After providing last weekend, an insert from our United States Bishops about the dignity of the human person, which is the first of four principles of Catholic Social Teaching, this week's insert touches on the principle of the "Common Good". PLEASE take time to read and reflect on it! Going back to the first insert we provided a number of weeks ago, the bishops talked about the many threats to human dignity that exist in our time. Knowing what these are and then seeing where our candidates for elected office stand on these issues and the way or ways they have acted or failed to act on these issues, is important for us to consider BEFORE making our choices at election time. The bishops say, "The threat of abortion remains our pre-eminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone." They go on to teach us that there are other grave threats to the life and dignity of the human person. These include euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty and human trafficking. They also speak of the threat of those who would redefine marriage and gender, those who threaten religious freedom at home and abroad, the lack of justice for the poor, the suffering of migrants and refugees, wars and famines around the world, racism, the need for greater access to healthcare and education, the care for our common home and more. There is no doubt it takes time to find out where candidates for public office stand on these issues and to what extent these are a much of a priority for them now and in the future if they are elected. I realize and I hope you do, that it is quite a challenge to get an honest answer to these questions given the deceptiveness and bias of so much of our media outlets today. Even some "religious based" forms of information do not in ways present "just the facts" on where all candidates stand on these issues. A real problem exists as well whenever candidates fail to address where they stand on issues and/or when they have priorities that are not in the list that the bishops have given for us to strongly consider. While the temptation is there for us to "strongly consider" which candidate, when elected, will do the most to help me (and my family) to prosper economically and in other ways, we are called to keep our attention at election time and ALWAYS on what is best for the "common good" which I hope we would all agree is the Christ-like way to think and act, (while obviously not ignoring our own basic needs). My concern (and even fear) at this point is that too many have already made up their minds about who to vote for or who not to vote for without taking the time and real effort to ultimately make the best decision when going to the polls. I would suggest taking the time and bringing all this to prayer about who will do the most good for those most people in our country and throughout the world, recognizing that some of our elected officials can and hopefully will be attentive to what will establish and keep peace between peoples in other parts of our world. One thing is for sure, there is MUCH for us to bring to prayer!