Readings:

Jer. 20:10-13; Ps. 69; Rom. 5:12-15; Matt. 10:26-33

“Whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” These words of Jesus from today’s Gospel should give us all pause. It seems that much of our nation today is suffering from denial, and to see the effects of this denial, we need look no further than any of the major news outlets. On one channel it’s COVID-19 numbers are rising; on another it’s chaos in Seattle; on another it’s the tearing down of monuments. Now, the denial we suffer is not that these things are happening, but rather, a denial of the reason it is happening at all. How did we get here? How did we go from one nation under God, indivisible, to the City Hill Autonomous Zone of thugs handing out AR-15’s to anyone who claims to know how to handle a firearm? This question deserves thorough reflection. And while we’re reflecting, might we also consider that all this chaos, all this disorder, is the result of people denying God?

St. Paul reminds us that we are all trapped by the effects of Original Sin, which is death. He says, “death reigned from Adam to Moses,” but what changed after Moses? God gave Moses the Law and the Commandments. It is because of the Law that the people of Israel were finally able to acknowledge sin for what it is: the denial of God.

What’s the First Commandment? “I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other gods besides me.” Once armed with the Law, the people were then able to transform their lives, to reform their evil ways of worshiping idols, and false gods, and killing one another, as Cain did to his brother Abel. The Law brought security and knowledge of God’s will. And keeping the Law brought meaning and purpose to people’s lives. God did not give us the Law to stifle us; He did not say, “Thou shalt not,” so that we can’t have any fun. Rather, God gave us the Law so that we might live in harmony with God and neighbor, in other words, the Law provided the right conditions for human flourishing. What is more enjoyable? Peace and harmony among friends, peaceful worship, peaceable assembly, or riots in the streets, stealing, and killing? I believe there were a few Commandments about the latter. The bottom line: This is not rocket science. Even Moses said, you already know the law, it’s something very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, you need only to carry it out (see Dt. 30:14).

But, even the Law proved to be no match for the cunning of man. There is always someone trying to get over on the law, or take the law into their own hands. These are the damaging effects of Original Sin. And God saw this constant back and forth with his people throughout the ages. He saw how they forgot the Law and began following false gods. So, he sent the prophets to remind the people of the Law, warning them that their denial of God will lead to their own destruction. Today’s reading from Jeremiah is an example of this. And even though Jeremiah laments that God has called him to speak the truth to a godless people, he knew that God was with him, like a mighty champion. But, because he spoke the truth, the people wanted to kill him for it. Such is the fate of those who speak the words of God. And I got news, while this was the case for Jeremiah, it was also the case for Jesus, and today, it is most certainly the case for us. Those who speak the truth and keep God’s commandments are hated by those who deny God. And our country has been infiltrated by a mob of God-haters.

Nevertheless, this is the call of the Christian. To keep God’s commandments, to follow the Law of love, and to protect and defend the truth, no matter what the deniers say. “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” We will not be counted among the deniers of God; we stand united in Christ. He is the source of all truth; He is Truth itself. May our peaceful assembly, our celebration of the Eucharist, our worship of Almighty God, be a beacon of hope, a spark of light for our families and across the airwaves. Let us join our hearts and voices with Jesus and all the prophets who boldly spoke the truth in difficult times. And may the communion we share in Christ strengthen our faith, so that whenever our faith is tested, we bear witness to him by keeping his commandments, and acknowledging him before all others. “Fear no one…what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.”

Given during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the request of the bishop and to uphold the common good, all Masses and homilies are to be kept brief to reduce the time of possible exposure to the virus.