A few weeks ago, in church, the priest talked about the difficulty of supporting organizations whose actions we disagree with. He shared his own struggle, as a Black man and Jesuit priest, belonging to an institution that had owned and sold slaves in its history – most notoriously, the sale of hundreds of slaves in 1838 to keep Georgetown University from financial ruin.
The priest’s remarks were influenced by a New York Times article, by Rachel Swarns, that explained how Black Catholics continued to support the church despite its racist past. As she put it:
“To them, the church was bigger than the sinful white men within it. Those priests had the power to forcibly enslave people, but they did not control God, or his Son, or the Holy Spirit. The church – the true, universal church depicted in Scripture – did not belong to those men. That church – with the prayers, hymns and rituals of the faithful that had sustained these families for generations – belonged to everyone, including the throngs of newly emancipated Black Catholics.”
As the priest reminded each of us that morning, the church belongs to the community – not the men who run it. It’s our burden, not theirs, to nurture the church community and to live out the church’s values. He ended the homily with a powerful statement:
“You are the church.”
On the heels of July 4th celebrations across the United States this past week, I see parallels between the priest’s message and the struggle some of us face to be proud of our imperfect country. It is easy to see so much ugliness – racial and economic inequality, gun violence, partisanship etc. – and to feel as though patriotism is wrong.
In these moments, we should all remember that the root of the word patriot is the Greek patriotes, or “fellow countryman.” To be patriotic – to love one’s country – is really to love one’s fellow Americans, not the shameless politicians we see on TV or the backwards policies they sometimes promote.
After all, this country belongs to all of us – not just them.
I’m convinced that if we paid more attention to our own lives, rather than headlines, we would see many things that make us proud to be Americans. At The Meatloaf Kitchen, I meet volunteers who spend every single Saturday in service of others, no questions asked. My friend Jake recently left an accounting career to serve his country with the FBI. Last year almost a million immigrants became American citizens, and many more arrived in this country for the chance at a better life. Most importantly for this newsletter, I am free to write whatever I want without fear of persecution.
There’s a lot that I see to be proud of.
The most patriotic action each of us can take is to say “THIS is what we stand for,” and then go out into our communities and be an example of those values for others. This country’s flag does not belong to any single political party, religious group or race – it belongs to all of us. We all contribute towards what it stands for.
And if it patriotism seems hard, remember all that we have to be grateful for, despite the areas we know we could do better.
As my friend Omar, who immigrated here from Burkina Faso, texted me on Tuesday:
“Happy 4th of July, the lucky American citizens!”
We are all pretty damn lucky.
– Emmett
What I’m Reading:
How Big Is Your Circle of Control? – Mr. Money Mustache
“Life throws stuff at you, and you must react to it. Crappy weather shows up, and you react with a bad mood. A traffic jam snarls up your commuting, and you react by honking the horn and complaining to coworkers when you finally arrive. A health condition develops and you react by typing Mr. Money Mustache angry messages about his health insurance calculations.”
Fear of Acorns – Ted Lamade
“An irrational amount of fear is a problem because it makes us susceptible to the “Foxy Loxy’s” of the world. Those who aim to leverage fear for personal gain. Those who sell advice, products, and services that feed into the fear. Those who want it to magnify it at every turn. The media is the obvious culprit, but there are countless others.”
Five Nos – Robert Glazer
“In life and business, we can all have more success if we commit to taking more initiative, being less indecisive, and being willing to endure some emotional discomfort. This seems like a small price to pay for getting more of what you want.”
What I’m Listening To:
What Jordan Neely’s Death Tells Us About Mental Illness and Vigilantism – Honesty Podcast