This past week on Wednesday, July 1,  the Scripture reading for daily Mass was from the prophet Amos.  The first lines caught my attention.  “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; then truly will the Lord God of hosts be with you as you claim!  Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail.”  

It seemed to speak so loudly to what is going on in the world today–with the pandemic globally, and with our own country–nationally.  There are so many distressing events going on, not with just the Covid 19 disease, but with protests, immigrant care, poverty, racism, care of our planet, a hoarding of food and supplies, the wearing of masks or not, and of course all the political back and forth rhetoric.  

As we celebrate our independence day as a nation, we have much to be grateful for, and we also have much work to do to bring about the kind of nation our forefathers imagined, where ALL people are created equal and deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  True justice calls each of us to dig deep down inside ourselves to see where our “growth challenges” are.  True justice calls us to seek good, not evil, in the ways we speak and act with one another.  True justice impels us to examine status, privilege, and wealth.  True justice requires of us courage, compassion, and honesty when dealing with others, and with other’s views that may differ from our own.  True justice asks of us to let go of ignorance, hatred, bigotry, indifference, and systemic racism.   If we’re truly seeking good it seems we need to love as God loves–and that is everything and everyone!  

We are all connected…so perhaps we should be celebrating “interdependence day” and recognize the great gift it is–which leads to global communion and solidarity.  Seek good and not evil, that we may all live!  May this July 4th remind us all to expand our hearts, build community, answer the call to be the face of Providence in a wounded world–not just for our own sake, but for future generations to come.

Barbara McMullen, CDP