Hello. I am George Martin and I again welcome you to the selected sermons of Monsignor Joseph B. McAllister, this being disc number six of 12. At the close of my introductory remarks on disc number five, I'd raised the question why, if we hold our beliefs dear, where is the passion? Why is there not a greater public and private expression of that faith?
Hopefully, in listening to these CDs, you have noted that this issue is an essential and reoccurring theme of Monsignor McAllister's sermons. To illustrate my point, I would like to tell a personal story in support of my concern that while we hold dear our Catholic faith, is it truly woven into our daily life as it should be? While I was trained as an architect, most of my professional life was spent in the construction arena as a general contractor, construction manager, developer, construction consultant, arbitrator and mediator, as well as an adjunct professor at Catholic University. For over thirty years, I have given a construction management course in the School of Architecture at CU. While my class is only one night a week, I would often lecture for over two hours straight, thereby requiring students to take comfort breaks to suit themselves.
Some years ago, a Muslim student approached me while I was lecturing and asked to be excused so that he could pray. More recently, I entered my empty classroom prior to the start of class to find a Muslim student on the floor praying while facing the east wall whereon there was a crucifix. On both occasions, I was struck with the irony of the situation. Here I am at the Catholic University of America, the capital of free world, the epic center in the fight against radical Islam, and two Muslims have taken the opportunity to worship in a room where in one case was the image of our Lord. A whole string of ironies come to mind when I reflect on these events.
The first would be that in most countries with Muslim majorities, Christians practicing their faith would be, and to be kind, problematic. But to do this in one of their schools, I think not. The second irony in my string of ironies is that in this country, our freedom is almost boundless. The freedom of religion is at the top of the list, and these two Muslims, without apparent coercion, have not only the opportunity to practice their faith here, but have also freely chosen to do so. Adding to the list of ironies here at the Catholic University of America, we are unapologetic that we have in each classroom a crucifix.
Whereas across town at Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in our country, crucifixes were to become a controversial issue. Once Georgetown failed to openly assert and support its Catholic identity, malcontents of all sorts filled the vacuum, and there is no end in sight for other schools like Georgetown who appear ambivalent about their Catholic faith and roots. But whether at Catholic University, Georgetown, or any other Catholic college, most students will likely meet their Sunday obligation but little more. One could argue that the early and intense training of the Muslim students praying five times a day was so ingrained as not to be voluntary, but that is only speculation. Taking it at face value, the faith of the two Muslim students demonstrated by their action is impressive, but disheartening when compared to the religious practices of most Catholic adults.
Here we can't blame Unsenior McAllister for not warning us about Christ's admonition to those who would be lukewarm in the practice of their faith. And in this regard, he did not spare those bishops in this country who failed to rally around and support Rome's position. Clearly, Monsignor Magallister viewed his role as one encouraging all of us to reflect daily, not necessarily in some prescribed routine as Muslims, but incorporating in our routine the Obas Dei, the work of the Lord in all things that day. With that thought in mind, we now continue with the selected sermons of Monsignor Joseph B. McAllister.