Let Freedom Ring

Leland took his very first steps on Independence Day in 2014. We were at the community pool and happened to catch it all on video: click here. This new-found freedom allowed him to experience the world in an entirely new way and it also meant that we had to be more diligent as Leland explored and tested out his independence.

The celebration of our country’s independence gives us cause to reflect on the gift of freedom. We treasure the liberties our country provides, yet true freedom is a gift given to us by God, not by the world. Too many of us are tethered to a need for money, power, possessions, and prestige as vehicles to success and measures of self-worth. Even though we possess certain liberties, we are constrained by a system that sees a diminishing value in the Cross of Christ. It is no wonder Jesus sent his seventy-two disciples into the world with only what they were wearing. The freedom given to us by God is a matter of the heart and requires detachment from the very things we think we cannot do without. A heart secure in God’s peace is something no one can take away and something really worth dying for.

Let us be grateful for our independence. Let us be appreciative of what we have while we labor to build a more perfect union. May our labors on behalf of God and country be blessed and fruitful. Thank you for sharing those labors of service and support with St. Monica Catholic Community: a place where we can take our first steps and our last steps—and all the steps of our journey in between.