by Maria Benes, Ph.D.
Catholic political scientist and human rights professor
Election season is upon us and with its arrival there are the usual heightened emotions from all sides. It is becoming clear that our current era is one of the more divided times in American history. Public opinion polls reveal that not only do we fundamentally and vehemently disagree on major political issues, but that some people in our country refuse to be friends with, or even engage with, people that differ in political ideology.
For example, almost half of college students now say they refuse to be roommates with someone of a different political party.1 We are also seeing an uptick in political violence in our country. Unfortunately, the draw to win worldly political power at all costs is preventing many of us from pursuing our call to holiness and loving our political opponents.
The temptation to turn the quest for government power into an idol is not new. Throughout history, we see countless examples of violent coups, bloody revolutions and totalitarian regimes. In the Gospels, Jesus very clearly warns about making politics an idol, reminding groups such as the Zealots that the Kingdom of God is not about worldly political power and that it doesn’t come about through violence.2 The Zealots were a group of extremists who were convinced violence was necessary to implement a Jewish government. Jesus also reminds Pontius Pilate that any earthly power he may have as a Roman official is given to him by our Heavenly Father.3 I think Jesus’s reminder is of the utmost relevancy in America today.
As a Catholic political scientist and human rights professor, I have been surrounded by people passionate about politics for most of my career. My friends include a diverse and eclectic group of conservatives, liberals, moderates, and those who don’t fall into any of these categories. I also grew up discussing politics in my immediate family. In fact, political and religious differences almost destroyed my parents’ marriage. My dad is a liberal agnostic and my mom is a Catholic conservative. Things became so rough that when I was in the second grade, my parents discussed filing for divorce over what they thought were irreconcilable differences. However, by the grace of God, my parents decided to stay together. Over the years, they learned from each other, and both grew a lot in virtue. On top of that, my dad is discerning Catholicism in his mid 80s. (If everyone reading this could pray for him, that would be great!)
There are some important lessons I learned from my parents about political dialogue and loving others, even when we disagree about very important human life issues and fundamental philosophical truths. They also taught me to love those who are marginalized: my mom has a heart for the unborn and my dad has a heart for the poor and those who experience discrimination. I realized both were voting from their hearts and I grew up loving people from both political parties. I had an understanding that their intentions were often good, even when misguided.
Conversion, not cancellation
Fear and anger are major factors in how people are voting these days, with the rise of populist movements on both the political left and political right. Populism is an anti-establishment political stance that champions the grievances of ordinary people against whom a group considers to be powerful elites. While this may sound appealing in theory, the danger is that this momentum can easily evolve into rule by anxious and rage-driven mobs, leading to the cancel culture we have today.
Cancel culture and the court of public opinion is intensely self-righteous, prideful, and unforgiving. It also shuts out all discussion of nuance and usually results in missed opportunities for growth and learning. It takes away the chance for healing of wounds and forgiveness. To put it concisely, cancel culture is the opposite of a Christian worldview in which we have a God, who as He hung dying on the cross to save each of us said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”4 As Catholics, we should call people to conversion rather than cancellation.
Looking to Jesus for the way forward
Jesus presents us with a better way forward than the vitriol, the hatred, and the doom and gloom that the world is ending due to our political leaders. As Christians, we are called to be a people of hope and of charity. In Ephesians 6, we are reminded that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities that are not of this world.5 In other words, our battle is with Satan and his demons, not with our fellow men and women who disagree with us on politics.
Political issues are often cast as a zero-sum game in which someone’s gain is someone else’s loss. However, if we reframe issues as centered on the common good and rooted in Catholic social teaching, protecting the unborn and supporting their mothers (and fathers!) provides a culture of life that honors the human dignity of us all. Helping the marginalized such as the poor or those facing discrimination can be viewed as helping us all. When we protect religious liberty, we are providing important freedoms for all, as stated in the Constitution. When we welcome an undocumented migrant escaping cartel activity in their country, we are welcoming Christ who Himself was a refugee in Egypt.
I believe the anecdote to our current situation is starting with prayer and developing an interior life. The first thing I always recommend to Catholics when I speak about politics is my catchphrase, “more prayer, less politics.” If we are not developing an interior life and upholding time with God first and foremost, we are going to fail in bringing Christ into the public square. We are also going to struggle to see the image of the Trinity in our political opponents if we aren’t spending time in prayer with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The second thing I recommend is asking God to help you grow in the virtue of humility. I am convinced the Litany of Humility is one of the most vital prayers for our time. This isn’t an easy prayer to pray, but it is an important one. If we let God help us grow in humility, we can begin to see that, even when we rightfully disagree with someone who is supporting an evil policy that goes against Catholic teaching, there is usually an underlying wound, hurt or insecurity driving their position.
I see this all the time with my college students. For example, most of the time the students intensely defending abortion are ones who have had abortions or know someone who has. In other cases, they are students who have been sexually harassed or raped and it is clear there are layers of trauma underneath when they talk about abortion. Rather than name calling or condemnation, these are people in need of healing, as we all are. I think the virtue of humility is a great way for God to help us approach those with whom we disagree gently and lovingly.
This virtue also helps us to forgive those who have deeply hurt us over political disagreements, which is unfortunately a reality for many people in our country today, as families and friendships have been destroyed over policy arguments.
Friends, I am praying for you all. Please pray for me as we strive for conversion in our own hearts and to calling others to conversion in the public square. We have an excellent opportunity to do this locally during this election season. I pray that we all might present the truth with love and with delicate care for the person in front of us because Jesus Himself abides in them.
Servant of God Dorothy Day is a great example of this. She is known for saying, “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” Let us remember that wisdom when we struggle to love our political opponents. If we love them well and patiently, we hopefully will end up saints together with them one day!
1 https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/first-read/new-political-divide-nearly-half-college-students-wouldnt-room-someone-rcna43609
2 Matthew 11:12
3 John 19:11
4 Luke 23:34
5 Ephesians 6:12
Dr. Maria Benes serves as co-director of the Before Gethsemane Initiative (BGI), a Catholic nonprofit for racial reconciliation. She also is a project lead for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for Modern Catholic Pilgrim.
Benes is a political scientist and college instructor who has taught classes in human rights, international relations, and public policy. She provides students with the tools to have civil and respectful conversations on controversial topics such as abortion, racism, and immigration policy. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and a M.A. in international affairs with a concentration in conflict resolution from The George Washington University.
Prior to pursuing her doctoral degree, Maria served as a missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), and a high school youth minister at Pius X High School in Lincoln. She and her husband, Mitch, and their children are members of Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish in Lincoln.
