faith and Politics 

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to contribute to this blog as consistently as I might have hoped . . . um, liked. More practical considerations have been overwhelming at times. But I’m still here.  And indeed, the same problems are still with us, even if there seem to be some indications of at least a mild turn back in the direction of sanity in our public life.  These same problems have been with us, incidentally, since the Fall, and will be until Christ comes again in Glory.

In any case, that first year I did publish some reflections on the intersection of Faith and Politics (see here and here). It is a perennial question, after all, how we can truly keep our hope in the Lord, but at the same time fulfill our proper obligations as citizens (even if only temporary ones) of this world. After four years, and some significant shifts in the social and political landscape, it’s worth returning to the topic. I leaned on Pope St. John Paul II in discussions four years ago.  Today we’ll draw on the work of his right hand man and successor, Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI.

 A Complicated Question 

The proper role for a believing Christian to play in public and political life is a complicated question. In our world today that’s true more than ever with political structures that are both democratic and pluralistic. Here in the United States we face on top of that confusing and often intentionally obfuscating “Wall of Separation” language. As in other areas of decision-making, we need to apply our personal judgment in determining how to act in specific situations. As Catholics, of course, we need to form those judgments in light of the moral law and the teaching of the Church.  

One teaching document that I have found to be enormously helpful in sorting out this question is the Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life. It was published in November 2002 with the authorization of Pope (now Saint) John Paul II, and under the name of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Ratzinger, as we know, later became Pope Benedict XVI.

The Doctrinal Note, despite its brevity (it’s only about eight pages long) is a wonderfully rich yet concise discussion, as one expects from Joseph Ratzinger.  It’s worth a much fuller treatment than I can give it today. I may address that in the future. Right now, however, I want to look at just a couple of points as a sort of follow-up to my previous posts.

 A Good Thing 

First of all, participating in public and political life is a good thing:

It is commendable that in today’s democratic societies, in a climate of true freedom, everyone is made a participant in directing the body politic. Such societies call for new and fuller forms of participation in public life by Christian and non-Christian citizens alike . . . The life of a democracy could not be productive without the active, responsible and generous involvement of everyone, “albeit in a diversity and complementarity of forms, levels, tasks, and responsibilities”. (sec. 1, citations omitted)

As Catholic Christians, however, we have a particular mission to fulfill, a “proper task”:

By fulfilling their civic duties, “guided by a Christian conscience”, in conformity with its values, the lay faithful exercise their proper task of infusing the temporal order with Christian values, all the while respecting the nature and rightful autonomy of that order, and cooperating with other citizens according to their particular competence and responsibility. (sec. 1, citations omitted)

In other words, we need to recognize our mission to be Salt and Light to a world in desperate need of the Truth (see Matthew 5:13), while at the same time respecting the freedom of those who might disagree.

 There’s No Freedom Without Truth 

The Doctrinal Note goes on to say that such involvement on our part is not only good, but is in fact essential if democratic governance is to survive:

At the same time, the Church teaches that authentic freedom does not exist without the truth. “Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery.” In a society in which truth is neither mentioned nor sought, every form of authentic exercise of freedom will be weakened, opening the way to libertine and individualistic distortions and undermining the protection of the good of the human person and of the entire society. (sec. 7, citations omitted)

This last point also indicates the limits of politics and political systems, and actually reminds me of something John Adams once said.  Adams by the way, lived a fascinating life. He was a leader in the movement for American independence, a well-travelled diplomat in 18th century Europe, the first Vice President of the United States under George Washington, and Washington’s successor as President.  

Adams was also a deeply religious man (although not, alas, Catholic). He possessed solid moral convictions and thought seriously and incisively about the nature of government and the proper relationship between the government and the governed. Finally, he put all of this into practice as the chief architect of the constitution for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the world’s oldest written constitution that is still in use.

A Moral and Religious People

In addition to all that, John Adams was an outspoken man of considerable wit.  One of my favorite Adams quotes comes from his legal defense of the British soldiers on trial for shooting Bostonians in the Boston Massacre.  Said Adams: “Facts are stubborn things.”  More to the point of this essay, in reference to the Constitution of the United States he said: “Our constitution was made only for the government of a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”  

While Adams believed that a republic is the form of government most suited to the dignity of men, and that the republic established by the U.S. Constitution was the best the world had yet seen, such a system could not succeed if those who were participating in it were more interested in feeding their appetites than they were committed to furthering the good, the true, and the beautiful.  True freedom, both the Church and Adams agree, is only possible for people who know, and who have been formed in, the Truth.

 Limits of Politics and Government 

     And that leads us to the limits of politics and government.  Our actions as citizens in a republic are guided by, and therefore subordinate to, our properly formed consciences. Likewise, the policies of the government are subject to a higher moral law.  If our consciences are not properly formed, no law can make us good.  At best, we can hope to encourage good behavior by providing incentives for it, and discourage bad behavior by providing disincentives.  And when you have a large number of people with improperly formed consciences combined with government incentives to bad behavior, you face societal and political break-down. One could make a good argument that we are facing just that situation today.

What that means for us is that our first and most important task is to be the best Catholic Christians we can be, before we ever cast a vote or sign a petition.  To the degree that we create a more Christian society, we make possible a more just government. We should approach direct political action with the understanding that whatever we do politically is subject to and in service of the higher Truth. Consequently, we must steadfastly avoid subordinating our consciences to majority opinion or the party platform.

 There’s Hope, but Only in the Lord 

Government can do many good and essential things. It can provide for a common defense. It can nurture a secure environment for civil society to flourish. Government can assemble the resources to build and maintain infrastructure that allows for a fuller human flourishing. The state’s resources can, with careful planning, help alleviate the temporary effects of poverty and abuse. Sometimes.

It can not do everything, however, nor should it try. In keeping with the Principle of Subsidiarity, we should beware of the government subsuming responsibilities that rightfully belong to individuals or other associations, especially the family or the Church.  Finally, as Christians we have to know that, however much the state can do, only Jesus Christ can bring about the Kingdom of God. There’s hope, after all, but true Hope is only in the Lord.

Features image top of page: Council of Nicaea 325 (with Emperor Constantine in the foreground), Fresco in Salone Sistino, Vatican, by Giovanni Guerra and Cesare Nebbia ,1590.