Homily: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: 2007

"For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters." (Gal 5:13). As you know, I write a little column on the saint of the day and this verse: "For you were called for freedom" made me immediately think of a saint we will be celebrating soon, Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey. Her greatest accomplishment was helping 600 black men, women and children about to be freed from slavery ease their way into freedom. They were almost completely ignorant, plus they were "disinclined to work" -- perfectly understandable, considering their former lot. But Anne Marie was undaunted. She was an abolitionist to the core, and had to put her money where her mouth was. She hadn't much time, but she trained those people, got them into shape, so to speak. She ran her training camp like a religious community -- she fully immersed them in the facts and in the practice of their faith, even as she taught them each a trade, in preparation for giving each family a cottage, a piece of land and a sum of money -- all courtesy of Anne Marie. She proved -- and so did they -- that the abstract arguments in favor of total emancipation were true: "For you were called for freedom."

What is freedom? It is the freedom to do what is right. I put to you that it is also the freedom to do what is morally neutral, as well, since that is in keeping with man's dignity. It is not freedom to what is wrong. We all know there must be limits on our actions in society: we are not free to kill, steal, rape, betray, lie, etc. That kind of "freedom" is more properly called "license." That is not what we are all about, not what we are called to. But if we are not free to do what is right -- if we are forced to commit sin in some way -- say, by participating in an abortion, or having to prescribe contraceptives -- we are allowed to participate in civil disobedience, to nonviolently protest in some way.

We are called to follow Christ -- wholeheartedly, no-holds-barred, unconditionally. I really love the first reading in which when Elisha says (after being covered with Elijah's cloak): "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you," then Elijah says: "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" Isn't that so very human? It's as if he said, "What are you looking at? What is it? *I* didn't tell you to do anything." But, well, he did. It was an invitation, and a pressing one, but not as demanding as Christ's. But look at who Christ is: Elijah was just a prophet (a great prophet, but a prophet nonetheless); Christ is God Himself. The call is more insistent. We must follow Him now, right now, in our duty in our state in life. We are called to take a stand for good, and against sin, because "Christ has set us free." Let us now profess our faith . . .