A much needed homily

Deacon Larry Hart of St. Catherine's parish in Orange Park, Fl delivered this homily on Sun, 24 June. I thought it was a great homily and he agreed to share.

Here is it:

Call me John the Baptist, herald of freedom. Picture John the Baptist, a rugged, black-haired man with cheeks hollowed by fasting, with feverish dark eyes, his complexion dark, tanned by the sun and weather beaten, St. John the Baptist, the herald of freedom! A voice crying out in the desert. He is calling people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. And people from all walks of life listened. I think most of us are naturally attracted to people who are direct and honest. Humble John had no pretentions. He’s the one who said, “I am not worthy to unfasten His sandals.” He cared little about himself. All that mattered was preparing us to recognize Jesus.

Zechariah, John the Baptist’s Dad, was filled with the Holy Spirit after John was born and he prophesied about a savior, redemption, mercy, covenants. He prophesied how we can without fear worship Him all the days of our life, how a light will shine on those in darkness, and how we will be guided into the path of peace. This beautiful prophesy, is called the Canticle of Zechariah and his words, this canticle, are part of the universal prayers of the church that Priests and Deacons pray every morning. When I was ordained, I took a vow to pray the morning and evening prayers of the universal church each day. The part of the canticle that almost shouts to me, is the part that says, “…You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.” Call me John the Baptist, herald of freedom. That was John’s purpose for being. That is our purpose for being. It’s the job description we each received at our baptism. I’ll bet you didn’t know baptism came with a job description did ya?

How many people here have been baptized? All of us baptized have been baptized into the mission of Jesus and commissioned as His disciples. The mission has us. We are the church. In fact, that is why we exist as Church. We are to point to Jesus and His message of sacrificial love. Our purpose for being is to spread the word that Jesus is the Son of God, that He loves us so much that He died for us, and God’s love is so incredible that Heaven is now open to us! That’s what “salvation” means! We have been saved from our sins!!! What does John shout from the desert? Repent and believe in this good news! Zechariah’s Canticle also speaks about religious freedom. One part says, “…This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.”

Today our religious freedom is increasingly under attack. Our Bishops have asked us to dedicate these days of June 21 ‘till July 4^th as a “Fortnight of Freedom”. 14 days to talk and pray about our first freedom. Amendment One of the U.S. Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, OR prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” that’s called Freedom OF  Religion! Today we have a President who swore to uphold that Constitution, yet does not.

On July 4^th, 1776, we declared our independence and in that declaration, our founders said to the world; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Today, two out of three are under obvious and heavy attack by the current Administration. Decisions have been made and policies instituted that attack both, life and liberty. Our Bishops have taken a stand, and have asked us to take a stand.

How can we bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth, when our basic rights to do so are being taken away? First, the Right to Life, for without life, no other right exists.

Second, the right of Religious Freedom: Religions are where we are nurtured and grow in our understanding of God’s law and God’s love and compassion. Remember, God’s law is far above man’s law. All of us are called to fall in love more deeply with our faith, and also to defend that faith in the public square. We, the laity, possess a unique and important role in serving the Church and the evangelization of our world.

Most people don’t know this but the phrase, “separation of church and state”, we hear so much about, is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The original text reads: "... I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." (end quote) The theme of Jefferson’s letter was that the government is not to interfere with religion. The phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear in the United States Constitution.

We became a country in order to be free from unjust, arbitrary decisions made by a monarch. The one freedom that makes us unique among the nations of the world is the freedom OF religion. Our country is acting more like a country that thinks the Constitution says, freedom FROM religion. It does not.

We Catholics are passive people. We usually wait and allow things to happen around us. Only when we feel the impact personally do we react. If the Gov’t can tell us today what we can and cannot do concerning insurance that covers abortions, what’s to stop them from telling us our children are not to receive the Blood of Christ, because in their secular view, it is giving alcohol to a minor? There is a tension when the secular world imposes it’s view on religion. Where will the attacks stop?

I am here to challenge you. Studies show that 30% of you are not even registered to vote. There are more than 77 million of us U.S. Catholics in this country. It takes an estimated 50 million votes to be elected President. We have the power. We are to be people of action, people who make a difference. I am asking all of us to register AND to go to the polls and vote. Let us be united in this fight for religious liberty. And it is a fight. Our freedom is at stake. Do we have the fire in our bellies that this country was built on? Let’s protect our freedoms! There is a new movie out called, “For Greater Glory” and it is about a time in history when the Catholic Church was under attack in Mexico. They had the fire in their belly and they made a difference. It reminds me of the true cost of religious freedom.

But I think greater, longer lasting change happens through peaceful protest. I ask you to pray, pray not just for this Fortnight of 14 days, but until we bring security to our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I watched a movie over in Haut Hall this past Friday evening called, “Courageous”. One of the things that stood out to me was when a group of Dad’s courageously stood up and quoted Joshua verse 24 and said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” May all of us say to ourselves right here and now, As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

The HHS mandate is a huge mistake that threatens our Catholic schools, charities, and hospitals. It threatens our call as Christians to be able to serve ALL God’s people, regardless of faith. Today 1 out 5 people receive their medical care from a Catholic Hospital. Catholic Schools teach 3 million students/day. Everyday the Catholic church feeds, clothes, shelters, and educates more people than any other organization in the world. We should all feel proud to be Catholic as we continue to respond to the Gospel by serving the Lord, by loving our neighbors.

St. Augustine said, “An unjust law is no law at all.” Cardinal Dolan from N.Y. and the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, “This country will see widespread civil disobedience like it hasn’t seen since the 60’s” when there were Civil Rights and War protests across the land. Our first freedom is at stake. President Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.” It’s time for us to be true to our consciences.

 So how can the people of St. Catherines make a difference? This may seem trite to some of you, but I ask you to PRAY for Religious Freedom. Join us in solidarity by praying for our government to protect our rights. Commit to praying for our religious freedom each day. Offer little sacrifices as leverage to your prayers. Fast, offer up a headache, turn it into a prayer for religious freedom. Our efforts may seem small and insignificant, but our faith tells us these efforts are not insignificant. There is no greater power than the power of prayer and when our prayers unite, for a common purpose, they make a difference! We may not see it, or hear it, but God does, and He will make the difference.

Second, I want everyone to be registered to vote and then to vote. I have already sent away for my absentee ballot, because I’m going to be out of the country. You can go to the library or a driver’s license office to get a form and mail it in. You can google “Voter registration florida” or to “clayelections.com”  and get a form. It has to be postmarked 29 days before the election in order to be able to vote. That means Oct. 9^th is “D-day for the Presidential general election. It’s easy to register.

NOW is the time for our voices, united to God in prayer, to be crying out. NOW is the time to feel the fire in our bellies and vote for what our consciences tells us is right and just. Our right to Religious freedom is founded on the dignity of the human person created in the image and likeness of God. God is the author of freedom. He has given us the freedom to choose between right and wrong since Adam and Eve. He will not take away our freedom. Neither should our government. I hope and pray that, Mr. President, you have awakened a sleeping giant. Call US St John the Baptist, heralds of freedom.