I have resisted making any comments on the 2024 presidential election until today, knowing that many of you are still processing what happened. I am too.  And like so many of you, my head and heart are replete with thought and emotion. Our parish family has a diverse set of political beliefs, and today, some of you are rejoicing at the outcome of the election and some are grieving or resigned or angry or afraid. I would dare say that all of us are joyous that this election season is over!

But now what?  What do we do now that the election dust has begun to settle?  How do we get on with our lives? Well, as people committed to following in the Way of Jesus, we pledge our allegiance and offer our lives ever again to the Reign of God. That’s what we do.  What that means is that the things that Jesus cares about become the same things that we care about; the things that hurt the heart of Jesus become the things that hurt our hearts too; the things that cause Jesus’ heart to sing become the things that cause our hearts to be joyful as well. To live in allegiance to the Reign of God is to adapt our lives to the ways that Jesus lived his life. It is to adopt Gospel values and align our lives with these values. That’s what we do.

As such, because Jesus loved God so fully, we strive to do the same.  And because Jesus clearly had a heart for those on the margins, for the poor and sick and lonely and broken, we do too.  We live out our allegiance to these Gospel values by speaking up and doing what we can to alleviate suffering. We show God that we take the Gospel seriously when we love those that the rest of the world tries to forget about.  

And we live out Gospel values by holding our elected leaders to do the same. Contrary to the campaign pitches of politicians, our first priority should not be “what is best for me,” but rather, “what is best for the least among us.” When our elected leaders work hard to establish laws and policies that benefit the poor and marginalized, we should reward them with our praise and our support.  When they do not, we should speak truth to power, raise a ruckus, march, protest, sign petitions, knock on doors, sometimes even civilly disobey.  And while we’re doing all of that, we should never resort to violence. Our allegiance, for God’s sake, is always to the Prince of Peace.

Our president-elect will be in my daily prayers.  I hope he will be in yours too.  He will have much to do to prove that he is worthy of the position of power entrusted to him by the people of this nation. My prayer is that he will be guided by God’s Spirit of truth and justice and mercy and compassion. My prayer is that he will grow a heart that aches for the lowliest among us and will do what he can to ease their burden and give them a shot at the abundant life that God dreams for all. My prayer is that he will see clearly the interconnectedness of all forms of life on this planet and commit himself to preserving and protecting what God has created and blessed.

The election is over.  We still must sort through our emotions, and we must get on with our lives.  So, my friends, breathe deeply, drink enough water, try to sleep, go for a walk, say your prayers, work for justice and peace. Be kind, for God’s sake.  You know what to do. Jesus told us, but more powerfully, he showed us. Just do that. And President-elect Trump, just do that. God is watching.

~Father Art