On Wednesday night I watched Senator Mitt Romney (R – Utah) articulate the reasoning behind his decision to cast the vote by which he made a historic break from his party. I was deeply moved by this and – while not advocating for one side or the other – I want to share some of his remarks with you, as I believe they provide for us an eloquent and powerful example of what it means to be a faithful citizen in these tumultuous times, and ahead of what will be an especially dark and divisive election season. Mr. Romney, an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated the following:

As a senator-juror, I swore an oath before God to exercise impartial justice. I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced…

In the last several weeks, I’ve received numerous calls and texts. Many demanded, in their words, that I “stand with the team.” I can assure you that that thought has been very much on my mind. 

But my promise before God required that I put my personal feelings and political biases aside. Were I to disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, I would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.

I’m aware that there are people who will strenuously disapprove of my decision, and in some quarters I will be vehemently denounced. I’m sure to hear abuse. Does anyone seriously believe that I would consent to these consequences other than from an inescapable conviction that my oath before God demanded it of me?

The grace and emotion that accompanied the Senator’s statement exhibited the kind of liberating struggle that comes with taking one’s faithfulness to God seriously, and responding to the urgings of a well-formed conscience, where God reveals what is right, true and good. Proceeding in this manner in making any decision of such magnitude or mapping out a course of action that impacts one’s life and the lives of those for whom one is responsible is no small thing.

When Stephen Colbert referenced Mr. Romney in his opening monologue for the Late Show on Wednesday night, he invoked the name of our patron, Saint Thomas More, and the words he spoke to his daughter in the play A Man for All Seasons: “When a man takes an oath, he's holding his own self in his own hands like water, and if he opens his fingers then, he needn't hope to find himself again.”

There are risks and consequences that come with making an oath -- in Mr. Romney’s case perhaps political repercussions, severe public scrutiny and cynicism, the loss of friends and colleagues. But there is also the freedom at the end of the day to be able to stand before God with a clear conscience and a pure heart. That’s what it’s like to be a person of integrity.

Today, through the Prophet Isaiah God charges us to share our bread with the hungry, to shelter the oppressed and the homeless, to clothe the naked, to satisfy the afflicted and to remove oppression, false accusation and malicious speech from our midst. St. Paul reminds us that we bear witness to the power of God shown in Jesus Christ and him crucified.  Jesus Himself challenges us to be salt and light for the world. And now, as we stand in this sacred place in union with our sisters and brothers throughout the universal Church, we will make our oath to God in the words of the Creed. Please God this oath will come to bear on every decision that we make as Christians and as bearers of Christ’s Holy Name and Presence in every corner of the world. We pray for the wisdom, the strength and the courage to be people of integrity -- that we are who we say we are -- and to proceed always in the light of faith and fidelity to God, for the good of our nation, and for all humanity.  

This blog is an excerpt from Fr. Ryan Lerner's homily from Sunday, February 9, 2020, the fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Matthew 5:13-16