One of the awesome and touching experiences of visiting Washington, D.C. is seeing the Viet Nam Memorial.  It is a long black wall with the names of more than the 50,000 men and women who lost their lives in that war.  There is a sacred silence and mournful spirit that surrounds that wall.  Some people take a piece of paper and trace the name of their loved one from the wall.  These men and women gave their lives in the cause of freedom and in the name of our nation.  There is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  In a very reverent and respectful way that tomb is guarded ceremoniously to help us to remember the sacrifice that this unknown person made, the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for the good of our nation. The Lincoln Memorial is filled with quotes from our sixteenth president who was assassinated.  His efforts and courage enabled our nation to throw off the sinful practice of slavery and begin the civil rights movement.  Then there are the World War II Memorial and the Korean War Memorial.  All of these remind us of how vicious war is, how so many people of our nation, especially the young, gave their lives.  With their attitude we can be sure they would have become life-giving citizens and great contributors to the good of our nation.

There is excitement now that the Democratic nominee for president is clear.  Obama speaks well and inspires the crowds.  Headlines proclaimed that history was made when he achieved the number of delegates necessary for the nomination.  He is the first African American to achieve such a position.  His message communicates a promise of change. We do need change in our nation and in the attitudes of those who are responsible for leading our nation.  The war in Iraq and the conflict in Afghanistan continue to drain our spirit and cause anxiety and tension in the lives of family and friends who have loved ones in those places.  How can these conflicts be ended quickly and stop the loss of life for our service men and women as well as for the people of those nations? We all want that.  There is frustration and concern as those conflicts drag on.  Currently we are concerned about the rising cost of gasoline and diesel fuel.  None of the candidates are really addressing this issue, but it is one that has our attention.  Our life style and our expenses are being affected.

A change we certainly need in our country is the way we allow abortion to be legal.  There are no memorials to the victims of this practice since it was legalized in 1973.  Since that time more than 40 million children have been brutally taken from wombs, neatly and efficiently by “professionals.” That procedure leaves the scar of disappointment and guilt in so many women who have abortions and is a terrible sore in the moral character of our nation.  Any person, be they politicians or not, who promotes and supports abortion has a responsibility for the more than 40 million who have been murdered through this procedure.  In fact, we all have a responsibility to do what we can to change this evil.  None of us were on the Supreme Court that made abortion legal, but we do elect the people who choose these justices.  We vote for the people who determine what is legal and lawful in our nation.  Children in the womb have no choice about conception, abortion or birth.  They are totally innocent and defenseless.  We are their only hope for support and life.  A nation whose citizens promote or look the other way when someones life is taken weakens the way we treat one another, misleads our young people and affects the way we deal with all people in the world.  How can we expect respect when we have no respect or concern for the most vulnerable among us?

Things are the way they are because of the evil others have done and the good that we have not done.  Our awesome responsibility throughout all the publicity surrounding the candidates running for president and the other offices in our nation is to vote only for those who will defend life and correct what is wrong.  Sadly the enthusiasm the Democratic historic candidate fosters is tainted by his clear support of abortion.  In today’s gospel Jesus sends out his disciples to drive out demons.  Would that we took that call seriously in our nation at this time and united to get rid of those who have the power to allow this evil to prevail and keep supporting and promoting it.  We as Catholics have great power to do good and the responsibility to live it out by word and action.  There is no greater memorial we as American Catholic citizens can leave behind than saving those who cannot defend and save themselves. What a testimony to our gratitude for the gift of life.

Father Walden