From the Pastor January 24/25

An Apolitical Church

Should the Church be apolitical? Was Jesus apolitical? That is one of the greatest conflicts of Christian history. An amusing thing is that people’s response to this question often depends on whether they feel the Church is on their side of a particular issue. If Christian beliefs support their position, great. The Church needs to speak out on the issue. If not, the Church needs to stay sealed away in its buildings and limit itself to spiritual issues. Liberals can complain when they feel the Church is too concerned about abortion, while Conservatives get upset when the seamless garment doctrine is applied to the death penalty. Throughout history when the Church has applied Gospel principles to an important issue it has been accused of meddling in politics. We can think of examples, like St. Thomas Becket, Good King St. Wenceslaus, or St Thomas More, who gave their lives because they spoke truth to power in political situations. Truthfully, there have been times though when the Church has become too involved with worldly issues. The challenge is to determine when are the right circumstances. 

The issue came to my mind recently while reading a Boston Globe article last week. The article interviewed Catholics, the weekend of January 10/11, about Pope Leo’s January 9, annual address to diplomats credited to the Holy See. Early every year the pope has a reception for foreign ambassadors to the Vatican. Traditionally, the pope’s uses the occasion for his major foreign policy address. Since the address was only delivered a day or two before the article it wasn’t realistic to believe parishioners, coming and going to Mass, would know much about its content. Instead, churchgoers were asked about the issue of Church involvement in politics. Understandably, there was a wide spectrum of responses. Some people just seemed drained by the onslaught of issue in recent weeks.

Pope Leo’s address, like previous pope’s statements was not explicitly critical of any country or national leader but it did offer important warnings. Nonetheless, since Leo is an American, his remarks were applied to the current upheaval in our country. In his address, Leo lamented that war seems to be back in vogue and zeal for war spreading. As an Augustinian, Leo referenced St. Augustine and in particular Augustine’s famous work, The City of God, which contrast the earthly city with the city of God. 

Even a quick survey of the gospel reveals that while Jesus avoided partisan and temporal power, His mission had profound political implications. Matthew’s gospel reveals Jesus’ birth had political consequences. When the magi visit Jerusalem looking for the new born King of the Jews it sets off Herod’s slaughter of the innocents. Jesus had followers from the complete spectrum of political views, one apostle was Judas the Zealot, a Jewish Nationalist, there was also Matthew a Roman tax collector. While Jesus distanced himself from political power for himself, he retreated to the mountains when the crowd tried to proclaim him King, his preaching caused political conflict.

Jesus’ teachings and actions were deeply political. They challenged the existing power structures of the Roman Empire and the Temple authorities. His proclamation of a Kingdom of God that would favor the poor and oppressed called for a radically reordered social and political landscape. It directly challenged Rome’s rule and predicted Rome’s power would come to an end. This treat was the explicit cause of Jesus death on the cross. 

Yes, Jesus and the Church must be political at times in order to be faithful to the gospel. It must read the signs of the times and always defend the poor and oppressed. While the Church must be political, it needs to avoid partisanship. Our American bishops encourage Catholics to be active in the political life of our nation and community but strives to prevent any official endorsement of particular candidates. We see how often when religious leaders endorse specific political leaders it backfires. Yes, the Church needs to be involved in all aspect of politics, Greek for “life of the community” but resist being tied to the political fortunes of any partisan figures. 

Parish Photographer Needed

The saying is “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Do you enjoy photography? The parish is seeking a volunteer to take photos at various parish events and liturgies. If you have talents and skills in this area, please give the Parish Office a call at 508-945-0677, and offer your skills to the parish. 

Baby Bottle Boomerang 

January is Sanctity of Life Month. Again, this year Holy Redeemer is conducting a Baby Bottle Boomerang as a fundraiser for Your Options Medical Centers. Your Options is an agency that offers pregnant women services such as free ultrasound tests and counseling to help women considering abortion to know all their options before deciding. Pro-Life people need to be ready to help women with problem pregnancies with prayer and financial resources. We need to meet our words with action.

Parishioners participating in the Boomerang should fill their bottle with the loose change they receive during the month and return it in early February. 

Capital Campaign Update

Holy Redeemer’s Capital Campaign, “Unless the Lord Builds It” continues to grow towards our goal. God has been blessing our work. We have raised $533,123.58, towards our goal of $750,000, with donations from 135 parish households. Two of our larger campaign projects, new siding for the church and new windows for the rectory will be carried out in the spring. Additional planned projects are working on our parking lot here at Holy Redeemer, interior paint and new carpet at Our Lady of Grace Chapel, painting and replacement of carpet in the rectory.

If you have not yet donated to the Capital Campaign, please prayerfully consider making a sacrificial gift. If you have donated and now have circumstances where you can make an additional gift, please consider doing so. Together lets join the work of God making Holy Redeemer an attractive worship space for years to come.