As much a democrats and republicans are try to turn this into a blame game, today's memorial shifts our attention. Today we celebrate St. Francis of Assisi. He reminds us of some useful basic Christian principles.
—the people who are suffering most are the poor.
—we look for the face of Christ in each of our brothers or sisters.
The Vatican website describe it thus:
So greatly loathsome was the sight of lepers to him at one time, he used to say, that, in the days of his vanity, he would look at their houses only from a distance of two miles and he would hold his nostrils with his hands. But now, when by the grace and the power of the Most High he was beginning to think of holy and useful things, while he was still clad in secular garments, he met a leper one day and, made stronger than himself, he kissed him.
I am always shocked when I hear people who call themselves Christian express the same kind of loathing when they speak of people from the opposite political party. Perhaps the first step for Washington is for us the constituents to pray for the intercession of St. Francis, and encourage our leaders, most of whom claim to be Christian to set aside loathing, and see the good in each other.
Multi-party politics always involves disagreement and struggle. But what we see now is void of all Christianity.
