Longing for a politics of compassion and love

We have just concluded another difficult election season, one that threatened to divide us as a nation rather than uniting us. Now, the call is for unity among us, and rightly so, but if we truly want to heal wounds and bring together individuals, families and communities that are too often bitterly opposed to one another, we must take the time to reflect on what our unity demands of us. We also need to be aware of those things that divide us.

For Christians, the source of our unity is Christ. We are called to be one with him, members of his body, and sisters and brothers to each other. As Jesus is united with his Father, we are called to be united with him. This unity is sealed by the Holy Spirit, and it is powerfully symbolized by the experience of Pentecost wherein people of many different races and cultures who spoke diverse languages heard the Gospel proclamation (the “good news” of our salvation in Christ) as if in their own native tongues.

This great miracle of unity that begins the story of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles is both the foundation and the goal for us. We are one in Christ, and yet we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to resist the forces of division and build a genuine communion among us.

As faithful citizens, the source of our unity is the Constitution of the United States of America. This historic document symbolizes the hopes and dreams, the philosophical principles and the heroic sacrifices, that have come together during the past 200 years to frame our nation as a beacon of hope and a promise of liberty and justice for all. We are a free people, and yet we constantly struggle to resist the divisive influences that drive us into opposing camps. In order to build a more perfect Union, we must come together, listen to one another, and work together in harmony as fellow Americans. We also must learn to welcome, and respect, those who are new to our country and those who see things differently than we do.

The challenges of maintaining, and strengthening, our unity are complex and powerful. The solution is simple, but not easy. Love is the answer. Not romantic or sentimental or erotic love, but the kind of love that truly seeks the good of another and that places the common good of all above the self-interest of a few.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin’s latest newsletter.