The one thing that each of us share is our own unique story. Everyone of us have our own story to tell. If I were to ask you what two things have impacted your life the most, you could probably tell me in an instant, and then you could weave the story of your life around these instances. For example, if I were to name two things that have impacted my life the most, one would be growing up in rural Nova Scotia, and the second would be my journey in faith. I do a fair amount of writing and reading, and they both seem to focus mostly on these two areas. Both have contributed much to my own story, to who I am.
Being Canadian, irrespective of our own or family’s country of origin does have a substantial impact on the story of our lives and who we are as a result. And each person’s story, your story, has its own uniqueness and needs to be preserved and shared. That’s why it is important for us to celebrate Canada Day, and what it is to be Canadian. It is a part of our heritage, a part of who we are.
Rick Warren in his ground breaking book, “The Purpose Driven Life” in the chapter called “Protecting the Church” encouraged the faithful to focus on all that we have in common, not on our differences. He goes on to say that God gave us each our own personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy these differences, not merely tolerate them. God wants unity, not uniformity. He concludes by saying that for the sake of unity, we must never let our differences divide us, but to stay focused on what matters most – learning to love each other as Christ has loved us. In doing so, we are really showing a reverence and respect for the stories that are unique to us and to others.
God wants unity, not uniformity. For most of us, this is probably one of the first things that come to mind when we think about what it is to be Canadian. One of our past Prime Ministers spoke the following words in a sermon that he gave many years ago. “I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold.”
If we take the time to look at countries that do not allow freedom of expression, and where people suffer oppression for their religious beliefs; if we look at places in the world where there is strife or where famine threatens the lives of millions, then we truly have every reason to say: We in Canada are truly blessed.
When Jesus spoke about those who are truly blessed in the beatitudes, he did not mention anything about being Canadian or anything about nationality. His teaching on the beatitudes from Matthew’s Gospel dealt more with the inner disposition or attitudes that He desired all people to have.
"Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." Even though these beatitudes have no mention of a nationality of origin, when they are known and lived by people making up a community and nation, you can be sure of one thing: the fruits of our faith in God, in Christ, will be realized through them.
Today in our first reading from Isaiah, we hear: "Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come." The Bible is clear that what makes a nation great is the compassion it expresses for the least, its care for the last and for those that are lost among its citizens. The true Character of a nation is its willingness to extend mercy to the vulnerable and marginalized.
A nation is only Christian as it practices the beatitudes and commandments of our faith by putting love into action.
The reason we can be proud as Canadians is because we see a lot of this taking place in our own home and native land. We see it in our faith communities. We see it in our care for refugees of which many Canadian parish communities have played a part. We see it in the many acts of generosity towards those who have suffered from major disasters. We see it in our acknowledgement and attempts at correcting past wrongs.
But just as it is true for us as individuals, it is also true for us as a country, we still in many ways miss the mark. We are still in transition.
On this Canada day of July 1, 2019, it is fitting that we all celebrate together our successes, those of a personal nature, and of course, those as a country. But at the same time, I believe it is also important that we all continue to renew our personal commitment to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord, and then, to the best of our ability, demonstrate that commitment through those acts of charity towards those who suffer misfortune, through the acceptance of those whose stories are different than our own, through the prayerful support of our leaders, and through a loving affirmation of our Christian principles that have guided us and our country over the years.
May God Bless You All
No comments:
Post a Comment