Soul of a Nation

Saving the soul of a nation and a family

09/20/2019

Luke 8:1-3 Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

When I studied litera

ture at the University of Dallas, I discovered the notion of a “national epic.” Have you ever heard of a national epic? It is a story, usually a long poem, that captures the national character of a people and enshrines the conscience of a nation. It expresses who we are and what we stand for collectively. For instance, the national epic of Greece would the Iliad and Odyssey penned by Homer, their great poet. Italy’s national epic is clearly considered the Aeneid by Virgil. England usually claims Beowulf as theirs. Spain would hail El Cid as its national epic, and Australia has Gilgamesh.

What would be America’s national epic? The jury is still out but one of the finalists would have to be Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Another story that’s often in the running is the Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Pope St. John Paul II had the habit of reading the national epic of a country on the plane as he went to visit it. The pope-saint knew that he could not speak convincingly to a given country if he did not first learn who their heroes were, what their hopes as a people are, and what their highest aspirations were. In short, he wanted to shape their character and touch their conscience, both enshrined in their national epic.

But I would suggest to you that a country and a nation is more than a character and a conscience, it also has a spirit and a soul. In other words, every country also has a relationship with God. Have you ever thought about a country having a soul? Sounds kind of strange, doesn’t it? Last night I attended the Heart to Heart banquet, and the speaker declared that the prolife cause is a “battle for the soul of America.” Now, the purpose of a soul is to put you in a right relationship with God. But if you don’t believe in God – like the growing atheist population – then there’s no need for a soul. No God, no soul. And maybe that’s one reason prolifers and prochoicers cannot agree: one believes this country has a soul to save, and the other side doubts we do. Do nations have a spirit and a soul, as well as a character and a conscience?

Another habit of Pope Saint John Paul II was to travel to other countries and canonize the saints and martyrs who died there. Today, September 20, is the feast day of the Korean martyrs, Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions. In his homily for the canonization of the Korean martyrs on May 6, 1984, the pope wrote movingly: “For behold: through this Liturgy of Canonization, the Blessed Korean Martyrs are inscribed in the list of the Saints of the Catholic Church.” He continued: “These are true sons and daughters of your nation…They are your ancestors, according to the flesh, language and culture.” And then he pointed out: “At the same time they are your fathers and mothers in the faith, a faith to which they bore witness by the shedding of their blood.” Did you notice how the pope was speaking not only to their culture but also to their Christianity? He wanted to touch not only their national character and conscience, but also their country’s spirit and soul. That’s why the pope flew to all seven continents and canonized countless saints and martyrs on the soil already consecrated by their blood. The saints of every nation and country remind us that every nation also has a soul to be saved.

When you tell stories about your family to your children and grandchildren, what do they sound like? You may talk about your family’s ethnic origins in Ireland or Italy or India. You may mention the heroes, like grandparents who made the trek across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship and sacrificed and saved to give their children a better life. You might highlight the first member of the family to go to college, or even include the first member of the family to go to jail. You may proudly say my grandfather fought in the Great War.

But do you make a point to include the spiritual history of your family: someone who became a priest or a nun, or helped build a church, convent or school? I remember asking my father many years ago, how long our family had been Catholic. He answered for 2,000 years, since the arrival of St. Thomas the Apostle to India. Do you know long your family has been Catholic? I bet it’s not for 2,000 years!

Families, like nations, also have a soul, a spiritual relationship with God. And the soul of your family, like the soul of this nation, is worth saving. That is, if you think it has a soul.

Praised be Jesus Christ!