Can I be a little vulnerable for a minute? Many years, it’s hard for me to celebrate the Fourth of July. Often, this is because July 4th falls in the midst of a very full season for me between running summer camps and personal travel. In all of the busyness, I find myself wanting to spend the day catching up on sleep or laundry. Sometimes, due to economic or political unrest in our country or in the world, it just feels hard to celebrate being an American.
I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when I read the first lines of the first reading for Mass this weekend: “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he…” (Zechariah 9:9).
At first glance, this passage sounds to our Catholic ears familiar with the liturgical year as though it belongs in Advent. Why would the Church give us this first reading in July? While I don’t know all of the answers to that question, I do know one: the Church’s wisdom comes from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows my heart (and yours) and knows what we need at every moment. “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Lord foreknew and preordained that this particular verse would strike my heart on this particular day.
I can rejoice knowing that no matter what is happening in my heart or in my country, my God is on the throne. I can shout for joy because I am the daughter of a mighty King. I can praise my King’s name forever because “The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145). This Fourth of July weekend, I can run into the arms of Jesus, who promises me true rest. And so can you.
Jocelyn Johnson
Director of Parish Life
