July the 4th

July 4, 2014

Happy Independence Day to all!

Today is the perfect 24 hours to reflect on what is the best of these United States.  In these years of increasingly profound disagreement and division, not only between the political parties but between neighbors and within families and congregations, what are those fundamentals that unite us, that draw us together, that make us one - albeit complex - nation under God?

Each one of us answers this question individually, though it is imperative that then we go on to share our thoughts with one another in a spirit of mutual respect and dignity.  

For me, while the courage our nation shows is commendable, more fundamental yet is our compassion.  While the knowledge we hold as a people is vital, yet more is the wisdom that lives in our hearts.  While our national wealth is of constant interest, our generosity as a people is ultimately of more worth.  While our strength is measured and assessed from day to day and year to year, it is the trust that allows us to be vulnerable before one another that in the end joins us together in lasting relationship,  While it is our liberty to believe whatever we want that we often hear lionized, it is that in which we place our faith that determines who we become.  While our freedom is celebrated this day, and indeed it should be, it is how we choose to use that freedom that decides what kind of nation we are on July 4, 2014, and what kind of people we will be in years to come.

Happy Independence Day to all!

John P. McGinty
Canon for Formation