Happy Independence Day! As a kid in elementary school, I would begin our day with the Pledge of the Allegiance. The flag was displayed in every classroom in my school, and we would place our hands over our hearts. We memorized the words to this pledge. As a child, I was excited to do this, as many had a love for our country. We said the pledge together, and we would go to the 4th of July parade and watch the fireworks. We all knew it was an important day.
As we get older, we might learn to really hear these words with more attention. My favorite part was “liberty and justice for all.” There was a time I thought that was what was best about our country. As a child, I was not aware that some people were not able to have liberty and justice in our country. As I got older, I began to hear stories of those who were not included in liberty and justice, and I learned that some made it their goal to deny some of such a way of life.
I guess that happens in many areas of life as we age; what is written down or said does not always match up. I always tell my players and parishioners, welcome to life. It is rarely fair, simple, or easy choices. It deals with failure and shortcomings. Yet it is how we respond to disappointment or illusion. We keep moving forward.
Our country celebrates 250 years, and we have done many good things in these 250 years. So many have benefited from our generosity, our fight for freedom around the world, and our saving the lives of the poor and oppressed. That is our story and our history. Yet we do know the shortcomings and blindness our country has in dealing with its own citizens, and the mistreatment and discrimination.
The words “liberty and justice for all" need to be our guide once again. Those who have been gifted with such things must bring others along who are denied such gifts. That is what makes our country great. I have seen it, I have benefited from it, and I am blessed to live in this country. That does not release me and our country from the words we say during the pledge.
As we celebrate the 4th of July, we rejoice and celebrate all that is good. And we do not forget those who are not seen or valued. We remember liberty and justice for all.
FOLLOW POPE LEO- I am offering once again the three great sites to read and/or listen to Pope Leo’s unfiltered statements, talks, and homilies. These sites are great for helping us stay aware of what Pope Leo is saying, so we can discern how to live the Gospel. Vatican.va, Vaticannews.va, and a link to Pope Leo’s homilies are the three sites to use for the best understanding of what our faith teaches.