“Pilate therefore said to Him: Art thou a King then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a King. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth My voice.”
Please join us in saying the following election novena for our country. Start with the meditation for each day, followed by the novena prayer at the end. Thank you.
Meditations
DAY 1 – October 26
Ven. Pope Pius XII, in a speech given on September 11, 1947, said, “There is a heavy responsibility on everyone, man or woman, who has the right to vote, especially when the interests of religion are at stake; abstention in this case is in itself, it should be thoroughly understood, a grave and a fatal sin of omission. On the contrary, to exercise, and exercise well, one’s right to vote is to work effectively for the true good of the people, as loyal defenders of the cause of God and of the Church.”
DAY 2- October 27
“Catholics, by remaining aloof, will allow men easily to arrive into power, whose opinion give no grounds for hoping that the state will be the better for them. And this would prove injurious for religion too; for men hostile to the Church would yield enormous power, those who love her, next to none. So it is clear that Catholics have good reason to take part in political life” Leo XIII Immortale Dei
Day 3- October 28
Pope St. Pius X declared that the faithful might take part in such elections to prevent the election of unworthy men. Il ferme proposito June 11, 1905. Also sent a letter to the Spanish people, February 20, 1906, on the duty of voting – when the cause of religion or of the state is endangered, no one can be indifferent.
St. Pius X, to the French in Notre charge apostolique: “Is it not the duty of every Catholic to make use of the political arms which he has in his hands to defend [the Church]…?”
Day 4- October 29
Pope Pius XI in an encyclical to Mexico in 1937 said: “Thus a Catholic will take care not to pass over his right to vote when the good of the Church or of the country requires it.” Firmissimam constantiam, March 28, 1937, AAS 29, 189
Day 5 – October 30
“The exercise of the right to vote is an act of grave responsibility…” Pope Pius XII 1946 AAS 38, 187 When there was a threat to the Church in Italy through the Communist party in 1948, Pope Pius XII said, “That in the present circumstances it is strictly obligatory for whoever has the right, man or woman, to take part in the elections. He who abstains, particularly through indolence or from cowardice, thereby commits a grave sin, a mortal offense.” AAS 40, 119
Day 6- October 31
Fr. Titus Cranny wrote, “In given instances, the obligation to vote may be grave, that is, binding under pain of mortal sin, when there is danger that evil forces may gain control of the government and this danger can be averted or lessened by an election. The vote obliges all citizens, both men and women; it is a trust by which they can promote good or evil; it is an obligation binding in the sight of God. The voter must follow the dictates of his conscience, but refuse his vote to any forces that would bring evil to the Church or to his country. He must give his vote so as to work effectively for the good of the people, as a loyal defender of God and of the Church.”
Day 7- November 1
Dominican moral theologian Fr. Benoit Merkelbach states, “Voters who, through grave fault by abstaining from voting do not stop an evil decision, election, or law from coming to pass, if they are bound by a specific duty to stop a foreseen harm which follows, are cooperators in evil.” (Summa Theologiae Moralis, Tomus Secundus, Tractatus De Virtute Cardinali Justitiae, Tertia Pars, Sectio A, De Justitia Commutativa, n. 316)
Day 8 – November 2
In 1921 Cardinal Amette, Archbishop of Paris, addressed a pastoral to his flock on this duty. Later, in a joint letter to all French Catholics, the hierarchy gave this message:
…It is your duty to vote wisely; that is to say, in such a way as not to waste your votes. It would be better to cast them for candidates who, although not giving complete satisfaction to all our legitimate demands, would lead us to expect from them a line of conduct useful to the country, rather than to keep your votes for others whose program indeed may be more perfect, but whose almost certain defeat might open the door to the enemies of religion and of the social order. [76]
Day 9- November 3 (Say upon waking or early in the day)
Cardinal Costa of Florence from 1951:
“Even township elections can cause enormous damage to our institutions. To realize the importance of this it is enough to observe that whoever abstains from voting, or who votes for individuals who oppose Christian faith and morals, automatically makes himself responsible for all the damages that come after that to souls and to consciences. He thus makes himself guilty of a sin much greater than missing Mass on Sunday or not making the Easter Duty. The latter are individual sins, whereas a badly given vote or a neglected vote is a social sin which damages – and oh how gravely it damages – the community, the countryside and the very state itself.”
Novena Prayer
Almighty and merciful God, you break the power of evil and make all things new in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe. May all in heaven and earth acclaim your glory and never cease to praise you.
With the presidential election nearing, and our moral duty to vote clear in our mind, we know there is only one moral option to vote for in this election. We ask that you help our fellow Catholics and all Christians realize this truth and help motivate them to vote and, with Your help, spare our nation from persecution and corruption. We ask You to place your loving hands upon Mr. Donald Trump and Mr. Mike Pence and their families and all who work with them. Please heal them, make their minds clear, and give them courage in the days to come to withstand the certain media and Democratic onslaught of lies and fabrications. Please help them to continue to remain faithful to their campaign promises and please have mercy on Your nation by lifting them up to continue leading it on November 3rd.
We also pray for the repentance and conversion of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and all those citizens who support them, especially Catholics, who are deaf to the cries of the unborn and blind to the persecution of the Church such an administration would entail. We also pray for the conversion of those in our dishonest media, Lord, that they will begin to once again to report the truth instead of working to elect those who show them favor.
We ask these things through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
[Add any special intentions here]
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)