Life Will Carry On

As we get ready to head to the polls Tuesday and await the results of the 2020 election, I can’t help but think back to the 2016 election and all that followed.  I will never forget the day after the election and what I experienced.  I was a sophomore in college.  Walking into my Public Policy class, the professor announced that we wouldn’t be covering any new content, but rather, that we would spend the whole class time discussing the election results, sharing our thoughts and views.  He emphasized that this would be a time to discuss openly, respectfully, and civilly.  The discussion that ensued was anything but respectful and civil.  The first few minutes started out decent, and before long, the 100+ person classroom turned into a battlefield.  The conversation heated up and intensified quickly.  My friend and I sat there observing everything, almost wishing we had popcorn to enjoy as we watched it all unfold.  People started interrupting each other.  There was name-calling.  There was screaming.  There was crying.  There was swearing.  Then the climax of the discussion happened.  One girl got up, started walking down the stairs of the lecture hall, ready to punch someone.  That’s finally when the professor cut it off.  The class was released and later we were emailed by the professor and asked to think about all that had taken place.  

​Witnessing what I did in class and around campus that day, I was shocked and disappointed, maybe even horrified, in the behavior of my classmates.  It was as if they were five-year olds throwing a temper tantrum after not getting their way rather than educated young adults.  I remember thinking that everyone just needed to chill.  The world was not ending and if they were that upset about election results and felt that entitled, there were deeper problems that they needed to address in their lives.  Fast forward to 2020, my thoughts are the same.  I consider myself to be fairly invested in politics and I thoroughly enjoy and follow what happens on a regular basis, (as one of my majors was Political Science).  Politics are important but when it comes down to it, God is in control.  On college campuses, many students are not practicing Catholics/Christians.  With this in mind,  it is no wonder why they put all of their trust in political leaders.  They put all their hope in one man (or woman), thinking that a political leader can save them.  But for those of us who are people of faith, it is important to keep in mind the One who really matters.  We are called to place all of our hope and trust in God.

It is important to elect government leaders at all levels who will enact and uphold policies that will most closely align with our faith.  Life, family, and religious freedom are just a few examples.  As Catholics, we are called to go to the polls and vote according to our faith.  We are called to think about Church teachings and vote as best we can, according to our options.  We must not betray our religious beliefs when voting.  However, at the end of the day, that is all we can do.  We cannot control the outcome. 

Whatever the results of the election, we have to continue to work to uphold our faith and values.  If a certain candidate does not win, life will carry on.  If a candidate wins who promotes all that is contrary to our faith, it means that we, as the Church, have to continue to defend our faith even more strongly and live out what we believe.  Even if “our candidate” does win, he or she is not perfect.  But Jesus is.  Politicians will not transform our lives, but Jesus will.  Politicians will let us down and disappoint us at times, but Jesus never will.  We are all sinful people who fall short of perfection.  This includes our leaders in government.  This is why we must remain vigilant and work to uphold and defend our beliefs in the political arena.  We must work to influence policies that align with the truth.  We must work to elect leaders and officials who will do what is right.  Most importantly, we must pray for all of our leaders at all levels of government.  We need to pray for our country and pray that our leaders will seek the truth and do what is morally right and just.

Whoever wins, we have our work cut out for us.  We have to continue to live out the Gospel and fight against the evil in our country, no matter who is elected.  We have to pray, and ultimately, we have to trust that God is in control and that He will never abandon us.

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