Is the World Over Yet? Finding Faith and Hope Amidst Political Crisis

“Are we there yet?” I called out impatiently from one of the back rows of my family’s twelve-passenger van.

“We have about another hour until we get into Rhode Island,” my mom replied, with some enthusiasm in her voice. 

I sighed. The twelve-hour road trip from Ohio was taking a toll on me. I knew the trip would end eventually, but it was dragging on, and I just wanted it to be over.

Many people speculate that our world is so troubled that a doomed ending is near. However, year after year ticks by. Catastrophe after catastrophe shocks and devastates the world. The inevitable will happen: Christ will return. But what do we, as Catholics, do in the meantime?

We find ourselves in an election year where the biggest thing both left and right agree on is the fear that our nation will be in the fires of hell next year. But will it actually be?

Whether it’s Trump, Harris, or someone else, America will still be what we make it. It is easy to fall into despair from all the hateful propaganda. Our pockets hurt from the economic policies that fluctuate from political cycles. But what can we do about it? While one vote is powerful, it bears little influence in the masses. What truly matters is seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We should focus on lifting those up around us, not in the secular way that the media pushes on us but in the Godly way of accompaniment.

People don’t need political heroes, though it would be nice. What people truly need are authentic relationships– a relationship with God and His Church, and relationships with you and me. Jesus brought something to this earth that was mightier than Rome: His love. The love He poured out for His Church was pictured so perfectly when He was lanced in the side on the cross. 

Rome crumbled while Christianity blossomed. Here in America, it may seem as though both the nation and the Church are falling apart. Yes, America could fall to the wayside. But the true believers in the Church will never disintegrate. Hold your ground, Christians! Christ's glorious return did not save people from the Black Plague in the Middle ages, the Jews in the Holocaust, or those in the twin towers. So we can’t count on His return from saving us from some terrible fate. Yet, we can count on His love, which we encounter through the sacraments and from each other, with the greatest hope and joy of eternal life with him forever.

Here are a few  things we can do today that are more powerful than voting. We can pray for our country and its leaders. We can seek peace and reconciliation in our own families and friendships. We can make new friendships with people who are outcasts and lonely in our communities. We can stand up for our Catholic beliefs with truth and love. Together, let us transform this City of Man into the City of God.

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