That last great measure of devotion

Homily for July 3, 2016 (14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, C)
Isaiah 66:10-14c; Psalm 66; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Tomorrow we will celebrate our Independence Day here in the USA.  For most people, it means celebrations:  fireworks, cookouts, parks and parades.  It’s right that we celebrate our 240 years of liberation from the rule of monarchs and give thanks for all of the freedoms that we have.

Every 4th of July I take time to reflect on the words of our Declaration of Independence.  We’re probably most familiar with the beginning of the second paragraph of the document:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….

What we sometimes fail to remember, however, is that freedom is never free.  The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were under no such illusions.  They knew that freedom has a cost, and it is often great:

And for the support of this Declaration, and with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

If this is the case for patriots, how much more for disciples of Christ!  In our gospel passage Jesus, having resolved to face his passion and death in Jerusalem, sends out 72 followers as an “advance team” to prepare the way for his journey.  He warns them, “I’m sending you as lambs among wolves.” He does so with urgency, telling them to carry little but the clothes on their backs; to rely on divine Providence to take care of their basic needs; to welcome with gratitude whatever hospitality is extended to them; and to minister humbly and simply, even as they are given power to heal, drive out demons and proclaim the gospel.

In his closing reflections in his Letter to Galatians, St. Paul is willing to boast only in the healing and reconciling cross of Jesus.  He had become “a new creation” through the grace of God, yet that did not insulate him from having to “bear the marks of Jesus” on his body.

During the course of his ministry he was beaten, stoned and left for dead.  He was verbally abused.  His authority and integrity were questioned.  (For a complete list of what Paul recalled that he suffered, see 2 Corinthians 11:21b-29.)  Yet none of that stopped him from closing his letter with something that should sound very familiar to us:  “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters.”

Freedom is not free, and because of our human sinfulness it is also not realized by everyone at the same time or in the same measure.  As we celebrate the courage of our Founding Fathers we cannot fail to remember that the “inalienable rights” for which they were willing to fight they were also unwilling to grant to others, including women, most people of African descent and Native Americans.  Centuries later, our nation still struggles with that legacy of discrimination.

In a similar way the Church still struggles after 2000 years to fulfill the mission and realize the freedom that God has given us in Christ.  We don’t always live according to the grace that has been given to us.  We don’t always recognize people who are different than us as our brothers and sisters.  We sometimes find it easier to conform to the values of the world around us rather than those of the gospel.

Yet we continue to strive, to grow, to become holier and more like Jesus who sends us forth, just as he sent the 72 before him. It is to Jesus and for the sake of his kingdom that we are called to offer “that last great measure of devotion:” our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. +