Information is one of the keys to one’s perspective on the issues of our day. Many people who voted this year were very informed about the candidates, the party platform, the individual view on the issues, and voted accordingly. Not surprisingly, though was the unique way in which each of us interpreted some of the same information, and came to totally different viewpoints. Each candidate and his/her staff chose to slant all of the facts, along with a fair dose of misinformation, to attempt to change the perspective of the voting public to their side.

What is our view or outlook regarding our faith and the call that each of us has through our Baptism to be Christian stewards in our daily lives? Do we look at religion as a means to an end, or do we really embrace our faith and attempt to weave this faith into the very fabric of life? One of the other definitions of perspective is the ability to perceive things in their actual interrelations or comparative importance. In other words, what’s really important? Is God at the top of this list of important things in our life?

Stewardship as a way of life is contrary to many of the principles of society today, a society in which materialism continues to win out over the idea of stewardship, which says that everything we have is a gift from God to be shared with others. If your perspective is one of gratitude, being grateful that our loving Lord has blessed you abundantly with everything you have, then stewardship is a natural outcome in your daily life. However, if your perspective is that you have not been blessed abundantly, you may tend to want to hoard your possessions instead of sharing them with others.

Again, information and understanding is key to this process. How do we go about gathering information and trying to make sense of this information about God, about our Catholic faith, and about how we are to live our daily lives as Christian disciples? Is this a one hour a week trip to the local church with no other contact or interaction with Jesus, or have we chosen to spend time daily in prayer with Jesus, asking for His help and guidance? Do we take advantage of the many opportunities to come to more deeply understand our faith and the teachings of the church through the Pastoral Ministry Formation program, through youth gatherings, and through the religious education programs offered each week in our parishes? Have we chosen to participate as an instructor, an RCIA sponsor, or a youth chaperone?

There are so many opportunities to gather this information and to gain understanding about our Catholic faith, and many people in the parishes have and continue to avail themselves of these opportunities. There is also room for more participation, for more people to participate in these ongoing processes.

The elections this year have focused on many divisive happenings in our world today and they seem to have polarized our society into "us against them" attitudes on each of these events. Unfortunately, in some cases our perspectives have been formed by influences other than by our relationship with our Lord. This reality will not change if the people do not choose to seek information, to seek clarification, and to try to understand these complicated issues in our lives from the perspective of Jesus.