I am tired. Tired of receiving hate-filled emails. Tired of the ugliness. Tired of the ignorance. Tired of the racism. Tired of the hypocrisy.
I received a letter from a neighbor who knows I am an Obama supporter. She sent me a flyer comparing the abortion views of McCain & Obama. Sent me a personal letter telling me what a "crucial election" this is. How she is praying the Rosary and making Novenas for our country. You see, we attend the same Catholic Church.
I don't look for fights. How dare she imply that a Catholic can't in good conscience vote for Barack Obama.
Below is my reply.
Dear Janet,
Thank you for your letter. My Catholic faith is very important to me. I’m not sure if you were aware of this or not, but I actually attended Catholic school from grade kindergarten through 4 years at (a Catholic) College, where I had the great privilege of being educated by the Jesuits. A total of 16+ years of Catholic education!
The Catholic Church has always been a sanctuary for me, especially when I lost my father to cancer when I was only 14 years old. And thanks to my grandmother who taught me how to pray the Rosary, the Rosary has always been my favorite form of prayer, also.
And because of my strong Catholic faith, because of my father teaching me that the best way to live one’s life is to follow the words in the Prayer of St. Francis, because of everything the nuns and priests taught me about living a life true to the words and actions of Jesus Christ, for all of these reasons, I will be voting for Barack Obama.
Because of everything I have read and learned about Barack Obama, I believe that Barack Obama has lived a life closer to the teachings of Jesus, than any politician I can recall. Barack Obama is a Christian and believes strongly that "We are our brother’s keeper." He wants to implement public policies that will give hope and possibility to the less fortunate among us.
This war in Iraq was a mistake from the start, causing good families tragedy and heartbreak beyond comprehension. Barack Obama was against this war from the beginning and if you read his speech from October 2, 2002 it truly is chilling how accurate he was in describing what would result from a rash call to war.
As Catholics we accept that life begins at conception. And I think it is quite touching and beautiful that you turn to the Rosary to pray for an end to abortion. I too pray that women will no longer be put in positions where they feel the only choice is abortion. I pray for a world where all children receive quality educations, a world where children do not go to bed hungry, a world where one’s economic condition does not determine whether they receive quality healthcare, for we are all God’s children. All of us our God’s children, from the poorest to the wealthiest, from our brothers in Africa to our sisters in Israel, to all of us in this great country America.
This is a very, very crucial election and thank you for inspiring me to put into words just how important it is to me. You have inspired me to pass along my thoughts to my friends, neighbors, and family as well.
May God Bless You and your family and God Bless America.
Sincerely,