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WHEN A NATION IS NOT FORGIVEN Folks, This morning’s Epistle reading for Daily Mass was Romans 4:13-18 where Abraham is described as the father of all those who follow his faith. It got me to thinking of Romans 2:6-10 where St. Paul explains that there is no partiality with God: those who obey the truth will receive eternal life and those who do not will receive wrath and fury, the Jew first and then the Greek without distinction. Verse 11 is noteworthy: Non est enim personarum acceptio apud Deum! For there is no accepting (distinction) of persons before God! This is true equality in dignity. Everyone will be treated in the same way, for preceding verse 6 states: Qui reddet unicuique secundum opera eius:Who will render to each according to his works. Judgment will NOT occur based on sex, race, national origin, religious denomination, cultural background, skin color, age, etc. Rather, judgment will occur based on one’s deeds (works) without regard for any superficial characteristic. St. Paul is quite clear about this in Galatians 3:2: Non est Iudaeus neque Graecus, non est servus neque liber, non est masculus et femina; omnes enim vos unus estis in Christo Iesu. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither salve nor free, neither male nor female; for all you are one in Christ Jesus. That is why it is so wrong to say that God’s warnings to His chosen people in the Old Testament do not apply to us. Galatians 3:16 states: Abrahae autem dictae sunt promissiones et semini eius. Non dicit: “Et seminibus”, quasi in multis, sed quasi in uno: “Et semini tuo”, qui est Christus. However, the promises were said to Abraham and to his offspring, It does not say “and offsprings,” as if to many, but as if to one: “and to your offspring,” which is Christ. The United States of America used to be one nation under God (una natio sub Deo). The Founding Fathers established our Constitution and made the Declaration of Independence based on Judeo-Christian principles. And when we erred, God disciplined us, hence the Civil War of 1860 to 1865 for the sin of slavery. Indeed, Hebrews 12:6 says: Quem enim diligit, Dominus castigat, flagellat autem omnem filium, quem recipit. For whom He loves, the Lord chastises, and He scourges every son whom He receives. Matthew 5:17-19 is clear: Nolite putare quoniam veni solvere Legem aut Prophetas; non veni solvere, sed adimplere. Amen quippe dico vobis: Donec transeat caelum et terra, iota unum aut unus apex non praeteribit a Lege, donec omnia fiant. Qui ergo solverit unum de mandatis istis minimis et docuerit sic homines, minimus vocabitur in regno caelorum; qui autem fecerit et docuerit, hic magnus vocabitur in regno caelorum. Do not think that I have come to loosen (unbind, untie, release) the Law or Prophets; I have not come to loosen but to fulfill. Amen by all means I say to you: while heaven and earth transit, not one iota or one macron will pass from the Law till all is done. Who therefore loosens one of the least of these commands and teaches men thus will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; who however does and teaches, he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, just as the promises of Abraham and his children apply to us, so also do the warning that God gave His children through Moses. The warning of Deuteronomy 29:16-2 applies equally to us in this post-modern, neo-pagan American and to the Hebrews crossing the desert to the Promised Land some 3500 years ago. This is the promise in verse 20 to those who deliberately turn away from the Lord (as this nation and its leaders have done): Dominus non ignoscet ei, sed tunc quam maxime furor eius fumabit et zelus contra hominem illum, et sedebunt super eum omnia maledicta, quae scripta sunt in hoc volumine, et delebit Dominus nomen eius sub caelo. The Lord will not pardon him, but then how very greatly will His fury burn and jealousy against that man, and all the curses will sit over him, which have been written in this volume, and the Lord will delete his name under Heaven. Jesus Himself declared in Luke 12:49: Ignem veni mittere in terram et quid volo? Si iam accensus esset! I have come to send fire onto Earth, and what do I wish? If already it were kindled! We get to chose what fire burns: the fire of punishment or the fire of love. So far it is punishment which we as a nation have chosen with our abortion, sodomy, lesbianism, adultery, and fornication.