Pastor's Reflection - July 6, 2025

Faith and Freedom: A Catholic Reflection for the Fourth of July

As we gather this week to celebrate the Fourth of July, we give thanks to God for the gift of our nation and the many freedoms we enjoy. This holiday invites not only patriotic pride but also deep spiritual reflection. As Catholic Christians, we recognize that true freedom is not merely the ability to do what we want, but the grace to do what is right.

In Galatians 5:13, St. Paul reminds us: “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love become slaves to one another.” This is the heart of Catholic freedom: a freedom rooted in truth, ordered toward love, and expressed in service.

Our Founding Fathers spoke of certain “unalienable rights” endowed by our Creator—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As people of faith, we know that the fullness of these rights is realized when they are guided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Life is sacred from conception to natural death. Liberty is a call to moral responsibility. Happiness is found not in possessions or pleasure, but in a life lived in communion with God and neighbor.

This Fourth of July, let us pray for our country: for its leaders, that they may govern with wisdom and integrity; for its citizens, that we may renew our commitment to justice, compassion, and truth; and for our Church, that we may be a prophetic voice in the public square, defending the dignity of every human person.

May Mary, the Immaculate Conception and patroness of the United States, intercede for us, that we may always be “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Happy Independence Day—and may our true freedom always be found in Christ!

in Christ,

Fr. James Northrop, Pastor