Yesterday the country celebrated Independence Day. Around this time of year, we hear a lot about independence, freedom, liberty, civil rights, human rights and we sing of “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Independence, freedom, can have several meanings, depending on a person’s viewpoint, and simply how one sees oneself.
Since the onset of Covid in 2020, I have been aware of much bizarre behavior, as reported in the news. Maybe it was always there, but I had the impression it was increasing: all sorts of people expressing themselves out of their own frustration, anger, envy – whatever the motive. As you may recall, much of this behavior centered around vaccination and the wearing of masks. Its verbal expression might have been “No one is going to tell me what to do!”
Over these few years, there have been many reports of people acting in various ways which might be seen as exaggerated forms of freedom or liberty. “I’ll do what I want, no matter who gets hurt or who gets in my way!”
I don’t believe that is what the founders had in mind. We were to be free of foreign domination, free to express ourselves, free to worship as we wished, free to move about the country. But a certain rule of law was also to be observed in the way we behaved toward each other. And certainly St. Paul did not have a selfish kind of freedom in mind when he wrote about the “freedom of the children of God.” The freedom to be a good citizen is not about stomping on the rights of others.
The freedom to be a child of God is the freedom to be our best selves, and not to be enslaved by our fear and selfishness, by our bad habits and addictions. It takes a certain freedom to truly love God and love our neighbor as the Gospel tells us to do. For most of us it may take a lifetime to truly become free in that sense. Our civil Independence Day can be a reminder of the invitation to spiritual freedom.
-Fr. Tom Zelinski
Yes, and how blessed we are to have the freedom that we have. Is a gift to to be cherished and given to all.
Thank you so very much, Fr. Tom, for reminding us of the deep responsibility that comes with freedom. In our great abundance and cherished rights that have been won for us by others, we take so much for granted! We need to keep hearing things like this.
I had been away from the church for many years and can truly testify to the spiritual freedom Father Zelinski refers to. Since returning to the Faith, I have felt peace, hope and happiness because I know that I’m back on the right path. The world has gone crazy around us, yet I’m now focused to where I should be in my own life.