Building Faithful Citizenship

Building Faithful Citizenship is a brief, weekly bulletin reflection on the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.


For Sunday Bulletins on September 28

It may seem easy to live in a world where it is “us versus them,” and, “If you're not with us, you’re against us.” This form of logic creates a sense of right and wrong that distinguishes the good and the bad people with little effort. In this Sunday’s gospel, the “good” people are hearing from Jesus that “those people” (tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners in general) are the ones who are getting into God’s reign long before they are.

One of the central points of Catholic social teaching is a spirit of solidarity (FC #53). This spirit summons us to bring down the walls that divide, whether they are local or international, and embrace our differences. With solidarity there is no longer an “us versus them” attitude but rather one of, “We are all in this together.”

Reflection: When I listen to candidates’ agendas, do they convey a spirit of solidarity with people “not like us” or do they try to define who’s right and who’s wrong?