Today at Holy Mass we hear in the first reading the Prophet Samuel address his people about a king…Historically speaking, at this point in time the Jewish people have turned from God…Before this period, the Israelites did not have an earthly king - God was their king - They had judges to litigate disputes but God’s laws governed them - That time had passed - And now the Israelites “want to be like other nations” and have a king…Samuel warns them…..He also warns us today…….“The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot. He will also appoint from among them his commanders of groups of a thousand and of a hundred soldiers. He will set them to do his plowing and his harvesting, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will use your daughters as ointment makers, as cooks, and as bakers. He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and your vineyards, and give the revenue to his eunuchs and his slaves. He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best oxen and your asses, and use them to do his work. He will tithe your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves”……Any president or elected official that does not place God above himself and his position will ultimately in time turn into a tyrant….The pages of history, as well as the story of the Jewish people in the Old Testament tell us this time and time again…As the old saying goes: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”…..Powerful human beings who rule over nations try to reshape reality in their hubris - And they always fail in doing so - And in the process, they destroy themselves, their nation and their soul……..Mankind is fallen by nature and without God to temper our life, our passions will get the best of us….Today we see “power drunk” leaders of nations around the world just like the men who the Prophet Samuel warned the people of his day about - Nothing really has changed….Notice how God reacts when Samuel tells him about the people’s request to have an earthly King…….”When Samuel had listened to all the people had to say, he repeated it to the LORD, who then said to him,“Grant their request and appoint a king to rule them.”……….God give us free will and if we “show God the door” - He leaves! - And allows us to experience the consequences of our choice….However, God plays the “long game”…..Its through the suffering, which results in bad choices that many (sadly not all) realize our need for God to animate our life and the life of our nation……Jesus tells us very clearly….“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”…….The culture of West has turned its back on God, as did the people of Samuel’s day….We are reaping the consequences of that choice…..When will we turn back? - When will we heed the words of Christ when he tells us - “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you”? - Its only then that we will experience a change and not before…”Voting harder” is not the answer America!
“A great prophet has arisen in our midst and God has visited his people”
We are currently living in a Post-Christian America…While there are many people in America that believe in God…Our country as a whole votes for abortion up and until the moment of birth, we legalized same-sex marriage, we permit young men and women to medically alter their gender without the permission of their parents, we legally permit no-fault divorce….The list goes on an on…How can we claim to be a Christian nation?…All these abominations have consequences and those consequences are seen right before our eyes….What will get our attention as a nation? - How much more suffering do we as a nation have to endure?….Only God knows this answer…However at this point, no man or woman can “fix America” - Particularly an elected politician - The answer is for our people to turn back to God - Easier said then done!…But God, like all good fathers, has not abandoned his children……He will show us a way forward, which cuts across the human heart…..”I will go before you and level the mountains; Bronze doors I will shatter, iron bars I will snap”…..The pages of human history tell us that God always responds, in time, not our time but God’s time…He usually rises up a saint to meet the challenges of the day….America needs saints!….Catholics must get serious and take their faith seriously!……Our nation needs witnesses not more politicians or political slogans…..People believe what they see…Our people need to see for themselves the “goodness of God” again through saints in real time…That begins with me and you!
“For you are the splendor of their strength, and by your favor our horn is exalted. For to the LORD belongs our shield, and to the Holy One of Israel, our King”
Today at Mass Samuel warns his people about putting their faith in an earthly king - Are we any different today?…..Political idolatry is rampant in America….Far too many have abandoned God and have made politics their god….They blindly follow their political identify anywhere it leads, even when certain ideologies become objectively destructive and in some case outright demonic…Samuel tells his people in the Old Testament what will happen when political idolatry rears its ugly head - And Samuel was spot on!…As Catholics, we must realize that there is no such thing as “heaven on earth” - Politicians that try to reshape reality, attempting to create a utopian existence without God will always fail and in the process become tyrants - Again, any objective student of history can tell you that by simply reading a few books in the public library…. Is God your king? - Do we see our world through the lens of our Catholic faith? - Do we vote according to the lens of our Catholic world view?…..Samuel told his people the end-result of their bad choice….......”When this takes place, you will complain against the king whom you have chosen, but on that day the LORD will not answer you.”…………Many people today speak about being “progressive” - My answer to “that crowd” is simply this - The man who is the “most progressive”, is the one who “sees” the error of his ways and reverse course……........John the Baptist put it best America - ”Repent - The Kingdom of God is at hand!”……..JMJ
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