14th Sunday in Ordinary Time- Independence Day

Today we as citizens and residents of the United States celebrate the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. While we may have learned in school about the fact that it is the document which began the Revolutionary War, what many of us probably don’t realize is that there is a very religious basis for why the delegates of the Continental Congress voted for its acceptance as “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America.” The biblical basis for these reasons can be found in our readings today.
St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians writes, “For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor uncircumcision, but only a new creation. Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule.”Here St. Paul is using the question of circumcision to represent the question of whether or not a person needs to be Jewish to be saved. For Paul, there is no question that it doesn’t matter what lineage we are from, we are all equally redeemed by Christ.
In our Gospel from St. Luke, we see that we are to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all we meet. This, however, also comes with a warning—that there will be those who reject the message. If they do, we are to turn our backs and move on.
The founding fathers of our country took these words to heart. Although most of the first settlers came from England—indeed that is where we declared our independence from—there were also people from France and other areas living under British rule. By 1776, there was a growing realization that we were all a new people—Americans. This would require a rejection—or a turning of our backs—on the rule by another country that didn’t have the best interests of the newly emerging American identity at heart. This also included religious identity. Samuel Adams, not only the brewer of a great tasting beer, but a great speaker and patriot as well, spoke words that apply not only to the time of 1776, but also 1897, at the institution of the PNCC, and even today. In a speech that immediately preceded the adaption of the Declaration of Independence by the thirteen states, he said:

Our forefathers threw off the yoke of popery in religion: for you is reserved the honor of levelling the popery of politics. They opened the Bible to all, and maintained the capacity of every man to judge for himself in religion. Are we sufficient for the comprehension of the sublimest spiritual truths, and unequal to material and temporal ones? Heaven hath trusted us with the management of things for eternity, and man denies us ability to judge of the present, or to know from our feelings the experience that will make us happy. "You can discern," say they, "objects distant and remote, but cannot perceive those within your grasp. Let us have the distribution of present goods, and cut out and manage as you please the interests of futurity." This day, I trust the reign of political protestantism will commence. We have explored the temple of royalty, and found that the idol we have bowed down to, has eyes which see not, ears that hear not our prayers, and a heart like the nether millstone. We have this day restored the Sovereign, to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and with a propitious eye beholds his subjects assuming that freedom of thought, and dignity of self-direction which He bestowed on them. From the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come.

Here we see the essence of true freedom through the eyes of faith. Samuel Adams here is proclaiming the Kingdom of God. He states that it is our obligation to free ourselves from tyranny in order to place God as the ruler of our free country. He realizes that this is where humankind finds its true freedom.
It must be admitted that in the last 234 years we have fallen short from time to time in placing God at the center of our country. Here then is where Christ’s call in today’s Gospel comes into play in our lives here in 2010. To all we meet, each and every day of our lives, we somehow need to proclaim Christ’s Kingdom. By this, I don’t mean that when we are walking to the train that we have to act like a street preacher and have a megaphone with us. What I have in mind is much more subtle… and effective. St. Francis of Assisi once said “Preach always… if necessary use words.” This is the model that I would suggest we take in our proclamation of the Kingdom of God. We should first become acquainted with God, which can be done by building on our relationship with Jesus Christ. It only makes sense to get to know the one whom we are preaching about, after all. This we can do through familiarity with His Gospel, prayer and worship. Then, as we each day deepen our relationship with Him and He becomes more and more a part of our lives, we will live our lives in such a way that our every word and action will be ‘through, with and in Him.’ This very fact will have an effect on people.
So, when would we use words? The simple answer to that is when we are asked. If someone asks why we are usually smiling (which happens when we keep growing in our relationship with Christ) we can simply share with them what we have and how we got it. Here we are saying, in effect, that “the Kingdom is God is at hand for you” since that Kingdom is in the midst of them at that very moment.
As we go forth through our week, beginning with this celebration of the founding of our country, perhaps we can keep in mind the reasons it was founded anyway and that in all of our actions we can bring the Kingdom of God to each and every person in our lives.