.- Bishop Robert J. Herman, the administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, has written a column reminding Catholics that their vote will be a decision weighed on the Day of Judgment. He urged Catholics not to treat the unborn as the neglectful rich man treated Lazarus in the biblical parable.
"Judgment Day is on its way," the bishop wrote in the St. Louis Review. "We cannot stop it. We don't know when it will come, but just as surely as the sun rises daily, the Son of Man will come when we least expect."
"For many, this coming election may very well be judgment day, for this election will measure us," he continued, referencing Christ's words of judgment in Matthew 10:32-33:
"Everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I will acknowledge before My heavenly Father. But whoever denies Me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."
Bishop Herman asked the faithful to consider what kind of witness they give to God when they enter the voting booth on Election Day.
"The decision I make in the voting booth will reflect my value system. If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble," the bishop wrote.
He cited Pope John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Christifideles laici, which said outcry on human rights is "false and illusory" if the right to life is not defended to the maximum.
"The right of our children to be protected from destruction is greater than my right to a thriving economy," Bishop Herman continued.
"My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion."
Bishop Herman looked to the spiritual dimension as well.
"Those 47 million children our nation destroyed are still living. We have destroyed their bodies, but their souls are still alive. When our Lord comes again, they may very well be there to judge us. Even worse, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brethren, we do to Him. We would truly shudder if we heard the words, 'I was in my mother's womb but you took my life!'
"It is quite possible that we might see these children, but, depending upon the choices we have made, we may very well be separated from them by a great chasm which cannot be crossed, much as the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the poor man, during his lifetime here on earth but was separated from him after death."
Bishop Herman said the "deepest problem" with many Catholics is that they have become accustomed to rationalizing away a "life of sinful actions" headed in the wrong direction.
"My goal is not to engage you in some political party way but to engage you with our Savior and His teachings. We need to constantly challenge our accustomed behaviors in the light of the Gospel," he wrote.
He said the issues of the coming election could help people learn about the teachings of the Catholic Church and to use the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
"When we do this, both we and the heavens will be filled with joy!" he asserted.
"Judgment Day is on its way," he repeated, encouraging people to pray the family Rosary daily between now and Election Day.
In a previous column for the St. Louis Review, Bishop Herman urged Catholics not to put politics ahead of the Fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."
"Save our children!" he wrote. "More than anything else, this election is about saving our children or killing our children. This life issue is the overriding issue facing each of us in this coming election. All other issues, including the economy, have to take second place to the issue of life."
