Reading 1: AM 8:4-6, 9-12; Responsorial Psalm: PS 119:2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 131; Gospel MT 9:9-13
Today is Independence Day, a day when we celebrate liberty
and justice for all. But what is liberty
and what is justice?
Justice is giving to each what is that
person’s due. To establish true justice,
the issues that cause injustice must be addressed. True justice is responding to the source of
the problems, making sure
that all have access to the same resources, opportunities, and potential.
So as a country on Independence Day, we are celebrating the liberty of dignity
and justice for all. All, who are one in
Christ; an all that includes those who are not like us. All have different gifts, different talents,
and different abilities. All of us are to use our gifts to help one another. All
make up the body of Christ.
Today we live in a country that wants to give
everything to those who are poor. There will always be poor, widows, orphans,
and the sick. These are the ones who truly
need to be supported by society. Happiness
however cannot be truly found with out realization of human dignity and
justice.
Trying to make people happy through dependence is not
the gift of dignity or justice. The prophet Amos warns about making people
dependent. He calls this "trampling
upon the needy." Amos accuses, "We will buy the lowly man for
silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals;"
It is the same today. We feel guilty and give
thinking we bring justice. It is not
only in bread that we find our existence. It is not in
the sacrifice that brings dignity to the poor but the mercy we show by working
for justice for all.
Christ and
his disciples sat at the table and ate with the tax collectors and sinners. Christ
recognized that these were the people who needed him. Maybe today,
the tax collectors and sinners need to recognize they still need Christ. The tax
collectors and sinners that are our leaders should realize that they are not
the cure but seek the divine physician.
If the
dignity of liberty and justice to prevail then we cannot buy it. It must be a gift that we give. The gift of Christ that is in us shared with
all. The gift of God’s grace that is in
the world shared with others.
Prayer:
Lord God,
On this
Independence Day, we pray that God’s love and compassion is shared in our
country; by leaders who lead with mercy and neighbors who have
compassion.
May the mercy and
compassion of Christ’s love exist in us, so that in you Lord, our country goes
beyond the sacrifice trying to buy happiness to true mercy that is a dignity of
liberty and justice for all. Amen.
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