With the way the 2016 presidential election is going, things really do seem bleak when it comes to the direction of our country’s political future. Catholics are wondering is there any viable option of whom to vote for for president this autumn. My conscience will not let me vote for any of the two major parties. Neither likely candidate is worth the risk for my soul.

So, what is left for us? What can we do? I think the best analogy is that of a hobbit waiting on the edge of a battle that he cannot escape. He looks up at his friend the wizard, and asks if there is any hope.

There never was much hope, and there is just a fool’s hope now.

And I am ready to do something that seems foolish in the eyes of the world, because there is nothing I really can do beyond that.

Now is the time for prayer. It is time for radical prayer. And faithful Christians have to pray like mad. We have to pray for the conversion of hearts of people in our country. We have to pray for those who are voting, and for those who are running for office. We have to pray for radical conversion.

And it seems so foolish. It seems so, so foolish to think that people in our nation that have embraced lives of sin as normal and even good in their minds would ever have a conversion to see what is good and true and change their lives. But we are supposed to care about the souls of all. And it is for the good of the souls of our fellow citizens that we must pray. We must do penance. We must put it all in God’s hands.

We can voice our opinions. We can each cast our one vote for someone, whoever we feel we can choose. I found this article by Rachel Lu on how we should consider casting our votes to be particularly insightful.

But we must also pray. And we must pray with a fool’s hope, that somewhere, somehow, good will triumph. And if it does not triumph with this election, we must have faith that in the end, our King will return as promised, and all that is evil will pass away.

Join me in praying with a fool’s hope. Join me in giving this election to the Mother of the King. Mary, the Immaculate Conception is our country’s patroness. She will intercede for us for hearts to change, for the all of us to have a deeper conversion.

So, I will be praying this prayer everyday, even if all I have is a fool’s hope.

An Election Prayer to Mary

O most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy,
we entrust the United States of America to your loving care.
and beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of your Son.
Overwhelmed with the burden of the sins of our nation,
we cry to you from the depths of our hearts
and seek refuge in your motherly protection.
Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people.
Open our minds to the great worth of human life
and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom.
Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion
and threaten the sanctity of family life.
Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God's law
is the foundation on which this nation was founded,
and that He alone is the True Source
of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death and the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

Trusting in your most powerful intercession, we pray:

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother.
To thee do we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions,
but in thy mercy hear and answer us. Amen

—By Msgr. William J. Blacet