Homily for Independence Day, Celebrated July 1, 2012

Today we thank God for the blessings of life in this country and ask God to inspire us to keep it growing in the virtues of equality and justice for all!  

In our first reading, from Deuteronomy, we hear about the command to do as God does: providing justice for the week and the stranger.  This is another expression of what we know as the Golden Rule: Love God with all your being and love your neighbor (even the stranger) as you love yourself.

In our second reading Paul reminds us that it is really God’s world, we are all travelers and strangers passing through it.  Our ultimate citizenship is in Heaven.  So, as we express our gratitude for the blessings of living here in the US, we do not forget that God’s kingdom is our final goal.  

Finally, in today’s gospel, Jesus takes the Golden Rule and makes clear that the Stranger/Neighbor spoken of is all inclusive.  We are not allowed to exclude anyone from our Christian Compassion.  No one’s human dignity, or rights, can be ignored by the authentic Christian.  

I have always been impressed with the deep theological and spiritual roots shared between the founding principles expressed in the Deceleration of Independence and the Biblical teachings we heard today.  The universal respect for human dignity that Jesus demands from his followers are re-expressed in fresh terms by the Founding Fathers.  Remember with me these few and potent words from the Deceleration:

      We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

These rights are clearly drawn from the knowledge that God created us with a unique human dignity that is irrevocable!  My sisters and brothers, no matter what form it takes: cheating, exploiting, abusing or in any way miss treating other people is not acceptable.  It is both Un-American and Unchristian!  Respecting this blessed dignity requires from us nothing less than living the Golden Rule.

However imperfect the ebb and flow of American politics may be, we have our earthly citizenship in a land that tries to protect and live out these biblical values for all; even those who are not Christian.  This is a sacred legacy that we are bound to protect with our service and our vote.  It is a legacy that we are obliged to pass on from one generation to the next as best as we humanly can.  Knowing that only in God’s Kingdom will they be brought to perfection.