As I noted in last week’s column, the political season is in full swing, although “full swing” seems to be the new 24/7 normal for political debate in any year, election or not, given the explosion of media outlets and the Internet. For us as Catholics who treasure a 2,000-year tradition of identifying and conveying the most important truths of history, we need to play a leading role in stepping back from the glare and heat to keep those truths in focus.

That’s why last week’s column discussed intrinsic evils. Those are the moral acts that according to our Catholic faith are so contrary to the plan of God that we could never claim a right to support them or vote for them on any basis of a rightly formed conscience. Genocide, torture, abortion and efforts to undermine the understanding of marriage as a life-long commitment between a man and a woman were cited as some examples of intrinsic evils.

In such matters, there simply is no room for moral compromise because these acts are clear violations of the natural law, that original moral sense inscribed by the Creator on the heart of every person, which enables them to discern by reason the good and the bad. The natural law applies to all people in all places at all times and we can recognize it through the combined use of faith and

reason.

But what about other moral principles that don’t rise to the level of intrinsic moral evil but that should still influence our political participation as followers of Christ?

The laws our legislators pass to govern us are called positive law. The natural law guides us in finding positive law solutions that respect God’s will for us while addressing effectively the ever changing social conditions that arise at a given moment in history.

The principles of the natural law actually provide wide (though not unlimited) boundaries for political leaders to maneuver, to apply their prudential judgment of how proposed remedies can deal with particular problems in given circumstances. In fact, these principles demand of leaders good judgment and the exercise of the virtue of prudence, while avoiding intrinsic evils.

But they demand something else as well: the faithful and prayerful discernment by the followers of Christ in judging which legislators, espousing which mix of policies in accord with the natural law, merit their approval. In fact, this task is a fulfillment of the calling of the lay faithful outlined by the Second Vatican Council which said, “… the laity, by their very vocation, seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God.” (Lumen Gentium, 31).

A contemporary example can help clarify the application of principles of natural law. As a consequence of our economic problems, the number of people who are poor or in need has risen. Clearly, we have an obligation to respond to their essential needs and we have public programs that have historically seen to this element of human solidarity.

Over time, however, the increasing expenses combined with the lower birth rates have rendered such programs, in their current form, unsustainable according to many experts. Further, our economic policies are also producing tremendous debt through the frightening imbalance between how much government is currently spending compared to the tax revenue generated by the economy. A potential consequence could be an increase in the number of people left behind economically, thus compounding the pressures on our social system down the road.

Pope Benedict has recently commented on this problem in the Western world, noting the moral problem of such debt by saying, “we are living at the expense of future generations.” An authentic moral response would seek a policy that balances current needs with responsibility to future generations, while respecting values such as the right to property in fair taxes, subsidiarity and the common good. Contributing to and evaluating such a policy is a central role for the lay faithful.

The Church does not pretend that there is some magic formula for easily implementing these principles. She does propose, however, that there are basic truths that any political program must reflect to seek genuine progress among persons. Faith obliges us to seek those truths as we prepare for the coming election.