In one of the strangest lines in the Gospels Jesus says, “I see Satan fall like lightning!” upon seeing the seventy-two disciples he sent out to “work in the vineyard” to preach the Good News of the Gospel. His joy is obvious, his call heard, he is so proud of them. Of course, his call to his disciples is our mandate too.
If you are like me, you are getting overwhelmed. In two weeks we’ve witnessed mass shootings, Brexit, global terrorist attacks, massive xenophobic demonstrations and insults that pass for political discourse. Our vineyard is, to quote Shakespeare, “an unweeded garden, that grows to seed” (Hamlet, 1.2.135-6).
Our Catholic teaching for centuries has taught us that, as Catholics, we do not shun the world, we are very much a part of the culture and we should be engrained in the world. But, what should we do as Catholics when the world isn’t forming to our values? Should we shun the world and wish we could go back to “the good old days” — whatever that means? Should we be like the heroes of the past, defenders of life like Cardinal Joseph Louis Bernardin, Eileen Egan or currently like Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS and Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ, speaking out, becoming activists? Maybe.
I pray for the courage to take up their calling, but this weekend, I’m taking up Christ’s call in the only way I know I can. I’m speaking up. I’m not laughing at the racist joke or giving into homophobic fear. I’m saying automatic rifles are not okay, that I can’t be a Catholic and support their existence on our store shelves.
Our moderate voices need to be heard in these strange and startling times, now more than ever! Not on the global stage but at the barbecue and the soccer game, while waiting for the kids to get out of camp and around the dinner party table. It is time to speak up and clean up the vineyard. Jesus is right (as always!): “The laborers are few.” We must show our friends and neighbors our beloved moderate traditions, that we can support gun rights while being for an assault weapons ban. We can be hunters and fishermen while still caring for the environment. We can love our gay or transgender brothers and sisters, while at the same time maybe not completely understanding their journeys.
“Faith and reason are two wings of the same spirit,” Saint Pope John Paul II wrote. “Virtue is the middle way,” our faithful brothers and sisters from the eastern traditions tell us. On this holiday weekend we can help our country and each other by simply being the best versions of our faith. We don’t need a politician to tell us where we stand, our views are already written on our hearts. I hope I have the bravery so I can help my Savior throw down Satan from on high. Let’s go to the vineyard, our Lord is calling us. I’ll see you out there.
Happy Independence Day,
Elliot