July 4th

Jul 4, 2015

It is nearing the end of the annual July 4 Independence Day anniversary here in the USA. I am fortunate to have this opportunity to join with many US friends here to mark the day. With a group of friends I took a break from a movie to watch the neighbouring Libertyville fireworks finale from a university balcony.

The USA is widely considered to be a Christian nation. However there is a strong mood among many here that the Christian reality is increasingly lived in name rather than in lifestyle. This nation which was founded on belief in God, (the caption “In God We Trust” remains on the banknotes) is increasingly moving to a post-Christian mentality, following many other nations (including New Zealand) where Jesus Christ is spoken of as nothing more than an historical figure.

During Mass this morning I noticed the words of the Mass Collect, where the emphasis was not on OUR peace and OUR justice but with a confidence that it is God who has created us and who guides creation.

Let’s join with our American friends in praying for America in the words of today’s Mass Collect:

God of justice, Father of truth,
who guide creation in wisdom and goodness
to fulfillment in Christ your Son,
open our hearts to the truth of his Gospel,
that your peace may rule in our hearts
and your justice guide our lives.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen

American Dollar In God We Trust Inscription

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

I AM

I AM

I try not to repeat these daily Lenten posts year to year but there are times when the same scriptures pop up annually and I realise that I can’t write it better than I did last year. Today is one such day, not only because of the thought I share but even more in the comments that are added by FFF readers. Today I have left some of last year’s comments helping us to appreciate the power of today’s readings.

my word your home

my word your home

The heart of the home in years past was the hearth.
It was at the hearth that the family gathered for the warmth and light of the flame and the food that was prepared there.
The fire was treated with respect since the same flame which provided energy for the home could just as easily destroy it.

stand up look up

stand up look up

The Israelites in their forty years in the desert were journeying from captivity to freedom, but the struggle of their desert years made them vulnerable to attack from every temptation as today’s first reading continues

confident in God

confident in God

I’m not sure if children today are told the great story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, but if not let’s make sure that the parable is taught at all schools of higher learning.

the teenagers

the teenagers

A few years ago I discovered the wonderful way that God uses my imagination in my prayer.
Such openness to imagination when seeking God does not take us away from reality into fantasy but instead brings me into what is most real and inescapably personal and intimate.