It's Election Season "Role of the Government" (Part 1)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps 33:12). What is the relationship between politics and the Catholic religion? Politics is just the caboose; the engine is objective truth which is based on the Catholic religion. They cannot be separated. The Church is a supernatural institution; the government is a natural institution. The supernatural must influence the natural with the eternal laws of God and promoting a culture of life and virtue amongst its citizens.

To imagine that religion should, or even possibly can, be removed from politics is utterly laughable. It’s a position derived directly from the notion that “the State must be separated from the Church,” a thesis that St. Pius X called, “absolutely false, a most pernicious error.”

What happens when the Government rejects the supernatural authority of the Catholic Church? It starts becoming disordered. Edward R. Murrow (American broadcast journalist and war correspondent) says, "A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves."

Quoting George Orwell: "All tyrannies rule through fraud and force, but once the fraud is exposed, they must rely exclusively on force."  As Ronald Reagan is remembered for, “the nine most terrifying words ever spoken are I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”   No doubt Big Tech would silence Reagan in today’s world.

So, what is the function of the government according to divine revelation? God has ordained a structure; we are called to submit to government and honor our leaders (Rom 13:1-4; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet 2:13-17; John 19:7-11). It doesn’t mean that every person is God-ordained; we vote for the individuals or sometimes rogue corrupt governments select our leaders. We are mandated to pray for those governmental leaders who are over us (1Tim 2:1-2).

The government is meant to punish evil doers and reward those who do right (1 Pet 2:14; Rom 13:2-3). Government is meant to bring stability to the land by adhering to justice (Prov 29:4) especially through the court system (Acts 25:11). Government also can impose taxes for the common good (Matt 22:17-21). Government can appoint their borders and boundaries that make a nation (Acts 17:26).

Sometimes it is necessary to disobey government, namely, when it compels us to sin. For example, if the wicked pagan government says we cannot pray to God (cf. Dan 6) or, if the wicked pagan government says we must worship their idols (cf. Dan 3), or we must kill innocent babies (Exodus 1:15-21); then we must disobey (Acts 5:29). The goal of Catholicism is to establish the social reign of Christ the King so that men may govern the world in holiness, justice, and integrity (cf. Wis 9:3) under the Kingship of Christ. Why? So that Jesus Christ may be Lord and King of every individual human heart and every nation.