What does it mean to “Make America Great Again?” Do we know with any certainty what our current president means by that? Does he mean powerful? Respected? Self-reliant? Wealthy? Secure? Feared? I wonder. And I wonder if even he knows what he means by that slogan. But, I think a more important question is: Do we know what we mean by that?
Each of us probably has a slightly different vision of what it means to be a great country. When you think of America and greatness, what comes to mind? The Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence? The Constitution? Military power? The Lincoln Memorial? The Capital? Mt. Rushmore? Maybe it’s the Mississippi River? The Florida Keys? Or the Grand Canyon? George Washington crossing Delaware? A line of covered wagons crossing an empty prairie? Benjamin Franklin with his kite and key? Thomas Edison and his light bulb? Or Rosa Parks and the courage to just sit down, or Martin Luther King Jr. and his willingness to stand up…
There are many kinds of greatness: political, economic, academic, artistic, athletic… But the “Sermon on the Plain” from the Gospel of Luke reminds us how God measures greatness. This past Sunday (2/16/25) at Mass we heard a reading of the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Luke (6:20-26):
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude and insult you,
and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way…”
If we ever hope to “Make America Great Again” we might want to read up on what true greatness looks like. It appears to have nothing to do with monuments or seats of power, human wealth, reputation or comfort. Nothing at all to do with “easy living.” And yet we might still wonder: Ok... But, what does it actually look like? In practice? Lived out? Luke has an answer for that, too.
Next Sunday our Mass reading picks up at the very next verse (6: 27-38) and we get a clear glimpse of the greatness Jesus wants for us:
“To you who hear I say,
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you… Stop judging and you will not be judged… Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
This sounds like true greatness to me, and only by measuring ourselves against these simple and clear instructions will we know the true measure of our greatness. Turning away the hungry and disparaging or ridiculing our opponents (or enemies) will never make us great. Instead, we should listen to the Blessed Virgin Mary and simply “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)
