Free to Love
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW and her brother Vic at the Milton Congregational Church
Sr. Rosemarie Greco, DW, gave the homily at the Milton Congregational Church in Litchfield, Connecticut, yesterday (7/2/23) and graciously shared a version for print with us. She also shared some history about the church, saying, "Milton Congregation Church was started in 1791 and officially opened in 1798 with 24 members as the Congregational Presbyterian church. It is the oldest church building in Litchfield. Interestingly, a town in Connecticut had to have a Congregational church to become a town. The Congregational church was the established church in Connecticut in 1818, and it was supported by the civil authority, and church attendance was mandatory. This mandate was so strong that Connecticut was the last state to separate church and state." Below is an adapted version of Sr. Rosemarie Greco's homily.
Free to Love
This weekend we are celebrating the birth of the American spirit.
Most of us will be celebrating in the manner that John Adams in 1776 prescribed how to celebrate. That was with picnics, bells, parades, and fireworks.
We certainly have been faithful to the words of John Adams in celebrating our day of freedom and independence from the King of England. So, yes, we are now independent of England, but how many of us were captivated by Queen Elizabeth and the recent coronation of King Charles? We love well-done rituals, whether they come from the governments, cultures, and religions of other nations. Rituals well done attract us.
Ritual is one feature of this Independence Day. Freedom and hospitality are at the foundation of what we celebrate. We celebrate OUR freedom and the WELCOMING of our neighbor.
We all participate in rituals. Today's worship is one example. Rituals contain a flow of what we expect – like worship services, birthday parties, and ballgames. There is usually a gathering of people, an activity, a song, and food. And so it is with July 4. People gather to celebrate a common event: we celebrate our freedom, and we welcome our neighbors. These are the foundations of our nation and our faith.
The Gospel today is basic to all Christian behavior.
It is also a challenge for us.
Jesus says, "Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me…. And welcomes the one who sent me." This saying of Jesus is the bedrock of our Christian behavior. This unofficial command sounds easy when we think of welcoming those who are like-minded. But we are also called to "welcome the stranger."
When Jesus told his disciples to welcome the other, he spoke to a culture with very few "others" in contrast to our day. The "other" in Jesus' situation was the non-Jew and Gentile, and those in polytheistic cultures.
To me, the "other or stranger" is anyone or anything I don't know well. It can be people of another culture, city, or political persuasion. It can also be the natural world of animal and plant life, elements of the Earth, and the Cosmos. And, in today's world, we consider welcoming such things as driverless cars, robots, and artificial intelligence (AI).
How do we welcome the "other" and the "stranger"?
How do we show interest in them and try to understand their world? It does not mean everyone must agree, but it entails respectful listening and conversation. It can also open dialog, even when the two starting points seem so different. In pairing differences, something new can emerge as we search for common ground.
Is this not what a marriage is? Two different people, two different elements, learn about each other and form something new. In our evolving world, something new is coming into being. Is this not what Shakespeare wrote: "Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments. Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds or bends with the remover to remove .... Love alters not with his brief hours or weeks but bears it out even to the edge of doom." (Sonnet 116)
God Incarnate is revealed in every action and development that is so divinely created. We cannot just toss off what is new or not try to understand. It is helpful if we can engage with what is unfamiliar in order to understand. Engaging is love in action. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. The one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Love is the fulfillment of the law.
I often ask: "What would Jesus Do"? In faith, I ask for guidance in these changing and evolving times.
We are invited to reach beyond ourselves, beyond the familiar, to embrace the other.
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he admonishes us to "put away falsehood and speak the truth….. You can get angry but do not sin. Put away bitterness and malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving as Christ has been to you." (Ephesians 4:25 ff)
In the Declaration of Independence is written:
When the need for separation arises, let it be done with "a decent respect to the opinions of others…. And "declare the causes which impel the separation." The carefully constructed truth explained with kindness, is the foundation of our American spirit and are basic principles of a civility-shaped country. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: all are created equal; all are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights- among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Governments are instituted to secure these rights. All of this relies on the protection of Divine Providence and our mutual pledge to support each other.
Is this not an application of Jesus' words to welcome one another, welcome the stranger, and care for each other? How well the Scriptures and the Fourth of July celebration coincide this weekend. Let us enjoy our freedom and rejoice in our hospitality to neighbors, nature, Earth, and the Cosmos.
All are welcome!