A reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Matthew. And this is the gospel specifically for this feast of Saint Martin of Tour. You'll see why I said that in a minute. Jesus said to his disciples, when the son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, he will sit upon his royal throne and all the nations will be assembled before him. Then, he will separate them into two groups as a shepherd separates sheeps, a sheep from goats.
The sheep he will place on his right hand, the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, come, you have my father's blessing. Inherent the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink.
I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Naked and you clothed me. I was ill, and you came and comforted me. In prison, and you came to visit me. Then the just will ask him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?
Or see you thirsty and give you to drink? When did we welcome you away from home or clothe you in your nakedness? When did we visit you when you were ill or in prison? The king will answer them, I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me. And this is the gospel of the lord.
In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen. Today is Veterans Day. It's a holiday and one of the most mixed up ones that we've had in a long time. It just seems to be no uniformity or consistency in the way we're commemorating this Veterans Day. I may be mistaken, but I've even felt there's a lack of commercialism about it.
And, when we get into that sad state, you know things are getting pretty bad. I guess it's conflicting now with Christmas because we are now getting the Christmas decorations up in the store and that doesn't harmonize with the idea of veterans, especially if you have a picture in your house with a black border on it. Today, even in some of the higher quarters, we are hearing a good bit about war, anti war, nuclear weapons, anti nuclear weapons, and of course, the word isn't used. But back of a lot of this, there's a word pacifism. Now whatever churchmen, individual men and women say, and it is their choice.
The Catholic church has never been pacifist. That whether I like it or not, nobody can say that the teaching of the Catholic church is pacifism. Now that's a technical word and I'm using that with within quotation marks. The church has always allowed that there is such a possible thing as a just war. The church has always upheld the virtue of patriotism.
It the church does not need Cicero to tell us that it is a good and proper thing to die for one's country. The church didn't need a Cicero to teach her that. The the Catholic Catholic church has always upheld not only the virtue of patriotism, but the obligation and the responsibility of it. That citizens have an obligation, a moral obligation, meaning that it's a sin if you don't do it to support their country, to defend their country, to do what they can to save it in time of need. So let's be perfectly clear about this.
As I say, whether you agree or disagree like this matter of abortion and contraception and all that, there is no doubt where the Catholic church stands. It doesn't mean that the Catholic church is a war monitor, but it does not it is not part of the doctrine of the holy Roman Catholic church to be a pacifist by necessity. If you wish to do it, that's fine. That's your business or anyone else's business. But the thing is don't impute it to the church.
Now this has very strong what I'm saying has very has meaning right for this day, not just Veterans Day, but for some of the things that have happened recently in regard to nuclear weapons. Let's keep in mind that the church is one thing, but these self appointed spokesmen are can be something quite different. You see, what gripes me no end is the way there's a downgrading of this virtue of patriotism. It it's it's been turned into something cheap. You can't fly a flag in front of your house without some people thinking you're ridiculous, that it's vulgar.
Where where have we come to that as a nation, this is the kind of thinking that seems to be dominant. Look at the opposition to the draft. I'm not defending it right or wrong, but there was no question about the law of the land and how it's been negated and ignored and flouted. You probably have heard what I've heard straight from from military men speaking from their own experience of of what they think the morale of the services is. What can you expect?
What can you expect? When today when we talk so much about the the crime in our streets, we talk about the immorality, we talk about the the the libertine sexual practices which are which are not only held up in public view, but which get tacit approval. When just take a very practical case. You you certainly have been reading and have heard about the high the growing notice, the rising rate of illegitimacy among high school girls, unwed mothers who are not even in not even out of junior high. You hear a time and it and they it's right.
What do you hear in response to this? More money for more sex education. Where have you heard one little word about the immorality of fornication? Where have you ever heard the words even? We don't hold up the virtue of chastity anymore.
When did you hear that last? Or read it in the paper that what we must do is to try to to teach our young children, boys and girls, that there is a virtue called chastity. Where have you heard that? No. What we need is more money for more sex education.
Now this is you see, what has happened as a nation, you see, we had to degenerate it into into an an aim amoral moral attitude. Attitude. I just just this past within the past few days, I just happened to read it. I don't know where I read it, but that of all the new movies being produced in Hollywood, there's scarcely one that's not r rated. Now I don't exactly know where R means something.
It's more restricted than the there it's it's three it's it's the third removed from family pictures. Not one was a family picture. Not one was even for for a parental guidance. There was scarcely one according to this article that was is not a restricted and these are not been put on to the public yet. What I'm saying is is that we have lost the concept of virtue.
We've become completely pragmatic, and this is what could be have been pro forecast from Dewey Down. But this is where we've been where we are. And so today when we celebrate Veterans Day, what do we celebrate? You go into any classroom today and quote Cicero that it is, to a bunch of boys and and maybe to some girls, I don't know, and tell them, look young guys, you gotta realize that the highest heroism that you can be called to do to do is to lay down your life for your country. They'd laugh you to scorn for the most part or at least they wouldn't understand what you're talking about, wouldn't understand it at all.
Now I in the last issue of the New Yorker, the one that just came yesterday, there's an article on Poland, the first part of a two part article written by a man who was there last spring, May. Now one of the things that astonished me that's well worth reading is this. He says, I'm merely quoting what the man says. This is the last issue of the New Yorker. It came yesterday.
He says that every place he went last May in Poland, there was the constant rumor that the holy father had sent him secret message to Russia that if they invaded Poland, he would take up his residence in Warsaw. And the Russians did not invade. That's for sure. Where are his divisions? Where are is his military might?
You see, you can't measure that in terms of how many divisions you have, but the point is that I'm making is this man whether I had no way of knowing whether this is true or false. I only know that the the Russians have not invaded Poland. That I know for sure so far as of last night. So here's a man who's taking action as he can take it. Today as we celebrate celebrate, commemorate, what word should we use?
Veterans Day. What do we mean by it? Do people think at all? On what level, on what level of professions is the military today? How is it regarded?
What do we think of it? What is the gratitude in the nation's heart towards those who have suffered, who have given? Do we think about this? Oh, we think about it. I'll tell you when we think about it, when it hits our pocketbooks.
But you see virtue is no more defined in terms of your pocketbook than it is defined in terms of the divisions or how many armies you have or don't have. See, this is the whole point of virtue. It is not a tangible reality in that sense of the word at all. It's an ideal that we hold up and which is obligatory. Whether I observe it or do not observe observe it it does does not not change change the the the the responsibility responsibility I I have have towards towards it.
It. That's one of the most profound and the most essential characteristics of virtue. Where do you find it? What are we doing today for the most part as a nation now, I imagine? There are plenty of places where people certainly are as virtuous as they ever were, but as a nation, remember, on our every on our money we have in God we trust.
Where is that exemplified in our life as a nation? And so today, as we pay regard to the veterans, let us realize that they have served God. And this gospel that we have today for Saint Martin, that what you do for the least of my brethren, you did it to me, remember that includes your country and your nation too. We can take it to heart, but whatever we do, let us resolve it. The face of the in the face of the opposition and remember in one way that one of the one of the the the fields that where this is most coming where it coming is into our homes in the most vivid way is through your TV.
Not that the TV gives you the show, it's what's on there. And so today as we celebrate this feast of Saint Martin of Tours, who was a soldier, So was Saint Ambrose of Milan, so was Ignatius Loyola. Lot of the great saints have come from the military ranks. Let us resolve that there is such a virtue and that patriotism is one of them to love one's country, to do your duty to your one's country. Taxes is one of the duties.
Giving of your time is one of them. Giving of your life can be one of the awful duties. And for those who have done it, let us not forget them in our prayers. In the name of the father, the son, and holy spirit. Amen.