Memorial Day Homily

Homily for Memorial Day
Monday, 27 May 2013

        My brothers and sisters, we gather this morning in a somber and sacred time of remembrance for our men and women who have “given their all” in the service of their country. We thank God for these courageous defenders of freedom, and for the example each one, known or unknown, has left for us to follow. They were, and still are!, our brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, mothers and fathers, neighbors and friends, and we will never forget their sacrifice for the defense of our freedoms.

        Yet as we remember these heroes, we celebrate a Mass for peace and justice, asking the Lord that, in His divine mercy, the sacrifices made by men and women of any age may cease, and that humanity may truly live in the peace and freedom that is given to us by virtue of our human dignity. We pray these prayers for peace and justice because, just as we have heard in the Gospel, Jesus commands us to pray for those who wish us harm, and – even harder still – to pray for those who have committed acts of violence against us, especially when a loved one has perished because of those acts.

        My friends, we do continue to thank God for the sacrifice of those men and women have given their all for our freedom, and we continue to thank God for the men and women who continue to place themselves in harm’s way so that our way of life, our nation may be secure. Still, it is up to us to keep these heroic servants in prayer – both the living and the dead – so their sacrifice, both in the past as in the present, may never be in vain.

        These men and women of courage gave their lives not only to defend our freedoms, but, for the Christian, laid down his or her life for their neighbor, as Jesus reminds us is one of the greatest acts of love a person can do for another. And, yet, this is another reason we pray today for peace and justice, because, as a Christian, it is our duty to love each person as a reflection of how God loves us – including those who harm us and those we love.

Our patron, Saint Teresa of Avila, reminds us in her masterpiece, The Interior Castle, that “we will not reach perfection in the love of neighbor if that love doesn’t rise from love of God as its root.” How are we able to pray for our deceased brothers and sisters, how are we able to pray for our men and women in the armed forces, how are we able to pray for one another when there is something that is hindering us from loving God completely? When hatred, jealousy, discord, and darkness cloud our mind – even just a little bit! – we hinder the prospect of peace, which comes from the very heart of God, and we halt any endeavor of that peace truly being present in our lives.

And so, my brothers and sisters, we place before the eternal memory of God those of our country who have fallen in the line of duty to protect us, and we thank God, once again, for their sacrifice to our nation. We place before God those who continue to serve our country to protect her from all who do us harm. We place before our God our own service of prayer for all Americans, that, through the practice of love and God and love of neighbor, we will seek out that true peace which God alone can give and that we, as His children, earnestly desire.

The first bishop of our country, John Carroll, composed a prayer for our nation, which he wished to have prayed on our national holidays. I now ask you to join with me in that prayer:

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

And since the patroness of our country is Our Lady in her title of the Immaculate Conception, we ask for her intercession on all citizens of the United States of America, living and deceased, as we pray:

Hail Mary . . .

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Enjoy the journey . . .