Letter to the President

As I heard the Gospel reading for today, about loving our enemies and being kind to those who persecute us, it occurred to me (as it often does these days) that we, as Americans, are so quick to criticize. Perhaps it was the promptings of the Holy Spirit, but I thought of how many times we criticize our government leaders. As last year drew to a close, it seemed I could not listen to secular radio or watch a t.v. news program without hearing gripes and complaints about then President Bush. Now, every time I log onto my twitter account or my Facebook page, I see similar sentiments towards our current president.
I absolutely agree with many of the criticisms I have heard. I do not always like the things our leaders do and, in general, I avoid politics. But, in light of Jesus’ message for today (and everyday!) I was thinking maybe we could make a more positive change in our country by offering our support and encouragement to our government officials.
A few months back there was a campaign I heard about sending letters to the president in red envelopes in support of the pro-life movement. The idea was to inundate the White House with the pro-life message in order to share with our current leaders, in dramatic fashion, our views on the sanctity of life. I hope and pray the message did get through. But now I am thinking maybe we need to inundate the White House with another message. A message of support for our leaders. Not support of their policies or decisions, we should never support anything that we know is wrong, but, instead, support for the people behind the decisions. If we disagree with the direction our country is going in maybe that is all the more reason to show Christ’s love to our government officials. Maybe the best way to influence a positive change for the future is to spread more love and not more criticism.
So, I am going to write a letter today letting the president know that I am praying for him and his family. I will keep my letter short and positive, expressing only my prayers, not support of or criticism against, what the current administration is doing. I will send my letter in a blue envelope this time, blue to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. I would love to have others join their prayers and letters with mine (in blue envelopes) so, together, we can inundate the White House with real Christian love and charity. I suspect it is what Jesus would do if He were living in America today.