Understanding the deepest religious roots of culture
05/05/2026
John 14:27-31a Jesus said
to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as
the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or
afraid. You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.'
If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the
Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so
that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for
the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must
know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded
me."
Today on Cinco de Mayo – literally
in Spanish May 5th – many Americans celebrate in some fashion the Mexican
culture, but very few Americans understand its real roots. For starters, most
of us mistake Cinco de Mayo for Mexican Independence Day, thinking its
equivalent to the American July 4th.
But Mexico’s independence is
celebrated on September 16. By the way, that is why our parish celebrates the
Hispanic cultural festival in mid-September. Sadly, most of our Anglo
parishioners don’t know the roots of that September celebration either. Who cares?
It’s just an excuse to throw a party!
Let me give you a quick history
lesson about today’s real roots. On May 5, 1862 the Mexican army, with only
4,500 soldiers (many of whom were common farmers with pitchforks), defeated the
larger and more professionally trained soldiers of 6,000 French troops in
Puebla, Mexico.
The invading French hoped to
conquer the Mexican nation and establish a pro-French monarchy to rule it. The
Cinco de Mayo battle was not the final conflict between Mexico and France, but
the unexpected victory gave the Mexicans hope they could eventually overthrow
the occupiers, which they did 5 years later in 1867.
But I believe even deeper roots of
what occurred on Cinco de Mayo go back over 300 years earlier to 1531. On
December 9 of that year Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego and
converted an entire nation to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. In other
words, at the heart of every “culture” is a “cult” as you can even tell from
the etymology: cult forms the principal part of the word culture.
The deepest roots, therefore of the
Mexican people’s identity – later manifested in military exploits like on Cinco
de Mayo – plunges into their shared religious experiences. Before any true
culture can declare its independence from other nations, it must declare its
dependence on God.
This suggestion that religious
roots are the deepest roots of a culture raises the question of what are the
deepest roots of our American culture? Even a C-student of our modern American
society can perceive in the “culture wars” raging today a fight to assert the
roots and foundation of our culture.
In a sense, all Americans are
asking: are our roots religious (and if so, which religion?) or are our roots
non-religious with perhaps a vague feeling of God but with no clear idea of who
he is? In other words, the roots of the culture wars we witness and wage in
modern America is trying to answer the question is there a cult in American
culture? What are America’s real roots?
Now, those questions are too big
and too speculative for us this morning at 7 a.m. Mass, so let me make it more
personal. What are our deepest roots as individuals? Since you are sitting here
at Mass, that should be a no-brainer. You roots are religious, namely, in the
Catholic religion. But what about your children and grandchildren – what are
their deepest roots?
Another way to ask the question is:
what is your children and grandchildren’s culture? Does their personal culture
have a cult at the core? Do they believe in God, and do they know who he is,
and does that knowledge evolve into a lived relationship with him and make any
daily difference? That might be a good conversation to have with them: is there
a cult in their culture?
Maybe you could have that
conversation with them this summer on July 4th while you enjoy hotdogs and
hamburgers. Why? Because before any true culture can declare its independence
from other nations, it must declare its absolute dependence on God. We can learn
a thing or two on Cinco de Mayo about the Mexican culture, and maybe even
something about our own American culture.
Praised be Jesus
Christ!
