In this house, we are Catholic…

You may not have come across them yet, but these yard signs have become rather prevalent in some of the neighborhoods I drive through to get to work.

By now I’ve had a few weeks reflecting on this as I drive in everyday. And more recently I found this article in the Huffington Post as to how it originated. I have put together a response, but first it may be best to reflect on why I felt compelled to do so.

I do not feel I need to respond because I inherently disagree with what is on the sign. In fact, if you take each phrase literally, with no context, I actually agree with the original sign 95%. In fact, the only thing I don’t completely agree with is that Kindness is Everything (kindness is entirely valuable and necessary, but not everything) So why say anything? Why reflect on this at all?

Because as a Catholic in the U.S. what I believe doesn’t fit with the major narrative of either the political left or the political right. Even in the Huffington Post article, it’s clear that the above sign took off after the presidential election. And I really understand this. President Trump is extreme and so the negative backlash has also been extreme. But I find myself unable to join in with either side because neither is based in the fullness of truth. My reaction to the above sign was to reflect, think, and analyze rather than to take it purely at face value. Why? Because I have always been challenged by the Catholic church to reflect, think and analyze, to use the intellect and will that God has given me to pursue truth, beauty and goodness.

And I know the context of this sign, I know not only what it says in terms of face value but also what it implies. There are two sides and this sign represents one. It’s evident in Huffington Post comment box. You might even be able to put me into the ‘religious right’ that many talk about as being opposed to this sign (though my political views aren’t all that right or even fit on the left-right scale).

It’s either ‘black lives matter’ (political left) or ‘blue lives matter’ or even ‘all lives matter’ (political right). Well, as a Catholic, I absolutely believe in protecting the vulnerable, and there’s no question that black lives are vulnerable. I also believe that ‘all lives matter’ and that violence against police officers is unjustifiable and even dangerous to our society.

‘Women’s rights are human rights’ is something I completely agree with. But I also believe that not only is abortion not a human right, but that it violates human rights.

‘No human is illegal’ is one of the easier ones to get on board with 100%. As a Catholic, I believe in care for the immigrant, that our love of neighbor does not have borders. I do also believe that a country has a right to protect its borders. There is no simple solution but it is an issue that we must wrestle with because lives are on the line.

‘Science is real’ is one that I didn’t know was in debate but I have to talk about because the implication is that there are some who believe that science isn’t real. Science is a system that organizes, builds and tests knowledge.  So in that context an argument about the reality of science makes very little sense to me.

‘Love is love’ has always bothered me, because one, on the surface it means absolutely nothing. It is like saying a = a.  This is obvious and meaningless. But, the implication, that all love is the same, is simply untrue. I do not love my dog the way I love brownies, my daughter or my husband. It is important and necessary that I love them each differently.

I think it is impossible to fully express all that I believe in the context of a yard sign. But a sign like the one above compelled me to try, even if just to let someone else know that there is an option outside of ‘right’ and ‘left.’ My hope is that it would pique someone’s curiosity and encourage them to ask questions. I know I would be happy to have that conversation!

Here is my response.

Update Oct. 12, 2020: The sign is now available for sale and you can find more information here.