Memorial Day 2020 - Imbued with the spirit of self-sacrifice

It is so good to see all of you back in the pews after such a long period of quarantine. And what a fitting day to return to Mass: to gather to remember in gratitude the sacrifice and to pray for the souls of those who fought and died for our freedom, which includes our freedom to gather for worship and to practice our faith.

The Church does not have a particular set of readings or orations for this civil holiday, so, again this year, I’ve chosen the readings and prayers from the mass for the faithful departed. From the book of wisdom we hear of God’s promise to the just, and the Lord’s promise to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

We remember our heroes today—those who hungered and thirsted for justice, enough to die for it—and not just justice and peace for themselves, but for future generations. We see their death not as misery or tragedy, but as honorable and something worth emulating. Something of their spirit, too, is to permeate our lives, their bravery and courage and concern for the good of the nation and their fellow man is to imbue our civil discourse. The spirit of their self-sacrifice, calling to mind the self-sacrifice of Our Blessed Lord, is to imbue our daily life, our conversations, interactions with strangers, and treatment of the poor.

The honor we show them is perhaps a measure of the spiritual health of our nation. So as, confused and misdirected our nation is, at times, the fact that we still believe that these men and women are worth memorializing, is proof that not all hope is lost.

Today we also recall our duty to not let their sacrifices go in vain. And we commit to not wasting the freedom they died for, we commit to fighting against tyranny and injustice in our own day, and remembering the lessons of the past.

With a spirit of profound gratitude for all who made it possible for us to be here today, we pray for our beloved war dead, and pray that we may, like them, hunger and thirst and work for justice and peace for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is generous to those who call upon Him with faith.

For Pope Francis, and all the bishops: may they rightly lead the Body of Christ in faithfulness to all the Lord teaches and commands. And that the Holy Spirit may guide the Holy Father in choosing a new bishop and shepherd for the diocese of Cleveland.

For our President and all elected government representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life.

That the power of Christ’s resurrection may overcome all oppression, prejudice, hatred, addiction and injustice. For those most profoundly impacted by the coronavirus, for the healing of all the sick. For those who selflessly labor for the good of others, for the safety of first responders and medical care workers, police and firefighters. For the protection of all those who serve in our nation’s military, and for all wounded servicemen and women, for all those widowed and orphaned because of war.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and For the deceased members of  the Masters, Tomasetti & McIlvain families for whom this mass is offered.

Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church, grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ Our Lord.