Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez said in a recent homily that although many Americans seem to have lost faith, there is still hope for the nation.
He gave the homily at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels during a Feb. 4 Mass for peace.
“We join our prayers with those of our Catholic brothers and sisters all across our country,” he said at the beginning of his homily, which has been published in an edited form by Angelus News. “We pray for peace. Peace in our streets and neighborhoods, and also peace in our hearts.”
He prayed for those in government and law enforcement as well as those protesting recent immigration enforcement.
“We ask the Lord to take away the spirit of confrontation and give us a spirit of cooperation,” he said. “We ask Jesus to open every hardened heart and awaken again the conscience of America.”
The archbishop reflected on the Gospel reading, which described when Christ returned to his homeland and was saddened and amazed by his countrymen’s lack of faith.
“This passage of the Gospel makes me reflect on what’s going on in our country,” he said. “We’re in a moment when it seems like many have lost faith in America’s promise and her founders’ vision.”
He particularly lamented that this is occurring during the 250th year of the nation.
“This should be a time for renewal, not a time of retreat,” he said.
He added that the Founding Fathers dreamed of a country where people of all backgrounds would be able to live with dignity. He said that as Americans and Christians, those assembled must speak out for human dignity.
“Every crisis is a crisis of saints,” he continued. “So now is the hour for our Christian witness. It is our duty as followers of Jesus to help America recover her soul.”
He prayed for Christians to show discipline and restraint and to see the humanity of their enemies.
“We all share this beautiful vision — the vision of God, the vision of Jesus, the vision of America’s founders,” he said. “This beautiful vision of every man and every woman as a child of God, made in God’s image, with a sanctity and dignity that must be cherished and fostered.”
He also encouraged those present to be close to immigrants, saying, “Let them know that nothing can ever separate them from the love of God!”
“In this time and this moment,” he added, “we are also called to help our country to recover her national story of liberty and equality under God. We need to help our neighbors to see the beautiful vision that we see. We need to find new ways to summon the best of the American character, ‘the better angels of our nature,’ as someone once said. We are in a difficult moment, a challenging moment, a time of division and even violence. But our country has faced hard times before and overcame them.”