A Michigan pastor's recent homily to his parish said that Catholics should vote with their faith, indicating that the values of the Gospel should be kept in mind when heading to the polls on Election Day.

Father Stephen Blaxton, pastor of Holy Family Parish in his homily on Oct. 18 said it is the duty and moral obligation of Catholics to engage in civics and vote.

"To be a follower of Jesus means both cooperating with civil authorities and fully engaging in the civic arena while at the same time never wavering from our identity as beloved sons and daughters of the Father. Our true citizenship is in Heaven, our king is superior to all others and our ultimate loyalty is to Him alone," said Blaxton in the sermon.

"This fact, however, does not mean Christians should only focus on personal matters and stay away from politics," Blaxton said. "The vocation of every Christian, especially yours as a member of the laity, is to bring Christ into the world. You are called to bring the light of Christ into every corner of society, including government and public policy."

Blaxton told the Michigan Catholic Tribune, "I think Catholics have a duty to vote because we constitute the body of Christ in the world tasked with building the kingdom of God. Voting is what happens when you take ownership of your vocation as a disciple."

Blaxton said that when voting, Catholics should keep in mind "the values of the Gospel and the authority of the church."

When asked why he decided his congregants should hear that homily, he said, "I thought the lectionary readings lent themselves to the topic and because of the obvious relevance of the elections."

In his homily, Blaxton said that because Catholics' ultimate loyalty is to God doesn't mean they should shy away from politics.

"The vocation of every Christian and especially yours as member of the laity is to bring Christ into the world. Your vocation is to bring the light of Christ into every corner of society, including government and public policy. As Catholics, we are morally obliged to vote and to form our conscience on the issues at stake," he said.

Those issues, which include abortion and what is right for the common good, he pointed out in the homily, must be confronted by Catholics.

"Policies which are a direct threat against the dignity of human life and the common good must be confronted with public opposition," said Blaxton in the homily.

Blaxton also said to his parishioners last week that Catholics are "not called to be political pacifists... When things get scary, we're not supposed to just throw the covers over our head and pretend it's all going to go away." 

"We must stand against all disdain for human life, the destruction of the family and the destruction of religious freedom," he said.

Blaxton told the Michigan Catholic Tribune that Catholics should "love the people who vote differently than you."