Nothing Else Matters

As the air of expectancy grows with the fast approach of election time, so does the need for vital study and discussion, and prayerful discernment in the face of growing crises and violence that challenge one’s choice of the right candidate to respond to the need for good governance, peace-building, and inclusive growth for all.

Nonetheless, the Gospel truth remains the constant standard, and nothing else matters, by comparison, as St. Paul proclaimed, “I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ…the justice I possess is that which comes through faith in Christ” (Phil. 3:8-9). St. Paul was a sinner who met Jesus and found mercy. With the confidence we gain from the advantage of this ‘surpassing knowledge,’ we keep on with hope in our heart to reach the finish line, the prize of life on high in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:14).

The quest for newness and relief from difficulties prods a person onwards, as if opening doors to better times. The prophet Isaiah inspired hope when he wrote, “Remember not the events of the past…see, I am doing something new!” (Is. 43:17). There may be no exhaustive solutions to resolve modern threats to better living conditions especially to preserve the family but one must ‘confront these fearlessly, without burying our heads in the sand’ as Pope Francis once said, in reference to the past Synod on the Family. Our Holy Father, and leaders of families, communities and larger groups for that matter, would not detract from the importance of divine commandments, laws and human-cultural values which were made for the good of creation and to defend the family from individualistic assaults.

As we continue to address justice and mercy issues in the root causes of poverty and inequality in our country, let us not forget that we as Church “must remain a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium 114). May we and the leaders we choose remain aware of the newness in Christ, for “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).