Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

 Lectionary: 684

There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The distinction of Jew and Greek may be divine by God's decree as the descendants of Abraham are the elect; but it is also one of many artificial differences we humans impose on each other. "Nature" has never recognized it; nor, for that matter, does it care much about many other definitions we create. People have babies, get sick, and die on Christmas, Easter, or Halloween just as they might on any other day. Nature doesn't notice. 

And nature sometimes honors our distinctions. Because poor people live in denser neighborhoods with fewer rooms they suffer the initial assaults of epidemics like Covid 19. However their urban homes -- at least in the United States -- are not so quickly consumed by forest fires or mudslides. In cases like that, Nature prefers to destroy the homes of the wealthier class. 

So long as the Holy Spirit directs the work of the gospel, that enterprise also ignores the caste systems we create. In the Kingdom of God, the poor enjoy equal medical care, education, opportunities for work, and recreation; along with the freedom of worship in the religion of their choice. Saint James, in particular, warns the Church against pandering to the wealthy. 

Today we celebrate the apostle Andrew, and the apostolic church which does not honor the classes, castes, and stratifications of human society. We would announce the Gospel to every human being even as we share the good news with every creature. Not for nothing did Saint Francis preach to the birds and Saint Anthony, to the fish. Our sister Earth awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; and will be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Pope Francis has reminded us of this sacred, apostolic mission in his encyclical, Laudato Si. Brilliantly, he demonstrates that care of the Earth is care of the poor. The same attitudes that waste natural resources waste human beings. From the Vatican's perspective of neutrality, it's not hard to see that warring nations and ideologies consume vast resources in their struggle for dominance. The Darwinian ideology of survival of the fittest ignores universal suffering in its fear of failure and it struggle for dominance. 

The Apostles teach us to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. In the love of God we can do no harm to our opponents. Assured of mercy we have no fear of death. If we must maintain a reasonable defense against threats, we are not driven by fear, and our first, second, and last efforts find ways to make peace with them. 

In the real world, rationality finds that reconciliation, atonement, and harmony are more efficient and infinitely more pleasant than conflict. The only just war is within the heart of every person as they learn to believe God's word rather than their anxieties, suspicions, and hysterical conjectures. 

The way forward is clear despite its difficulty and complexity. We must do justice to our neighbor, enemies, and the Earth.