6th Sunday of Easter. C. 2025.

Memorial Day Weekend

There is a duty to love.

I am considering the duty to love. A duty to God, to self, to the other and to country in and through Christ Resurrected.

This weekend we remember those who gave life and limb, body and mind in sacrifice for our nation. We say that their love for country exceeded self-preservation. This is my grandfather. He fought in WWII. He was one of millions wounded world wide. He did not share with me much of his war experience.

He fought in Europe for a freedom that was not his in the U.S. Army or America. He fought and was seriously wounded out of hope for America and a love for America that exceeded self-preservation. He completed the duty of love and citizenship.

His patriotism – love of Country- and that of many in your families, friends, neighbors, give us a glimpse of God’s love for you and me: The wounds of love, the last breath of love, haunting memories of a love that exceeds self-preservation.

St. Paul writes:

make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 4do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8Being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (biblehub.com).

Jesus did his duty. Obedient in Love to the point of death on a cross.

Baptism. Confirmation. Marriage. Ordination. Holy Communion. Reconciliation, anointing of the sick,

These sacraments signify our duty to love as we have been loved by Christ Crucified.

These sacraments are the way that God empowers us in our duty to love and I feel grateful, thankful, blessed and joyful!

God loves me from death to life.

God loves me from sin to salvation.

God loves me from shame to glory.

God loves me from sickness to sanity.

God loves me from selfish, to communion of persons, from I am, to we are; from we are to I am.

And God’s love gives me power over the course of my life, to do my duty of love at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. And as for me, so for you.

When you have experienced God’s love, you are empowered over the course of your life, to fulfill your duty to love as you are being loved.

St. John tells us in a letter: that God so loves us, that he puts himself into our hands, and on our tongues.

Consider the works of your hands. Consider the words of your tongue.

Satan and his minions and his followers and the people of his lies, hate you and me with the hate of the fire hell.

We are hated most, when we love our neighbor, the stranger, enemies and self, with a love that exceeds self-preservation. Satan intends us to go AWOL. He seduces us to betray, disobey, and corrupt our duty to love.

This month our parish has celebrated the seven sacraments that signify our duty to a love that exceeds self-preservation -to love as God is loving you and me. My grandfather gave up his future, empowered by this love and hope.

It is our duty as a parish to baptized children today, into this love. In this love first holy communion was celebrated. In this love we confirmed forty young people. In this love four men were ordained to clerical ministry. In this love two couples were married this weekend.

And in this love Robert Francis Prevost became the 267th Vicar of Christ, First American Pontifex Maximus (Chief bridge-builder), Leo the fourteenth, Holy Father to one billion friends in the Holy Roman Apostolic Catholic Movement.