The Kingdom Where the Lowly Are Lifted Up and the Mighty Humbled
“In God’s Kingdom, the humble and the mighty stand together, lifted by love.”
🎆A Special Fourth of July Message from Fr. Rich 🎆
Happy Fourth of July, friends!
Today we celebrate the ideals that launched our nation: liberty, justice, and the hope of a better future for all. These are big, beautiful words, but they are also daily work, work we are still called to today.
Freedom isn’t just about fireworks and picnics (though I hope you enjoy those too!). It’s about asking ourselves:
Who still needs freedom in our time?
Who is still waiting for justice, dignity, and welcome?
How can we use our voices and choices to help build a nation where everyone can thrive?
It’s easy to get discouraged by the noise of politics and the weight of the world. But let’s remember that the promise of freedom is renewed every time we choose love over fear, justice over convenience, and hope over cynicism.
May this Fourth of July be a day of gratitude for the freedoms we have, and a day of recommitment to ensuring those freedoms extend to all.
God bless you, and God bless all who work for a more just, compassionate, and truly free nation.
Enjoy your celebrations, and let freedom ring!
In Christ,
Fr. Rich
Daily Reflection
There is a quiet mystery in the way God sees the world. In a world obsessed with power and status, Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom where the first are last, and the last are first. A Kingdom where the hungry are fed, the poor are blessed, and the mighty are brought low so that all may stand on equal footing before God.
“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” (Luke 1:52)
It is easy to read these words and think they are only for the poor and the powerful. But they are for all of us. Each of us holds within us a poverty that longs for God, a part of ourselves that hungers to be seen, healed, and lifted up.
And each of us holds within us pride, self-sufficiency, and the illusion of control that must be brought low so we can truly stand before God, empty-handed and ready to receive.
In God’s Kingdom, the servant and the master stand side by side, beloved children before their Father. The world’s hierarchies dissolve in the presence of the One who sees us as we truly are.
Jesus loved the poor and the vulnerable not because they were more valuable, but because their need made them ready to receive the Kingdom. Their dependence on God was not a flaw, but a gift, reminding the rest of us what it means to be human before God.
This is the mystery of the Gospel: that God’s heart is drawn to the humble, the poor in spirit, the ones who know they need Him. And this is why we, too, are called to lift up the lowly, to care for the poor, to stand with the vulnerable, because it is there that we find Christ Himself.
A Quiet Invitation
If you have been clinging tightly to power, control, or certainty, perhaps today is a day to let go.
If you have felt unseen, unvalued, or unworthy, perhaps today is a day to remember that God sees you, loves you, and calls you blessed.
This is the Kingdom, here and now, waiting for us to open our hands and receive it.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You who became poor so that we might be rich in your love,
Help us to see ourselves and others as you see us,
To let go of pride and embrace humility,
To lift up the lowly and to stand with the poor,
So that your Kingdom may come,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
If this reflection speaks to you, share it with someone who needs to remember that in God’s Kingdom, we all stand on equal ground, beloved and called to love.
Social Justice Roundup
🟢 The Good
NEA Honors Educators Advancing Equity
A national spotlight shone on educators today as the NEA announced the winners of its 2025 Human and Civil Rights Awards. Nine advocates, teachers, organizers, and community leaders were honored for their exceptional work in promoting equity, justice, and inclusion across U.S. schools. Their efforts are nurturing social change from the classroom up, reflecting a hopeful movement toward educational fairness.
🔴 The Bad
ICE Raids Chill Summer Celebrations
Fear of immigration enforcement is putting community events at risk. With recent ICE operations targeting church grounds and public spaces, several Fourth of July celebrations in Los Angeles and beyond were canceled, residents and organizers citing safety concerns above holiday festivities. This sober development underscores how enforcement tactics are disrupting daily life and eroding trust.
⚫ The Ugly
“Big Beautiful Bill” Could Hurt Low-Income Americans
House passage of Trump’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill” has drawn fierce criticism. Analysts warn it cuts vital programs, Medicaid, SNAP, clean energy support, while offering major tax benefits to the richest Americans. The Guardian labels it “harsh, mean, brutal,” calling out a policy tilt that adds trillions to deficits and strips health care from millions.
✅ 1. Pray the Magnificat Slowly
Read Luke 1:46–55 out loud, slowly, letting the words about God “lifting up the lowly” and “bringing down the mighty” sink in. Notice what phrase stands out to you, and sit with it in quiet prayer for 5 minutes.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.