Today, the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, when (as we just prayed in the collect) “our country claimed its place among the family of nations” - an occasion for giving thanks “for what has been achieved” and asking divine help “for the work that still remains.”
On Independence Day, we honor the great legacy left for us, often at great sacrifice, by generations past - indigenous Americans, enslaved Africans, and generations of immigrants, to whom we remain linked in a great social compact, bounded to one another, both past and present, for the sake of the future. We remember our past history as a nation, we celebrate our present life together, and we commit ourselves to hope for our common future.
As Pope Leo has written in his special Letter on the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States: “This anniversary stands as an invitation not only to celebrate the nation’s remarkable journey, but also to reflect upon the responsibilities that the sons and daughters of this country bear to one another, and to the generations who will inherit the nation that is being shaped today.”
As Americans, we share in the benefits bequeathed to us by our country’s founders, whose legacy we receive with respect and celebrate with gratitude. We are – so many of us - the heirs of countless immigrants, so many of whom came to this country in response to its promises of economic opportunity and political freedom. Catholic immigrants brought our faith to this land and enriched this society with a strong network of Catholic institutions, which have served Americans of all backgrounds, contributing a distinctly Catholic sensibility to the American experiment.
Last Sunday, I told the story of Annie Moore. When 17-year old Annie Moore crossed the threshold of the New World as the first immigrant to pass through the new Ellis Island immigration Facility on January 1, 1892, she was welcomed by, among others, Father Callahan of the Mission of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, who blessed her and gave her a silver coin, an expression of the historic role of the American Catholic community in providing hospitality and welcome to generation after generation of new arrivals, in this land and nation of immigrants.
Earlier this week, many of us honored that tradition and celebrated our nation’s unique heritage with a Pilgrimage to the Statue of Liberty, ending with a reading of Emma Lazarus’ famous poem, which transformed that monument into a global beacon of hope welcoming generations of immigrants to America. To quote again from Pope Leo’s Letter: “In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with passion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”
As we celebrate today with hot dogs, tall ships, Times Square Ball Drops, a celebrity wedding, and, of course, fireworks, we are also aware of the many difficult and divisive issues facing our country, along with the contentious arguments that command the news and dominate social media. In response to the pervasive political polarization of his own time, the founding pastor of this parish, Servant of God, Isaac Hecker hoped that Catholicism could “act like oil on troubled waters” and so “sustain our institutions and enable our young country to realize its great destiny” [Letter, December 22, 1857, The Paulist Vocation, p. 46]. Today, our faith challenges us to make Hecker’s hope a reality in response to the multiple challenges of our time, to address our disagreements in a morally serious way that transcends simplistic sloganeering, emotional appeals to narrowly defined secular or religious identities, and the vilification of political opponents.
As our American bishops reminded us over a decade ago: “Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems, but we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended.” [USCCB, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (2015), 20].
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