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July 4, 2010

 

Fr. Rick’s Reflections

In the big 4th of July caldron, this week I‘ve mixed together in my mind patriotism, fireworks, parades, memories of picnics with burgers, macaroni salads and Aunt Jean’s infamous Velveeta and Spam casserole (yuck) and an exuberant and robust Kate Smith singing God Bless America.

Kate Smith albums (for all of you born after 1990, albums were larger, flat, vinyl CDs) were stacked on the living room console (a cabinet used to house a stereo system) of my childhood home. My mom loved Kate Smith, sang like Kate Smith, she even began to look like Kate Smith---so much so, to this day it’s an eerie feeling to see Kate sing. In the middle of her song, I half expect her to pull a wrinkled Kleenex from her purse, lick it and wipe something off my face.

Kate broadcasted a weekly radio program in the 1930s and she needed a sign-off song so Kate asked a friend, who asked Irving Berlin, to get one for her. Berlin had written the song years ago but filed it away. When asked, he had his secretary pull it out of the file, and Irvin made some revisions and presented it to Kate--- thus God Bless America was her weekly benediction to a post WWI country. It became a great hit and to this day all the royalties go to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America.

I’m not too hip or cool to admit that I like Kate Smith’s song, about the “land that I love.” I think we should pray God “stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above.” But that is not enough. According to our Psalm 66:7 Bless our God you people. If our nation forgets to bless God will God forget to bless our nation? I’m thankful that among all the fireworks and parades and casseroles, millions of Americans will go to the church of their choice and bless God.

Fr. Rick