Fourth of July Reflections

Sometimes, material for a Catholic legal thought blog can emerge from the most unexpected of places...such as the tiny parish St. Andrew the Apostle (membership less than 200) ... on the tiny island of Chincoteague, VA (population approximately 3,000). It is here that Father Michael Montalban Imperial, of the diocese of Richmond, offered some insightful reflections on the Fourth of July.

    My mother, a lifelong Catholic, used to say that the best Catholics were converts. Similarly, I have found that those who truly appreciate the United States often work with immigrants or are immigrants themselves. Unlike many of us, they do not take the freedom we have for granted. Fr. Imperial, ordained in the Philippines and the Director of the Eastern Shore Migrant Ministry, is just such a person. His work for the last several years has been ministering directly to the thousands of migrant agricultural workers who come from places such as Haiti and Guatemala to the Eastern Shore of Virginia to work 14 hour days in brutal conditions. Seeing their struggles and commitment to a better life for themselves and their families, Fr. Imperial witnesses firsthand what cherishing opportunities and true sacrifice look like. So, on July 3, 2016 he posed a question to his parish: if the founders could come here today, what would they share with us about July Fourth? His research offered some answers of particular interest today as our nation is in a deep debate about so many divisive issues, and many of us feel at a loss for what to do about our nation's future.

He found that Patrick Henry offers some insight for us all to consider on both immigration and church / state relations:

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here. - Patrick Henry, The Trumpet Voice of Freedom: Patrick Henry of Virginia, p. iii.

Charles Carroll suggests a timely reminder for the debate of religious freedom:

Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they, therefore, who are decrying the Christian religion . . . are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.

And as we think about our duty to vote and serve one another, Fr. Imperial's research reminds us that the owner of perhaps the most famous signature on the Declaration - John Hancock- discussed our duties as Christians when he said, "Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual….Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us." ; - John Hancock, History of the United States of America, Vol. II, p. 229. On this same note, Patrick Henry sounded agreement, stating, "It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains."

Fr. Imperial thoughtfully connected this past vision with our present circumstance. Here are some excerpts:

July 4 2016 will mark the 240th anniversary of that spirit that cried out freedom and self-determination, the moment when the original thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1776. The articulation of the aspirations for freedom, human dignity and goodness of man lived on to this day.

But with recent events, can we say still that the same burning desire in every heart is alive or it has been diluted by modernity that breeds apathy and individualism. I will not include the penchant for violence - the escalating number of mass shootings like the Orlando incident that took 49 lives. Do we still possess the same conviction as the Founding Fathers - the firmness of their faith and their belief in the goodness of man? Does God still play a special role in our lives or we become part of a sub-culture who says "God is Dead."

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As Christians, we seek goodness in every heart. Seeking such goodness and bringing it together as a community of faith was the mission of the disciples. As we honor the Founding Fathers, we embrace their belief and tradition: recognizing God in our lives and seeking the good in every heart.

The world is troubled. The country is troubled. But Fr. Imperial reminds us that we have a long tradition of embracing God and embracing each other. Perhaps this is a lesson Washington can take to heart – a lesson sent from a small rural parish with a large amount of wisdom.