Our saint for today: Martin of Tours was born of pagan parents in Pannonia, a Roman province of what is now Hungary around the year 316. He gave up the military life (of which his father was a member) and was baptized. Being attracted to the life of a monk, he founded a monastery in France where he led a monastic life under the direction of Saint Hilary. He was ordained a priest and chosen bishop of Tours. He provided an example of the ideal good pastor, founding other monasteries, educating the clergy, and preaching the Gospel to the poor. He died in 397.
The readings today remind us that those who are chosen to be priest and bishop are anointed with the Holy Spirit who comes upon them in a special way so that glad tidings can be experienced deeply by the lowly, the broken hearted can be healed in an overwhelming way, liberty can be proclaimed unmistakably to captives, release to prisoners; a year of favor from the Lord announced, and a day of vindication proclaimed for all who mourn – to remove from all a listless spirit. Such activity is very important in a world where there is so much brokenness, lack of true freedom, captivity, unbridled irrational thought and behavior, and consequent listlessness and even depression!
The gospel passage gives us the key to how it all works: loving others! It is in actively loving: feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and caring for the ill that the very love of God is engaged and released and therefore experienced. When you do these things especially for the very least of my brothers and sisters you do them directly to me Jesus said and meant– and you will be rewarded for that – with life on high forever! Come, blest of my Father!
To reverse the evils of the world we must find Christ where he said he would be found: IN THE POOR, IN THE HUNGRY, IN THE THIRSTY, IN THE STRANGER, IN THE NAKED, IN THE ILL! IN THE VERY LEAST, TINIEST AND SMALLEST OF HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Because if we cannot find him there – then we will never see him at all! It is as plain and simple as that! And we will hear on Judgment Day: "Depart from me, into the everlasting fires prepared for the devil and his angels!" There is no kidding around here!
On this Veteran's Day we also remember all of those living and dead who demonstrated their love for God and others, by placing the needs of their country on a very high priority level: those who serve and have served in the armed forces. "Duty, honor, country!" is a motto that is very much pleasing in the sight of God: Duty: each man and woman is called upon to do his "duty" – i.e. that which he discerns and determines to be God's will in all aspects of his life, but especially in regard to the common good; doing this with patriotic pride and for noble reasons gives the integrity of "honor;" applying duty, with honor to protection and defense of native land is application to "country!"
May God richly bless and take to himself those who gave their all in the ultimate sacrifice of giving their very lives for their country; and may he protect those still living who have served our country well and who deserve our appreciation, our respect and our love for doing what they did for us!
God bless America!
No comments:
Post a Comment