The American flag catches the breeze below the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington. (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters / OSV News)
View from the pew
My front steps are the ideal public yet intimate spot for displaying the Stars and Stripes. Not up at the remote top of a flagpole but in direct line of sight from my windows and protected from rain by the roof eaves. Totally up close and personal, you may have to duck if the wind is flapping the flag fiercely as you pass it.
It was July 4, the day we expect to have patriotism in our face as we honor the flag and “the republic for which it stands.” It’s a day of public events but at our house, it was an intimate event. We watch it unfurl in the morning, catch the eye all day long, then lower it at sunset while we vocally mimic a trumpeter playing “Taps.”
This year our little ceremony felt like a parable about patriotism at this troubling time in our history, when the strong foundation and lofty goals which our forefathers wrote into the Constitution seem to be constantly subject to challenge and change. Instead of a triumphant feeling about being American, it was tears and a shiver of fear.
While the words to “God Bless America” were quietly playing out in my head, I was also remembering the prayer of the faithful from a recent Sunday Mass.
“For our nation: that God will guide us on living the value which we proclaim so that all may experience life, liberty and justice.”
“For all government leaders: that God will give them the wisdom to fulfill their responsibilities, hearts sensitive to the needs of those whom they serve and freedom to pursue the common good.”
“For the families and nations divided against themselves, bless them with the grace to forgive those who have sinned against them.”
Prayers such as these are read by lectors at every Mass. They are published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and often reflect that day’s Scripture readings.
I’m not sure how many in the congregation are tuned in; do they even hear it? Is the text food for thought? I wish whoever is offering the prayer — be it lector, deacon or priest — would deliver it with more gusto. And with the volume turned up in our parish’s seriously deficient sound system.
I know I listen with attitude, not an especially prayerful attitude. I wonder to myself what all the Catholics and other Christians in elected offices, and Catholic judges and Supreme Court justices, think when they hear this. Do those powerful people take that message to heart?
Actually, these are pretty mild-mannered prayers compared to what some people in other denominations hear from the pulpit. Other than pointed remarks about abortion, I haven’t heard about much mixing of preaching and politics in local Catholic homilies. Even in terms of church concerns with religious strife in the world, we get the mild flavor, not the hot. It seems our clergy are content to leave that level of engagement to Pope Francis.
We heard this at a recent Mass:
“For peace, that God will free those who are oppressed by authoritarian governments, turn hearts from violence and help to recognize the dignity of each person.”
When I told a friend that this year, the whole flag thing made me sad, she just answered, “yup.” That’s Midwestern text-speak for “amen to that.”
It’s daunting to even start a conversation about the many heartaches and anxieties being generated by events in our country and the world.
We ended Independence Day in the virtual midst of hundreds of exuberant Americans gathered for an upbeat musical celebration of the holiday. “A Capitol Fourth,” an annual program on the grounds of the nation’s capital, is shown on PBS. I think it should be shared and run on multiple media outlets. It’s an antidote to the derogatory, inflammatory, downright hostile voices of many citizen gatherings these days, especially outside federal buildings in Washington, D.C. It’s still available on streaming sites.
Of course it’s a tradition to sing along with patriotic anthems, and the crowd was so enthusiastic and happily into it that they brought us remote armchair-watchers into the mood. A lineup of recording artists and Broadway stars belted out their not-necessarily-patriotic hits. But I grabbed onto a line or two to feed my blue mood.
When Smokey Robinson reprised his “Track of My Tears” hit, I found a bit from its broken romance theme for my patriotic interpretation: “So take a good look at my face / You’ll see my smile looks out of place / If you look closer, it’s easy to trace / The tracks of my tears.”
Broadway actor Darren Criss, doing the rock band Journey classic “Don’t Stop Believin’,” rang a bell about the current political news: “Some will win, some will lose / Some are born to sing the blues.”
The patriotic mood heightened as it was nearing fireworks time, with the U.S. Army Band and Chorus revving up the crowd. I dare anyone to sing or read the lyrics for “America the Beautiful” without getting at least philosophical if not emotional. I can’t stop the tracks of my tears when we get to the lines:
“God shed his grace on thee / And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea / … O beautiful for patriot dream, that sees beyond the years / Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears / … America, America, God mend thy every flaw / Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.”
Everyone was on their feet to join Sister Sledge and family clapping and stomping to “We Are Family.” Even better than the exploding fireworks display is the booming cannons during the Tchaikovsky classic “1812 Overture.” It’s up to you to research history to figure out why that is always played on the holiday marking the 1776 Declaration of Independence from British rule.
It is a public statement, of course, whenever people raise a flag. Hats off to those who do so daily, not only at government buildings. In Hawaii, if an American flag waves at a home year-round, that’s probably a military service member or the family of one. It’s not as popular as it is in other states because of Indigenous people’s sensitivity about the 1893 overthrow of the last Hawaiian monarch by American businessmen.
Some believe the height of insensitivity would be to fly the Stars and Stripes to celebrate Statehood Day in August, marking Hawaii being accepted as the 50th state in 1959.
So, I leave the flag furled in the house that day but frankly, I think why not? The statehood idea was first proposed to Congress in 1919 by Hawaiian Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, a non-voting member from the territory of Hawaii.
Our new pastor, Father Lusius Nimu, said he plans to hold “town hall” style meetings for parishioners because he wants us to air our ideas and concerns and share in planning going ahead. This is a welcome return for a parish which had its elected parish council disbanded by a new pastor a couple of decades ago at a low point in parish politics.
Having just been struck by the timely and relevant prayer of the faithful themes, I considered suggesting to the pastor that we hold open-mic discussions of them. Probably not such a good idea, on second thought. We Catholics sure don’t all think alike, do we?
I know of one feud underway in a friend’s family because of one person’s critical, negative perspective on Pope Francis. Maybe that’s the wisdom behind leaving contentious ideas unspoken.
There’s a prayer of the faithful or more for church leaders.
“For Pope Francis and all in leadership in the church, that they may preach the good news of Christ with courage, truth and compassion.”
I was pondering all this after Mass while walking through the church grounds where a contentious event was playing out. Several species of birds gathered to feast on some human’s discarded plate lunch.
The little gray doves just kept their heads down, eating as much as they could and ignoring the others. A few passing pigeons arrived to strut in a grand entrance to the scene. Cardinals and other classy species managed to eat but stayed apart from the horde. But the mynah birds were a noisy, belligerent crew, aggressive in getting to the front of the food line. Maybe they haven’t evolved as far from their dinosaur ancestors; they attack their own, fighting for the food and scolding each other.
Now that really looked political. It reminds me of the current chapter in the national election: antagonistic noise on the human scene. It’s a time of people in the same political party, theoretically with the same goals, screeching at each other and attacking one of their own instead of being the bird version of “We Are Family.”
We could hardly avoid seeing the human version of strutting pigeon this month, a big noisy one enveloped by multiple flags. Shame on you, selfish, mean-spirited mynahs; stop trying to get to the front of the line and help the old fellow in your flock. And auwe to you gray doves who just keep your heads down and ignore what’s going on around you.
Many prayers of the faithful do come closer to home.
“For healing: that the Spirit will comfort us when we are misunderstood, renew us when we have been unjustly criticized and inspire us to show God’s love each day.
“For peace in the world: Send your Holy Spirit the comforter to heal broken hearts, dry the tears of those who weep and turn sorrow to joy.
“For those struggling to overcome addiction, help them to resist temptation, rebuild their lives and seek forgiveness and reconciliation for the hurt caused to those they love.
“For those who are victims of crimes, that their apprehension and fear may be healed and they may regain security and peace of mind.
“For those we find it difficult to forgive: In the spirit of humility may our bitterness be forgotten, our discord resolved and our sins be forgiven.”
Yup. That one hits close to home.
