HOMILY

FR O’GRADY

JULY 3, 2016

I’m sure the grills are all fired up, hot dogs and hamburgers bought and the pools are ready as we celebrate a great holiday. Also , right after July 4th holiday is the annual WLFD carnival which is a memorable WL tradition.

Yet with all the summer festivities in full swing we have to pause today to remember what it is we celebrate. For how easy it is to forget the past and the blessed life we today enjoy.

What we celebrate this weekend is not just a civic event but one that also is a spiritual moment in the life and history of this country.

240 years ago these words were first declared to a people striving for freedom:

“We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

In thinking about these rights we know that these are not just the thoughts of our founding Fathers but rather are the GIFTS and RIGHTS from the hand of God Himself and an inspired document that so many other countries in the world would give anything to their lives to have .

Yet, we find ourselves today in 2016, 240 years after this declaration was written, country still struggling to live out the principles of our founding Fathers. Namely, what is it to have life?What is it to have freedom? What is it to be truly happy?

-We find ourselves polarized politically with sharp words and hateful speech.

- So many young people have no freedom due to the opioid epidemic that is like a chain around a person’s life and family.

-Happiness for many is so elusive as many struggle to earn decent living, send kids to college, pay for healthcare, and to live peacefully without the threat of violence and killings in our streets.

-Finally the right to life has been taken away from the unborn, the marginalized , the poor and disadvantaged.

And so perhaps the question on this July 4th as on every 4th is this:

HOW CAN WE BE TRUE TO THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF LIFE, FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS? HOW CAN WE BE TRUE TO GOD AND THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES UPON WHICHWE WERE FOUNDED? WHERE ARE WE GOING AND HOW DO I INFLUENCE THE PRESENT?

The simple answer is this: our country’s values cannot be separated nor disconnected from the values and moral principles of our faith.

Once there is a disconnect then we have lost the dream and vision of our founding Fathers.

Then once we have lost the dream will quickly lose true happiness.

As the saying goes:“ THE COUNTRY THAT HAS LOST IT’S GOD. HAS LOST IT’S PURPOSE AND ITS JOY”.

It’s fascinating that 240 years ago the founding Fathers understood that the pursuit of happiness comes when we respect life and have inner and civic freedom.

Happiness is not based on the superficial.

Daniel Boone once said that for him happiness was having a good gun, a good horse and a good wife”

As we know it’s based on a lot more than these.

The KEY to happiness and the difference between a happy and unhappy American is found in how we live our life

- A life that reflects the VALUES of a deep abiding faith

-A life that reflects the DIGNITY of every person

-A life that reflects self- giving and charity

-A life that sees that freedom is a gift of God to be used always for the good.

All of this is seen and incorporated in the scriptures today as Jesus tells his disciples on how to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Jesus gives the practical advice of how to make this Kingdom of God real and alive to the world.

DON’T DEPEND ON THINGS , TAKE NOTHING FOR THE JOURNEY EXCEPT THEVALUES AND THE PERSONAL FAITH YOU BRING TO OTHERS. SPEAK FROM THE HEART, LIVE YOUR FAITH DAILY AND PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE.

For all of us it’s the personal witness, the lived experience of our faith that will make a difference in our families and country today as we all try to be true and faithful to those principles of 240 years ago.

One of my favorite news commentators was the late Tim Russert who for years had the fine knack of interviewing famous people as he hosted Meet The Press every Sunday.

He often would end the show on a positive note even amid America’s crises and problems by saying: “IS THIS NOT A GREAT COUNTRY OR WHAT?”

.

It is a great country in which we live as long as we keep that moral compass straight, use our freedom for the good, respect the dignity of each person and keep the values for faith, family and the needs of others and for us walk daily with the Lord Jesus.

On this July 4thweekend May god bless all of you and above all keep our land safe.