Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

As a boy growing up in the Catholic school system, Dec. 7th was always the day before the Immaculate Conception, the patroness of the United States of America. It was a Holy Day of Obligation and as a feast day, a day off from school was anticipated. However, the prayer that would begin our classes reflected the sentiments of the religious sisters, our teachers, many of whom were young girls on Dec. 7, 1941, and how their memories shaped them in a significant way. In my home and the larger community, Dec. 7, 1941, was tagged the “Day which will live in infamy.” This was the very brief but impactful speech delivered by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt after the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Naval aircraft on the American base on Pearl Harbor.

My parents, aunts and uncles observed the day by remembering that this was the moment that brought the United States of America into World War II. My father and uncles would all proudly wear the uniforms of the country and separate from family and friends for years to engage in battles in Europe and the Islands of the Pacific. It was also a remembrance of those who paid the ultimate price. In my family, there was a man my aunt was planning to marry who died as a sailor aboard ship in a naval battle. I was too young to have experienced that day, and I only knew of their experience vicariously through the films presented on television and the expression of their feelings. It was easy to determine that this was a life-changing event, and I understood, even as a boy, why this day had such importance.

The event that occurred on Dec. 7, 1941 demanded a response. In some sense, it defined us and our corporate identity, as well as our willingness to stand and protect the sovereignty of our nation. There would be other moments in our more recent history that would be transformative for ourselves as individuals and as a community. Depending upon one’s age, there was the Cuban Missile Crisis (when the world was on the brink of a nuclear war); the John F. Kennedy assassination (the end of Camelot); and of course, there was 9/11 (the burning of the twin towers seared in our memories).

All the events that attack our “national persona” challenge our willingness to defend and stand tall for who we are and what we believe. As time passes, the significance of the experience also diminishes. This is true for all the events that have shaped our collective historical consciousness.

For instance, we can’t possibly know what George Washington and our forefathers were faced with when seeking independence from an all-powerful England, or the problems that faced Abraham Lincoln in fighting to preserve the Union and end slavery. But what they accomplished helped to develop us as a nation and as a people.

It seems that our modern social critics hold a mirror of perfection on past historical figures. I doubt that these so-called critics would possess the same passion to preserve and protect the freedoms that characterized our previous generations; although at times imperfect, they defended and protected us. I pray that future social critics will not condemn us for our wanted disregard for the life in the womb and the killing of tens of millions of the unborn; the trillions of dollars in debt imposed on future generations; and our silence in the face of the erosion and surrender of religious liberties and our freedom of speech.

We can and do learn from our imperfect collective experiences if we always seek to do our best to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the December 7, 2021 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.