Kelsey (Wicks) Reinhardt

This Lent is not ordinary. It comes in the midst of our nation’s 250th year—and America is in need of repentance. We have watched the moral and spiritual degradation of our country unfold in real time: the public celebration of grave evil, the aggressive expansion of abortion, the hardening divide between parties, principles, and people. Sin causes suffering. And when sin is normalized, nations suffer.   Saint John Paul II was once asked how he would defeat communism. “I need nuns behind that wall,” he reportedly said. Hidden prayer. Fierce sacrifice. Souls willing to do battle where no one sees.   I echo his cry. We need Americans behind the walls of sin in this country. We need men and women committed to pray daily to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the renewal only God can bring.   That is why @CatholicVote has partnered with Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has written a powerful daily prayer for this America 250 Jubilee. I am asking you—personally—to make it part of your Lenten discipline. Join His Eminence, join me, and let us beg God for mercy.   Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas—to whom CatholicVote is consecrated—let us implore the Sacred Heart to mend what is broken and purify what has been corrupted. May the United States more perfectly fulfill her destiny in conformity with God’s plan.   Hearts and minds must change before kingdoms can. This prayer is where the fight begins.

The internet is on fire with criticism of the 12 bishops who prayed over President Trump in the Oval Office. Let me remind everyone that bishops are priests and pastors and should not have to apologize for praying over presidents. This assault on public prayer is based on a secular vision of life—not the essential evangelization required by the Gospel. Not only should we give them the space to be evaluated outside the secular political lens, they should give that grace to themselves in the face of this unwarranted criticism. “As I prayed about, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people,” said Archbishop James Golka. “No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.” Imagine the church restricting who it could dialogue with or preach to: it would be a a history without Ambrose preaching to Theodosius; without John Paul II converting General Wojciech Jaruzelski on his death bed; without Fr. Hugh O’Flaherty befriending Nazi Herbert Kappler in prison. The right and duty to witness to figures in authority dates back to the time of Caesar. Those men all did many things worse by orders of magnitude than this leader, who has also done some things exceptionally well, whatever the honest criticism of some of his policies are. I also question the selective outrage potentially at work here. Do honest Catholics believe this outrage would exist for praying over Obama, Biden, or even George W.? These men were there as priests and they prayed as priests do. That is a win for the faith, no matter the man in the presidential chair. Archbishop Golka was right. This IS what Catholics do.

The internet is on fire with criticism of the 12 bishops who prayed over President Trump in the Oval Office. Let me remind everyone that bishops are priests and pastors and should not have to apologize for praying over presidents. This assault on public prayer is based on a secular vision of life—not the essential evangelization required by the Gospel. Not only should we give them the space to be evaluated outside the secular political lens, they should give that grace to themselves in the face of this unwarranted criticism. “As I prayed about, I thought that this is what Catholics do. We pray for people,” said Archbishop James Golka. “No matter whether we agree or disagree on anything, we always pray for our country and leaders.” Imagine the church restricting who it could dialogue with or preach to: it would be a a history without Ambrose preaching to Theodosius; without John Paul II converting General Wojciech Jaruzelski on his death bed; without Fr. Hugh O’Flaherty befriending Nazi Herbert Kappler in prison. The right and duty to witness to figures in authority dates back to the time of Caesar. Those men all did many things worse by orders of magnitude than this leader, who has also done some things exceptionally well, whatever the honest criticism of some of his policies are. I also question the selective outrage potentially at work here. Do honest Catholics believe this outrage would exist for praying over Obama, Biden, or even George W.? These men were there as priests and they prayed as priests do. That is a win for the faith, no matter the man in the presidential chair. Archbishop Golka was right. This IS what Catholics do.

Be a girl’s girl.

I am begging MLB not to ruin America’s pastime by selling out to soft-porn advertisers. There is something sacred about sports fandom. It builds loyalty, unites communities, and fuels the dreams of young people. I grew up in the 80's and 90's playing basketball. Who among us didn’t dream of being Michael Jordan—or, for this generation, Caitlin Clark—growing up? Now that we have families of our own, we want to pass that same love of sports on to our children. We want to cheer for our teams, celebrate our heroes, and enjoy the game together without having to shield our kids from the advertising. Please, MLB, keep America’s pastime family-friendly. Some things are worth more than advertising dollars.