The election: How God answered our prayers anyway.

The popcorn was made and the drinks had been poured, all that was left was to wait for the results. I sat there squinting at the tiny numbers on the screen trying to make sense of them and guess what would come next. I honestly didn't know what to expect even though I heard people on both sides proclaim very confidently that the race was, without a doubt, in the proverbial 'bag'.

I'd be lying if I didn't say I had prayed hard for Romney to win, even though he was far from my ideal candidate. He wasn't perfect, but he wasn't the absolute worst, which I'm pretty sure is how the candidates were listed on the ballot:

PRESIDENT
_The Absolute Worst
_Significantly less horrible but still pretty bad
_Some guy nobody has heard of
_Who?
_Ok, now you're just messin' with me


At the very least he would slow the inevitable downhill journey that the morality of our country is on, right? The fact is, almost everyone I know had prayed for him to win along with millions around the country. And not just 'grace before meals' praying- all out, mystical union with Christ praying. Not just hoped or talked about but sincerely offered up prayers and fasting,  Masses, novenas, group prayers, individuals, congregations, Catholics, Protestants, entire sermons all for this man to win the presidency - or more accurately, for President Obama to lose it.

And here it was. This was the moment all of those prayers had aimed for. As I sat there I reflected on the spiritual effort that had been put into this election, on all of the little old ladies who had offered up their daily rosaries and the college students who had offered hours of adoration FOR. A. MORMON... I suddenly had a very certain and concrete realization that I spoke in my mind almost as clear as if it had actually come out of my mouth. "God is good. Surely, He would not abandon us in this moment. Surely He would not leave our prayers unanswered."

Hope rose up in me where uncertainty had been and I got very excited. I believed in spite of what the percentages were showing and I knew, I. JUST. KNEW. that God would be faithful. Then, as quick as a trip to the kitchen for more popcorn, it happened. Ohio was in and it was done. Romney had lost.

For 1 second, and no longer, a feeling of utter and complete despair came over me. WHAT. THE. HELL.!? ( pardon me while I quote Bridget Jones in an effort to fully bring you in to the drama of the moment)
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU......." (I'll leave the rest to your imagination.)

We watched for a while longer in complete silence and then I just wanted to go to bed. I wanted to sleep it off. And like 49% of America I woke up the next day suddenly remembering that what had transpired was not, in fact, a bad dream and it felt bad.

But, the second thing that I felt surprised me. I wasn't mad or angry or even sad. I was ....motivated. I was inspired. I was suddenly, extremely DRIVEN.

So, that whole long, unnecessarily dramatic intro was to say this,

 God did NOT leave us abandoned.

He very loudly and lovingly ( yes..lovingly) answered our prayers. His answer was NO. (but of course it was much more involved than that (as God tends to be).

Those of us who first identify ourselves as Christians and not as Republicans or Democrats or Independents were reminded with that 'NO' that our help is not from the Government. "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who MADE heaven and earth."Psalm 124 (say that 3 times slow and see what it does to your perspective.)

Simply put, If President Obama would have lost we would have celebrated. We would have felt overjoyed and we would have relaxed and become (even more than we are now).... complacent.
We would have stopped short of our goal by an obscene deficit. Our goal is not simply to restore a moral sense to our country by majority count, our goal is nothing less than HOLINESS. And now, we have no excuse not to strive for it. There never really was another option, but now we have no choice but to see that clearly.

I was motivated for that reason. For months I've been bemoaning the governments entitlement spending and fearing the attitude of many that demands that Uncle Sam pay for their expenses when all along I'd been doing the same thing morally. The government is not the Church and laws cannot evangelize. Its my job to know Christ intimately and to help others to do the same.

Don't get me wrong, I still wish he would have lost. Good things would have happened and even one less abortion is worth it. But the truth of the matter is, that at the end of the day, we did this to ourselves. Sure, in God's providence He allowed it, but we did it. Or didn't do it... We didn't evangelize. We didn't love. We didn't educate. We didn't pray, enough. And now......we must.

The plan today is the same as yesterday, BE. HOLY.

Sure, the thought was a nice one, that a 'conservative' president could restore the moral order of our country and we could all sit back and watch it happen, but we're Christians, and that ain't what we signed up for.

Martyrdom.

.....get used to the word. Not by gun squad or fire or lion or beheading (yet) but martyrdom none the less. Get used to being unpopular in the public square, get used to being called a bigot. Get used to being hated by people that you have to love because you hold high a truth that inconveniences their lives. Teach your children to be courageous and to pray (they'll probably be the ones in the fire). Learn the faith and learn it well because even though most wont listen anyway, when you finally find one who will, "because I'm religious" won't cut it. Whatever is standing between you and God - do away with it. Get holy or die trying (sorry I couldn't resist).

Yes, God answered our prayers -  because the Church would have gotten even more lazy and fat with a Romney win and that, my friends, is not His will.

 "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church" - Tertullian

In closing (yeah, I'm gettin' there) I have to say the response on facebook, at least from my list of friends, has made me hopeful. Some people have talked about the crudeness and rude responses on their newsfeed but I haven't seen much of it. I've seen resilient, charitable, faithful people of God restating their allegiance to the King of Kings above and beyond a nation. I'm mostly friends with college aged students by the way - who on their own organized an evening rosary the day after the election was over. Have hope, they do.

Viva Cristo Rey!