The Catholic partisan divide provides an opportunity for the church to model proper civic behavior.

God sending Jonah to Nineveh would be like telling a modern-day rabbi to preach in Iran or Gaza.

The corporal works of mercy have long guided Christians in helping those suffering from poverty and oppression. Politics can also be a holy activity if we pursue certain works of mercy.

Many of us go back and forth between ignoring politics and getting angry about it. You will feel better, and be a better citizen, if you are more disciplined about your attention.

Some humility about how much we really know can help prevent toxic rhetoric when we talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with family, friends and colleagues of different faiths.

“This is what the pope is asking of us,” Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre said. “We are not only defenders of ideas, because if I defend only one idea, whoever disagrees with me becomes my enemy.”