by Fr. Jim Schwartz
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
You recognize these words that are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. It describes a foundational value that we have as a nation. They are words for us to reflect upon on the Fourth of July weekend as we celebrate our freedom and independence as a nation. We give thanks for the values of freedom and democracy that characterize our way of life. Going back to the humble beginnings of this great nation, we are a nation of immigrants; we are a nation of welcome; we are a nation of hospitality. Can you imagine how many people wept with gratitude in reading these words as they were welcomed on the American shores? My grandfather for one wept with gratitude as he came from Germany.
My message today is not about how secure our borders should be against illegal immigrants. We will leave this question to be debated in the halls of Congress.
Rather, my message is on today's Gospel:
Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
In God's eyes, there are no illegal immigrants in the Kingdom of God. In God's eyes, there are no second class citizens. All are welcome. All are very much loved. The beautiful words that are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty could be inscribed on the doors of our Church. They express the Gospel message of Come to me all you who labor and are burdened.
Like our first immigrants who wept with gratitude, we too will live with an attitude of gratitude as we experience the depth of God's love for each and every one of us. Jesus gathers those burdened by sin and illness, those who are weak in faith or troubled in spirit, to come to him, and find refreshment, rest, and peace.
In today's Gospel Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to little ones." We need to listen to the voice of Jesus summoning us to a deeper wisdom.
You will notice the presence of the American flag and the Papal flag in our Church. We rejoice and are grateful for what the flags symbolize. We are proud and are grateful for the American way of life. We are also very grateful for the Papal flag and what it symbolizes for us as Roman Catholics.
The presence of the flags remind us of who we are as Americans and as Roman Catholics. But even our flags are secondary in our Church décor. Primarily we are formed and fashioned by the Word of God that rests on the ambo. Our altar is central to the Church architecture for we as Americans and as Catholics stand before the mystery of Christ Jesus who is the Lord and Savior of us all. We salute our flags, but the very center of our lives is our discipleship of the Lord Jesus.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. As we celebrate the Fourth of July weekend, we have many activities planned: family outings, a cookout, parades, perhaps a round of golf. Have we also scheduled time to rest in God -- or are too busy? Amidst the festivities and our over-scheduled days, it can seem hard to find time to truly let go and allow ourselves to rest in the glow of God's love. It can be hard to trust that God will provide all the comfort we need at times when we felt burdened and overwhelmed by life.
To rest in Jesus is not flop passively into a state of inactivity or to sink into an exhaustion-induced coma but to rest purposely and actively in Him. It is to drink deeply of the spirit of Jesus. St Augustine wrote of our need to rest in Jesus. "Our hearts are restless Lord, until they come to rest in you."
Just as a tree cannot survive unless its roots are firmly planted in the soil, we cannot grow in the spiritual life unless we take the time to rest in Christ Jesus. This is prayer. Mindfulness of God rises slowly, the fruit of our prayer. To pray is to take notice of the wonder and mystery of life.
Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living. It is all we can offer in return for the mystery by which we live. Prayer doesn't light up the sky in a fireworks display, but it does open us up to the wisdom of God that is within us. We do not step out of the world when we pray; we merely see the world in a different setting. All is a gift of God. Jesus is the center of our lives.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." My hunch is that all of us in one way or another have experienced ourselves as being weary or burdened or knowing some darkness in our lives. Jesus makes it very clear is that those in need are the special recipients of His love. Just as the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best; so too, the Church would be a very lonely place if only the self-righteous felt welcome.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."