What Should I do About the Election?
If you’re like most Americans, you’re probably freaking out a little bit about the upcoming presidential election. My news feed for the last few months has been full of people voicing serious concerns about both Trump and Hilary. Most of you reading this aren’t old enough to vote on November 8th, but you might be experiencing some second-hand anxiety from parents, siblings, and friends who have a difficult choice to make next month.
This election brings up some difficult questions: what will happen to our religious freedoms and the unborn if Hillary is elected? How will we be perceived by the world if Trump is elected? Is there a chance of a third party candidate getting a significant number of votes? These questions can really stress us out! So, what are we supposed to do when it seems like there is so much to worry about?
Finding Peace
A source of comfort for me this election season is the promise of Jesus to us in Scripture: “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). Jesus offers us peace, even in the midst of the chaos going on in our country. He promised us that we would have troubles in the world, but that when we do, we should be courageous.
Courage is closely related to one of the most important virtues: fortitude. The Catechism tells us that fortitude, “enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions” (CCC 1808). Fortitude, or spiritual strength, gave Jesus the grace to go to the cross and give his life to set us free. It gave the Apostles the grace to live and die for their faith. It has given Christians the grace to face 2,000 years of sufferings including plagues, famines, genocides, world wars, dictators, and tyrants to name a few.
As horrifying as all of these situations have been, they have never been enough to snuff out the light of Christ. God remains in control, no matter how overwhelming the world seems. Think about it, there was a time when King Herod was the political leader of Israel and had thousands of babies slaughtered in an attempt to kill Jesus as a baby (Matthew 2:16-18). Despite this horrible situation, God’s plan still unfolded; Jesus survived, grew, and eventually began his public ministry. No matter how bad things get, God still has a plan that we can trust in.
Even if we end up with a King Herod as our next president, God will still be God. He will not abandon us. As we look ahead at all of the things that could go wrong, fortitude gives us the grace we need to trust God and face whatever comes with hope that He will bring something good out of it.
How Do I Grow in Strength?
So, how do we grow in fortitude? Well, fortitude is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. We receive these gifts when the Holy Spirit comes upon us in the Sacrament of Baptism. An even greater outpouring of these gifts are given to us in the Sacrament of Confirmation, when the Holy Spirit again fills us and seals us with His gifts. If you’ve been baptized and confirmed, you’ve received fortitude!
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean we are living courageously. We have to choose to use the gifts of the Spirit. As St. Paul remind us, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6). We aren’t going to grow in fortitude by just sitting around and hoping we never need to be courageous. We need to pray for fortitude and look for opportunities to use it in our daily lives. Fortitude can give us the strength to not become anxious about the election and about any number of other things. Ask God to give you this gift so that you will be better prepared to face the challenges that you face every day.
So, the next time you start to feel anxious about the election, remember that God will remain in control regardless of what happens on November 8th. Be encouraged by the words of St. Padre Pio, “Fear not, because God is with you!”
About the Author
I enjoy playing the guitar, the great outdoors, and any sport that involves a ball (except water polo). I firmly believe that Pluto will always be a planet. Jesus completely changed my life when I was in high school so I’m a big fan of His. I strive to be more like Him every day. Follow me on twitter@moderncatholic1.
