September 29, 2024

I came across this quote on the website “Building on the Word,” which contains homilies by Fr. George M. Smiga: At the height of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was invited to address a large gathering of Union Forces who were rallying in support of the war.  The emcee who introduced the president asked him to come forward and lead the assembly in a prayer that God might be on the Union side and help win the war.  Lincoln came up to the podium and the first thing he said was “Sir, I am not really concerned about whether God is on our side.  I am very concerned whether we are on God’s side.”
 
Lincoln understood something that Joshua didn’t understand in the first reading this weekend and the apostle John didn’t understand in the Gospel.  We as humans divide ourselves into groups, identifying with those who are like us or agree with us and dismissing the others.  That is what causes wars, fights, and disagreements.  While we are forming a group of those we see as good, because they agree with us or are like us, God’s group is much larger, because God sees the good in everyone.  No one is perfect: all of us are made up of good qualities and some that aren’t so good. 
 
The challenge for us is to make our group bigger.  We can do that by listening to those that think differently than we do, honestly reflecting on what they are saying; by accepting those who are different or difficult; by trying to dialog with our so-called “enemies,” possibly turning them into friends.  These are a few strategies for making our group larger, getting it closer to the size of God’s group.
 
Our task is to help build up the Kingdom of God, the best we can.  God’s Kingdom will not have Catholics or Protestants or Jews or Muslims; it will not have Blacks or Whites or Asians or Hispanics; it will not have Republicans or Democrats; it will not have priests or deacons or religious or lay people; and so on.  God’s Kingdom will be filled with one thing: His children.  Let’s make sure everything we say and do works toward unity and peace.  That is living Gospel values!  God bless.
 
Church sign: The Golden Rule will never tarnish.