Thursday, July 4, 2024

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Amos 7:10-17; Matthew 9:1-8)

In the past on the Fourth of July Americans proudly expressed their patriotism.  Many participated in parades and some in special prayer services to show their gratitude for their strong, prosperous, and free society.  This year, however, patriotism invokes more critical self-examination than celebration.  Americans should take time to consider what is going wrong in their country. Public opinion is radically divided on vital issues like immigration and family.  More worrisome, the specter of anarchy looms with the upcoming elections.

The country’s predicament is akin to that of Israel at the time of Amos.  Today’s first reading shows how the prophet is condemned for speaking out against the injustices of the nation.  He chastised the people for ignoring the poor and following other gods.  Is this not like what is happening in the United States when nuclear families are not strengthened?  Are not the gods of pleasure and of self eclipsing the true God of Israel?

In the gospel Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic before he cures his lameness.  The United States should seek forgiveness for its wandering from the path of justice.  Remedying the causes of injustice, it will walk proudly again.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 19:15-29; Matthew 8:23-27)

Today the United States celebrates its independence from England.  Almost two and a half centuries ago fifty-six men from thirteen North American colonies signed a document listing the new country’s grievances against England.  The Declaration of Independence also stated three basic rights as its founding principles: “…Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

These principles conform to our beliefs as Catholic Christians.  We hold the right to life for every human being, from the newly conceived to the feeblest aged.  We believe in a full range of liberty, not just from external restraints but also from inner addictions like pornography.  Finally, we hope that everyone pursues true happiness which is only attainable by following the ways of the Lord.

Of course, we know that not everyone interprets the three principles in the same way.  We believe, however, that pursuing life, liberty, and happiness according to the Catholic tradition will create social harmony.  It will allow the country to celebrate its independence long into the future.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Genesis 2:1b-19; Matthew 9:1-8)

Today’s first reading is a hallmark of the Bible and of Western Civilization.  In it God tests Abraham by telling him to kill the son he had longed for.  Abraham does not delay in complying and stops only when God sends a contravening order.  By his obedience, Abraham shows himself a worthy beneficiary of God’s awesome blessing.  He can be a true father to many nations.

As the United States celebrates its foundation today, it faces a test similar to Abraham’s.  The premise for its freedom from England was based on natural law.  As its founders proclaimed on July 4, 1776, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  The test is whether the nation will continue to pursue freedom in accord with God’s will as given in human nature.  The alternative path on which the nation is headed is to dally in invented freedoms like abortion and homosexual marriage.

We come together today to implore the risen Lord present in our midst.  We ask him to straighten the distorted path the United States has taken in recent years.  We pray that a nation so well-endowed with resources may not deviate from the way of freedom upon which its founders set it.

Monday, July 4, 2016

Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Hosea 2:16.17c-18.21-22; Matthew 9:18-26)

Today Americans celebrate the defining moment of their existence as a people.  Two hundred and forty years ago representatives from all thirteen colonies accepted the constitution drafted by Thomas Jefferson.  The document declared independence of the colonies from England and the establishment of a new nation.  In today’s first reading Hosea prophesizes of a similarly defining moment for Christians.

Hosea is a prophet of the northern kingdom.  Like Amos he denounces the nation for ignoring God’s commands.  Here he foretells the day when Israel will accept forever the Lord as its one and only God.  It will come only after trial expressed with the metaphor of a “desert.”  From that point on the people will no longer flirt with other gods.  Rather they will stick close to the one God who will have saved them.

We see the prophecy being realized in Jesus.  We recognize in his death the “desert.” That cataclysmic experience led to his resurrection which solidifies our relationship with God forever.  It offers us hope of eternal life as it moves us to care for others.  Now we pray that our country will follow Jesus’ witness of charity for all.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Amos 5:14-15.21-24; Matthew 8:28-34)

The words of the "Pledge of Allegiance," which many Americans will proudly recite today, end with an appeal for liberty and justice. It’s important to keep in mind that the United States has enshrined both virtues. Fairness in its laws is as much a part of the American heritage as the freedom which its founders risked life and fortune to attain. The prophet Amos pleads for a similar justice in the first reading today.

Amos lives in the prosperous reign of Jeroboam II of Israel, the northern kingdom. Unfortunately, not everyone is thriving. The poor are often swindled of the little they have while the wealthy luxuriate. The story of Ahab and the poor man Naboth provides a sterling example although it occurred some seventy-five years before Amos comes on the scene. The prophet cannot help but speak out against the inequities. In a phrase echoed by Dr. Martin Luther King, he implores, “...let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.”

As long as people cling to individual privileges and claim rights that ignore responsibility, the justice to which Amos appeals will be wanting. Jesus provides the key to the only adequate response. He died so that we might live in true freedom and complete justice. By modeling his self-sacrifice for others, Catholic Americans can assist their nation attain the ideals it espouses.

Homilette for Friday, July 4, 2008

Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Amos 8:4-6; 9-12)

What makes a nation great? As we Americans rest on our anniversary of independence, we might ask this question to take pulse of our progress over 232 years.

We need to distinguish material and spiritual indicators of greatness. Certainly, a nation that provides all its people with ample physical resources – food, clothing, housing, medical care – is on a track of greatness. Although some critics charge that parts of our population have low nutrition levels and substandard housing, generally Americans live better than most of the world. This is so even with the country continually opening its doors to impoverished immigrants.

Spiritual indicators of greatness are social virtues that enable people to live together in peace. Adherence to laws, toleration of differences, and willingness to sacrifice for the common good show that a nation has a strong social fabric. In the reading from the prophet Amos today we might note negative examples of other social values. Amos chastises the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for disregard of the poor and for dishonesty in business.

Amos further tells the Israelites that one day they will miss the word of God. He means that by ignoring God’s law, found in the Pentateuch, the people will lose their moral compass. The new situation will find them vulnerable to internal turmoil and external domination. “Darkness in broad daylight” is a metaphor for the people forgoing their relationship with God who has always provided the light of wisdom. Sackcloth and shaved heads are signs of slavery to foreign powers.

The United States has not squandered spiritual greatness like ancient Israel. Still there is need for constant vigilance and even present concern. Americans in general have less appreciation now than a generation ago for religion, a critical element of their moral compass. Also, the huge number of Americans incarcerated indicates contempt of law, another crucial part of morality. Finally, young Americans need to ponder the individualism and narcissism which their generation is noted for. These cancers can erode the fibers of social solidarity, also necessary for morality and indicative of national standing.

Homilette for Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Fourth of July

(Genesis 21)

Above all the Fourth of July is time to celebrate. Some may want to listen to the music of marching bands. With no less civic pride we have chosen a more subdued celebration in the confines of church. Here we praise God for blessing our country with so much opportunity and no small amount of equality. Yes, we know that not all opportunity has been parceled out fairly. For this reason our celebration begins on a note of contrition.

The story of Hagar and Ishmael wandering in the desert mirrors an experience of contemporary America. Many immigrants are trying to enter this country via the southwestern desert. Frequently they, like the biblical desert wanderers, become lost and sometimes are found dying or dead. Their plight cries out for attention just as Ishmael weeps from thirst. Solutions, however, are not easily found as the report from Washington this past week shows. So we join our voices with the contemporary Ishmaels and Hagars in prayer to God for their well-being.

A sage law professor has observed that the United States is both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. A nation so large and promising as we are needs both to continue to prosper. Not today but tomorrow we should ponder what changes in laws are workable to fulfill the hopes of immigrants. With them in our midst, with all abiding by the rule of law, and with the blessing of the Most High the future will see an even greater America.