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Gospel: Luke 17:1-6
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”
And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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A few years ago, a story went viral about a retired Army veteran named Anthony Maggert, who was driving to Walter Reed Hospital for a routine doctor’s appointment.
On his way, Anthony noticed a car pulled over on the side of the road with a flat tire. Without hesitation, he stopped to help.
To his surprise, the person with the unfortunate flat was General Colin Powell, an American hero and fellow Army veteran.
The two quickly became friends as Powell recognized in Maggert that instinctive selflessness written into the DNA of our nation’s veterans, who freely risked their lives in defense of our democracy.
In Maggert’s case, he served three tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan, losing one of his legs along the way.
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It’s hard to imagine equaling Maggert’s sacrifice, although some extraordinary men and women have.
But two ways we can all thank our veterans today is to be grateful for this wonderful nation we all call home. Then pay that gratitude forward.
Find some small way to sacrifice your time, treasure, or talent for a neighbor in need. Change a tire, pay a visit, cook a meal, thank a veteran, beat your swords plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks.
Recognize, at least today, if not always, that beneath whatever differences we may have, we are not only Americans, we are also one family – brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Image credits: (1) California American Legion (2) WINK News (3) Vietnam Veterans of America