I received a welcome e-mail today describing an incredible homily given this past weekend. The sender prefaced the homily with this statement:
"Parishioners greeted it so warmly that sustained applause for the homilist broke out on the Church steps after the Mass." You'll understand why when you read Father's words. Kudos to Fr. John De Celles. I wish I'd heard the sermon delivered!
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 24-25, 2009
Homily by Fr. John De Celles
St. Mary Catholic Church, Alexandria, Va.
As most of you know, I was born, bred, schooled and gainfully employed until the age of 31 in the Great State of Texas. Texas is a unique state. It has flown the flag of 6 nations, including the Republic of Texas for 9 years. It’s massive expanse of land is bounded on one side by it’s vast coastline, and on the other by the Rocky Mountains; and in between it has the coastal plain, the piney woods, the hill country, and yes, the desert.
But most of all it has it’s history: from it’s pre-colonial Indian tribes to it’s colonization by Spain in 1519, to the modern day, Texas history is filled with colorful characters and dramatic events. Perhaps the best known of these is the story of its war for independence, in particular the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio—my home town—and it’s great heroes: James Bowie, William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Sam Houston.
So, as you can see, I am a proud Texan. And it took a lot to get me to leave there 18 years ago when I entered seminary: it took another Great State with a colorful history and tradition: my new home, the Great State, the Great Commonwealth, of Virginia.
Like Texas, Virginia is a physically beautiful state. Of course it doesn’t have the serene and starkly dramatic desert—but it does have that stunning vivacious rolling greenery. And it doesn’t have the shear size of Texas, but what it lacks there it more than makes up for in the size of its history and historical characters. While Texas has it’s Crockett and Houston, they are midgets in comparison to giants like Patrick Henry, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and of course, our former parishioner, George Washington.
Now, you might wonder, what does any of this have to do with Jesus Christ and the Catholic Faith?
Well, I’ll tell you.
Virginia has been a tremendously important state in the history of our nation. And there can be no doubt that individual Virginians have profoundly changed and shaped that history. But Virginia and Virginians, also have a terrible stain on their record: 200 years ago they supported an institution so horrible that today we Virginians, and all Americans, still feel the guilt: the despicable institution of slavery: the treatment of a human being as less than human and so without basic human rights or dignity.
How could such a great state with great statesmen ever support this inhumane institution? Well, you can come up with lots of explanations: different times, the effects of culture, the economics, etc. And you can understand that while Jefferson and Washington seemed to truly wanted to eliminate slavery they found it impossible to do so without ripping the fragile Union of States apart losing their historic chance to establish a government truly of “We the people.”
But then…why did they continue to own their own slaves —Washington only freeing his in his will, Jefferson not even doing that? Of course, again, there are lot’s of reasons, and I’ve read them so please don’t come to me after Mass to educate me. Understand me: I am not trying to knock down these giants—their great and noble historical achievements stand for themselves and do not merit attack from this pulpit. And I will say it: I am a huge fan and admirer of Washington.
But no matter how we look at it, no reasons and no historical anomalies eradicate the fact that slavery is—and always has been—a grave moral evil. And as great as these men were, no one could convince me that in 2009 Virginians would ever elect a Thomas Jefferson or George Washington if they were around today and still supported slavery.
As we know that one stain was not isolated in its effects, as it corrupted the whole society of the first part of the 19th century, warping the economic, social and political systems, eventually leading to over 500,000 dead in a bloody civil war, which was followed by another 100 years of the hatred and oppression of racism that we bear the scars of even to this day.
All because certain states and even certain great men in those states refused to recognize a particular class of persons as human beings with human rights.
States and their governance are important, always have been. It was in fact the states who came together and organized the United States, and it is at the state level that many, if not most, of the laws that effect the day to day life of Americans are written and enforced.
And that’s how it should be: the principle of subsidiarity, a fundamental principle of Catholic social teaching, places most responsibilities for law making and enforcement on the smaller more local parts of society, like the family, the neighborhood, city and state, rather than on the national society or federal government. This principle is reflected, at least to some extent, in the American constitutional principle of “states rights”—states have rights that, according to constitution and natural law, must be respected by the federal government.
Unfortunately, nowadays, “states rights” tends to have a negative connotation in some circles. This is understandable in as much as that negative connotation is rooted historically in state laws protecting slavery and racism. But the problem is not with “states rights,” but with the persons who are defining, defending and working out the laws at the state level. As long as state government officials were tolerant of slavery or racism, their corruption would corrupt their states, and then the whole country.
So we see, the men and women we choose to lead our states are critical to real justice in our country. Remember that all of those heroic Virginians I mentioned served in Virginia government before achieving national prominence—both Henry and Jefferson served as Governor.
In less than 2 weeks we have a state election in Virginia. But sadly too many Virginians seem to view this so called “off year” election as really unimportant. This baffles me, especially when you consider all the issues at stake, especially in the election of Governor: taxes, jobs, the economy, transportation, public safety, etc..
But the thing is, no matter where you stand on those important issues, what good is any of that if the man or woman you vote for doesn’t get it right on the most fundamental issues? For example, what if one of the candidates seemed to have all the right answers,
but one day came out saying that a certain group of people are inferior to others, not fully human beings with fundamental human rights . Who in their right mind would vote for him, even if he was the 2nd coming of George Washington himself?
The thing is, there are candidates around today who say this very thing. But this time the group they target is not people of African decent, but people of every color and ethnicity
who have only one fatal defect: they are simply unborn baby human beings.
One gubernatorial candidate, is actually openly attacking his opponent for defending the fundamental right to life of unborn Virginians. His political adds make a big deal of it:
"[my opponent] sponsored 35 bills in the General Assembly to restrict a woman's right to choose."
That’s a bad thing? Imagine if he said: “my opponent sponsored 35 bills in the General Assembly to restrict a white man’s right choose to own a black man…or to lynch a black man."
Those laws the pro-abortion candidate is criticizing were laws restricting the “right to choose” to treat unborn human beings as less than fully human, as if they were property belonging to another who is free to dispose of them as they choose.
Those 35 bills included a law requiring parents to be notified if their of teenage daughters were considering abortion—in other words, protecting parents’ natural inalienable right
to help their children in time of crisis. The pro-abort candidate for governor opposed that bill.
And most incredibly, one of those 35 bills was the one outlawing the absolutely barbaric practice of “partial birth abortion”
The pro-abort candidate for governor opposed that bill also—he supports partial birth abortion.
And the same kind of attack is happening in the races for the lower offices, of Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General —both of which involve a pro-life candidate running against a pro-abortion candidate. In particular, the pro-life candidate for Attorney General is coming under attack specifically and vociferously for his pro-life position.
As a columnist in the Post criticized him last week:
“He told the Party convention that nominated him in May that he has been "the most aggressive pro-life leader in the Virginia Senate in some time.” Good for him!
Jefferson and Washington were great men, and they gave birth to a great nation, and a great state. But what made them great was the founding principle, carved into the foundation of our history by Jefferson himself, as he wrote: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness….”
But in denying those self-evident truths as applying to Africans and their descendents, those otherwise great Virginians undermined the very thing that made for greatness, and led our nation, our state, to disaster. And the same stands true today in Virginia, as candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and assembly delegate deny these self-evident truth—the “unalienable right…to Life” How can you vote for them?
I am proud to say that the pro-life candidate for Governor and Attorney General are good and practicing Catholics. And, full disclosure here: let me also say that the pro-life candidate for attorney general is actually a very dear personal friend of mine. But let me tell you this, I don’t care how good a friend he is, or how “good” a Catholic he or the gubernatorial candidate might seem to be, if he did not stand solid in defense of unborn life I would no more vote for him than I would vote for the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
Today’s gospel tells the story of the curing the blind man, Bartimaeus. It reminds me of another blind man 1700 years later, named John. But John was not physically blind—he was morally blind: like so many of his contemporaries, like Washington and Jefferson, he could not see that Africans were human beings. You see, John was the Captain of a slave ship. Until one night his ship was caught in a terrible storm and like Bartimaeus he called out to Jesus, and Jesus saved him. But not only from the storm, but from his whole way of life, and his eyes were opened as he became one of the most outspoken opponents of slavery of his time. He would put all this into the words of what has become one of the most beloved Christians hymns, as John Newton would write:
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”
How blind was John Newton, and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, to the great inhumanity called slavery? How blind are we Virginians today to the great inhumanity called abortion?
Some of you may be thinking:
“preacher, mind your pulpit,” or “there is a wall of separation between church and state.”
Tell that to the Reverend John Newton and the other founders of the abolitionist movement, that began in and was spread from the pulpits of that day—first in England, and then in America! There can be no wall that separates man from humanity, or truth from government.
18 years ago I moved from the Great State of Texas to the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. I am still a Texan at heart, but I am proud to be a Virginian too, especially because of Virginia’s rich traditions of noble courage, and great heroic figures that forged our great nation. Even so, too many Virginians of times passed, including our greatest heroes, were blinded by their times, culture, and fears, and, yes, even blinded by their hopes for the future of America. But as time would tell their hopes could never be fulfilled until “all men” were truly treated as “created equal,” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, …Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
On Tuesday, November 3, I pray that we Virginians will live up to what was best in our forefathers. But I pray also that, by the grace of Jesus Christ, we may see what they were so unpardonably blinded to. I pray that we will be true heroes, authentic moral giants, defending the unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness of all human beings, white or black, rich or poor, born or unborn.
God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia. Amen.
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