October 31, 2024 – Pastor’s Note

New Staff Org Chart
I have finally posted about our new administrative structure, including our county org chart. You can find that posting at https://www.whatcomcatholic.org/updates/decision-7

On the Election Next Week
Before the presidential elections in 2016 and 2020, I preached a homily trying to put things in perspective for people. You can find those on my website (links: 2016 & 2020).

This year, however, I will not be able to preach one because I committed to doing tithing homilies all month. However, two thoughts:

First, it is commonplace to say that Americans are more divided than ever (or, well, since at least the Civil War). It certainly feels that way. However, much of that is because all forms of media focus on what divides us, since anger sells more advertising dollars than harmony. Instead, Americans still have way more in common than we realize, and it is important to remember that. I also think this division comes from the loss of the narrative about what makes our country unique in world history, and what the aspirations of the American people have been for every generation past and present. If you want a 2.5-hour podcast, I found this conversation between Dr. Jordan Peterson and Mr. Gregg Hurwitz to be a helpful articulation of my thoughts on the matter: https://youtu.be/ZVw2sd7Vxj4

Second, as Catholics, we should be the last ones to worry about this election. Why? Because even the worst-case scenario – our country immediately collapsing, or being invaded by a foreign enemy, or being transformed by a mob beyond recognition – is survivable for a Catholic. Our salvation does not depend on the success of the United States of America, and Catholics have lived their faith in Jesus well (even heroically) in monarchies, dictatorships, extreme poverty, or communist persecution. Our Church has outlasted – by far! – every political arrangement in the history of humanity. No matter who gets elected on Tuesday, nothing changes about our faith, nothing changes about our Church, and nothing changes about our salvation through Jesus Christ. Our hope is in God, not politics.