In response to this historic event, John Adams, one of only two of the Founding Fathers to go on to become president, wrote to his wife Abigail:
“…This day ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of the continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
It is called Independence day because we celebrate our independence from tyrannical rule. It was the contention of our Founding Fathers that the British Rule of the American Colonies was tyrannical and unjust, and so we declared our independence from that tyranny in order to govern ourselves justly, that we may freely exercise and pursue our God given rights.
Freedom. It’s not just a civic or philosophical ideal, but a biblical one. St. Paul wrote to the Galatians “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” But, what does Paul mean by that word, Freedom? Paul was certainly echoing our Lord, who said in John chapter 8, “If the Son of God sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Through Jesus we are now free to pursue our highest good, eternal life with God in heaven. We are able to exercise our free will aided by grace to pursue truth and goodness for ourselves and our fellow man.
Back in 2009, I was able to travel to Washington D.C. when Pope Benedict visited our nation’s capital. When he came to D.C., Pope Benedict’s first stop was the White House to meet with the President. And President Bush did something quite noble: he asked the Holy Father to offer a teaching on the Christian meaning of Freedom. “In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message,” President Bush said to the Pope, “that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but in a spirit of mutual support.”
Over the course of his several day visit the Pope made Freedom one of the central themes of all of his talks, while also calling out all of those counterfeit versions of freedom that are undermining the real thing. For true liberty gives our country life, abuse of freedom threatens our country’s future.
This weekend as we give thanks to God for our gift of freedom, I’d like to reflect a bit on Pope Benedict’s message.
Pope Benedict began his catechesis with the founding fathers, who risked their lives to sign the declaration of independence. These men were of great intellectual, philosophical, and theological integrity. Holy Father stated, “From the dawn of the Republic America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator.
The media often portrays many of our founding fathers as secular humanists who wanted nothing to do with religion. However, 26 of the 58 signers of the declaration of independence had degrees in theology. John Adams spoke for many of the signers of the declaration when he said that, “it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.”
Freedom, therefore, is inextricably linked to the moral order, to God’s moral law. Without right religion, right morality, freedom is threatened. This is why we need our populace and politicians, police and judges, to be moral, religious people.
In the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord laments how Israel had hardened its heart toward the commandments of God—Israel had become a rebellious house. And so God sent Ezekiel to help Israel wake up and repent and return to the way of life that would bring them freedom from sin.
When you and I were baptized, the priest or deacon put oil on our heads and said, I anoint you priest, prophet, and king. So, like Ezekiel those thousands of years ago, you and I, in this age of the church, have a prophetic role to this nation. We are tasked by God to prophetically preach the word of freedom to the captives. To call our fellow citizens, our politicians, to uphold the tenets of right morality, for freedom’s sake, for their souls’ sake.
Now you might say, that it’s improper to force our religious beliefs on anyone, and you’re right. We aren’t to force anybody, but we have to make the invitation. It’s our duty, it’s our identity—to be prophets. In the words of Ezekiel, “whether they heed or resist—they shall know that a prophet has been among them.” Whether the world listens or not, we have a prophetic duty to teach the truth.
But of course, actions speak louder than words. So, more important than engaging in political debate is the need to embody that freedom in our lives.
“Freedom is not only a gift,” Pope Benedict said but “a summons to personal responsibility…The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good”
That our public schools and universities are becoming devoid of a proper understanding of civic responsibility, and inundated with perverse philosophies should be deeply concerning to us, for these things do undermine and threaten liberty. But what Pope Benedict here is rightly teaching is freedom begins at home, moreso, with the personal responsibility of cultivating virtue in our own life.
Our greatest duty in the ongoing campaign to reclaim and preserve authentic freedom, as always, as Christians, is to become a Saint. Become as Holy as we can through the grace of God and the practice of our faith is of the greatest prophetic value. True independence is found by recognizing and living out of our total dependence on God.
Dependence on God for our daily bread. Dependence on God to order our life, to guard us from temptation, to forgive our sins through Christ his Son. Dependence on God to convert the hardened of heart, to bring unity to a divided nation, to sanctify us and enable us to live in the true freedom of the children of God.
So we pray for our nation this Independence day, that we and our fellow citizens will be committed to pursuing and protecting authentic freedom. We pray in gratitude for those who shed their blood for the freedom we enjoy today. And we pray that we, as Christians, will prophetically witness to the world that freedom, in its ultimate sense, can only be found through Jesus Christ and His Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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