Elections: Screaming for Barabbas?

Bring us Barabbas!

I was aghast at some of the irrational mental gymnastics I’ve seen tossed about in the name of Catholic thinking about this election. For instance, Simcha Fisher, who writes for Catholics, is propounding that she voted for Hillary Clinton. Coverage of this has occurred elsewhere in social media, and you can read a pretty good analysis at blog Mahound’s Paradise, “Psycho-Catholic Simcha Fisher Votes Hillary – Blames Trump and “All of His Admirers” for Abortion. She’s not the only one, though. I’ve seen so many others that have an irrational aversion to Trump, especially among the “mommyblogger” set and the neocons. Many of the Catholic neocons have rested back into some reason because they are applying proportionality to their concern.

You know, I had to think about that and, like so many other things, I think we can see in the Gospels themselves, that stuff like this happens. At the civil trials for Our Lord, before Pilate, we see that Pilate made a clear contrast to the people to show how irrational they were being. St. Mark tells us:

Now on the festival day he was wont to release unto them one of the prisoners, whomsoever they demanded. [7] And there was one called Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder. [8] And when the multitude was come up, they began to desire that he would do, as he had ever done unto them. [9] And Pilate answered them, and said: Will you that I release to you the king of the Jews? [10] For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up out of envy.

[11] But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas to them.[12] And Pilate again answering, saith to them: What will you then that I do to the king of the Jews? [13] But they again cried out: Crucify him. [14] And Pilate saith to them: Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more: Crucify him. [15] And so Pilate being willing to satisfy the people, released to them Barabbas, and delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

—Mk. xv 6-15.

Pilate was astounded! He even asks why!  The people were whipped up into a frenzy, though. They didn’t care that they were picking a seditious murderer.

They were irrational.

Recall that Fr. Hardon explains that Pilate gets name billing in the Creed to remind us that enemies of God will use the power of the State to destroy us. See that here in my earlier post.

So, some will cry for Barabbas.

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While at the Al Smith dinner this year, Trump stated that we cannot compete with God, but more importantly that he wanted to work with Catholics to end anti-Catholic bias, protect religious freedom, and create a culture that celebrates life. (scrub forward in the following video to 16:35)

Notice that Clinton wore the same lavender/pink color of Planned Parenthood. Comparing her view on Catholics, Hillary has said (as reported on LifeNews Apr 27, 2017) to the 2015 Women in the World Summit:

“Far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth. All the laws we’ve passed don’t count for much if they’re not enforced,” Clinton said, using the euphemism for abortion.

“Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper,” Clinton argued. “Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed”

So not only is she openly supporting abortion rights, and partial birth abortion, but she is saying that deep-seated religious beliefs have to be changed. The Washington Post recently highlighted more expansion on this thought as well.

Earlier in that video, Trump points out (apparently he noticed her color choice as well) that:  “she is sitting there pretending not to hate Catholics.”

Thus, the very issue of Catholics is an issue contested between the candidates!

I’ll leave it to you to consider if some Catholics are crying out for Barabbas — Libya, Benghazi, and several other examples have been in the news that one can use for comparison.

Meanwhile, let’s implore the assistance of our Mother Mary! Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

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