My friends, before we begin Mass this
morning/evening, I feel the need to say something about the events of
this past week.
We have been through a long and bruising election
season unlike any of us can remember. Some are elated about the outcome;
others are heartbroken. And we bring all of that along with us to Mass
this weekend.
And even though our feelings about the outcome of
the election may be very different, nevertheless, there is still so much
that unites us. We wouldn’t be here if that weren’t case. We are sisters
and brothers, part of the same Church, part of the Body of Christ, part
of this wonderful community of faith. We need to keep that in mind going
forward.
And we need to pray, pray earnestly and honestly,
pray for our President-elect and for all newly elected officials, pray
from our joy, pray from our pain, pray with confidence to the God who
loves each of us beyond measure; pray to the God for whom the
differences that - to us – may seem insurmountable are really quite
inconsequential when viewed against the great backdrop of God’s plan for
the human family. God’s plan is for us to love one another; to build
communities of love; to embrace the voiceless and the vulnerable; to
work for a better world where all are valued, accepted, and loved. No
matter how the future unfolds, we must never forget God’s plan, never
compromise those core beliefs.
And, my friends, no matter what our politics may
be, I believe that these are things we can all agree on as believers,
things we can work together to bring about. It’s what we have been doing
for a long time at St. James Cathedral, and I am confident that we will
continue that great work together!
May our prayer this evening/morning be a step in
that direction. May it begin to bring about healing, mutual
understanding, reconciliation, and peace.
Let me conclude with words Abraham Lincoln spoke
so long ago at his first inaugural, a moment in history when our nation
was every bit as polarized as it is today:
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be
enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds
of affection. The mystic chords of memory…will yet swell the chorus of
the Union, when again touched…by the better angels of our nature.”
May it be so!
Father Michael G. Ryan
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