The dinner reception celebrating my ordination as a priest 27 years ago brought together friends and family, some of whom I had not seen for a long time. While I was speaking with my brother, an aunt came by and remarked to him, “You didn’t go up for Communion at your brother’s first Mass? What’s that about?”

My brother, who hadn’t practiced his faith for years, simply replied, “Because I didn’t go to confession.”

I told my brother, with admiration, “You’re the last bad Catholic in America.”

It made me proud that, despite not practicing his faith, my brother understood and respected Catholic doctrine and discipline. While reception of Holy Communion is a great joy, church teaching says that it is not a “right” that Catholics are entitled to. Rather, the faithful must be “properly disposed” to receive Communion. If someone’s beliefs and choices don’t accord with Catholic teachings, they should not receive the sacrament.

I’ve been thinking about that moment while surveying this year’s political landscape. If only today’s Catholic elected officials—many of whom advocate policies that directly conflict with the church’s teaching—had my brother’s understanding.