Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Msgr. Owen F. Campion
The Sunday Readings
This Sunday, July 4, is the greatest of American holidays, recalling the day in Philadelphia in 1776 when the nation’s founders declared the independence from Britain of what was to become the United States of America. It is more than a memorial about the structure of government. It celebrates personal freedom and, beyond that, human dignity.
As was the case with Father’s Day, the Liturgy of the Word was prepared for the universal Church, although few parishes this weekend will ignore Independence Day.
Nevertheless, in the liturgy, the first reading is from the third section of Isaiah.
The three sections of this book, so favored over the years by pious Jews as well as devout Christians, saw a great sweep of Hebrew history, from before the Babylonian conquest, through the exile of many Jews to Babylon, which was the imperial capital, and finally to the Jews’ return to their ancestral home.
The return was bittersweet. Poverty and despair stalked the land. Cynicism, at best, must have been everywhere. Where was God in all this? The prophet majestically reassured the people that, if they are faithful, God will sustain them.
St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians provides the next reading.
It proclaims Jesus to be the Lord and the Christ. Christ is not a name but a title. It means the select of God, chosen to be the Redeemer.
The epistle makes the strong point that God’s love is for all people.
St. Luke’s Gospel supplies the last reading.
Already, Jesus is making plans to announce the Good News far and wide. The Crucifixion and Resurrection have not yet occurred, but the Lord even now is arranging for all people to be reconciled with God and to find God’s peace and life.
Jesus sends 72 disciples, in pairs, to distant places. All are in God’s plan. All are in God’s love.
Jesus instructs the disciples to carry no provisions because God will provide for them. They must focus their intentions upon their holy mission of representing Jesus, not upon their earthly needs.
The Lord also warns them that many people will not accept these delegates from God. Those who rebuke God cannot be coerced to do otherwise. This is their freedom, but also their ignorance. Nevertheless, those who turn away from God and spurn God’s redemption bring doom upon themselves, not as divine revenge, but as simple consequence.
Reflection
The signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, has come to represent the great statement in this society that human freedom is essential for, and integral to, every person.
However, human freedom does not mean license. Indeed, our system, evolved from the events of July 4, 1776, cherishes laws to protect human rights as well as liberties.
Putting all this in balance means respect for one for another. It also assumes that each person has reason.
This is fully within the historic Catholic concept of human nature and of the identity of each person. No world tradition eclipses the Catholic respect for the worth and dignity of each person.
Respecting others, and realizing their personal potential, in the moral sense, is the chore. Original Sin has made us all nearsighted and insecure. We are limited, nearsighted and afraid in spiritual matters as well as other considerations.
As a spiritual consideration, God has not abandoned us to our plight. He enters our lives and our world. He gave us Jesus, so wonderfully extolled by St. Paul.
We need God, and we find God in Jesus. If we set our sights on God, as persons or as a nation, we will overcome our nearsightedness and fear.
With God’s help, we will be able to truly reach our potential of building a society worthy of humans and of finding eternal life ourselves. †