St. Paul in the Letter to the Galatians declares “You were made for freedom, brothers and sisters, but do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh but rather serve one another through love.” That is an important reminder as we Catholics in the United States once again experience a Fortnight for Freedom which began last Tuesday on the Memorials of St. Thomas More and Bishop Saint John Fischer both of whom were martyred for their courage and conscience to stand true to the faith despite the abusive power of the then government.
It ends on the Fourth of July when our forefathers with courage and conscience declared that “we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” which are now under attack by today’s government and others with power. We will pray for religious liberty and freedom of conscience on Tuesday at 7p.m. here at the Cathedral at which I will offer some thoughts which will be available on the diocesan webpage ending with Benediction. I invite you to join us at least in spirit and prayer.
Jesus is this short Gospel reading sets forth what that freedom we were made for ought to be. It is not the license to do whatever we want but the determination to do what is the right thing to do.
There are four brief points. Luke tells us that Jesus “turned his face toward Jerusalem.” Waiting in Jerusalem were his passion and cross, and also the empty tomb. By His example he showed what we ought to do with our freedom. That is to do the will of the Father who knows better than us what is best for us.
To go to Jerusalem they passed through Samaritan territory where they were not well received. The historical facts are that the Jews believe Scripture told them to worship in Jerusalem, thus the Temple was built there. The Samaritans interpreted Scripture differently, believing the place to worship was elsewhere. Thus the difference in attitude. As a result James and John wanted to violently confront them with fire from heaven. Jesus rebuked them, a clear message against using violence against those who have differing beliefs.
Also in the Gospel reading Jesus encounters three prospective disciples. First Jesus is approached by one who wants to become a disciple. “I will follow you wherever you go”, he says. Jesus on his way to the cross for our salvation essentially asks him if he knows what he is saying. Before we casually pledge to follow him we better have some idea about what we are committing to. It means putting God first. It means living lives worthy of being called Christians often to the disappointment of family and friends. It means opening ourselves to God’s will above our own preferences. It means practicing what we preach. Jesus is straightforward and honest about it, to follow me will be a challenge, you do not know where it will lead, it may involve a cross, but it will be worth it. I wonder if sometimes people drift away from the Church because we are casual about the challenge of discipleship and the reward of remaining true so that when the hard times come or the hard choices are before us we are unprepared. The serious threat to religious liberty today is such a hard time.
Next Jesus invites someone to follow him. The response is “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” Jesus says, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” That seems a bit harsh, surely Jesus would be respectful of the dead. To bury the dead is a corporal work of mercy. Some scholars suggest that the father was not yet dead, or even sick and the person meant, that sometime, someday, later, after my father dies, whenever that is, I will follow you. Perhaps Jesus was telling the man and us that there are crucial moments in life when if missed they are gone forever. How many of us have had opportunities when as we look back we think if only we had seized the moment our lives would be different, and we regret our hesitation. To be a disciple means to seize the moments God presents to us to follow him each in our unique ways. Standing up for religious liberty now is such a moment.
Finally a man said, “I will follow you Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus responded, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Again this seems a strange answer. Perhaps Jesus was telling him and us not that we must break relationships from our past, but that we cannot live in the past and follow him at the same time. I have never plowed a field, but I have mowed lawns and shoveled snow and can relate to the idea that looking back while trying to move forward produces some pretty strange paths.
A boy and his grandfather were walking along and encountered an elderly man who complained about having suffered from sunstroke, how awful he felt, how unfair it was, how uncaring others were about him. The grandson misunderstood and thought the man said he suffered not from sunstroke but from “sunset”. After they parted, the boy said, “Grandpa, I sure hope you never get sunset.” We cannot effectively follow Christ looking only at the sunsets, wistfully looking back to what was or what we had or thought we had. As we grow older and are not able to do all we used to or when we lose a loved one and things just do not seem the same anymore, we need to honestly admit they aren’t, we aren’t the same, but we still can use what gifts God has given us to spread the power of His love for the good of others, perhaps by simply coping with change well. We are called to follow Christ in the now, respecting and learning from the past, but looking forward to the promise of what will be, what can be. To follow Christ is to be a realist about this world and an optimist about the next.
In this Fortnight for Freedom let us recommit to have the courage of our convictions as did those who declared national independence by defending religious liberty and freedom of conscience. We can do so by prayer, by engagement in the political and legal process which is especially a ministry for the laity, and by simply reaffirming our God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as God defines them. We must do so not solely for ourselves but for the generations to come. And we must do so because Christ calls us to use our freedom in faithful citizenship.