Pray and Work
Yesterday morning conservative Archbishop Charles Chaput and I were both a little glum.
Archbishop Chaput is an articulate and forceful anti-abortion spokesman. I am just-married, same-sex marriage advocate.
Over morning coffee and papers we were greeted with some good news and some bad news. 
– Democratic candidate Barak Obama, and his Catholic vice president, Joe Biden, won the presidential election.
– Colorado voters had soundly defeated a ballot measure that would have defined life as beginning at conception. The constitutional amendment would have defined a person to include “any human being from the moment of fertilization.”
– California voters banned same-sex marriage. The referendum called for the California constitution to be amended by adding the phrase that “Only marriage between a man and woman is valid or recognized in California.”
– California voters failed to approve a measure that would require doctors to notify parents or guardian 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor.
– Arizona voters banned same-sex marriage.
– Florida voters banned same-sex marriage.
– Washington State voted to permit doctor-assisted suicide.
– South Dakota defeated a ban on abortion.
– Arkansas voters approved a ban on couples, who live together without being married, from adopting or fostering children. This impacts straight couples, but was primarily aimed at gay and lesbian couples.
Now what? We need to mourn, and find fresh resolve. St. Benedict points a way: Orare et laborare. Pray and work. Pray and work. Start with prayer, and then work.
And when the work seems too hard, arduous, demeaning, and hopeless; pray for strength and grace and a sense of humor to get over the rough spots. And then work.
