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Recently our bishop made some public comments about politicians who are Catholic but on some issues vote contrary to Catholic teaching. Can bishops do that? I thought there was a separation of church and state.

Someday someone will write a definitive history of the development or, should I say, decline of the separation of church and state. Many people assume the concept to mean that church and state can have nothing to do with each other, or that the church should not say anything about the state. Neither is true. The intention of the separation of church and state had to do with freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. In other words the state could not dictate what religion people were to follow.

Secondly, a bishop, as well as all Catholics, can, should, ought, and must speak up on issues which affect people in general (CCC 1913-15). We are obligated to stand up for what is right, just, and moral in social issues, law, human rights and government. When a politician in public office claims to be Catholic, he is morally obligated to follow not only his conscience but also the teachings of the church. He cannot say simply that his personal beliefs are apart from his political ones. There is no such thing in other areas of public life. A person working in government has the same obligation that we all do: to use our sphere of influence, our minds, hearts and voices to advance the cause of the Gospel.

©2009 Liturgical Publications Inc

 We just celebrated the feast of the Guardian Angels on Saturday. I suspect most of us didn’t even avert to it, since we were busy about other things. Saturday is often the day for yard work, children’s sports, household projects, shopping, or other things that we don’t have time for during the week. Thinking about guardian angels was likely not one of the top priorities on our agenda. Yet the feast comes and goes each year on October 2 in honor of those spiritual beings who watch over and protect in realms beyond our physical apprehension. Angels worship and serve God, and we have almost no awareness in our daily lives of their presence.
 The reality of angelic presence is not what is so often portrayed in cartoons as little beings sitting on one’s shoulder. Rather, it is the deep understanding of the abiding presence of God: that God cares for each one of us individually and that God’s providence protects us. Like the servants in today’s Gospel, that go about their business day by day, so do the angels who serve at God’s throne. Unknown and unheralded, they do the bidding of the Almighty.
 In the business world, an angel investor is one who provides the capital for a start-up, giving seed money to get an idea up and running in the real world. There is risk in that, and not every investment realizes a profit. As servants of God on this earth, we are often asked to be angel investors as well, not by turning over money to some entrepreneur in hopes of gaining a profit, but through reaching out to those in need and helping them with our talent and treasure. Much like guardian angels, our good and helpful actions toward others-our care and protection of the least ones-is truly service offered to God. And like the angels, we do it quietly, not seeking recognition, but being faithful servants.

©2010 Liturgical Publications Inc
 Used with permission

We offer these suggestions as a Catholic approach to sharing your faith with family and friends.

• Say “I will pray for you” to a friend who has shared some personal concern or difficulty.
• Respond “Thank God” when someone shares a success story with you.
• Make the sign of the cross as you pray before a meal in a restaurant.
• Display a religious article in the main rooms of your home.
• Invite someone who has been away from the Church for a while to attend Mass with you.
• Devote a specific amount of time to your daily prayer life. It is impossible to maintain a relationship with anyone without communication. Prayer should be viewed as a dialogue with God, not a monologue. Make sure you allow time for quiet reflection and listen with your heart to what the Lord tells you.
• Offer to help your neighbor even when it’s not convenient.
• Take time in your life for those who are suffering or in need. Remember, people are more important than tasks.
• When you see God working in your life, point it out to others. We are all enriched by the personal witness of others.
• Talk to friends about the good experiences you have had with the Church.
• Invite friends to social functions of your parish.
• Give money or food to a person in need. Remember that when you reach out to the poor, you are reaching out like Christ himself did.
• Witness your faith with your own family and friends by gently stating, “I believe…”
• Warmly greet others at Mass whom you do not know. Sometimes members of our community fall away from the Church because they feel alienated from others in the parish community.
• Tactfully change the direction of the conversation at home or school when things take an uncharitable or gossipy turn.
• Send a sympathy or get-well card to neighbors or friends assuring them of your prayers.
• Continue to comfort a grieving friend or neighbor well after a funeral. The process of dealing with a loss takes a long time. Offer to accompany the person who is grieving to social activities or make yourself available just to talk.
• Volunteer your time for visiting shut-ins, elderly, prisoners, etc. Share your favorite story in the Bible with them during your visit.
• Be generous with compliments, especially to those who appear to be down today.
• Share a smile and a personal greeting with a stranger. Try to see Christ in everyone you encounter each day.
• Share an unanswered prayer with a friend or family member. Remember to give thanks for what you have received.
• Tell someone about a good book or CD to help them grow in their faith.
• Wear a crucifix on a chain or other religious article. You might be surprised how many times this will start a conversation about your faith.
• Be an example to family friends on how a believer acts and speaks.
• Forgive someone who has wronged you. Ask for forgiveness from someone you have wronged.
• Ask friends and family to pray for your special intentions.
• Move to the center of the church pews, theater seat, etc. which invites others to join you and provides an opportunity for conversation.
• Do not judge others. Do not speak unkindly of others. Always look for the good in others and gently point this out when they are being hostile.
• Serve your parish as a Eucharistic minister, lector, greeter, choir member, etc.
• Allow your faith to carry over into your work by insisting on fair prices, good products and fair treatment for customers and employees alike.
• Share your personal faith story of how God has worked in your life with a friend or family member.
• Work in a soup kitchen, a shelter for the homeless or some other charitable agency. Try to see Christ in everyone you encounter there.
• Treat everyone you meet with dignity. No matter what they look like, how they try your patience, or how they speak, they are part of the Body of Christ.

The following letter from Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services, shares crucial information about the growing disaster in East Africa:

You are probably starting to hear about a humanitarian crisis unfolding in East Africa, mostly affecting Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Catholic Relief Services staff in the region report dreadful conditions. This just came in from a refugee camp in Kenya:
They’ve walked for days or weeks from Somalia, and their shoes show it. Dusty and worn, the sandals of a little boy dangle in his hand as he wails in the center of the camp. Nearby, his exhausted 22-year-old mother, Momina, rocks her sobbing baby. “We had sheep, goats and cattle—over a dozen,” she says. “They all died from the drought…. Food was running out. So, we left.”
These terrible conditions have sparked an exodus of refugees—mostly women and children—pouring into Kenya and Ethiopia in search of food.
East Africa’s worst drought in more than half a century is causing extreme hunger for more than 11 million people. Severe lack of rainfall has resulted in failed crops, critical shortages in food and water, and countless numbers of livestock dying from dehydration and starvation. Further compounding the crisis are drastic increases in food prices.
All this brings to mind sobering images from the Ethiopian famine of 1984. Who can forget the pictures of emaciated, listless children on TV? The full scope of such a humanitarian catastrophe was not fully realized until after so many had died.
This time is different. This time, we know what is likely to come as the disaster unfolds. I am asking you to help CRS with a generous gift so that we can quickly increase the scope of our efforts there to feed and provide water to as many needy people as possible. Help us prevent another tragedy.
Since 1960, CRS has provided water and agricultural programs in Kenya and Ethiopia, where current drought conditions are not as dire as in Somalia. Your previous gifts are already saving lives because those programs helped us dig deep wells that have helped lessen the drought’s effects. But this drought is so widespread that our existing efforts are not enough. We need your help.
I ask you to please give now and help prevent another disaster like the 1984 Ethiopian famine. Please help our brothers and sisters in East Africa, who so desperately need our help.

For more information or to help, go to http://www.crs.org.

As I write this article, I’m enjoying a lovely North Dakota summer day. The sun is shining, the blue sky is dappled with whispy white clouds, and the gold and orange lillies are blooming outside my office window. It’s a good time to think about the simple things to do to care for this beautiful world God has provided for us.
Here are a few suggestions from the World Wildlife Fund:
 

• Put on a sweater, or take one off. Since the pendulum in N.D. seems to swing between furnace and air conditioning and rarely stops in between, this can help conserve energy.   

• Walk the walk. Drive less, enjoy bicycling, or get to know your neighborhood better by strolling through it

• Go for seconds – guilt free! How many items can be reused instead of thrown away? Padded envelopes, the plastic cell-packs from our seedlings, a plastic water bottle…

• Watch your waste. Oil, paints, ink cartridges, batteries do have special disposal procedures.

• Paper or plastic? No thanks! Bring your own bags along for shopping. Many have commented that bringing cloth bags to the grocery store has now become a habit.

• Flip the switch. As we are enjoying the longer days of summer, we still need to remember to turn off unneeded lights (and other energy-using items).

• Plant a seed, or a tree, a shrub, a tomato plant. The benefits are many and varied.
   
• Return to sender. if you receive too much mail or too many catalogs, contact the companies and have your name removed from their lists. Less clutter at home is an added bonus.

The leaders of more than fifty Christian denominations and organizations, including the presidents of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice, have signed the document printed below, calling for our political leaders to protect poor and vulnerable people, as they act to reduce the deficit.

A Circle of Protection: A Statement on Why We Need to Protect Programs for the Poor

In the face of historic deficits, the nation faces unavoidable choices about how to balance needs and resources and allocate burdens and sacrifices. These choices are economic, political — and moral.

As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. We look at every budget proposal from the bottom up — how it treats those Jesus called “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences and common resources. The Christian community has an obligation to help them be heard, to join with others to insist that programs that serve the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world are protected. We know from our experience serving hungry and homeless people that these programs meet basic human needs and protect the lives and dignity of the most vulnerable. We believe that God is calling us to pray, fast, give alms, and to speak out for justice.

As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, we join with others to form a Circle of Protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad.
1. The nation needs to substantially reduce future deficits, but not at the expense of hungry and poor people.
2. Funding focused on reducing poverty should not be cut. It should be made as effective as possible, but not cut.
3. We urge our leaders to protect and improve poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance to promote a better, safer world.
4. National leaders must review and consider tax revenues, military spending, and entitlements in the search for ways to share sacrifice and cut deficits.
5. A fundamental task is to create jobs and spur economic growth. Decent jobs at decent wages are the best path out of poverty, and restoring growth is a powerful way to reduce deficits.
6. The budget debate has a central moral dimension. Christians are asking how we protect “the least of these.” “What would Jesus cut?” “How do we share sacrifice?” As believers, we turn to God with prayer and fasting, to ask for guidance as our nation makes decisions about our priorities as a people.
7. As believers, we turn to God with prayer and fasting, to ask for guidance as our nation makes decisions about our priorities as a people. 

  8. God continues to shower our nation and the world with blessings. As Christians, we are rooted in the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our task is to share these blessings with love and justice and with a special priority for those who are poor.

Budgets are moral documents, and how we reduce future deficits are historic and defining moral choices. As Christian leaders, we urge Congress and the administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world. It is the vocation and obligation of the church to speak and act on behalf of those Jesus called “the least of these.” This is our calling, and we will strive to be faithful in carrying out this mission.

To learn more about the Circle of Protection and to sign your name to it, go to the Sojourners site- http://www.sojo.org/