The National Day of Prayer was held this week recognized by our President and all before him since its 1952 inception by Harry S. Truman. This Day of Prayer is a time to unite in faith and fraternity for the good of our nation and to invoke Our Lord’s continued blessings upon it. In light of this, I’d like to call our attention to how we countrymen and women relate with one another.
Considering the existent strife in our nation, one would be remiss to overlook our Lord’s cautionary words from the gospel, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25).
What to Do?
Hope for our nation exists. There is a cure. As God spoke to Solomon and His people Israel, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
As awesome a promise as the above is, it is conditional. With regard to how we relate with one another, we each need to ask ourselves the following: How do I speak with others? Do I respect my fellow countrymen and women by listening to their opinions? Am I guilty of inciting my neighbor to anger or attacking them in accusatory tones? Have I shunned my neighbor? All of these are unchristian. All these lack dignity and respect owed to our fellow man. How is one to ever learn or grow amidst such strife?
If all those in Christ’s day took this approach to his teachings, we would not have Christianity today. Instead, many listened. They opened their minds. They saw the light of his truth and converted.
Evil vs. Good
The Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to “works of the flesh” cited by St. Paul and contrasts them with godly fruits of the Spirit. “Enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions…”[1]—these things are not of God (see Galatians 5:19-21). Continuing sternly, he states, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”[2]
In Contrast
To be holy we are to possess the fruits of the Spirit instead. These are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
As countrymen and women, we cannot allow others (the media, different factions, etc.) to incite us against one another. All the fruits of the Spirit above are marks of God’s faithful ones and virtue. By these means should we converse with one another. They are characteristic of true countrymen and women united in fraternal goodness. Without a free exchange of ideas and challenges to our thinking we lose an important human element in discovering truth. We risk our freedom to be the best we can be as a nation when we silence any ideas contrary to our own. We need to be able to discuss contrasting thoughts and ideas benevolently, tolerantly, and considerately.
Missed the Mark?
Have we each made mistakes in fraternal dealings with others? We have. But we can try again. Be meaningful, kind, and purposeful in intentions going forward. And remember, “It is honorable to refrain from strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3). Be honorable. Be holy.
[1] Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 454). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
[2] Catholic Church. (1997). Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed., p. 454). Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
