Category Archives: Front Page

Advent Reflection: When Will We Make Room?

Advent Reflection:
When Will We Make Room?

Sister Mary Ellen Lacy, DC
December 19, 2016

As the Advent season advances, we journey with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem where they were met with insufficient housing. Consequently, when the time came, our Lord was born in a barn.  The Blessed Mother and St. Joseph were not lazy, unemployed or stupid (as some might say about those who are in need of shelter). On the contrary, they did precisely what they were asked to do at a very inconvenient time. And still, there was no room for them.

Today, many factors contribute to homelessness. Millions of families are one health diagnosis, one legislative action, one act of violence or one pay check away from homelessness. They, like the Holy Family, are responding to the many demands of life. And for some, it won’t matter. They will find no room at any inn.

Mr. McDermott lived on the same block as my mom for about 30 years with his wife and two sons. Mrs. McDermott was a nurse and he always worked, too. The kids went to the local Catholic school, grew up, married and moved away.  As the couple faced an empty nest, Mrs. McDermott was diagnosed with cancer. Toward the end of her battle, she was at the family home and Mr. McDermott was steadfastly present to her.

Last Christmas, on a cold, snowy afternoon, the ambulance came for Mrs. McDermott. The paramedics brought the dying woman out while her husband marched right beside them. His face was a billboard of numbing, incomparable sorrow. We pitifully looked on and offered our prayers as he trudged by us.

A couple months after the funeral, Mr. McDermott seemingly disappeared and the house was emptied of its contents. Subsequently, bank notices were posted on the front door and window. There were rumors, but I do not know whether he left the house due to foreclosure, taxes, or other reasons. I do know that Mr. McDermott was a good man who worked and did everything one could expect of him during a desperately painful time. In return, there was no longer room at his own inn.

Every day, people are responding to suffering and difficult situations with honor.  Can the same be said of our government?  As a community, we must call for the implementation of programs that enable families and individuals to live dignified lives. This includes ensuring access to affordable housing and healthcare, a living wage, and preventing domestic violence.

It is vital to increase the amount of subsidized housing that is clean, reasonably priced, and rodent-free.  Enhancing the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program will allow more families to move from areas that have been decimated by government-approved policies including redlining, forced urban development, and a lack of infrastructure maintenance.

It has been more than 2000 years since Jesus came into our struggling world, seeking shelter. He continues to come to us in our neighbors. This time, let us provide more than just a barn.

Sister Mary Ellen Lacy is a public housing attorney and a “Nun on the Bus”

Advent Reflection: Waiting for the One Who Brings Life Abundantly

Advent Reflection:
Waiting for the One who Brings Life Abundantly

Lucas Allen
December 13, 2016

The season of Advent is full of hope and anticipation for the birth of Jesus, who “came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus models this abundant life by healing the sick with boundless compassion, especially for those experiencing poverty or exclusion.

Jesus’s healing example also calls me to imagine what our country and healthcare system could be if we took this message of abundant life and boundless compassion to heart. For our society to have life and have it abundantly, health must be a universal right, not a consumer good or a privilege for those who can afford it. Financial circumstances, zip code, race, ethnicity, or other factors should not influence access to life-saving medical care. A life-affirming healthcare system would provide universal coverage for the common good, with special concern for people who are vulnerable.

In this season of hope, it must be noted that our country has been moving closer to this vision. Never before have so many Americans had health insurance; in 2015 we achieved the lowest uninsured rate and the lowest child uninsured rate in history. Programs such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act have created a preferential option for those who would be left without care in a purely market-oriented health system. My family and I have known the fear of rising medical expenses and have benefited from these policies that lead to a healthier society.

As Jesus announced his arrival to John the Baptist saying: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear” (Matthew 11:5), maybe our progress in living out His teachings should be measured by whether those experiencing poverty or sickness have access to care as a fundamental right. This is the nation I hope for, and the one we are pushing for at NETWORK: one that extends Jesus’s healing touch to all.

So while I wait in hope for the humble birth of the one who came that we might have abundant life, I remain cognizant of the injustices that keep those born into poverty today from enjoying healthy, abundant life. At this crucial time, I remain hopeful that we will resist the path of putting profit over people and choose Jesus’s path of abundant life.

Advent Reflection: Immigrant Families Wait for an Uncertain Future

Advent Reflection:
Immigrant Families Wait for an Uncertain Future

Diana Pliego Padilla
December 7, 2016

During Advent we wait for the birth of Jesus. This year, however, as an immigrant with DACA protection, and parents without protection, the wait feels different. In the brief silences between my family’s laughter and chaotic chatter, I have noticed a different spirit in the air this holiday season. While this time is usually filled with hope and excitement for a new year, instead what hovers above our dinner table and lingers in our conversations is apprehension for what lies ahead. I know the same uneasiness rests in many homes as families anxiously wait for what is to come in these changing times.

My parents, like millions of other immigrants, left everything they knew to give their children a chance at a better, safer life. Mary and Joseph also once made the decision to uproot their life for the sake of their child. They left Bethlehem and fled to Egypt to keep their family safe after King Herod’s infamous order to kill all infant males under the age of two in Bethlehem. They moved to keep their family safe and to remain together.

Migration and resettlement should not be a privilege for some families, but a right for all. The value of family unity should be reflected in all our laws. Every child and family deserves the chance to live their life to the fullest potential, even if that means leaving their original home.

When we hear of children crossing our border in the arms of their mothers, it should be Jesus that we see. When we read about immigrant parents giving up everything they’ve ever known to provide the best future for their children, it should be Mary and Joseph that we imagine. When we think about humane and just immigration policies, it should be the Holy Family that we consider.

So if during Advent we wait, then let us wait with hope in our hearts. But as we wait, let us act. For we know faith without deeds is dead. Let our country lead with an example of true compassion for all our brothers and sisters, especially immigrant families like Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Diana Pliego Padilla was a 2015-2016 NETWORK Government Relations Associate

The Importance of Sister-Spirit under President-Elect Trump

The Importance of Sister-Spirit under President-Elect Trump

Emma Tacke
December 7, 2016

Four weeks ago, my metro ride was silent the morning after the election. It wasn’t the usual kind of quiet often found in the early hours of the day, but the kind of silence found at a funeral. I noticed the expressions of my fellow commuters and knew their downcast eyes and slack mouths mirrored what my own face must have looked like. The days immediately following the election were a blur of disbelief, anger, and grief. I struggled to find compassion for those I knew who voted for Trump. How could they support such a person for presidency? What kind of values are we upholding when we elect someone who has shown no respect for immigrants, people of color, the disabled, women, Muslims, and veterans?

As someone who works for an organization rooted in Catholic social teaching, I try to practice the “Sister-Spirit” values instilled by NETWORK’s founding Catholic Sisters. Even as I found Trump’s behavior reprehensible when he was running for president, I did my best to approach him with hope and welcome. How hypocritical it would have been for me to hate a man precisely because he was hateful?

Now that Donald Trump is going to be our nation’s president, the task of being compassionate towards him has increased tenfold. I have seen many responses from fellow well-meaning white people that it is time to move on and accept our new president and hope for the best. This is a view others cannot afford. This is not a matter of people who are upset being sore losers. Immigrant families, people of color, those living in poverty, the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities –these are just some of the groups that will be adversely affected by a Trump administration.

Living out Sister-Spirit values does not mean I will embrace what Trump believes in because he’s the president and hope he will “do what’s right.” In fact, it means just the opposite. Sister-Spirit calls for us to be feisty and bold, and prioritize the well-being of others, especially those at the margins. This means I must actively pursue justice and work for what’s right. As a person of faith I cannot be complicit in the bigotry and dangerous rhetoric of Donald Trump.  I will continue to face the challenge of keeping my heart open to Trump and approach him with hope and welcome, but not at the expense of those who are in very real danger of this presidency.

The United States was founded with the belief that the power should be in the hands of the people. As residents of this country, it not only our right, but our duty to contact our legislators and speak out against policies that strip away the rights and opportunities of those at the margins.  We cannot stand by and let the opportunity to advocate pass us by. Now is the time to put our faith into action and work for justice where there is none.

I will seek to understand Trump and his supporters, but I will not be a bystander to the threats he and his future administration pose. Now, more than ever, it is time to embrace Sister-Spirit and relentlessly pursue a world where love, justice, and inclusivity overcome hate, fear, and discrimination.

Advent Reflection Week One

Advent Reflection:
The Importance of the Census

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
November 30, 2016

Woven into my Advent thoughts this week, is the marvel of the census. In many ways the census is at the heart of our Christmas story because it was Caesar Augustus’s census that required Mary and Joseph to leave Nazareth and return to Bethlehem to be counted.

I thought a census was about the emperor’s desire to know just how many people were under his rule. But reflecting on the reality, I realized it is also about Mary and Joseph’s desire to be seen and registered as family. The “House of David” is a metaphor for the familial ties to an extended clan. So the counting was important not only to the emperor, but also to the family. The census is both an individual and communal act.

So too, is our work on ensuring adequately funding for the 2020 census. The census seems quite mundane and individualistic, but it is a communal act. To be counted means that each individual is accorded the same dignity. It doesn’t matter whether the person is in a Manhattan penthouse, under a bridge or in an overcrowded apartment. Each individual is just one.

What I had failed to realize was the communal nature of the census. The census data collected in each state impacts the amount of federal funding  states recieve for many programs. It affects how we understand poverty and the struggle of low income families. For justice-seekers, the census data is a crucial tool that enables our government to provide for all. The census gives us a snapshot of our society and to be accurate it needs to include each and every person, especially the groups that are historically hard to count.

This Advent, let us work to prepare for the census for the individual dignity of having everyone seen AND for the communal vision that we are all connected.

Homeless in America

Homeless in America

Rev. LaTreviette Matthews 
November 21, 2016

Homelessness looks different for many people. The homeless are the two working parents with children, the veteran who fought for this country and came home to nothing, the single parent mother of two or an elderly person who has no family to take care of them. No one expects to be homeless. No one wakes up one day and says “Today is a good day to be homeless.” Through unfortunate circumstances, homelessness happens. We often take for granted that we will have a place to live every day, especially if you have always had a place to live every day.  As a single parent, educated African-American female, I certainly wasn’t expecting to be homeless. I was a manager of a program for the Department of Employment Services in Washington, DC making a salary comfortable enough to support me and my daughter. I lived in a nice three bedroom townhouse, in a safe neighborhood with decent schools.  My salary was so comfortable that I was able to afford a new car. Life was great.

One day, the grant for the program I was worked under was cut. My program ended and jobs were lost, including mine. I had been receiving survivor’s death benefits from my daughter’s father who had passed away and started receiving unemployment. Between those two means, meeting my ends became even more difficult. After the rent was paid, I juggled between paying the car note, car insurance and then deciding which household bill was not going to get paid that month.

I had applied to the Department of Social Services for assistance with my utilities and rent. Since I was receiving both survivor’s benefits and unemployment, I was overqualified for any assistance by $13. After my daughter turned eighteen I stopped receiving the survivor’s benefits. The only ends that were getting met were housing. My run with survivor’s benefits ended and I now qualified for public assistance. Applying for public assistance of any kind is humbling experience. I didn’t feel independent. I felt small. Each month I drove around to different churches and organizations that assisted with rent. I wasn’t able to apply to the same place twice within a 30 day period. I was at the point where my ends were not meeting at all. My daughter and I were evicted from our home of eight years.  I was devastated, ashamed and embarrassed. I applied to many shelters in the District, Maryland and Virginia area, but because I did not have school age children, I did not qualify. I was in a state of dysphoria. Not wanting to take on another expense, I reluctantly rented a very small storage unit for my big furniture items and stuffed the rest of my belongings in my small two door car.

All of my daughter’s life, it had been just she and I. I had prepared for her to leave for college as did she, but neither one of us was prepared for us to be ripped apart from each other. We scrambled around to find a secure living environment for her so that she could continue her education. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I wasn’t prepared for that. I cried leaving her. It was a different cry than leaving your child for college. It was so painful. Me on the other hand, I drove around for ten months with my belongings in my car, staying from house to house, floor to couch.

The difficulty that people who are homeless face is the uncertainty of the day. Not knowing where you will lay your head was stressful. It was a horrifying experience. Being homeless changed me. I saw people differently. The lens through which I saw the system had been radically tranformed. The United States of America is one of the richest countries and most powerful countries in the world and yet it failed me. A system that was put in place to prevent such adversity, has failed many. While I was blessed and was able to bounce back, for the millions of men, women, children, veterans and the elderly who were not so lucky, homelessness in America continues to be a huge crisis.

NETWORK Joins Call for Census Funding

NETWORK Joins Interfaith Group Calling for Census Funding

Lucas Allen
November 16, 2016

NETWORK and 18 other advocacy organizations from different faith traditions recently sent a letter urging Congress to fully fund the Census Bureau in preparation for the 2020 Census. The census is an issue of concern for people of faith because:

  • Communities of color, people experiencing poverty, immigrants, young children, and rural residents are often undercounted in the census, which decreases these communities’ access to federal funding and proportional representation
  • The Census Bureau needs increased funding in FY 2017 to complete testing to improve accuracy in counting these populations in preparation for the 2020 Census. Uncertainty about funding has already prompted the Bureau to cancel the 2017 Puerto Rico census test and both field sites for the 2017 census test (American Indian reservations and tribal lands in Washington and North/South Dakota)
  • We need the 2020 Census to be modern, accurate, and equitable so that Congressional districts, federal programs, and policies are better equipped to meet the needs of the country

For more information, read the full letter below

Download PDF here.

November 10, 2016

Honorable Harold Rogers
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
H-305 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Honorable Nita Lowey
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
1016 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey:

We, the undersigned faith organizations and members of the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs, urge you to increase funding for the U.S. Census Bureau to match the President’s $1.634 billion budget request in the House and Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science bills. Our faith traditions compel us to care for those most in need, and providing adequate funding for an effective 2020 Census is a crucial prerequisite for federal policies and programs to respond to the needs of marginalized communities.

A failure to provide adequate funding for the Census Bureau will not only impact the effectiveness of the Census, but also cost taxpayers billions of dollars as the Census Bureau is forced to fall back on more costly counting methods of the past. These outdated methods tend to undercount communities of color, people experiencing poverty, immigrants, young children, and rural residents, which decreases these communities’ access to federal funding and proportional representation. If the Bureau does not receive increased funding in FY2017 to conduct necessary tests and prepare for 2020, we fear that these gaps in the Census will persist.

Some of the reasons our community of faith supports an effective and equitable 2020 Census include:

  • The 2020 Census will determine the allocation of $415 billion for the implementation of federal programs
  • Census data is used to monitor and enforce important federal programs such as the Job Training Partnership Act, the Older Americans Act, and the Civil Rights Act
  • Undercounting communities reduces their political representation and decreases their share of federal funding and support, further
  • A poorly-funded Census will negatively affect all, but particularly those most in need who will go uncounted if the Census Bureau cannot adequately prepare

Uncertainty about Congressional appropriations has already caused the Census Bureau to halt plans for important tests in FY2017. These tests were intended to prepare the Bureau to accurately count communities that have been undercounted in the past, such as Native American reservations and non-English-speaking communities. The impact of cutting these crucial tests will be felt by marginalized communities. It is unacceptable that Congressional inaction would force the Census Bureau to water down the Constitutional requirement of conducting a decennial census.

Stakeholders including state and local governments, businesses, civil rights organizations, housing and child advocates, and research organizations have voiced the need for a modern and accurate 2020 Census. As an interreligious community of organizations, we join in to urge you to support an equitable Census as a moral obligation. Our faith traditions teach that all humans possess inherent dignity—that everybody counts—and therefore we believe that nobody should go uncounted in our democracy. Funding the Census Bureau at the recommended amount of $1.634 billion is an important step in protecting and strengthening the 2020 Census.

Sincerely,

Bread for the World
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
Church World Service
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Ecumenical Poverty Initiative
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Franciscan Action Network
Friends Committee on National Legislation
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Council of Churches
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Office of Social Justice; Christian Reformed Church in North America
Pax Chrsiti USA
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Guest Blog: Talking to Trump Supporters Following the Election

Guest Blog: Talking to Trump Supporters Following the Election

Kate Lewicki
November 14, 2016

It’s been two days since the news of the election shook up America. And as I read that sentence again, without context, it may seem like the start of a tale filled with over reaction, however this time it’s not.

I sat up late on Tuesday night, into the hours of Wednesday morning and had trouble comprehending what I was seeing. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that this man who has spoken out with such hatred and vitriol was about to be elected as our president of the United States. So I decide not to accept that reality for the night and go to bed.

Yesterday morning I woke up and I cried. I cried because I’m so scared of what this means for us as a nation and for me personally. The first thing I thought of is my trip to Wichita next week, where I’ll be surrounded by men for three days who all supported Trump. On each of these trips, I’m sexually harassed. Whether it’s from the guy who tried to rip my shirt off- that had a hole in the back I didn’t see – or the guy who propositioned me for a threesome with his girlfriend, or the guy who told me he only pays attention to me because my dress shows off my figure…I’m constantly surrounded by this behavior.

When I first started, I brushed it off. I said these men are harmless; they’re small town thinkers, or they don’t get out much. What I didn’t realize was that they aren’t harmless; their thoughts are reflections of deep-seated misogyny and the belief that women are objects. I can see that clearly now, as I see their elation in our President-elect and how they talk about his female opponent, Hillary Clinton.

My thoughts are all over the place with this: I’m hurt, I’m disappointed, I’m sad. I can’t believe we, as Americans, have let each other down. When I left for the airport yesterday morning, I was playing “The Sound of Silence,” and it was so fitting as the rain was coming down on my cab and I drove past so many people whose lives can potentially be flipped upside down in a few months.

I got on my flight still upset and just happened to sit next to none other than two of Trump’s district delegates…and they are PSYCHED. What a huge celebration for them, they won! White supremacy can continue to live on, oh happy day. So I decided to interject in their giddy talk and ask them about their candidate. Ask them what makes him so great to them, ask them how hard their lives truly were being white upper class males…

And we talked and talked and talked. I shared my thoughts and concerns, and asked them, as men who supposedly love their wives and daughters, how could they possibly vote for this man. I asked them when women’s reproductive rights are taken away, what are they going to do if their daughters, or wives or mothers are raped? I asked them if their daughters worked hard and if they believed they should be treated and paid the same as the men they worked with…of course they said yes, why wouldn’t they want their daughter to succeed. Then, slowly but surely, they started to understand what I was getting at….and they started bring up their candidate and how he isn’t the person he’s been portrayed as in the media and that none of the things he said were true. And I think what was really happening is that these men started to realize that some of the people they love may suffer from a decision they made solely based on their own interests…and it felt like progress..

It was at that exact moment I realized how sadly misinformed our society is. These men, both with incredible collegiate education backgrounds, were uneducated about the experiences of other people. They have lived in their white male bubble their entire life, they don’t understand why people would complain about not having money, or that they can’t get their welfare check, and on and on. And it’s because those things don’t exist in their reality. They have never faced discrimination, sexism, or other types of hardships, so it’s easy from that perspective to look at those people who have and say “Well I would just pick myself up by my bootstraps and deal with it.” Those sentences are easy to say when you have everything and nothing can touch you.

I then spent a day in Fresno with a woman from Texas who voted for Trump. And I listened to her. I wanted to know what was going on in her life that she, as a woman, felt compelled to listen to this man. And as she was speaking, it hit me again; the people who voted for him don’t even understand what they’ve done. They don’t understand life outside their bubble and it may be no fault to them. I know a lot of people who don’t understand the importance of interacting with those who are different than themselves and the importance of seeing other perspectives…this was something taught to me by my parents and instilled in me when I was very young.

I have had a lot of conversations with Trump supporters over the past few days and it has been eye-opening. I will never support the things this man stands for and I do think that there has always been an strong undertone of racism and sexism waiting to rear its ugly head and Trump has given that its day in the sun. However, I’ve realized after talking with this small group of people that they don’t understand, because they haven’t seen perspectives outside of those who are exactly like them. But most importantly, I learned that this is easy to persuade and change. After speaking with thie woman, telling her that the problem with our society is that people don’t realize the impact their vote has on other people, and we have a responsibility as Americans to look out for other people and not just ourselves…she started to get it.

As upset and disappointed as I am about the election outcome, I’m starting to see hope. I’m starting to see hope in the fact that I have access to people I can have these conversations with. Even if it’s one out of every fifty people I speak with, I have the opportunity to invite them to open their eyes and hopefully show them a perspective they would have never thought of on their own, and in their own communities. If anything, these past few days have lit a fire underneath me, showing me that my voice is just as powerful as theirs and I have the chance to make a real difference.

As Gloria Vanderbilt said “I have inside of me this image of a shining rock hard diamond, and no matter what happens to me…nothing can get at or crack.”

My diamond will continue to shine, and I will make it shine into others.

I am going to continue to speak the Nasty Women gospel of peace, love, equality and acceptance.

Kate Lewicki is a friend of NETWORK and a “Nasty Woman Prophet.” 

This Election, I’m Betting on Catholics to Follow Pope Francis

This Election, I’m Betting on Catholics to Follow Pope Francis

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS 
November 4, 2016

Since his election to the papacy, Pope Francis has challenged the world to embrace the needs of all, especially those at the economic margins of our society. He reminds us all of this challenge frequently, through historic visits to the U.S. Capitol, on unprecedented long airplane interviews, and even on Twitter. This election year, one thing is clear: Catholics understand Pope Francis’s challenge and are responding.

While Pope Francis spreads his message of welcome and inclusion, it appears some politicians choose to continue the dog whistle call of the far right –with a single issue — in an attempt to control the Catholic vote. But, this year it won’t work. Catholics know this election is not about a single issue, not just about the unborn. This election is about the future of the 100%, not the top 1%, not the 99%, not the 47%. All are at stake in this election.

Pope Francis put concern for the common good, for mending the gaps in our society, and for ensuring that all can live with dignity back front and center in Catholic dialogue. In doing so, he has given Americans who have been told otherwise for years a way to vote their faith and to do so with their heads held high. It turns out, says our Pope, that you can be a Catholic voter who prioritizes social and economic justice and equity. These are complex times calling for complex analysis.

People concerned with injustice, oppression, and poverty are the Pope Francis voters and this is the Catholic vote in 2016: No longer divided, but prescient. Now, we are asking: How do we respond to those who are being left out of our economy?

The campaigns would be well advised to engage this issue. The new Pope Francis voters are listening not just to campaign slogans but to the deeper story and lifelong positions of the candidates.

The revelation of the gutter language used by Mr. Trump shocked any person of faith and cannot be condoned. Time and again it demonstrates his disregard for women and disregard for those at the margins. The Pope Francis voters of our nation will send a resounding message: Donald Trump’s bigotry, misogyny, and racism are not consistent with faith values.

Mr. Trump’s abusive attitudes don’t stop with women. He has consistently denigrated Muslims, called people living in poverty “losers,” said all immigrants are criminal (even though he employs them in his buildings), and it doesn’t stop there. Anyone who riles Mr. Trump or does not satisfy his vanity receives the brunt of his ridicule. Donald Trump’s rhetoric, which to be clear has been revealed over and over again in this campaign, makes it even more apparent that this election is about policy AND about character. My conclusion is that anyone who cares about the dignity of all people, the needs of our earth, and the call to justice must make their choice of candidates on that basis.

The questions of our time include: How do we mend the income and wealth disparities in our nation? How do we engage the issue of white privilege and racism? How do we provide access to safe and affordable housing? How can we create a healthcare system that works for everyone and does not privilege the few? What does it mean to be a leading nation in the 21st century? We need to answer these complex life questions this election season. Pope Francis voters can handle this complexity and make a choice based on the needs of all.

Faith matters, people matter, our world matters. With everything that is happening in our nation and in our world, I am confident that Catholics will vote in response to Pope Francis’s call to end the exploitation of our people and our earth. This election, I’m betting on Catholics to follow Pope Francis.

Searching for Sister-Spirit in the Presidential Campaign

Searching for Sister-Spirit in the Presidential Campaign

Emma Tacke
October 27, 2016

At NETWORK, we work to embody the spirit of the sisters who founded our organization. There are several guiding principles of Sister-Spirit we try to follow, and my favorite is: Approach situations and people with hope and welcome. I am trying to find any hint of Sister-Spirit in this presidential election, but it feels like the time I tried to give my cat a bath: fruitless and more effort than it’s worth.

I know I am not alone when I say this presidential election season has been hard to bear. The hatful rhetoric expressed almost daily is painful to listen to. What mean-spirited tweet will be next, which outlandish accusation will be the topic of everyone’s Facebook feed?  Surely, someone must be playing a joke on our country – a cruel, unfunny one, but a joke nonetheless.

It is easy to become consumed with despair, frustration, and animosity for those who are espousing bigoted ideas that go against almost every value you hold dear.  Throughout this mercurial election season, amid the anger and fear, I often find myself thinking of the sentiment Dorothy Day expressed when she said “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” These are hard words to swallow when I frame them in the context of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

The foundation of my faith rests on the notion that everyone is equally deserving of love, but can I honestly say I love Trump? Do I offer him the same empathy and patience I hope to receive from others? My faith does not tell me to love only those with whom I agree; it tells me to love everyone. There are no exceptions to this rule. Still, it is difficult for me to look at someone who has made it very clear he does not respect women, people of color, immigrants, or anyone who is different from himself and see him with compassionate eyes. This is not a man I would want to cross on the sidewalk, let alone a person I want running my country.

One could argue that I do not owe Donald Trump anything.  My loyalty should lie with the people Trump condemns, mocks, and disrespects, rather than wasting my time trying to force sympathy for a man so determined to bully his way to the presidency. On one level, I am inclined to agree. What does Trump deserve from me except my disapproval? Every time I hear him speak my shoulders tense and an instinctual urge to cut him down with dismissive sarcasm takes over. I have never felt such bitterness. Yet, underneath the disgust and horror is a small kernel of sympathy. I think of how very lonely life must be for a person who surrounds himself with hate. If I love God then I must try my best to love Trump, because God can be found in even the most contemptuous heart.  There must be something more beyond this twisted visage of cruelty and hatred he presents to the world. I have to believe there is something more. So, I am trying to hear the pain behind the poisonous words he spews.  I am trying to embrace Sister-Spirit and approach Donald Trump with hope and welcome.