Pearl Harbor Day

President Roosevelt referred to December 7, 1941 as a "day that would live in infamy." There will be a large number of people who will read this blog today who were not yet born when this tragic event took place in the history of America. It was one of the factors if not the major factor that propelled our involvement as a nation in WW II. Over 2400 American servicemen died that day and over 1,000 were injured through the attack on our military forces that day. 

I understand and remember that we honored and remembered our Veterans on Veterans Day but I felt led to remind us to remember the price that has been paid and continues to be paid so that America could live in and enjoy our FREEDOM!! I also understand that our nation is not perfect and that we have problems that need to be discussed and that proper adjustments need to be made to correct these problems. But aren't you glad that we have the freedom to openly discuss these issues and that we have the freedom to make the changes that are revealed to us through these discussions? Aren't you glad that we have the freedom to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world? Aren't you glad that we have the freedom to gather in our houses of Worship and offer our praise, worship and adoration to the King of Kings? I do not want people to forget that we have freedom because of the awesome people who saw a threat to our freedom and they chose to make the appropriate response. I do not want people to forget those brave men and women who continue to identify the challenges to our freedom and they choose to make the correct response. Don't forget these men and women when you cash or deposit your pay check. Don't forget these men and women as you shop in the mall. Don't forget these men and women when you sit and enjoy your meal at Christmas. Don't forget these men and women when you gather in your circle of family and friends and complain about the challenges that we are facing in America. Don't forget these men and women when you attend a Christmas Worship service and once again the Holy Spirit reminds each of us about the awesome Love of God that has been released in our lives!!

I read an interesting story about a sacrifice that a Catholic Priest chose to make on that December day in 1941. I am going to share a portion of the blog from which I read this story earlier this morning.

Aloysius H. Schmitt was a Catholic priest from St. Lucas, Iowa. He was serving as a Navy chaplain aboard the USS Oklahoma on this fateful day.

The Washington Post tells his story. Father Schmitt had just said Mass that Sunday morning when his ship was hit by at least nine Japanese torpedoes and grazed by several bombs. The battleship quickly rolled over in the water, trapping hundreds of men below deck. Some were saved by rescue crews or swam underwater to find their way out. A few managed to escape through portholes. Father Schmitt is said to have helped as many as twelve sailors get out of one small compartment. He chose to remain behind while they crawled to safety. As a result, he died while they lived.

His remains were recovered from the Oklahoma wreckage during a months-long salvage operation, but they were too damaged and jumbled with other bodies to be identified. As a result, they were buried as "unknowns" in a Hawaii cemetery. Last September, Father Schmitt's body was identified with the help of DNA retrieved from a skull bone and matched to a relative.

The priest's chalice and prayer book were recovered from the wreckage a few months after the attack. They have been kept at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, the college from which Father Schmitt graduated in 1932. His prayer book was found marked with a page ribbon for the December 8 readings, including the Eighth Psalm in Latin:

Domine, Dominus noster, quam admirable est nomen tuam in universa terra! Translated, David's words of praise read, "O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your name in all the earth!"

I believe that these words explain Father Schmitt's courage.

We serve God sacrificially to the degree that we believe him worthy of our sacrifice. And we do not allow the sins of others to deter us from serving him if we know that our sins cannot change his majestic character.

Father Schmitt started December 7, 1941, by praising and serving our magnificent Lord. 

Let's join him today.