We celebrate the Semiquincentennial in just a few days, that is, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Two hundred fifty
years ago, the Continental Congress drafted and signed a document that gave birth to the United
States of America.
That Declaration remains a beacon of hope and freedom, not only for those of us in this country, but for the world. It set a course and a path for this new country to grow and prosper. The result is that since the signing of that document, the United States has been called to play a major role in the history of the world.
Our national history over the last 250 years has not been without shadows and sorrows. The sinful wounds of human nature are part of the American experience, as is true in every nation. We can look back with regret at our shameful history of slavery, of the treatment of the Native American people during the westward expansion, and, in our own time, we mourn the unspeakable tragedy of widespread availability and acceptance of abortion among ourselves.
Still, our celebration of this special anniversary is summarized by the words of President Abraham Lincoln 87 years after the Declaration. He described the American experience famously as, “a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
That equality among all citizens has not always been fully observed. But it has been a marker that has allowed this country to work toward the peaceful resolutions of differences and the equally remarkable history of the peaceful transfer of power by political process. This was by no means inevitable as the French Revolution, a mere 13 years later, and the reign of terror that resulted have demonstrated.
For us as Catholics, the Declaration of Independence is a document with an unquestionable religious foundation that has made room for the Catholic Church to find a place and an important role in society.
The very first sentence of the first paragraph of the Declaration refers to, “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” as the context for this newly declared independence. In Catholic theology, this is a reference to the Natural Law, the discoverable law of God written into human nature and into every human heart.
The very next sentence again affirms the religious context of the Declaration stating, “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.” This means that the rights of every man and woman are given to us by God and not by changing philosophies or political movements in successive ages.
As the authors concluded the Declaration, they did so “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions.” Clearly this document placed its signers under the care and judgment of God.
Pope St. John Paul II commented in 1979 during his first visit as Pope to the United States that, “In the human and civil values that are contained in the spirit of this Declaration there are easily recognized strong connections with basic religious and Christian values. A sense of religion itself is part of this heritage.”
Our American freedom has allowed us as Catholics, along with members of other faiths, to worship God and live out our faith in this country. We have been blessed to educate our young in Catholic schools and in our faith. Our freedom in this country has allowed Catholics to live out their call to care for others especially the sick and the poor with hospitals and charitable organizations and allowed Catholics to participate in society and at every level of government. This ray of hope is why so many across the earth have looked upon the Statue of Liberty as they arrived at these shores, fulfilling the inscribed lines on her honoring “… your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
On this 250th birthday of our country, let us dedicate ourselves to the best of our ideals. Let us make our contribution to this land mindful of the generations to come. And most especially, let us thank God for the freedom it has given us to know, love and serve Him in this life.
