Nine score and eighteen years ago today Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky. He, of course, presided over our country when brother fought against brother – sometimes literally – in the great Civil War. Bravely he urged his country people of the northern states not to harbor resentment against their counterparts in the South. “With malice toward none, with charity for all,” he called for reparations to all who lost limb or love in the war.
Internecine conflict is the subject of the first reading today. Cain wants to kill his brother Abel out of resentment. God, who inspired Lincoln (or shall we say permeated him), asks Cain to restrain his hatred. He tells Cain to do what is right so that he might walk upright in society. Cain, however, refuses the advice. The result, of course, is catastrophe. Cain kills Abel and becomes a fugitive.
The urge to lash out at others -- be they brother, sister, friend, or a poor fellow who doesn’t do much right – can weigh on all of us. Still, we have not only the dictate of the Lord but the example of the greatest American leader to curb the impulse. “Malice toward none, charity toward all” is not political slogan. It is a divine directive.
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