The Glorious Fourth of July!

Ave Maria!  Happy and blessed Fourth of July to one and all!  "Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing!"  And to God, the God of our fathers and mothers, the author of liberty, who for freedom has set us free (Gal. 5:1), "to Thee we sing" with ever-deepening gratitude and happy praise on this 235th birthday of our country. 

This image of our American flag with its mixture of sunshine and clouds seems to reflect the state of our country.  Light and darkness co-exist.  As in the gospel parable (Matt. 13:24-30), wheat and weeds grow side-by-side.  In this imperfect life, it cannot be otherwise.  We can be either discouraged or hopeful.  The choice is always ours.  I choose hope because, with every fiber of my being, I believe that the One who is in us is greater -- far, far greater! -- than he who is in the world (1 Jn 4:4).  The principles and values upon which our founding fathers built our country and for which so many men and women have sacrificed their lives throughout our history are indeed at times "dimly seen through the mists of the deep".  Yet they abide.  And, thanks be to God, truth and justice ultimately prevail and triumph in this our land of the free and home of the brave. 

The Roman Missal of the Catholic Church provides a special preface for the Mass to be celebrated on the Fourth of July. 

"Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well to sing your praise for ever, and to give you thanks in all we do through Jesus Christ our Lord. He spoke to men a message of peace and taught us to live as brothers. His message took form in the vision of our fathers as they fashioned a nation where men might live as one. This message lives on in our midst as a task for men today and a promise for tomorrow. We thank you, Father, for your blessings in the past and for all that, with your help, we must yet achieve. And so, with hearts full of love, we join the angels today and every day of our lives, to sing your glory in a hymn of endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."

This is not only a powerful prayer of thanksgiving to God for his blessings to us but also a humble acknowledgement and claim of our responsibility to use these gifts well so that our Lord's message of peace and unity will live on "in our midst as a task for men today and a promise for tomorrow." 

Come, my dear friends, let us give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His love is everlasting!  Glory hallelujah!