Today is the 245th birthday of the U. S.
Navy. Often, the Navy is portrayed on
its mission to enforce maritime law and its use of sea power to augment
missions in times of armed conflicts.
However, we seldom hear about her global humanitarian efforts.
On June 25, 1969, a Seabee Team landed at Moen Island marking
the beginning of the Navy’s civic action program. Similar 13-man teams, capable
of performing all types of construction, landed on other Pacific Islands and under
an agreement between the Secretaries of the Interior and Defense, and at the
specific request of the Micronesian people, these Seabee Teams provided assistance
by constructing facilities, roads, and utilities required to enhance the
economic development and conditions of health with the emphasis and greatest
potential benefit being the construction skills training being made available
to the Micronesian people that would enable them to accomplish essential
construction themselves.[1]
The Navy’s Civic Action Program has become a long-standing tradition of balancing Laws & Alms.
Paul appeals to the Galatians, who, being set free from
spiritual slavery by Christ, not to become slaves again by submitting to the
demands of those who insist they must be circumcised. Circumcision and other requirements
of Torah compliance (the Law) have no power for those who accept Christ; the power in
Christ is “faith working through love.” Jesus too is
critical of the watchdogs of religious life, those who readily judge others (especially the poor) to be unclean for their failure to fulfill
the rules and rituals of Judaism. For Jesus, the remedy for moral uncleanness
and interior purification is almsgiving. Jesus confronts the dichotomy between
the exterior appearance (the façade) and the interior reality
(the naked truth) telling the Pharisees that though they act
in all the right ways, they don’t “give alms” out of themselves.
They give money to the poor, but they don’t give love, respect, and kindness.[2]
For decades many Catholics heard teachers and preachers talk
about the things we must do “in order to save our souls.” Fasting,
abstinence, frequent confession, and many other practices were touted as ways
to assure our getting into heaven. While there’s certainly value in these
religious practices. The truth is this:
Our salvation is dependent upon God. Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection has
set us free, relieving us of the yoke of the law, and the assurance of the
Father’s forgiveness and love.[3]
Our awareness of and appreciation for the salvation freely offered, leads us to make sacrifices, to receive the sacraments, to do good works, allowing our charity to come from a heartfelt desire to love and respect as a means to worship and obey God and see the relationship between the Laws & Alms
[2] Weekday
HomilyHelps Exegesis by Norman Langenbrunner
[3] Ibid. Homily Suggestion by Norman Langenbrunner
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