Congress may have recessed, but we know the news has been filled recently with stories of congressional scandal. To focus on any one person, however, takes attention away from the broader lack of accountability of our current elected leaders, the misplaced legislative priorities of the past several years, and the unfortunate disregard for so many of the values that we as Good Shepherd people hold dear – individual worth and inherent human dignity, mercy, reconciliation, concern and care for the most vulnerable, and promotion of the common good.  Let us remember that before the current scandal broke, members of both parties voted to pass legislation that essentially justifies torture, voted to build a fence and further militarize the border rather than doing the hard work of crafting comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform, voted to take money away from critical human needs programs to add to an already bloated military budget, and have failed in their duties to ask the tough questions about and provide oversight for a war in Iraq that has claimed the lives of an additional 24 U.S. soldiers and over a hundred Iraqi civilians in just the past 5 days.

 

It is hard not to be pessimistic when we see these actions, but perhaps it is our zeal that continues to fuel hope that the voices of respect, justice, peace, and compassion will be heard and will help foster change. One way to ensure that our Good Shepherd voices are heard more is to be involved in the upcoming election – by voting, by encouraging others to vote and helping new voters register, by talking about issues with friends and family, and by holding candidates’ “feet to the fire” on issues that we care about.  Politics and political campaigns are often a messy business, but people of faith need to be prophetic voices that help lift the debate to a real discussion about values and priorities.  As I have heard many people say in Washington, saying nothing to our elected leaders is saying something, and that we get the kind of leadership we ask for when we fail to speak up for those living in poverty or for other vulnerable people in society—we get none. 

 

At the National Advocacy Center, we are currently working on a short guide with prayers, reflections, and question to ask candidates on many of the issues that we work on.  This is intended to be a starting point to encourage dialogue about what kind of leadership and priorities we expect from our representatives in government and it’s not meant to be exhaustive. We hope that it will be a useful tool for you, along the lines of the “State of Our Values Reflection” that we provided earlier in the year.  We hope to have this resource available by next week, so look for another e-mail then with a link to the document.  In the meantime, we encourage you to check out the current election resources available in the "Voter Resources" section of our website.  In addition, you will find a couple of upcoming events listed below that can connect you with some of the issues that are important to us at the NAC.

 

          LIVING WAGE DAYS – OCTOBER 7-8, 14-15         

 

The Let Justice Roll Campaign is again calling faith communities to inspire, educate and mobilize support for raising the minimum wage at the federal and state level through worship and through action.  An activity can be as simple as hosting a small prayer service that lifts up the struggles of low-wage workers and encourages discussion about just wages and how workers are treated or it could involve going out to meet or inviting low-wage workers to speak to your community and writing letters to the editor in support of living wages.  Lots of ideas, sample materials, and more are available at the Let Justice Roll website.

 

          COMMON GOOD SUNDAY – OCTOBER 8^th         

 

A few weeks ago we mentioned a new group that had formed called “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good,” and highlighted a statement of principles that people could sign on to. This group is now taking those principles and encouraging Catholics to use each of the next several Sundays to focus on a particular theme. We missed last week’s publication, so we will play catch-up a little bit this week by providing you with both “bulletin inserts” that are currently available on the themes of “Respecting Life” (for Sunday Oct. 1) and the “Common Good” (Sunday Oct. 8^th). These offer short reflections and prayers on the themes and good be useful for a small discussion group also.  “Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good” has also produced its own “voter guide” that you might find helpful.

 

We at the National Advocacy Center join you in prayer and action with the continuing hope expressed in the direction statement of the 28th General Chapter of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, “Profoundly challenged by the suffering and distress in our world, we witness to the fact that another reality is possible for humanity and for the whole of creation.”