Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This weekend our nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We rightly give thanks for the blessings of liberty that have shaped our country’s history, remembering with gratitude those who sacrificed so that future generations might live in freedom.
We are also invited to ask a deeper question: What is freedom for?
Our culture often defines freedom as the ability to do whatever we want. “If no one can tell me what to do, then I am free.” But that understanding has never been the Christian vision of freedom. In fact, such a reduction often leads not to happiness, but to confusion, addiction, and isolation.
St. John Paul II spent much of his pontificate teaching that authentic freedom is not found in unlimited choice, but in choosing what is true and good. He famously wrote in his encyclical letter Veritatis Splendor, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”
This insight reflects the wisdom of the Gospel itself. Jesus tells us, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). Notice that Christ does not say freedom comes from following our desires. Freedom comes from embracing the truth.
I myself am not a huge soccer fan, but with all the World Cup fever in Atlanta, I can’t help but notice that some of these guys are artists. Their effortless manipulation of the soccer ball, their precision strikes…Not one man on the field refused the coach’s call to the monotony of drills and conditioning because “he wanted to be free.” Rather, he becomes truly free only after years of disciplined, grueling, “boring” practice. He can fly, shoot, block, score now almost as second nature. The same is true of the Christian life. Virtue does not restrict freedom; it perfects it.
We see this in our own lives. A person enslaved by anger, greed, lust, or addiction may insist that he is “doing whatever he wants.” Yet he is anything but free. His passions have become his master. Genuine freedom is the ability to choose the good, even when it is difficult.
This is why the Church speaks so often about virtue. Every act of patience makes us more capable of patience. Every act of generosity makes generosity easier. Every choice for Christ enlarges our freedom because it forms us into the people God created us to be.
As we celebrate Independence Day, let us thank God not only for the civic freedoms we enjoy as Americans, but also for the far greater freedom won for us by Jesus Christ. Through His Cross and Resurrection, He has freed us from the slavery of sin so that we might become fully alive as sons and daughters of God.
May we use every earthly freedom wisely, not merely to do as we please, but to become saints. For in the end, the freest person who ever lived was not the one who followed every desire, but the One who could say to the Father, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
May God continue to bless our nation, and may He give each of us the courage to live in the freedom of His children.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor