The Catholic Writers Guild

This July 4th it seems to me that forces have collided creating a perfect storm. People of all faiths have united  together for a non-denominational holy day, with the Catholics on the front line willing to be the first to take the bullets. I know I am proud that our bishops who,  led by Cardinal Dolan who heads the USCCB, and waving the banner, Fortnight 4 Freedom,  have led us to this point, remaining steadfast in their determination to protect our religious freedoms.

Now I would like to remember the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, people of all faiths, who joined together 236 years ago creating Independence Day.
A cover letter, dated in Philadelphia, July 6, 1776, was attached to the Declaration of Independence and sent to the British authorities wherein John Hancock states:

Gentlemen, Although it is not possible to foresee the consequences of human actions, yet it is nevertheless a duty we owe ourselves and posterity in all our public councils to decide in the best manner we are able and to trust the event to That Being who governs both causes and events, so as to bring about his own determinations.

Impressed with this sentiment, and at the same time fully convinced that our affairs will take a more favorable turn, The Congress have judged it necessary to dissolve all connection between Great Britain and the American Colonies, and to declare them free and independent States as you will perceive by the enclosed Declaration, which I am directed to transmit to you.”

How many of us have actually thought about the 56 men who signed this document and willingly presented their names to the British? Did you ever think about the fact that at that moment, they all became traitors to the British crown? They and their families were in mortal danger from that moment on. Notice in the first paragraph above the use of the phrase, “That Being”, referring to God. That was their ultimate motive–to be FREE, and that very first freedom they were willing to die for was RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. These men pledged to each other the following: “with a firm Reliance and the Protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor”. This is in the very last line of the Declaration of Independence.

So on July 4th we not only celebrate our American freedoms, we honor those men who fought and died for it. Signers of the Declaration like Thomas McKean, who had to keep his family in hiding, who served in Congress without pay, had all his possessions taken from him and wound up in poverty. Or Francis Lewis who had his home and properties destroyed. The British jailed his wife and she died a few months after. John Hart of New Jersey was driven from his wife’s bedside as she lay dying and his 13 children fled for their lives. Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, were tortured and died. Twelve had their homes destroyed. They were farmers and merchants and lawyers and men from all walks of life; they joined together to pass down to us their hopes and dreams, and were willing to die for their principles.  Many of them did just that.

Now it is 2012 and our religious freedoms, the very principles that the founders of our country were willing to die for, are being seriously threatened. A secular world has declared a war on God, and would like to see His name removed from anything in the public domain. Our own president, when talking about the Declaration of Independence, has omitted the word “Creator” many times. He is making a mistake. “Our Creator” is at the very core of what this nation stands for. We may have taken a detour here and there but, I believe, that when all is said and done it will always be “God Bless America” and “God Bless the USA”. He is in our genetics and our DNA and, according to science, you cannot change DNA.

We ask God’s blessings for all of us Americans on this 4th of July, 2012.

“In God We Trust”.