A Prayer for Political Conversion

[ 15 ] September 12, 2012 AD |

Over the past two weeks, Americans were treated to the quadrennial spectacle of the two major political parties’ national conventions. Each party graced us with an endless parade of speakers making the very clear point that their party represents all that is good and true, while the other party would heap unmitigated disaster upon the heads of the poor, the elderly, small business owners, or any other key demographic one could imagine.

On the final night of each convention, after the rhetoric, the biographical videos, and the applause, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, approached the microphone to offer his blessing and his prayer. No non-Catholic news source featured his remarks in their coverage, but his firm and clear voice delivered the most powerful words uttered at either gathering.

It has often been said that to effectively communicate the truth to others, it is helpful to affirm the ways in which they already acknowledge and live out the truth. In his prayer to the Republican National Convention, Cardinal Dolan began by asking God’s “benediction upon those yet to be born, and on those who are about to see you at the end of this life.” In doing so, he affirmed the Republican Party’s official opposition to abortion and it’s role as the political vehicle for most of the nation’s pro-life politicians.

At the Democratic National Convention, Cardinal Dolan likewise affirmed the concern many Democrats have for social justice, asking God’s blessing upon those “who work hard for the day when a greater portion of your justice, and a more ample measure of your care for the poor and suffering, may prevail in these United States.”

Above all, though, Dolan’s prayers were calls to unity and ultimately conversion for leaders and members of both parties. In an interview with Kathryn Jean Lopez, the cardinal humbly defended his decision to offer prayers at both conventions and to invite both candidates to the Al Smith Dinner. He believes that the Church’s effectiveness and witness are weakened if her leaders are not willing to pray and share meals even with those who reject the Church’s teaching.

While making clear that the parties are not equally good or bad in the positions they take, Dolan stressed that all have room for improvement:

“We also pray for conversion,” he offers, and that is part of his prayer, too. “Because there are things with the Republicans that some Catholics have reservations about. There are certainly things with the Democrats, as you pinpointed [abortion], that Catholics have great reservations about. And so to pray for conversion in each, I think, is not a bad thing.”

How would such a conversion manifest itself in our politics? At both conventions, but especially at the DNC, Dolan identifies the natural law as the ultimate measure of whether laws are just and ordered to authentic human development:

We praise and thank you for granting us the life and the liberty by which we can pursue happiness. Show us anew that happiness is found only in respecting the laws of nature and nature’s God. Empower us with your grace so that we might resist the temptation to replace the moral law with idols of our own making, or to remake those institutions you have given us for the nurturing of life and community.

This is the path to renewing our nation. We don’t defend traditional marriage, for example, simply because of a divine precept found only within our faith tradition. It is part of the very fabric of every healthy society throughout history. At the RNC, Dolan described the natural law as “the boundaries of righteous living [God] inscribed in our hearts even before inscribing them on tablets of stone.” It is an objective principle, ordered to the reality of human nature, not some artificial construct that can be thrown out and replaced. Indeed, to reject the natural law in order to satisfy our every desire is to dehumanize our society.

There is one important sentence that appears in identical form in both prayers. In praying for God’s guidance and blessing upon the candidates, Dolan implored God, “Help them remember that the only just government is the government that serves its citizens rather than itself.” How many of the political debates of our day treat people as problems to be dealt with? From abortion to physician-assisted suicide to immigration, we focus on the costs or inconveniences created by the existence of individuals created in the image and likeness of God. The true good of every individual, the dignity of each and every human person, is the proper goal of every law and government policy.

May the example and leadership of Cardinal Dolan and his brother bishops inspire Catholics, and all Americans, to seek the renewal of our national life through prayer and faithful citizenship.

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Category: Featured, Politics, Social Teaching

About the Author ()

Jason Hall is an attorney and Catholic convert. After spending some time working in the political world followed by a brief sojourn in seminary, he apparently discovered the value of moderation and now works as a lobbyist for Kentucky's Catholic bishops. In his spare time, he likes to read great books, analyze political and social trends, and cheer on his beloved Cincinnati Reds. Jason's contributions to Ignitum Today primarily focus on the principles and application of Catholic Social Teaching.
  • http://Ignitumtoday.com Dave Bauscher

    To say that both parties need conversion is to engage in the worst kind of moral equivalency. The Democratic platform is an abomination. Any faithful Catholic viewing the Democratic convention would have observed a parade of speakers, each of whom had made his/her Faustian deal with the devil, lauding the merits of child-killing, homosexuality, and various other depravities. Wrong verb Mr. Hall! The Democratic party does not need conversion; it needs exorcism.

    • Rob B.

      If you think a Romney presidency will do anything substantive about abortion, I have a bridge in New York to sell you…

      • R.C.

        Rob:

        Fair enough. We didn’t get a Republican conservative, but a Republican moderate, in Romney. And that’s a crying shame.

        But look, now, there’s a faint (though doubtless undesigned) defeatist propaganda underlying your objection.

        Here’s what I mean: When you say, “If you think that a [fill in name of Republican] [fill in name of office he's running for] will do anything substantive about abortion, I have a bridge…” you are saying something that’s true when stated about ONE politician running for ONE office, but which is entirely false were it stated about ALL the politicians running for ALL the offices.

        For example: Look at George W. Bush: Very pro-life guy, when he could be. But how often did he have a say? Not often, because even when he had a Republican majority in Congress, it was always a very SLIM Republican majority, which meant it was a pro-choice majority. So Bush’s hands were always tied except in the rare situations where he could issue an executive order.

        So occupying ONE office with a Republican, even the highest office, isn’t enough. But if you got a really big push for Republicans across the board…not the slim majorities they had from 2001-2006 but some really serious majorities, it would make real change possible.

        If that doesn’t make immediate sense, look at a hypothetical example. The following numbers aren’t quite right, but they’re not far off: Let’s say that from 2001-2006 Bush had a House of Reps (435 persons total) consisting of 230 Republicans and 205 Democrats, and a Senate consisting of 55 Republicans and 45 Democrats.

        And, let’s say that 4/5ths of Republicans are pro-life and 1/5 are pro-choice, and 9/10ths of Democrats are pro-choice and 1/10th are pro-life. (A guesstimate; not too far off, I think.)

        Well in that case the 230 House Republicans are 184 pro-lifers and 46 pro-choicers. And the 205 House Democrats are 185 pro-choicers and 20 pro-lifers. So, while the Republicans have a titular majority in the House, the pro-choicers are the actual majority, with 231 pro-choicers and 204 pro-lifers.

        Likewise in the Senate. The 55 Senate Republicans are 44 pro-lifers and 11 pro-choicers, but the 45 Senate Democrats are 41 pro-choicers and 4 pro-lifers. Grand Totals: 52 pro-choice Senators, 48 pro-life Senators…aaand the pro-choicers are in the majority.

        Not once since Roe has a Republican president had a pro-life Congressional majority.

        Ah, but what happens if the pro-lifers stopped saying, “Ah, Republicans never DO anything, what’s the point in voting for them?” What if the full force of the pro-life movement said, “To heck with all else, go GOP or bust!” What if, as a result, we had a Republican president in combination with a really solidly Republican House and Senate, instead of a narrowly-divided one?

        What if it was 280 Republicans, 155 Democrats in the House? And 62 Republicans, 38 Democrats in the Senate? How would the math play out, then?

        Well, you’d have 224 pro-life Republicans, and 15 pro-life Democrats, for a total of 239 pro-lifers in the House, and 196 pro-choicers.

        In the Senate you’d have 50 pro-life Republicans and 4 pro-life Democrats, for a total of 54 pro-life Senators and 46 pro-choice Senators.

        This is what I’m saying. Bush never had a chance, even when he had slim Republican majorities, because he never had pro-life majorities. This is true, even though the Republicans are undoubtedly far friendlier to the unborn than Democrats.

        So, yeah, sure: Electing just Romney (and leaving Congress unaltered) won’t result in change. Even Bush, who was far more pro-life than Romney, couldn’t produce change under such circumstances.

        But, elect Romney and a strong Republican majority, and change becomes possible for the first time since Roe.

  • Jason Hall

    Mr. Bauscher,

    I did not mean to imply that the moral positions of each party are equivalent. In fact, I explicitly said they were not. The point of this post was to reflect upon what Cardinal Dolan had to say. And the truth is, we all need conversion. And that conversion must start with us if we hope to change our political culture.

    Thank you for reading and offering your thoughts.

  • Sarah Babbs

    Love it, Jason. Very well done. I am a Dolan girl through and through.

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  • Robb

    What Dave B said.

  • Michael

    @Counselor Hall:

    I hate to be a stickler for detail because I tend to live a rather mediocre life myself,…but…I eschewed viewing the coverage of the major networks (i.e. CNN, MSNBC, Fox, etcetera ad infinitum) and toggled back and forth between the Maryland Public Television coverage (PBS) and C-Span, both of which as non-Cathholic, and I would argue, major media outlets carried the pastoral and evangelic closing benediction of His Emminence Cardinal Dolan in both venues. However, your point is well taken. His prayer was the most benighted highlight of both nights. In addition, to being noble and dignified, he pointed out the strengths and the areas in need of improvement of both parties in an evangelical “reach across the aisle” that has been absent in the extreme polarity of both parties whose job description is to work together to solve the problems of the people of the United States, NOT to aggrandize political contributors and special interests or for their own personal ideologies.

  • Tom T

    I am no big fan of Card. Dolan and truly believe he and the USCCB with their mixed messages and concentration on social justice issues to the loss of many lives of so many aborted babies that have caused so much confusion amongst Cathoics, the proof of which is the obvious split in the Church between, if you will forgive me, conservative and liberal leaning Catholics who for years thanks to the Kennedys and the USCCB were led to believe it is quite sinless and morally correct to vote for pro-choice Democrates who will make lives better for the poor, the homeless and others that now include illegal immigrants. Card Dolan is loved by the left wing media and takes advantage of every oppurtunity which includes the Al Smith dinner and the invitation to the White House where he praised Obama while Obama turned around instructed his people to follow through with the HHS mandate. In the interview you mentioned with Kathryn Jean Lopez, the Cardinal even admitted he was criticized by not just a few laity, but also many bishops about the Al Smith dinner and his relation with the media. How he could even be as patronizing as he is to both parties is totally beyond me. The republicans stood silently with their heads bowed while he prayed while half the Democrates walked out and others booed. If you are a devout Catholic you have no choice in this election. You are required to vote for the canidate who stated he is for life and even picked a devout Catholic who is pro-life for a running mate. If you vote for the pro-abortion canidate, it is according to Card. Burke of the Vatican, a sin and you will have to answer to God. There is, regardless of how Cd. Dolan frames it all, a hugh difference between parties that is so obvious it should`nt even have to be pointed out unless of course you have an agenda.

  • http://NoneNonipsedixit Stephan

    Non ipse dixit. Why did the cardinal omit the “Thee’s and Thou’s”? What
    is next? “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. . . ?

  • No Disrespect Intended

    Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
    I felt that it was a shame for him to go to the Dem convention at all.
    it is the party that proudly murders babies.
    can’t we just be honest.

  • JQ Tomanek

    I am glad he prayed at both conventions. With his public stature, everyone knows he wasn’t there to endorse anything that conflicts with our Faith.

  • MRD

    This attempt at even handed treatment of the Republicans and the Democrats is wrong on some many different levels it is tough to summarize, still lets give it a try:

    1) The Democrats as a party favor legalized murder thus offering up a prayer at their organized gathering is a little like saying grace at a mob dinner. The Party had multiple speakers who argued for unlimited abortion funded at taxpayer expense. Lets recall that Vatican II calls abortion an “unspeakable crime” and in Evangelium Vitae John Paul II called it a particularly offensive murder ( yes he uses that very word). I fail to see how those who advocate legalized murder and legalize unspeakable crime can be differentiated from other murders and criminals like Mafiosi. As such since I can not picture Cardinal Dolan offering benediction at a maifa dinner, I am not sure of the logic here, unless we are no longer taking all that rhetoric at Vatican II or Papal Encylicals issued by beatified Popes seriously. Maybe someone wants to explain this.

    2) It is getting a little hard to take this nonsense about Democrats and the Catholic left being concerned about “social justice” seriously. It might be refreshing if any of these folks were concerned enough about the poor to see if any of thier policies harmed or hurt the power. They are like physicians who said they care about thier patients and keep giving medicine that is toxic. There is all kinds of data that the typical liberal policy proposals favored by the USCCB harm the poor. This combox does not allow an adequate treatment of this, but under lets just consider this. One indicator in the United States of just how well the poor are doing would be the misery index ( the combination of the unemployment rate and the Inflation rate, the poor are particularly vulnerable to both.
    If we look at the misery index under Liberal rule we see it steadily increased from 6.45 % in 1965 to almost 17% in 1979 under Carter. Note that the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress over these 14 years. Also note that while their were 2 Republican Presidents, Nixon and Ford, neither were conservatives ( Nixon was a liberal on economics, with wage and price controls) Under the Reagan Presidency, and a clear shift to conservative economic policies the misery index dropped to 9.7%. There Republicans never controlled the House but did gain control of the Senate during a portion of the Reagan presidency, In 1988 The Democrats again control Congress and the nisery Index drifts up to almost 11%, This under the Bush 41 presidency, as we know Bush 41 was not an economic conservative, raising taxes and pursuing a kinder gentler conservatism. This increase in the misery Index persisted under Clinton, until The Gingrich Revolution, When the Republicans took control of congress in 1994. Clinton was forced to move to the center and the misery Index came down. During this time Welfare reform was passed (against the opposition of the USCCB and most people feel it was wildly successful, as it increased the number of poor people working.) This decrease in the misery index persisted under Bush 43, until the Democrats regained control of Congress, and now is begining to take off, up to > 11% under the current nightmare. In fact it would be worse if the unemployment numbers were not falsely lowered by the fact that so many have left the workforce. So the bottom line is that the social justice crowd obviously do not care enough for the poor to actually look at the effects of their policies.

    As such lets stop pretending any thinking Catholic can continue to find an excuse to treat the Democrats, the party of death, as other than the moral lepers they have become. The concern for the poor nonsense will not withstand scrutinty if subjected to anything like evidence

  • http://www.catholicyouthminister.wordpress.com edmundmitchell

    Every time I hear people talk about how horrible it is for Cardinal Dolan to be seen with Democrats or dine with them or pray with them etc. I think about this scene from Jesus of Nazareth, when Peter and the other Apostles are up in arms that Jesus wants to eat with Matthew the tax collector and all his sinful friends.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14epxvU8XIA

    Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Mark 2:16-17

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