Into the Political Fray?

In the early morning hours I found myself listening to an interview by a popular EWTN personality (whom I do not favor) and a top Vatican Cardinal.  My initial thought as I listened to the questions posited to the Cardinal was that he was being baited to oppose the Pope's position on a couple of different topics.

The Cardinal clearly had no problem "taking the bait" and sharing his oppositional opinions, which made it even clearer that the interviewer had an agenda which the Cardinal knowingly and willingly satisfied.

I found the whole thing disappointing, not to mention disturbing.

I have new respect for St. Teresa of Calcutta.  The image I have of her is that she tried to stay out of the political fray as much as possible.  She stuck to the work she had to do--serving the poor--and rarely suffered fools who tried to politicize her or use her for an agenda.

Her message was consistent--love each other and serve the poor.

In fact, any follower of St. Teresa could easily conclude that she never had anything new to say because she just kept repeating herself over and over, hoping the rest of the world would one day finally get the point.  That's a good thing.

There's something to be said about staying on point, and for Christians everywhere, that point is spreading the Word of God, taking care of others, and living as an example of Christ.  It's the mission of the Church.

Anything else, like that conversation with the Cardinal, is pretty much just a distraction from the work Christ has left the Church to do.  The people of Jesus' time tried to make him a political figurehead and he just kept doing what he was sent to do.  When the Pharisees tried to draw him in, he remained consistent in his response.

We would do well today to make sure we have our eye on the ball and that we do not get sucked into anything that takes us away from the mission of the Church.  Let our success be evidenced by our love for each other and our care for the poor. 

I think St. Teresa definitely got it right.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com