4th Week of Lent 2025 - Tuesday - Healing Waters of Christ

 

Yesterday, I reflected upon how Lent is a spiritual springtime—a time of new life, spiritual healing and spiritual growth. Today, the scripture readings continue these ideas of fruitfulness, healing, and new life.

In our first reading from the Prophet Ezekiel, we encounter a magnificent vision: waters trickling forth from beneath the temple, gradually deepening into a vast river. This river brings renewal and abundant life wherever it flows, transforming even salty seas into fresh waters teeming with life. Trees lining the riverbanks flourish abundantly, their leaves serving as medicine and their fruits as nourishment.

The imagery from Ezekiel reminds us that wherever God’s grace flows, new life emerges, healing occurs, and everything it touches is renewed and restored. During this Lenten season, God’s grace can renew us, as we engage in Lenten prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

In the Gospel, Jesus brings healing and life to a man who had been suffering for nearly forty years.  The man is healed when he listens to and obeys the command of Jesus.

Just as Ezekiel’s river healed and revitalized everything it touched, Christ Himself is the living water, bringing renewal to the sick, the broken, and the despairing. Yet, just as importantly, today's Gospel challenges us to reflect upon our openness and willingness to be healed by Christ.

The man at the Pool of Bethesda represents all who have experienced long periods of spiritual stagnation or brokenness. We often remain spiritually "paralyzed" by sin, fear, resentment, or doubt. Like the man, we might find ourselves waiting passively, feeling helpless. Jesus asks the same question to each of us during Lent that he asked to the man: "Do you want to be well?" Do you want healing? Do you want restoration?

Many Christians fail to recognize their need for spiritual healing. They think. I’m fine. I’m a good person. But Lent is a time of honest self-examination, where we recognize that there are always parts of us that need healing. They way we treat strangers, they way we spend our free time, the way we react when we are stressed, frustrated, what we do when we are anxious about the future.

When we allow Christ to heal and cleanse us, something transformative occurs—not just within us, but in how we impact the world around us. Just as Ezekiel’s life-giving river spread outward, nourishing everything it touched, our healed and renewed lives extend God’s grace to others. A Christian who experiences genuine healing and renewal becomes a source of life and blessing to others.

Let us respond well to the Lord’s offer of healing this Lent, that we may become vibrant streams of Christ’s life-giving grace in the world, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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Confident in God's desire to heal, renew, and restore, we now present our prayers and petitions with hopeful hearts.

For the Church, that during this Lenten season, she may continue to proclaim the healing and transformative power of Christ, inviting all people to experience renewal and new life, especially those who feel spiritually stagnant, broken, or discouraged. Let us pray to the Lord.

For leaders throughout the world, that they may be guided by God's wisdom and grace to foster justice, peace, and well-being, enabling communities to flourish. Let us pray to the Lord.

For those who suffer physically, mentally, or emotionally, that they may experience the healing presence of Christ, who restores strength, hope, and wholeness. Let us pray to the Lord.

For our deceased loved ones, that through God's merciful love, they may experience the fullness of life and eternal joy in His presence. Let us pray to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, pour forth your healing grace upon us. Hear these prayers we offer with confidence and trust, through Christ our Lord.

11th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024 - Parables of Growth

 One of the hallmarks of the Lord’s preaching and teaching is his use of parables. Through parables, the Lord drew upon images, ideas, and customs from the everyday life of 1st century Israel—like farming and family. 

Farming images--Seeds, plants, and trees feature significantly in our scripture readings this weekend—fittingly—as Ordinary Time is aimed at being a season of growth for us. The color green worn by the priest during Ordinary Time reminds us of the spiritual growth that each of us has the responsibility of cultivating within ourselves during this liturgical season. 

In the first reading, Ezekiel’s prophecy contains a very surprising image of growth—a majestic sprawling tree. And I say it was a surprising image because Ezekiel was prophesying during the time in the history of Israel when the tree of King David’s royal dynasty appeared to be dying. Half the tree, half the kingdom, had already been decimated—Northern Israel had been conquered by Assyria, and the southern region was also in serious trouble, Babylon had exiled many and demolished the royal city of Jerusalem.

The tree of David looked like it had just about had it. But in the midst of this quite depressing time, Ezekiel is tasked by God to gives a prophecy of new life: God will preserve the dynasty of David and it will grow once more. 

Now many must have scoffed at Ezekiel’s prophecy. For the ancient Near East had seen many nations annihilated and many royal dynasties exterminated and forgotten by history. And never had it been known for a royal house to be dethroned, exiled—and then established, let alone flourish to become tree that would encompass all the nations of the world. So, Ezekiel’s prophecy was a promise that was going to do something amazing.

And we know, that  prophecy has been fulfilled in Christ Son of David. And the new Israel, the Church. is that tree that encompasses and embraces the nations of the world. And yet, Ezekiel’s promise is new life is also relevant to our individual spiritual life.

We are never too old, or too sinful, that God cannot bring about new growth in us—new life in us. There is no one out there that is so lost, so severed from God, that they cannot repent and come to life.

The communion of saints is full of men and women whose early lives were so full of sin that you never would have expected their conversion. But through the prayers of the Church, the wisdom and holy example of Christians, and the grace of God, they came to faith and the flourishing of great sanctity.

If you simply looked to the early life of St. Augustine, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Francis of Assisi—if you met them as teenagers, you’d think, these people are doomed. St. Olga of Kiev was a cruel, ruthless, murderous ruler before her conversion. Blessed Bartolo Longo was an ordained “satanic priest” before returning to the Catholic Faith and eventually becoming a third order Dominican. They are living without God. And they aren’t just not going to church on the weekends. In the Communion of Saints there are former murderers, thieves, and literal devil worshippers.

Just as God brought new life to the seemingly dying dynasty of David, he offers life to all people, including those people whose lives look like a rotting tree. He converts atheists all the time, and so he can certainly bring about new life in our neighborhood and in our souls.

In the Gospel, Jesus uses the image of the growth of a seed to explain what he calls “the kingdom of God” –--God’s reign as king both in our individual souls and in the Church. And he explains that at times the growth of that seed is imperceptible, it seems like it is dormant, and nothing is happening. And then sometimes that small seed flourishes to an amazing degree. 

God is at work in the heart of every person on this planet to bring them to faith. It may look like the seed is dormant, that God isn’t evident in their lives. He is working in their relationships, and every time they glimpse up at the tower of St. Ignatius, and see our garden club hard at work or our parishioners feeding the hungry at the food pantry. 

Truly, when non-believers can see the difference our faith makes, they are being drawn to Christ. When they see patience, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and self-control in us, they are being drawn to life.

Now the second reading didn’t explicitly use the image of a plant or tree, but St. Paul makes clear that the point of this earthly life is to grow into the people God made us to be so that we can enjoy eternal life in heaven. We have a longing for heaven, and to get there, we must cultivate faith, hope, and love. God is the farmer, and we are seeds, planted in the earth that we may grow to heavenly life until the time of the harvesting. God is planter and harvester. As the Lord says in the Gospel,  “And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” 

Each of us will face the sickle, the end of our earthly life. As St. Paul teaches, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil” so we should get busy cultivating the life of holiness taught and modeled by Christ.

Notice, too, the warning implicit in Paul’s words, “we walk by faith, not by sight”. In this earthly life, there are plenty of people who look to be happy, who seem to prosper. But Hollywood celebrities and professional athletes end up in the gutter all the time. Wealth, status, prestige, and privilege do not bring authentic fulfillment. The rich and powerful often lead empty, corrupt, perverted lives because they are not rooted in Christ. The scientific wonders of our technological age can never replace the need for God, the need to pursue heaven by cultivating divine life through prayer, right belief, the sacraments of the Church, and the acts of charity. 

As we make our way through this liturgical season of Ordinary Time, a season full of opportunities for spiritual and moral growth, may each of us consider: “where is the Lord calling me to grow this season”, “what spiritual fruits are absent in my life”, “what saint should I seek to emulate this summer”, “how is the Lord challenging me to grow in my prayer life, my moral life, my engagement in the works of charity, in working together with fellow Christians”, “who are the souls whom I should pray for more intentionally for their spiritual well-being or their return to the sacraments”?

May we be courageous in pursuing the life of the soul God wants to grow in us, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023 - The Watchman

 This last week we celebrated the feast day of a very important Saint:  Saint Gregory the Great.  Saint Gregory was pope at the beginning of the 7th century and he’s one of only two Popes to be given the title “the great” the other being Pope St. Leo the Great.

Saint Gregory was born into the world of politics—he was the son of a Roman senator.  Because of his great administrative talents and moral integrity St. Gregory came to occupy the highest civil office in Rome, that of Roman Prefect, when he was only 30 years old.  And yet, Gregory desired to devote his life more fully to the service of God, and became a quiet, simple servant of the Lord as a Benedictine monk.

God, however, had other plans for Gregory.  He was asked by the Pope to leave the monastery and become the Pope’s personal representative to Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.  And Gregory was so talented in administration and preaching and teaching that when the Pope died, all of the priests and people of Rome acclaimed him to be the new Pope.

He is called “the Great” not just because he was a talented leader.  He is called “Great” because he poured himself out in service to the Church in an exemplary, yet humble way.  He knew that true human greatness is not found in athletic trophies or political office or wealth, but through humble service to Christ.  

And I came across a wonderful commentary by Saint Gregory on the prophet Ezekiel, where Ezekiel is receiving instructions by God for his role as a prophet. God says to Ezekiel “You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.”

A watchman—St. Gregory explains is one who stands on a high place so that he can see the enemy coming from afar. When I visited Scotland at the beginning of the year, I visited Hadrian’s Wall, marking the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire. The Roman Soldiers appointed watchmen would patrol the top of Hadrian’s wall and watch the forests to the north from which the enemy was likely to approach. The watchman would stand vigilant, ready to alarm the encampment, not if, but when, the enemy approached. 

And the enemy was formidable. The Romans at Hadrian’s Wall called the tribesmen up in northern Scotland there, the pictae—from which we get the word picture. The pictae would paint themselves in camouflage and would attack at night. And so the Romans at the edge of the empire had to be extra vigilant, extra watchful because the enemy was cunning and dangerous. After all, the pictae had kept the great Roman Empire from expanding further north.

“You, Son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel.” God is speaking here to Ezekiel. As a prophet, Ezekiel was tasked with watching and pointing out the spiritual enemies of God’s people—those spiritual idolatries which so tempted the Jewish people and kept them enslaved in sin—kept them from the spiritual greatness God wanted for them. So Ezekiel had to watch and issue God’s warnings to the people. Such is the role of the prophet—to be watchmen. And every Christian is baptized to be a prophet--a prophetic watchman--to stand vigilant against evil--to warn souls and protect souls--to urge souls to turn to God.

Christian parents are to be prophetic watchmen for their children, too right? Parents are to guard their children from things that are harmful to their minds, bodies, and souls.  I can hear my parents saying, “Don’t run with scissors, don’t play in traffic, put down the video games and read a book”  Now, parents must be even more vigilant about the popular ideas their children are being exposed to on the internet and classrooms—ideas, that if followed, lead children away from the life God wants for them. And there are terrible pressures in our society now on parents, which tell parents, pressures to just let the kids do what they want. But children need to be protected, their brains and their virtues are not fully formed; not to mention that the enemy today is camouflaged—they smile, they talk about inclusivity and equality and compassion, but rooted in error, they lead so many young ones astray to distrust and hate of right religion. 

Pope Gregory explained how the bishop in his diocese is a watchman. Next week, there will be a flyer in the bulletin from the bishops of Ohio regarding the upcoming vote on the Amendment to the Ohio Constitution in November. Unlike issue 1 back on August 8, for which Catholics were free to exercise prudential judgment regarding their personal politics, the November issue is not simply a political issue. As one of our local pastors has said, “it is not a matter of Right vs. Left, but right vs. wrong” for the change to the constitution being proposed would open up unfettered access to abortion up until the time of birth as well as impacting parental consent for abortion and transgender issues. The Watchmen are telling us that we need to fast and pray to defeat this repugnant issue. 

In the Gospel, this weekend, Jesus tells his disciples, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.”  Obeying or disobeying the good watchmen with their sound and stern teaching will have eternal ramifications. 

In his commentary on the watchman, St. Gregory also talks about how difficult it is for the watchman to remain focused on his job. Pope Gregory lamented how as Pope, not only did he have to deal with all the problems of the church but also what he called “worldly men”— who did not always have the Gospel as their main priority.

If it was difficult for the pope, a former monk, and man most learned in scripture and prayer, to remain vigilant against distractions, how much more do we need to practice those virtues of the watchmen: focus, vigilance, discipline, balance of work and rest so that we do not grow drowsy in our duties. 

It’s hard to remain vigilant when we are surrounded by the worldly. Have you ever been visiting family out of town and it becomes apparent that they aren’t planning on going to Church that weekend?  It takes a real effort to fulfill our religious obligations when those around us don’t.  It takes a real effort to follow the commandments when it seems like everyone else is disobeying them. When everyone else is shoplifting and pirating, why shouldn’t I? When every one else is disengaging from society just to play video games all day, why shouldn’t I? When every other young couple is cohabitating, why shouldn’t we?

So like the watchman, we must constantly be on guard against that creeping worldliness that seeks to lull us to sleep in our Christian duty to guard our community, our families, and our souls from evil.

May the Holy Spirit help us to be watchful, and vigilant, sober and alert, with hearts unhardened to the voice of the truth and goodness of Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

33rd Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Friday - Sweet and Sour

 Our first readings at Mass this week have been taken from the Book of Revelation. On Wednesday, we read of John’s Vision of the Heavenly throne room—a glorious and mysterious vision. A thousand years earlier, the prophet Ezekiel had been given a glimpse of the same heavenly throne room at the beginning of his life as a prophet. 

In today’s reading, there is another parallel to Ezekiel. Like Ezekiel, John is given a scroll to eat—a scroll sweet as honey, but sour to the stomach. 

What’s going on here? 

First of all, these parallels with Ezekiel indicate the importance of John’s visions. When a prophet is sent by God you have choice—heed his words, or ignore them. God doesn’t send a prophet just for fun. It’s a message that is to be taken seriously. To heed the prophet’s message will bring blessing, to ignore them will bring a curse. So the message of the Book of Revelation is to be taken very seriously. 

And like Ezekiel’s prophecy, John’s Revelation is both Sweet and Sour. Sweet in that it contains consolations, sour in that it communicates challenge. 

The Book of Revelation announces the completion and consummation of God’s plan for Creation.

The King of the Universe, who sits upon the heavenly throne, has witnessed the suffering of his people, the injustices they have endured at the hands of the wicked. There will be justice. This is a consolation to the righteous, and a warning to wicked, to repent before it is too late. 

But the Gospel itself is sweet and sour, isn’t it? God so loved the world that he sent his Son to redeem us, yet that redemption came at a price. So too the mission of the Church is sweet and sour. The Christian life involves the sweet consolations of the spirit, the experience of heavenly gifts, the knowledge and experience of Jesus’ presence with us in the Sacraments--the grace-filled ability to participate in the works of charity—a sweet foretaste of heaven.

And yet, the experience of the Church is also sour at the same time, bitter in her sufferings, her experience of persecutions, her penances, the carrying of our individual crosses—sweet and sour at the same time. 

In our modern age, many want the sweet part of the Gospel, but not the sour. They want the promises without the challenge, they want the resurrection without the cross, they want peace without having to suffer for it. And that’s somewhat understandable, who likes to suffer? But the Gospel must be taken in and preached in its entirety if we are to attain true freedom, and true beatitude.

Like Ezekiel, like John, we are given the sweet and sour Gospel to eat and internalize and digest, so that it becomes part of us. For, we too, are sent to peoples and nations and kings with the Word of God, and we must share the Gospel in its entirety, its sweet parts and also its sour parts—the parts which console us in our sufferings and challenge us in our complacencies, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That Christians may undertake the meditation and prayer necessary to live holy and righteous lives. 

For a healing of all family divisions, reunion for the estranged and welcoming of the alienated. 

That those who have fallen away from the Church or fallen into serious sin may repent and return to the grace of the Sacraments. 

For the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the aged, the lonely, the grieving, the unemployed, those who are facing financial difficulties, those with addictions, and the imprisoned: that God will draw close to them, and bless them with grace and peace.

We pray in a special way for all of the faithful departed during this Month of November, for the deceased members of our family, friends, and parish, and all the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this mass is offered. 

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

19th Week in Ordinary Time 2022 - Become like Children (St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross)

 In his teaching about the Kingdom of God, besides his employment of a lot of agricultural imagery, Jesus often used the image of the child.  

Children are eager, energetic, and ready to learn and grow.  So should we be.  Eager to please the Lord by our conduct.  Energetic in our charity and generosity towards others.  And always ready to learn about our faith and grow in holiness.

Children are dependent on their parents for life, security, and education.  And so are all of us upon God. 

And Jesus says, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”  

Childlike humility is characterized by its deep trust.  Imagine the child gazing into the eyes of their parents in wonderment, listening to every word they are saying and believing it, taking it into their heart.  That is supposed to be every Christians attitude toward God—straining our ears wanting to hear him, wanting to sit in his lap, lay our heads on his chest.

In today’s first reading, God tells the Prophet Ezekiel to be obedient like a trusting child and eat what he would give him. The chief sin of the people of Judah was their disobedience to God, their refusal to be obedient trusting children. “Be not rebellious like this house of rebellion, but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.” Those words are also spoken to us. The world, the culture is rebellious toward God, refusing to eat the food God gives us. 85% of Catholics refuse to come to Mass weekly to be nourished by Word and Sacrament. So we must go to the them. It is commanded.

“Eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.” Notice how Ezekiel is nourished by God, then sent on a mission. And again, so are we. We are fed by the Word of God, in order to live by the Word of God, which entails speaking the Word of God to others, becoming prophetic instruments, speaking to the rebellious of the need to return to God, becoming fishers of men. 

Today, we celebrate a saint, Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, a jewish convert, who came to Christ late in life, who became like a child late in life. After a long career in philosophy, she entered the Camelite monastery. The year was 1932, Adolf Hitler was chancellor of Germany. In 1942, the Nazi’s arrested Sister Teresa Benedicta.  She and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, were transported to Auschwitz in Poland by boxcar.  One week later, Sister was murdered in a gas chamber. She is celebrated as a virgin martyr.

May St. Theresa help us to trust God, to run like children to the cross, by which God is glorified and men are saved for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For the conversion of atheists, agnostics, those who are cynical towards Catholicism, moral relativists, those who reject the Faith, and all lapsed Catholics, that the Holy Spirit will help them discover the Truth of Christ. 

That the Holy Father, the Bishops and all Clergy and Religious will be shining examples of fidelity to the Truth.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing to the sick and comfort to all the suffering.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. 

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 - For Freedom's Sake

 

On July 4, 1776, 245 years ago, this weekend, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence to declare to the world that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as sovereign states independent from the rule of the British Empire.

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.