14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Kingdom of God is at hand. A Kingdom of Love and Mercy here, and Eternal Growth in Love and Knowledge of God, experiencing all that is good, true, and beautiful in heaven. Lesser Kingdoms are not worth the time or the trouble. May we reject the Kingdom of the devil our enemy outright. May we realize and repent when we try to be King or Queen in place of God. And May we open our hands, and open our hearts to experience this Kingdom here and now as we cooperate with God and seek salvation, life in heaven.

This weekend we commemorate Independence Day, the annual commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That historic document, signed by representatives from all the 13 colonies showed and its principles of respect for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is the symbolic birth of our nation some years ago. God bless America and may we remember all of those who sacrificed - even giving their lives - for our nation and the freedoms and benefits we have here.

And although we celebrate this momentous occasion on one day, July 4, the battle for independence was not a one-day affair. Our nation's struggle against the Kingdom of England started decades before 1776, stretching back at least to the French and Indian War some 20 years earlier. Year after year, the Americans yearned more and more for freedom, for independence. And year after year, the Kingdom of England began to restrict those freedoms, through financial tarrifs, political maneuvering, and other sanctions. Our forefathers and foremothers began to see the wriring on the wall: being a colony of the Kingdom of England was not a just and sustainable way to live. They yearned to be free of this Kingdom, to seek something better. After many years of struggle and efforts, many strong leaders, much collaboration, great sacrifices to organize the fledgling colonies. The time was right. They decided to mount a rebellion against the Kingdom of England, and representatives wrote down their names pledging their aliegiance to a new republic under God with liberty and justice for all. They struggled for the goal they desired, seized the moment, and rejected an oppressive Kingdom in hopes of something much, much better.

We are all recipients of this struggle for freedom from oppressive Kingdom. And while we are calledto be active and faitful citizens of these United States.Those who are baptized and live the faith of their baptism are dual-citizens so to speak. Our citizenship is in heaven, for as Jesus says in the closing line of our Gospel, our names are written in heaven if we are in the state of grace, meaning we have been baptized and live our Catholic faith, forgiven from any grave sin in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

My brothers and sisters, on this July 4th weekend, we can rejoice in the reality of the Kingdom of God, come in our midst. Not fully present, but presence ever since the ministry of Jesus Christ in Palestine over 2000 years ago. Jesus reminds us in the Gospel, the Kingdom of God is at hand! Jesus, Himself fully God, came down from heaven to start a wonderful revolution, a most wonderful rebellion against the powers of evil, sickness, sin, and death. In a way far more powerful and effective than that of George Washington leading the Continental Army aginst the Kingdom of England, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the King of the Universe leads us in the struggle against sin and sickness and death.

If we cooperate with Jesus, if we live our faith in our daily lives, coming to Mass weekly, we will begin to see the Kingdom of God spring up in our midst. 

Our God is supremely poetic. Our God has a sense of humor. His Kingdom is not seen in earthly power, great displays of. Although satan fell from heaven like a huge firecracker, the Kingdom of God comes into our midst in a very humble, very simple way. 

It is always this way with love and mercy 

Skeptical? Many in our world suspect organized religion and skoff at the claims of heaven or an afterlife. Why sacrifice a fun time now for without Without Jesus as our leader, our Lord and Savior in a daily. Without grasping the Kingdom of God come in our midst, we inevitably succumb to the Kingdom of evil, the Kingdom of the devil. Our Catholic faith teaches us that evil is not a personified force, something that rivals God. Evil is to be feared and avoided, but evil is the lack of the good, the turning away from the good, the absence of God. So whenever we choose lesser goods, turn away from God in sin, especially grave sins which can rupture our relationship with God. There are many temptations, many pressures in our world today to accomodate with evil, to do what everyone else is doing. My brothers and sisters, let us not forget that our citizenship is in heaven, and even if it seems like God's Kingdom is losing the battle against secularism and violence, may we never become like Benedict Arnold, the nororious traitor who started the Revolutionary War on the right side but became a turn-coat when he thought his side was losing. 

How? Pray and sacrifice. Open our hands and our hearts to the love and mercy of God. Open our hands and hearts to love and be merciful to those around us, especially those we dislike.

There is a battle all around us. It started long ago when satan and his angels rebelled against God and chose their own Kingdom, thus losing heaven. The Kingdom of God is at hand.