While the vast majority of Americans took time to watch today's inauguration live on TV, some of us chose to spend time in prayer for our country in the context of the holy Mass. So, much to my surprise I found virtually the entire religion dept. from KCHS at the All-Saints 12:10 Mass today. Once again, I wasn't the only one with a bright idea, as is so often the case.
Fr. Michael Woods was the presider to the noon faithful and started the liturgy with an a cappella "God Bless America," and off we went into the "eighth day."
As I listened to the readings and reflected on Fr. Michael's homily, two different thoughts keep coming up in my mind.
First, was my concern for the issue of abortion. Now that the votes have been cast and our 44th President has been sworn in, how do we best continue to push for the dignity of all human persons from natural birth to natural death? Now that the election is behind us, how can each of us do our part in honoring God's commitment to the human race and all issues of life? We need to write letters if we haven't before. We need to write them again even if we have in the past. We need to show up and participate in peaceful demonstrations and witness Christ Jesus to those around us not just with placards but with compassion for our fellow travelers along the way. We need to not be bashful when abortion, so-called mercy killings, euthanasia, genocide, and capital punishment come up in conversations. We need to not just vote every four years, but live each day in thoughtful pursuit of the Gospel and listen closely to that still small voice that speaks to each of our hearts, and then DO God's will for our lives. Abortion is not something we should think about only at election time. We need to, instead, broaden our horizons to all the issues of life that surround us each day. Every day is an opportunity to be Pro-Life.
The second thought was that of Hope for the African-American population of the United States and for all people of color. I thought of my upbringing in the City of Chicago. I graduated from a Chicago Public High School in 1983 in where I was a minority as 90% of the school was African-American. I recently attended my first high school reunion in which one of my classmates assembled a sort of litany of those who had passed away in the last twenty-five years. Out of a class of 220, over forty of my classmates were dead. With one exception, they were all black, and all male. Many had died in prison, from drug addiction, or on the wrong end of a knife or gun. I thought about what it must mean to the black population of our great country to have watched an African-American man place his hand on that bible and swear and oath to God Almighty and promise to lead the United States to the best of his ability. Like him or not, Barrak Obama is now Mr. President and we owe him our fervent prayers, not just on the abortion issue, but all issues facing our country.
As I walked out of Mass, I remember thinking, "America now resembles herself a little bit more now than an hour ago." God Bless America; may we never stop placing human life at the top of our priorities in the voting booth as well as on our journey towards heaven.
- Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey
No comments:
Post a Comment