America the Beautiful, God shed his grace on thee, and crown thy good with brotherhood from see to shining see.
The 4th of July is a time when Americans celebrate their independence, and this is something to celebrate, for in this land it is clear that it is not just a mere idea, but a real way of living for many people - that even the poorest may find opportunity, freedom to practice their religion without coercion from government, and to be surrounded by many from every ethnicity on earth who have come to this place for this ideal.
Yet, it must be remembered that the founding fathers of this great nation had founded it upon the freedom that was purchased the Blood of the Lamb who was slain so that we may no longer live in slavery, but in freedom. It was founded in the shadow of the tree of freedom, the Cross, there to be refreshed and to give hope to the nations that such freedom is truly possible.
This freedom is threatened by sin, by evil, in particular the evil that has recently taken the form in an absolute ideology that has compromised freedom for license, permissiveness, and the dangerous intolerance of any authentic morality that the relativist agenda engenders and its commandment: "Whatever feels good do it."
In response to this the Holy Spirit has began to sanctify the People of God. He gives us saints. Sanctity must be germinated and fostered in the greenhouse of human freedom. For this reason, I am convinced that the American Catholics have a special grace to be holy, to develop their freedom in the maturity of charity, in the confidence of doing the right thing and knowing that others may see this and be awoken by the gentle force of truth in their conscience. I am not alone. Pope Benedict has also spoken about this for American catholics:
"What I find fascinating in the United States is that they began with a positive concept of secularity, because this new people was composed of communities and individuals who had fled from the State Church and wanted to have a lay, a secular State that would give access and opportunities to all denominations, to all forms of religious practice. Thus, an intentionally secular new State was born; they were opposed to a State Church. But the State itself had to be secular precisely out of love for religion in its authenticity, which can only be lived freely. And thus, we find this situation of a State deliberately and decidedly secular but precisely through a religious will in order to give authenticity to religion. And we know that in studying America, Alexis de Toqueville noticed that secular institutions live with a de facto moral consensus that exists among the citizens. This seems to me to be a fundamental and positive model." (Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the USA)
It is important to see that freedom in America has always meant, THE FREEDOM TO WORSHIP GOD!!! It is in this environment of freedom that sanctity must take place, and only in the maturity of a person freely choosing God can one become truly holy and therefore truly free. May Americans come to see the nobility to which they are called - the call to holiness in the freedom of the sons of God. Enjoy this video:
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