Homily St. Martin of Tours (Veteran’s Day) 2020
Homily St. Martin of Tours (Veteran’s Day) 2020
When I was in seminary, we had a Benedictine priest on staff who had been a military chaplain for many years. He was also a wood carver. He made a rather large statue that sat in the hallway of the seminary. The statue was striking in that it was of a modern soldier cradling a comrade in his arms who is wounded. The modern-day Martin of Tours has his poncho wrapped around his brother.
The statue did not mean that much to me until I found out the story. Martin of Tours was a soldier in the fourth century. He was riding along on his horse one day when he looked down and saw a man lying on the side of the road. The man’s arms were blue with the cold. Martin got off his horse and cut his cloak in two and wrapped the man up in it.
As Martin slept that night, he had a vision where he saw Jesus wrapped in his cloak. He was so moved that he laid down his weapons and pursued a religious vocation. He eventually became a monk and then a bishop. He was a very important leader in the church and helped establish Christianity in Europe.
As we celebrate Veteran’s Day, we remember all those who have served our country in time of war. When I was a boy, I talked with my grandfather and two of my uncles about their war experiences. I was struck by how these experienced impacted their lives.
As they spoke, I could feel a sense of excitement as they shared about some of the biggest adventures of their life and a sense of dread as they remembered the great suffering they had seen. They were tied to their comrades in arms. They did not speak so much of politics as they did of trying to survive and to help others live through the horror of war. They were glad just to be alive. Maybe they wondered why they survived while so many did not.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I ever spoken with a veteran about their experiences? What were some of the feelings expressed?
- The church would say that wars are too destructive today to lead to the resolution of conflict. How do I feel about this question?
Dear Parishioners,
Yesterday, the McCarrick report was released by the Vatican. Once again, there is a lot of detail in this report. It is hard to read and not to become angry. A lot of people were wounded by the actions of those who were in power at the highest level of the church’s hierarchy.
We should be disgusted. It is hard to see the truth, but it must be revealed for us to have a sense of healing. Bishops are being held accountable as they never were before. There must now be contrition and restitution and safeguards put in place so that the likelihood of something like this happening in the future will be unthinkable.
All the faithful need to work together so that accountability will grow in the church and clericalism will diminish.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saint watch over you today.
Fr. Mark