Equally Sacred Before God
Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from January 28, 2007
"Not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." Lk 4:27
I have a younger brother Dominic who played for Cork in the All Ireland Championship. He was asked in an interview, "Why did you take up Gaelic football?" He answered, "I have an older brother, now a priest in Virginia, who is the fanatic that inspired us all." I had no idea I had been such an influence. He often played against Kerry, a neighboring county sometimes called the 'Kingdom'. Kerry enjoys a relationship with Cork similar to that between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, that is, not friendly. Now he practices law. Last summer he told me about a case he had successfully concluded for a client who hailed from Kerry. In an expansive mood, Dominic declared, "When I look back at my time playing football, I must say I always enjoyed playing against Kerry. They were keen competitors, clean footballers and great rivals." The client leaned across the desk with an outstretched finger, "Dominic, I want you to labor under no illusion. Back in Kerry, we hate ye!"
We all grow up with a circle around our allegiances and our love. They can be family, county, nation, religion, or race. As we mature, we are called to broaden that circle.
The Gospel today presents the same challenge. Jesus was preaching in his native place. They enjoyed his invocation of Isaiah, "Let the oppressed go free." All spoke highly of him. But they asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" When he went ahead to apply the message of God's universal salvation to the others, they were less than impressed. Naaman was a Syrian, the enemy. One shoots at one's enemies. Healing and salvation were surely reserved for the chosen. They were furious. This fury may be variously described; religious bigotry, racism or just nationalism.
I am glad to be a part of a parish that is multi-cultural. St. Charles was perhaps the first parish in the Arlington Diocese to open its doors to the new immigrants from Central and South America. More recently we have seen our Filipino Community organize to celebrate and to develop a Philippine Medical Mission Outreach. We have a sister relationship with Haiti and a developing relationship with Africa.
As we celebrate Catholic Schools' Week, we recognize that St. Charles School is even more diverse than the parish community, with a sizeable African American, Latino, Asiatic and Caucasian student body. It is also a Catholic school that is religiously diverse, Protestant, Orthodox and Moslem, as well as Catholic. At a recent rite of Reconciliation, a tall eight grader forgot his line, "I am Protestant, a blessing please." Instead he asked, "Forgive me, Father, for I am a Protestant!" I advised him, "That is no sin!" and blessed him. He went off quite happy. Our school harmonizes and blends this multi-faceted community into one family, where "Feel the Spirit", our school motto, is more than a slogan. In the Spirit we know we are many yet one.
This vision is very much in need in today's world. We can count the American dead in Iraq, yet for a variety of reasons we cannot count Iraqis. It may be 100, 1,000 or 500,000. Yet before God, all human life is equally sacred. In this year's Virginia Assembly, 50 proposals are offered that would restrict the resources available to immigrants, especially those who are undocumented. One proposal would make it a felony for private agencies to provide services to undocumented clients. When a similar law was proposed in California, Cardinal Mahoney called Catholics to civil disobedience.
The Gospel calls us to re-examine the boundaries we place around our love and acceptance. May we one day extend the circle to all of God's people.
"When the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." (1 Cor 13:10)
