Archbishop José Gomez by Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels / Facebook (Left)
CV NEWS FEED // As the United States enters the final stretch of the election season, Archbishop José H. Gomez is calling on Catholics to take inspiration from the early Christians who, through their steadfast commitment to the Gospel, “turned the world upside down.”
In a letter published by Angelus, the Archdiocesan news outlet, Archbishop Gomez emphasized that while Catholics hold their ultimate citizenship in heaven, they are also called to actively “work for the good of the earthly city.” He highlighted how the first Christians refused to conform to the prevailing spirit of their age, instead spreading the radical virtues that transformed society.
“The early Christians never tried to change the world by using power or violence,” the Archbishop continued, “but they turned the world upside down by proclaiming and practicing values and virtues that the world had never seen before.”
“At Ephesus, they challenged the idols of the economy and society; at Athens, they engaged the ideals of cultural and intellectual elites,” he wrote.
The Apostles left a lasting impact that still resonates today. Archbishop Gomez urged modern Catholics to follow this example, stressing that the challenges of today are not so different from those faced by the early Church.
“Our mission remains the same,” he stated. “We are called by Jesus, each of us by baptism, to continue the mission of those early Christians—the mission of spreading the Gospel’s values and ideals in our society.”
The Archbishop highlighted a clear difference between a typical citizen and a Catholic. He noted that Catholics “are not a political party or a voting bloc, and we have no policy platform.” Instead, their primary focus is on embodying the teachings of Christ, which call for love, mercy, and compassion for everyone—especially the vulnerable—and extend care even to those outside their community, including their enemies.
Archbishop Gomez emphasized that Catholics must emulate these early Christians as the “soul” of the world, bringing Christ’s love into every aspect of life, from personal interactions to public engagement.
In this role, he wrote, Catholics are “called to make this world more like God created it to be.”
“Each of us can bring the love of Christ into every element of our lives, spreading his joy and peace in all our dealings with our neighbors, in our work, and in our participation in society,” Archbishop Gomez stated. “That’s how the early Christians lived. And that’s how, in our times, we can turn the world upside down again.”
