Ecclesiastes and Turning Politics Over to God

A friend recently told me that the Old Testament book that brought her back to the Catholic faith was Ecclesiastes.

“What is it about?” I asked, realizing I had never read it.

“Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,” she responded. “Nothing is new under the sun.”

I decided to read Ecclesiastes, and as I did, my mind moved to the American obsession with politics. We always believe our particular circumstances, in this time and place, are the most important – as, I would guess, has every generation of humans.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes was written by character named Qoheleth. Ecclesiastes is actually a Greek translation of Qoheleth, which ”means “assembler” (of students, listeners) or “collector” (of wisdom sayings).”  Early on, Qoheleth tells us, “Nothing is new under the sun.”

“What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done. Nothing is new under the sun! Even the thing of which we say, ‘See, this is new!’ has already existed in the ages that preceded us. There is no remembrance of past generations; nor will future generations be remembered by those who come after them.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11)

We may think living through a pandemic is unique (even though it is not).  As such, I think it is interesting to consider Qoheleth’s statement in light of human emotion and experience, generally, as opposed to solely earthly current events.

We know human nature never changes, and the things you worry about now, have been worried about by generations before. But generations, as Qoheleth points out, have come and gone without any remembrance.

The point is, as you cry for your son who has an addiction, or wonder when you will meet your wife, or wonder how you will pay the bills, or bemoan a tyrannical boss or landlord, or become exasperated with those in elected office – so has every generation of humans. To dwell hopelessly on our own concerns, legitimate as they are, is to forget that God is in control. I know it is easy to do, and it takes work to push back and instead choose hope.

All is Vanity

Reading Ecclesiastes, I wondered: is it a form of vanity to suspect that one’s own time is the most consequential? More importantly, is it vanity to pray too much about a political situation? At what point does praying about politics become just about what I want – and not about what God wants? I believe we do ourselves, and our relationship with Jesus, real harm when we obsess over the political state of things.

Someone once told me that if I wrote down all the things that worry me today, and looked at that list in five years, I would most likely have no idea what half the issues were. None of us will forget what we are experiencing as we live through this pandemic and the abundance of social and political issues. But the immediacy – the pain, the heat, the sorrow – will eventually subside, and even be replaced by something else. What is hopeful is to recognize this as an opportunity to give all that sorrow to God and know, perhaps for the first time in our lives, that we are truly nothing without God. Apart from Him we are nothing and we have nothing.

Turn Politics Over to God

It is imperative that Christians pray, at all times, for our leaders and our nations. But we must also trust that God has everything in control, always.

If you are feeling hopeless about the state of our nation and culture, and are looking for prayer warriors to work on your behalf, I recommend four people: St. Rita, St. Jude, St. Therese of Lisieux, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

St. Rita and St. Jude are known as patrons of hopeless causes. “Hopeless cause” is a great way to describe American politics!

St. Therese of Lisieux is a personal favorite, called by Pope John Paul II as “the most powerful saint of the 20^th century.” I have never gone to her and been unaided.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Americas. She sees everything we are experiencing, and she loves us.

Let’s also add in a couple other saints for good measure – those who understood politics, and suffered under the whims of political leaders. St. Thomas More and St. Maximilian Kolbe come immediately to mind.  Both of these intercessors are excellent friends to call on if the political situation seems beyond recourse.

Whatever you do, however, do not let politicians become your saints!

You Are Where You Are Meant to Be

In prayer, thank God that you are alive today, to see what he wants you to see, to live where he wants you to live, and to pray for what he wants you to pray for. God did not call any of us to be Twitter warriors.  He does, however, call us to be disciples, to love others, and to do His will. That’s about it.

There is no circumstance in which politics should replace faith, or in which our devotion to the news cycle ought to come before our time before God. Remember that no politician will ever save you, and achieving a desired political outcome does not absolve you of a need for a relationship with Jesus. To be overly devoted to politics is to lose hope in God and His plan.