"God Bless America"...A minor rant

[JRKH]

“God Bless America”

“God shed His grace on thee…”

“In God We Trust”

These are three iconic references to God in our national life in the USA. One is even included on our coinage. Two really are prayers – petitions addressed to God…and one an affirmation of a belief – as well as the official “motto” - of the United States.

Yet – what can we say about these often espoused ideas and the realities we see around us…
Naturally I have some thoughts on the matter….

First, as related the prayers of “God bless America”, and “God shed His grace o thee…”.
Indeed God HAS shed his grace on this country and blessed us abundantly…But as we know, God’s grace requires cooperation to be utilized and fully functional and used for the benefit and building up of the kingdom. But cooperation is not what has been occurring in the US. As a result, the many graces shed upon us dissipate like evaporating rainwater on a rock, unable to penetrate or cause anything to grow.

We can point to the “Atheists” as culprits in this but we cannot get away from our own culpability…For too many years Too many Christians of all stripes have failed to live out the Gospel. A result of living during the “Christian era” when societies and governments paid at least lip service to Christian principles.
Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by our Love for each other. Yet all too often we have allowed our emotions, our pride, and our divisions, to overwhelm that command, relying instead on ideas of “faith”, “belief” and “obedience” as substitutes for Agape and full, true discipleship.
A line from a 1965 song summed it up well, “…Hate your next door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace” (Eve of Destruction – Berry Mcquire)

This then brings us to the national motto…”In God We Trust”…. except that we don’t…as a nation…and often times even as Christians we don’t “Trust God.”. Which only feeds into the idea of how we squander the blessings and the graces that God sheds on us all….

So – in short, God HAS blessed us. He HAS shed His grace on us and continues to do so. Yet we have and continue, as a nation, to squander these graces through lack of trust and lack of response, to the graces provided and of living out the Gospel in Love.

End Rant…

Thanks for listening and as always comments as always are welcome….

Peace
James

 

[austenbosten]

Reminds me of a quote from former Franciscan priest Brennan Manning

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today are Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

 

[Nimzovik]

I b doin my Rosary to fix all this. What else can one do?

 

[JRKH]

I b doin my Rosary to fix all this. What else can one do?

Plenty…
Mt 25:
35 …I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Mt 5:
40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

44…I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

John 13:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Certainly you know that I could go on and on here…Praying the Rosary is indeed a good work, and for some is about all they can do.
But the world will not see us as disciples of a Loving God, simply by our praying the rosary. The world must see us living fully and consistently the gospel message…every day, everywhere, and in our interactions with everyone.

This country (the US) is on a road that leads out of the “Christian era”. I think that it would be good for us to reflect on these teachings of Jesus and the Apostles given when the Church was still underground and persecuted…yet managed to grow to such an extent that it finally, by God’s grace, converted the persecutors themselves.
Love, perseverance, a clinging together, and most importantly a living out of these things - even unto death - will be what rebuilds the Church once again.

Peace
James

 

[jeannetherese]

I’s been a while since I last heard “Eve of Destruction” . How unfortunate that the lyrics continue to hold true, so many decades after they were first written.
Trust is an ongoing project and your reminder of its import seems especially timely this Advent season. Thank you for reminder which challenges us to further conversion. May our infirmities become means of bringing us to deepening communion with Our Lord. Amen.
The Holy Bible: Douay-Rheims 2 Corinthians 12:9
"And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. "

 

[Prairie_Rose]

This quote is my signature line and I truly believe in this!

"If all Catholics lived their faith, everyone would be Catholic”
…Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

 

[JRKH]

This quote is my signature line and I truly believe in this!

"If all Catholics lived their faith, everyone would be Catholic”
…Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Amen amen… Though I must confess to being very poor at doing this myself.

Peace
James

 

[Nimzovik]

Plenty…
Mt 25:
35 …I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Mt 5:
40 and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

44…I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

John 13:
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Certainly you know that I could go on and on here…Praying the Rosary is indeed a good work, and for some is about all they can do.
But the world will not see us as disciples of a Loving God, simply by our praying the rosary. The world must see us living fully and consistently the gospel message…every day, everywhere, and in our interactions with everyone.

This country (the US) is on a road that leads out of the “Christian era”. I think that it would be good for us to reflect on these teachings of Jesus and the Apostles given when the Church was still underground and persecuted…yet managed to grow to such an extent that it finally, by God’s grace, converted the persecutors themselves.
Love, perseverance, a clinging together, and most importantly a living out of these things - even unto death - will be what rebuilds the Church once again.

Peace
James

Very* good* class!

 

[adf417]

Hi James. I feel your pain.

I have been ranting a little myself lately from some of the same perspectives. I am beginning to wonder why the church does not make more of a stance on “taking back” their God given authority from government in all social aspects of life. I see the “In God We Trust” statement becoming more “In Government We Trust”. I feel that we have taken “RERUM NOVARUM” to a level it was never intended to be. Our social welfare system has become so dependent on government we have allowed it to desensitize our understanding of our personal responsibilities as a church body. I wish the church would stand up and take back this responsibility. I feel it would have to start with the Catholic Church and I think you would see other churches fall in line as we have seen lately on issues like the abortion issue and the HSS mandate.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the church does a tremendous amount already for the poor and other needs in society. I just think the acknowledgement that it is Her responsibility and not the government would be a tremendous step in the right (Christian) direction. I can see something like this taking off in such a way the face of the church would change as we know it.

Peace!!!