Last week’s discussion on the common good sets us up perfectly for the rest of the series. The common good is our North Star in social ethics: it indicates what actions should be taken and avoided to do God’s will within society. Unless we have a correct understanding of God and human nature, we won’t be able to help people flourish in the way God desires. Especially as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s important to clarify what duties we have as citizens who are also Catholics called to share the good news and pursue the common good.

Catholics have the opportunity to fulfill their duties as citizens from a theological or spiritual perspective, not merely a humanistic one. St. Peter clearly states, “Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people” (1 Pt. 2:13-15). So our default stance with regard to government is one of respect and obedience, without which no society could ever flourish.

The most general duties of citizenship include taking part in public life (especially voting in a democracy), paying taxes (happy Tax Day), defending our country, and abiding by the law and respecting one another. These duties are moral obligations imposed on us by God and his Church for the building up of the society around us. Even if our country is imperfect in many ways and has yet to live up to the ideals, we are called to exercise the virtue of patriotism (genuine love for homeland) to help better our nation. God commanded the people of Israel in exile in Babylon to “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you; pray for it to the Lord, for upon its welfare your own depends” (Jer. 29:7). Yet it’s also necessary to acknowledge that God’s law comes from before civil obedience, and we should stand firm should there be a moment when our faith is being threatened by government action. As the apostles told the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).



One important dimension of citizenship to balance the others is the duty to offer constructive criticism, not contempt or disorder. Especially if we believe that government policies are not contributing to the common good, we have a moral obligation to speak out and convince the powers that be to change course. The US Bishops have exercised that responsibility collectively when they criticized the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate back in 2013, when they lamented the cuts to social safety net funding from both parties in recent election cycles, and when they have critiqued the immigration approach of the Trump administration and his bellicose statements during the current war in Iran. These statements provide a helpful blueprint for how to respectfully voice our disagreement without resorting to anarchy or violence. Our identity as citizens is too important to waste. Don’t live your citizenship passively, but “seek the welfare of the city to which you have been exiled” (Jer. 29:7)!

-Fr. Stephen