The Fourth of July is a great and festive national holiday. As we celebrate our nation’s independence and freedom, people of faith take the opportunity to thank God for the blessings we have shared over these past 233 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia back in 1776. The fireworks, parades and barbeques give testimony to a great national heritage that, at times, we take for granted. Sometimes I wonder if we would have the courage today to deal with injustice in so bold and dangerous a way.

Last year I read a wonderful article about the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. It gave me pause. We owe them a lot. They paid a heavy price. Five of the original signers were captured by the British as traitors and they were tortured before they died. Twelve men had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army and another had two sons captured. Nine of them fought and died from wounds or hardships incurred during the Revolutionary War. When they signed the Declaration, they pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. They knew full well that the penalty for signing could be death if they were captured. This was no group of foolish zealots. Twenty-four of them were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers and large plantation owners. They were men of means who were well educated.

The stories of sacrifices during the American Revolution tend to be overlooked as we rejoice in our gift of freedom. Even though many of these signers had led reasonably comfortable lives, they still valued their freedom much more. They pledged, “For the support of this Declaration with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” Sometimes we forget that the war that took place back then was against their own government, not some foreign invaders. But the government had gone too far, in their judgment, and was robbing individuals of basic rights to speech, self-defense and personal property.

Patriotism is a virtue that was alive and well in that era. Today it seems to get mixed reviews. We tend to forget that freedom, true freedom, is never free. Every year on the weekend closest to the Fourth of July the people of our Southeast Asian Vicariate come together at Portland’s Grotto to celebrate their annual Freedom Mass. These folks understand very well the price of freedom. More than 30 years ago many of them fled their homeland because of oppression and injustice. They gather to thank God for the gift of the nation that welcomed them and gives them a home where their basic rights are largely respected and their children can look to the future with hope. They too have their heroes who gave their lives to make that exodus possible.
Similar stories abound across this great land. Unfortunately, too many of them have been forgotten by our present generation. Too many of us are so accustomed to being comfortable that we forget that not everyone enjoys the blessings which are ours. Hopefully, as people of faith, we will not forget. We pray for our heroes and heroines who sacrificed much so that our nation could be truly free.

The original signers of the Declaration of Independence recognized that citizenship is a privilege accompanied by responsibilities. I suspect those brave men would be disappointed to learn how many people in our nation never take the time to cast a vote in local, state or national elections.

In the eyes of the legitimate government of their time, they themselves became criminals when they affixed their signature to that document. They would be shocked to learn that so many of us disparage poor and desperate migrants and refugees and regard them merely as criminals, not as sisters and brothers in great need.

Most of these men, we are told, were not deeply religious. They were theists. They acknowledged God but felt that God was distant and unconcerned. But I suspect they would be troubled to discover the constraints many people are seeking to impose upon people of faith in our own day, unmindful that separation of church and state was never intended to protect the state from the church but rather the church from the state!

In the spirit of our nation’s founders, our celebration of freedom and independence should include renewed efforts to extend these blessings to those who are less fortunate. On this Independence Day 2009 we American people should recommit ourselves to the defense of the weakest among us, the unborn, our children, the sick, the physically and mentally challenged, the elderly, those in prison and newcomers to our land. We also need to promote and respect the rights of all peoples, no matter their race, culture or creed, especially the indigenous peoples whose land we now claim as our own. In these hard economic times we encourage all who are responsible in the government to promote the dignity of all persons, providing them with access to good health care, nourishment, education, housing and employment.
At the same time we cannot ignore the evil that surrounds us and attempts to destroy us. As painful as it may be, we must continue our struggle against abortion, war, kidnapping, violence, terrorism, sexual exploitation, trafficking and drug culture. As Catholics we can never abandon our quest for the protection of the inviolable and sacred right to life and dignity of the human person from conception until natural death.

This Fourth of July when we fly our flags and rejoice in our blessings, let us remember the price that many paid for us to be so enriched. We enjoy freedom because of the sacrifice of many others. A free and independent America is a marvelous gift, but like all gifts it is bestowed upon us so that not only we but others might be similarly blessed. I am proud to be an American and so are you. But such pride without a grateful heart and open arms is always the enemy of the common good. God bless America. Happy Fourth of July!