Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Lectionary: 587

John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’

We celebrate today, during this summer of our discontent, the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. If the novel coronavirus wasn't enough to remind us of our mortality, the protests against racism must remind us of our traditional sin, and of Saint John's mission. He proclaimed a baptism of repentance. 
Have you ever filled out an application for a driver's licence, or answered the questions on a census form? How did you answer, as an American, the question of race? 
Did you answer, as I have, "white?" 
With that, you became an heir of slaveowners. Your ancestors bought, sold, traded, rented out, and forced men, women, and children to work for them. 
Before the Civil War, the American population was divided between free and slave. Not all "blacks" were slaves. Some African families in New Orleans prospered; some owned slaves. However, after the War, free black families suffered the same penalties as the former slaves, and were soon reduced to the same social caste. American were no longer free or slave; they were black or white, with some "Indians." Even today, the children of recent African immigrants are soon classed with, and identify with, the descendents of slaves. They inherit the same prejudicial mistreatment and segregation despite their late arrival in the United States.
The words white and black are neither helpful nor accurate. They cannot describe races because there are no significant differences between the groups. In other words, God did not create black and white races. We did. With our census sheets, drivers licences, bank loans, educational systems, churches, neighborhoods, benevolent societies, and criminal gangs we created race and racism.
"Whiteness" is beloved to many people. They claim status and privilege for themselves; they maintain it by favoring their own kind; and, often, by terrorizing other racial groups. Those whites who defy the system, by hiring or associating with blacks, may pay dearly for their boldness. 
At the same time, studies show that many American men are "dying of whiteness." They use their beloved second amendment to kill themselves with the guns they are privileged to own. And, fearing that blacks may profit from their largesse, they vote consistently against educational opportunities and universal health care. More often than not, racism sabotages the very individuals it is supposed to protect.
Americans have been reminded in the wake of the pandemic of our sinful traditions of segregation and racial violence. If we cannot regard the upheaval as divine wrath; we can receive it gratefully, on this feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist, as an invitation to penance, prayer, and atonement.