Time of Testing

Building our nation of the rock of Christ

12/01/2021

Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Today’s sermon is about a very serious subject, namely, abortion. So, buckle up. Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court signaled its willingness to uphold a ban on abortions in Mississippi. Did you hear about that? This would be a significant reversal of the Supreme Court decision “Roe v. Wade” in 1973 that allowed all abortions up to the point of viability. Because of the presence of more conservative judges on the highest court, there is an openness to overturning the 1973 landmark decision. But I am convinced it will not be easy. Why not?

Well, because many people – some polls put the number at almost 50% - of Americans believe abortion is really about “reproductive rights.” That is, just like a government has no place to tell people whether or not to use contraception – indeed, some insist the government should pay for contraceptives – so, the government cannot tell someone not to get an abortion. In other words, access to abortion is based on the same argument as access to artificial contraceptives. It is a “right,” a reproductive right.

According to abortion advocates, therefore, what the Supreme Court is considering is repealing reproductive rights, and that is not going to go over well, because we Americans revere our rights. In 1861 our nation fought the Civil War over whether people had the “right” to own and sell slaves. I would not be surprised if another war is on the horizon if we as a nation decide to restrict reproductive rights in 2021 like we restricted slavery rights in 1861.

But I believe the battle line is drawn a lot deeper than in the Supreme Court chamber; it is drawn at the very foundations of our country. Both the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute annually report abortion statistics, but the reports vary considerably. If you average their reports from 1973 to 2021, we have aborted approximately 33,600,000 babies over 48 years. In other words, the foundations of the freedoms we enjoy, such as "reproductive rights," has cost the lives of over 33 million Americans. That is far worse than slavery, and why a war may be brewing if the Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi abortion ban.

In the gospel today, Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew with the parable of the two foundations. One man builds his house on rock and another builds his house on sand. You do not need to be an engineer to explain what happens when, as Jesus said, “The rain fells, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.” In other words, foundations will be tested to see if they are strong and secure.

And the most firm foundation will be Jesus’ Word and the dignity of the human person, even the virtually invisible little person in a mother’s womb. What will happen if we build our house – and a nation can be a “house” as well – on a foundation of sand? Jesus answers: “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew, and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Folks, would you like to learn how other nations have fared when their foundations were tested? You should read St. Augustine’s “City of God” about the fall of Rome, and Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” about the fall of the French monarchy. In both cases, the winds and rains and floods of war and revolution tested what kind of foundation those great civilizations were built on. And in both cases they collapsed and crumbled. Why? Just like Jesus said: they did not build on rock, the firm foundation of his Word, but on the sands of human sentiment.

Let me conclude with a few lines from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, when our nation’s foundation was tested by Civil War. Lincoln echoed Jesus’ warning about building on a firm foundation, when he said: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” The sixteenth president continued: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing” – testing! – “whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” In other words, a new time of testing may soon be upon us and we will learn what kind of foundation we stand upon.

Praised be Jesus Christ!