Forgetfulness is a condition of fallen humanity, but we need to remember where we came from and where we’re going
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We tend to forget.
That’s not just a problem of aging! Forgetfulness is a perpetual condition of fallen humanity. It had its own characteristic forms in ancient Israel, so the prophets urged the people to remember. It has its own characteristic forms in contemporary America, and we need to urge each other to remember.
This week, we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24). It’s one of three birthdays we celebrate in the liturgical cycle: Jesus, Mary and John.
I’ll leave it to you to ponder why John is on that list. But one of the things to notice in the readings for the feast day is how often the Scriptures point out God’s call to or God’s blessing of the child in the womb. We hear it five times in the readings for the day: in Jeremiah 1, in Psalm 71 and Psalm 139, in Isaiah 49 and finally in Luke 1.
This is something we tend to forget: that every one of us was welcomed into the gift of life. When we turn around and deny that welcome to others, we forget where we came from.
But also — and this is equally important — we forget where we’re going, and Jesus’ admonition, which is in the Gospel readings this week: “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” What will happen when we reach the gates of heaven, asking to be born into eternal life? What if the measure with which we measure will be measured back to us?
That should give us pause in the state of Missouri as we consider how we’ll vote this year on HJR 73, the state constitutional amendment that’ll repeal key aspects of Amendment 3.
And that, I think, is a key feature of Catholic social teaching for our time and place.
But there’s something else we tend to forget: that very few of us are, in the proper sense of the term, Native Americans. Most of us come from immigrant stock.
I will clarify over and over: the issues of immigration and abortion are not the same. But there are important parallels between them. We tend to forget that our ancestors were welcomed into this land simply because they were seeking a better life. And we tend to forget how badly treated many of them were! When we try to keep others out or treat them with bigotry once they’ve arrived, we forget where we came from.
Here, again, it’s important that we not forget where we’re going, and Jesus’ admonition. What will happen when we reach the shores of heaven and seek entry into a new homeland? What if the measure with which we measure will be measured back to us?
That should give us pause as we think and talk about immigration. And that, I think, is a key feature of Catholic social teaching for our time and place.
When it comes to Catholic social teaching the issue of abortion is fairly simple, and the issue of immigration is more complex. But we need to work out the details — and there are details! — against the background of this mindset: Remember where we came from, and remember where we’re going and remember that the measure with which we measure will be measured back to us.
