We urge you all to do so, confident that this great act of your social life will be performed in the sight of the Lord, with a spirit of duty and according to the impulses of a conscience strongly dominated by a brotherly love for one another, without exception.
Pastoral letter from the Bishop of Marseilles, on the occasion of the general elections and the forthcoming opening of the National Assembly, March 20, 1848
REFLECTION
Bishop Eugene did not suggest any candidate to be voted for; the choice was a matter of personal conscience. But what enlightens and guides the conscience is the call to charity.
Many of us grew up learning that we must make an informed choice as we vote: it is not just a right but a responsibility. We must make critical decision about the person we are voting in to ‘serve’ us.
I remember that in high school, members of a couple of the political parties coming to our school and talking with us about why they were running for a position. Then our homework would entail writing a short paragraph about the person we wanted to vote for and why.
Somewhere along the way I began to pray about those who were running and to ask for guidance as I voted. Most times it was for the person whose track-record was to serve not only the rich, but those who were on the fringes of life. Some things do not change…