Jul 4 – Memorial for St. Elizabeth of Portugal
Elizabeth (1271-1336) was a princess with a pious upbringing who became Queen of Portugal before she was a teenager. Elizabeth suffered through years of her husband’s abuse and adultery, praying all the while for his conversion, and working with the poor and sick. She rode onto the battlefield to reconcile her family members twice; once between her husband and son when they clashed in civil war, and between her son and his son-in-law years later, preventing bloodshed. This led to her patronage as a peacemaker, and as one invoked in time of war and conflict.
- Patron Saint Index
Amo 9:11-15
Mt 9:14-17
No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
America turns 250 this year. 250 years of democracy, independence, self-determination…and everything that comes with it. We’ve done a lot of good in this time, but we have also caused a lot of ill, even if our intentions were good. How long does an empire last? The British held on to power for 200 years, the Romans more than 900, so it’s a fool’s guess I suppose.
At the end, what topples nations is a mix of hubris and complacency — a lack of innovation, misguided values, poor stewardship and drastic income inequality. We seem to tick a lot of those boxes at the moment. The cost of living has become prohibitive. Things like healthcare, gas, groceries, rent, childcare, education – the basics we need for a happy life – cost so much more, yet our wages are not keeping up. There’s never been more mistrust of our institutions. We seem to have estranged ourselves from a lot of our allies. And as a people, we have become almost tribal in our divisiveness. It’s a tough day in America. It’s also much too easy to be down on America, especially if you are American.
Pessimism is no foundation on which to build a nation, and as citizens, it is on us to look ahead and see our possibilities. The idea of America was birthed out of optimism, courage and the audacity to think we could pull it off. Whatever our misgivings about the state of our nation, real change begins with us and our attitudes. And as a people, we are nothing if not audacious. That is who we are.
Are we still willing to participate in the idea of America? Citizen, resident, immigrant, refugee – our answer to this call must be a resounding ‘yes’, or what are we here for? Are we willing to do the work that is needed to manifest it? Our answer must be ‘yes’, because as John F Kennedy says, God’s work on earth is done by our hands. Can we find within us, the new wine of optimism, of empathy, of commitment to a higher purpose, of innovation, and of right stewardship for the generations to come? Our answer must be ‘yes’! Because if not us, who is going to build the future of America?
On this day, as America turns 250, can we renew our commitment to the idea of America, so we can, with good conscience, call ourselves Americans? I think we all know the answer to that.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
Prayer: We pray for an end to the divisiveness that has beset us, that keeps us from seeing the good in each other, and the common cause that should bind us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who have fallen, for all who have sacrificed, for all who have given so much for the betterment and preservation of our way of life. We give thanks to all who put the greater good, before themselves. We give thanks to all who work and live and die, in service of the idea of America.
OXYGEN 
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