From the Pastor
July/01/2010
This Sunday, we celebrate the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence for our country from Great Britain. It’s rather difficult for me to fathom that we are now 34 years past the bicentennial celebrations of our nation’s independence. Last weekend, I had the privilege to offer the invocation at south Filipino-American community of South Florida’s celebration that marked the 102nd anniversary of the independence of the Philippines from Spain. I couldn’t help but reflect on the many struggles of both of these nations in order to achieve real freedom from the oppressive tyranny which spawned that struggle in the first place, and how the founding fathers (and mothers) of these Christian-influenced nations prayed devoutly to God in establishing their nations under Him.
I also wonder if our own national holiday of “The Fourth of July” has lost its real significance when it’s one that’s only celebrated with cookouts and fireworks, parades and picnics, while we overlook the important fact that we are supposed to be “one nation under God.” Do we really appreciate and thank God for our “freedoms” when we learn that two-thirds of the world’s nations (China, Cuba and Afghanistan come to mind) still lack such liberties? And these freedoms, won and strengthened throughout the years at the cost of the many lives sacrificed for their preservation and exaltation, are not the kinds of freedom that permit us to do anything we want (those are called ‘license’), but which permit us to build up our “one nation under God,” ready to help others in a similar struggle. The challenges that face our nation today come both from without and within. Without God, I don’t see how we could realistically continue to resist the presence of dangers that threaten the continued existence of our nation. We have been blessed with abundant gifts to build up this nation and to enhance its endurance against those foes who seek its destruction. Outside forces are always a threat to those who seek democratic reforms and find themselves thwarted in their efforts by corrupt politicians and military leaders.
But, much like those pesky termites that often undermine the foundations of our homes, there also are subtle forces that exist even within our nation that try to tear away at the fabric that made this country great. That’s why the signers of our Declaration of Independence, diverse as they were in their religious practices, saw the necessary good that comes from being united as “one nation under
God.”
Amazingly, our freedoms even guarantee that those opposed to our way of life have a forum to express their beliefs that is protected by our freedom of speech. This is another freedom, like that of religion, which can be threatened by sinister forces who are fanatically dedicated to the overthrow of conventional wisdom and democratic governments. The right to speak is so fundamental that the FIRST Amendment of the Bill of Rights includes this promise: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” But today’s pro-abortion Congressional leaders read the First Amendment differently. They would have it read: Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech, unless it’s speech about incumbent Congressmen like us. Then we’ll restrict it.
Take the new “DISCLOSE ACT.” The U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down a law that severely restricted groups like National Right to Life from even mentioning the name of a Congressman or bringing his voting record to the public’s attention during the period leading up to his re-election campaign. Congressmen don’t like groups like National Right to Life talking about their records. It’s inconvenient. But, the Supreme Court said, in effect, “too bad. Citizens (and citizen groups) have that right.” They struck down the law as unconstitutional.
However, undaunted by the Supreme Court’s recognition of our free speech rights, now Congress is trying to limit our speech with another approach: punish groups who speak out about them by forcing the groups to provide confidential donor lists and other sensitive information to the government. They call this set of punishments the “DISCLOSE ACT.” Yet not all organizations would be punished. Certain allies of the pro-abortion leaders in Congress, like the mainstream media, are exempt. They can continue to comment about members of Congress without fear of punishment. And the bill is skewed to give advantages to other allies, such as unions. But if you’re any one of a number of other Americans which speaks for the unborn, forget it; the 1st Amendment no longer applies to you. That’s why we have to be particularly astute in guarding our freedoms; and this we cannot do alone. Our prayer to God, if done sincerely, will not go unheeded. He will continue to guide us, if we want Him to do so.
Sadly, too few Catholics seem to understand that the command to ‘Keep Holy the Sabbath’ means that we have the opportunity each week to practice our faith in the spirit of that freedom of religion, and make that prayer an effective means of expressing our gratitude for the gifts that He has so generously bestowed upon us. The disregard by some “believers” of the command of God to give Him the worship and praise that is due Him each week weakens our relationship with Him, and causes us to puff ourselves up with pride in our own accomplishments, as if all these were really possible without help from our God. They have argued their way out of what should be a loving and dedicated worship of God, and skipped out of their primary duty as children of the Almighty One.
Fortunately, this year we observe our Independence Day on a Sunday, the regularly designated day of worship for all Christians, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. If you find that you are not worshipping God each Saturday evening or Sunday, get yourself back to God by making a good Confession before trying to receive what would otherwise be an unworthy Communion. Skipping out on God for some lesser reason means that we are not loving our God “above all things,” as we should. Laziness, indifference, and several other banal excuses for failing to exercise our DUTY to worship our God puts us at odds with Him, because it says that He is not the most important thing or being in our life. That is a fallacious assumption and places us on a very dangerous precipice in this life, as it jeopardizes our entry into the next life.
Hopefully, we’ll take the special opportunity presented by our presence at Mass to thank God for His wondrous gifts, including our
country, our freedoms, our life, health and faith, our family, and the opportunities to use these gifts wisely and prudently for the glory
of God and of His people.