TEXT: Thirteenth Sunday Ordinary Time, June 28, 2026
June 28, 2026 Father De Celles Homily
12th Sunday Ordinary Time
June 21, 2026
Homily by Fr. John De Celles
St. Raymond of Peñafort Catholic Church
Springfield, VA
This week we celebrate the 250th anniversary of
the signing of the Declaration of Independence,
the birthday of these United States of America.
And it is right we celebrate this birthday.
But there are many who will use this time
not to actually cele-brate, but to be-rate and complain.
They take it as a time to list all the problems in American,
both today and in our past,
and to demand change,
sometimes with great anger and even violence.
For example, this coming weekend activists plan
“No Kings” demonstrations in Washington and other cities,
an “End the Occupation” rally in Los Angeles,
and “Free America Weekend of Action” in New Jersey.
And you know that the media will be full of folks complaining.
But, my friends, this is supposed to be a celebration.
The celebration of a birthday,
the birthday of something we love, or should love: America.
Imagine throwing a birthday party for your teenage daughter,
maybe her “sweet 16.”
And instead of singing “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you…”
you sing “Unhappy Birthday to you!”
The Muppets wrote a song like that—you could just borrow that.
Or maybe it’s your Dad’s 50th birthday,
and instead of singing
“For he’s a jolly good fellow…For he’s a jolly good fellow,”
you sing, “For he’s a terrible fellow!”
Or imagine on your 25th wedding anniversary you said to your spouse,
“Honey, I love you, and to honor you on this special day
I’ve made a list of the 25 very worst things you did
in each of our years of marriage.”
Isn’t that exactly what a lot of Americans do with July 4th?
They say, “Yes, we love America, but…
there’s a lot of things wrong with it that need to change.”
They take the day as an opportunity to tear down
our nation, our history, and our values.
To dwell especially on her past sins
and how they make America a bad place to live today.
You may even do that yourselves somewhat.
Even if you really do love America,
you can’t help but notice the problems we have today.
I know it bothers you, and you complain about it.
And you may even let it consume you.
Even the slogan “Make America Great Again”
presumes America is not great anymore—there’s something wrong.
Consider the recent Gallup poll that showed
only 58% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely” or “very” proud
to be an American.
In January of 2001 that figure was 88%.
That’s a thirty-point drop!
Now, don’t get me wrong. America has made a lot of mistakes in the past,
some terrible sins.
And today we do need to make a lot of changes;
some things are obviously broken.
I for one have often preached about those problems
and the need for change.
And I’ve even done that in some July 4th homilies.
But I’m not going to go through all those bad things today
because not only do you know them already,
but as I think about them, I think, “Not this year.”
Well, actually, I am going to list one thing that is broken
and that needs to change. Actually two.
The first thing that needs to change is we need a return to patriotism.
Now, some might say, “But Father,
should you preach about patriotism in a homily?
What does that have to do with God, or Catholicism?”
Well, it has a lot to do with both.
Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are
first, to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength,
and second, to love your neighbor as yourself.
We see in that the nature of love as having priorities.
First, love God, then below Him, love your neighbor.
This is really what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel when He says,
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…”
Jesus points out in this saying, as St. Thomas Aquinas explains,
that our first neighbor is our family:
“Whoever loves father or mother…[or]
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me…”
This is why the Ten Commandments tell us first,
“Honor your father and mother,”
and then, “You shall not commit adultery,”
or put more positively, “Honor your spouse.”
But after family our second neighbor in priority, so to speak,
is our country, or our “patria” in Latin, and our fellow countrymen.
God gives you parents and family to love and care for you,
and in return He calls you to love and care for them—to “honor” them.
In the same way, God gives us our country and fellow countrymen
to love and care for us,
and so, we in turn must love and care for our country and countrymen
—we must honor it and them.
In Catholicism this love of country is called the Virtue of Patriotism.
Now, some today say that this is wrongheaded.
Many would equate, or conflate, “patriotism” with “nationalism.”
But historically “nationalism” is very different from patriotism,
in that historical nationalism wouldn’t say
“America first,” but “America first, last and only.”
Patriotism does not do that.
A Patriot would not say, “American, first, last and only,”
but rather, “God first, family second, America third
…and everyone else fourth, fifth, etc.”
Or simply the saying, “God, family and country.”
Patriotism is the right and necessary love of country and our countrymen.
The second thing we need to change, related to patriotism,
is we need to restore pride in our country.
A few weeks ago I preached about pride
and explained that there is a sinful pride,
which is “exaggerated self-worth,”
and there is a good pride which is “reasonable self-worth.”
And I quoted St. Thomas Aquinas saying,
“There is a good and an evil pride…
A sinful pride which God resists,
and a pride that denotes the glory which [God] bestows.”
That good pride is what the 4th of July is supposed to be about.
Not “a time for reflection on the good and the bad,”
or a time to be ashamed or protest or tear each other down.
But a time to celebrate the good in our nation,
specifically, the good bestowed on us by God.
We spend way too much time reflecting—and worrying and arguing—
about the bad things.
The 4th is a time to focus on what a great country we have.
Yes, it’s not perfect, but who says to the birthday girl or boy,
“Hey, happy birthday, but don’t let it go to your head.
You’re not really perfect,
so let’s talk about the time you were mean to your sister…”?
And that’s not what we should do on our nation’s birthday.
Especially on this very special birthday, the Semiquincentennial
—America 250.
We should spend time thinking about the amazing gifts and interventions
God has made in the life of our nation.
From the miraculous victory
of a ragtag army of farmers, cobblers, teachers and businessmen
defeating the best equipped, trained and professional army
of the most powerful nation in the world
to gain our independence.
To the founding fathers, who,
in signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776,
in reality signed their own death warrants as traitors to the king,
and so wrote:
“With a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes
and our sacred Honor.”
To the 600,000 Americans who gave life or limb in a civil war to end slavery.
To the victories over communism and fascism
that attempted to enslave the world.
To the pioneers who led our economic expansion,
creating the greatest economy the world has ever seen,
that has lifted more people out of poverty than any other in history.
To the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted,
among them freedom of speech, assembly, conscience and religion.
To the fundamental values enshrined in the Declaration and Constitution,
and in the very fabric of an American society formed by and rooted in
the Christian Faith and Christian moral values.
A society that demands justice, yearns for peace,
and embraces true equality in the eyes of God.
An America that really does strive to be
the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And that’s not all: God has bestowed everything we have that is good.
As Abraham Lincoln once wrote:
“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand
worked out these great things.
They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God.”
This is what makes America great.
This is what we love about America,
and why we should be patriots and have pride in her.
___
Now, I’ve used the analogy of a birthday or anniversary party.
When you come to celebrate a birthday or anniversary,
you don’t just come to praise or to eat cake or drink champagne.
If you have any kind of sense, you bring a present.
So, what present will you bring to this party?
This American Semiquincentennial party?
It should be a gift that expresses your true love for America,
and your true pride in America—as Aquinas says
“a pride that denotes the glory which [God] bestows.”
Many of you give the gift of service,
especially those who serve in the military,
many even putting their very lives at risk out of love for America.
“No greater love has a man than this,” Jesus tells us.
But I would suggest the best gift we can give to America
is one that comes from the truest love and purest pride:
You can give the gift of Jesus Christ.
If it is true that all of America’s great gifts have come from God,
then it is equally true that America and Americans
can only be truly great to the extent
they understand those gifts and the God who gives them.
That “God” is not just some nebulous “divine providence”
or, as the Declaration says, “Nature’s God,”
but rather He is the Triune God, the Blessed Trinity
revealed in Jesus Christ.
And He most completely and truly revealed
in the Church He established,
“Go forth and teach all nations, and baptize them.”
This in His Catholic Church.
If we truly love America,
should we not share all this with our countrymen?
Not by imposing, but by proposing.
Beginning with the example we give them of loving God and neighbor,
not according to the values of a sinful culture that tears man down,
but of Jesus Christ who brings man to his most high calling.
This is the birthday gift we should bring to America:
Jesus and His Church.
___
As we now move more deeply into the mystery of this Holy Mass,
this Eucharist, this Sacrament of thanksgiving,
let us thank the Lord for the many amazing blessings
He has showered on our nation.
And in this Eucharist, this Sacrament of Love,
as Jesus offers Himself in love and to His Father and to us,
and we offer ourselves in love to Him and to His Father,
let us also, in love, offer our prayers for our country and countrymen.
May the love of Christ truly permeate and transform
everything we do and are.
May He lead America to the greatness He intends for us in this world.
And may He lead all Americans to the perfection
He intends for us in the world to come.
Praised be Jesus Christ, and May GOD BLESS AMERICA!