Veteran's Day Homily
A Homily at DuBois Central Catholic
Editor’s Note: This is a summary of a homily Fr. Ben Daghir preached on Friday, November 8th, at DuBois Central Catholic. The Veteran’s Day celebration at DCC included breakfast with veterans, patriotic music performances by students, a flag ceremony, and Mass.
Seeing many of our students sitting with their loved ones who have faithfully served our great nation brings me great joy. It reminds me of my grandfather, who served in World War II.
I looked up to him very much. He passed away five years ago. I admired his virtue, faith, love of our nation, and deep respect for service.
We can learn a tremendous amount from our Veterans. They remind us of Jesus Christ, and they point to Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words from our Gospel, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Veterans served our great nation. Through their commitment, sacrifices, discipline, and mission, they loved others, protected others, and served others. They risked their lives so others could experience our nation's great gifts: freedom, justice, peace, and a future.
We know that the great gift of being an American has come at a great cost. Thousands of people have died to protect, defend, and preserve our great nation.
We also know that the great gift of Catholicism has come at a great cost. Jesus Christ has died so that we might have eternal life. Thousands of martyrs have been killed in the name of Jesus Christ to protect, defend, and preserve our great faith. We stand in the footsteps of remarkable men and women who have sacrificed for something far more significant than themselves.
The connection between the United States of America and Catholicism is seen in and through sacrifice.
We will soon hear Jesus say, “This is my body, which will be given up for you,” and “This is my blood, which will be poured out for you.” These are words of sacrifice, of complete service to others. They are the heart of the Gospel.
Our Veterans’ remarkable commitment to our nation also says, “This is my body given up for you” and “This is my blood poured out for you.” The mark of a remarkable soul is sacrifice and service for others.
To all our students at DuBois Central Catholic, I highly encourage you to admire our Veterans and consider a life of complete service to our nation, church, and communities. Our Veterans can and should inspire us to be more like Christ.
I want to direct our attention to the American flag on the wall. Its great colors are red, white, and blue. I want to focus on each color, and we’ll see that the flag, when interpreted through the Catholic faith, has important lessons for us.
Let’s start with the color blue. In the Catholic faith, blue reflects that of God. In Catholic art, blue is reflective of divinity. Notice where the blue is on the flag; it holds the fifty states together. We are “One Nation Under God,” we also say, “In God we trust.” The blue reflects these extraordinary American claims. The United States of America, as we look closely at the flag, remains united in so far as God works in and through our fifty states. The remarkable stars shine bright only when the blue surrounds them. This reflects God’s providence and watchful eye over our great nation.
Of course, we have the color white. In the Catholic faith, white represents holiness, sanctity, and purity. The American flag teaches us a valuable lesson: the color white is side-by-side with the color red. Interesting, isn’t it?
The color red is prominent - it’s the color of blood. The color red reflects the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Holiness, sanctity, and purity are found side-by-side with that of sacrifice.
Do we want to be holy? Do we want to be saints? Do we want to be pure? We must sacrifice for others. There is no white without red. That’s a great lesson from the American flag.
Like our Veterans, let your life say, “This is my body given up for you” and “This is my blood poured out for you.” Like our American flag, let white be side-by-side with red.
Again, seeing so many of our students with Veterans brings me great joy. May we all look up to our Veterans and, in doing so, be more like Jesus Christ.
To our Veterans, thank you for your service to our great nation.
Fr. Ben Daghir
