Pope Leo XIV passes an American flag as he greets visitors and pilgrims from the popemobile while riding around St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience Sept. 17, 2025. CNS PHOTO/LOLA GOMEZ
Called to something better
BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION
As a new year begins, I find myself reflecting – perhaps more than I’d like – on the state of political discourse in our country. Like many, I’ve spent a significant amount of time watching debates, reading commentary, and listening to conversations that seem to grow sharper and more divisive with each passing week. The anger, suspicion, and harshness that have settled into our national vocabulary leave me saddened. They weigh on the heart.
But as Christians, we are never left without hope, nor without a clear calling. If anything, the strained climate around us is a reminder of what discipleship truly asks of us. The tone of our nation may rise and fall, but Christ’s standard remains the same: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This command is not suspended during election seasons, nor weakened by disagreement. It stands as a steady light in a time of confusion.
Our faith teaches us that every human being – regardless of political position, ideology, or affiliation – is made in the image and likeness of God. When we forget this, it becomes easy to reduce others to labels or opponents. But when we remember it, our vision clears. We see the person before us not as an obstacle, but as a brother or sister whom Christ loves, for whom Christ died, and in whom Christ is present.
This does not mean ignoring real differences. Nor does it require silence on issues that matter deeply. But it does call us to a different way of engaging. Our conversations, whether around a dinner table, in a parish hallway, or online, are meant to be marked by patience, truthfulness, gentleness, and humility. These virtues do not weaken our witness; they strengthen it. They make our convictions credible.
St. Paul urges us to “speak the truth in love.” Both elements are essential. Truth without love becomes harshness. Love without truth becomes sentimentality. But together, they reveal the face of Christ. And the face of Christ always brings peace, always restores dignity, always calls forth the best in us.
As we enter this new year, perhaps this is a grace worth praying for: that our responses – especially when tensions rise – might reflect the One we follow. That we might resist the temptation to mirror the hostility around us, and instead become instruments of unity, compassion, and hope.
The world does not need more noise. It needs more witnesses – ordinary disciples who choose the narrow path of charity even when it is difficult. This is not beyond our reach. The Holy Spirit equips us for it. Our parishes can model it. Our homes can nurture it. And our personal choices, small as they may seem, can gradually transform the atmosphere around us.
So, as another election year unfolds, let us remember who we are. Let us speak and act as people claimed by Christ. Let us treat others with the love, respect, and dignity that He shows to each of us.
In doing so, we do more than elevate political discourse. We proclaim the Gospel.
Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email [email protected] or call (270) 852-8324.
Originally printed in the January 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
