Friends in Christ,
This week of July 4th, we will remember together our roots and our resistance. We will embrace our demand for
Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
I think it is possible to thank God through the human stages of these three words. As children, we are all about the Pursuit of Happiness through DEPENDENCE on those with the power in our lives. As we originally needed assistance from Great Britain, our nation has grown in greatness through alliances beyond our borders.
This month, we highlight our Liberty, INDEPENDENCE, and self-governance. Much as adolescence requires physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual weaning from dependence, so too we needed to step away from being a colony of a distant land.
But our nation is also built on INTERDEPENDENCY. We pursue Life for all, and that takes the community of our nation. All things are interdependent upon others for survival. As the Church and as mentors of the Kingdom of God, INTERDEPENDENCE is our desire. We were created for community. It was exhibited from the very beginning, when God told Adam that it was not good for humans to be alone. God chose a nation to convince the world of the divine covenant. Even Jesus was not a one-man crusade, but pulled disciples toward him to teach the larger community of salvation and hope.
Communion is community. Baptism binds us in a caring covenant.
To misquote St. Paul:
Dependence, Independence, Interdependence, these three are American essentials.
But for us, the greatest of these is Interdependence.
Glad to be free and interdependent with you, Tempe'