Catholic Perspectives on America at 250
Growing up in the Midwestern United States, I have fond memories as a kid on the 4th of July. Fireworks going off on every street, family and friends gathering around and enjoying homemade dishes and barbecue.
The one thing that stood out the most was the presence everyone gave each other. We all understood the significance and history of the holiday, but we made more of an effort to be there for one another, to ask how life is going and to enjoy one another’s company. Going down to the park pool, playing wiffleball in the front yard, and ending the night with fireworks, all surrounded by the people who cared for and loved me the most, nothing could top it.
This love of neighbor, as I saw it exemplified among my friends and family in a simple way, is what I think Catholics in America need most today and into the United States’ next 250 years.
The Start
When the founding fathers began the American experiment two and a half centuries ago, they did so with the vision that all human beings possess inherent dignity, an incoercible conscience, and the power to come together to form a government for the people and by the people, as Abraham Lincoln would later put it.At the core of the United States’ founding are deeply Catholic ideals: “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.”
These founding principles gave Americans a standard for being virtuous, and continue to light the way for Americans today. These values, our call to love our neighbor, and our successes and failures to follow through on both have shaped the United States’ first 250 years, and have much to teach us looking toward our next 250.
Love Your Country, Authentically
The Christian call to love our neighbor extends far beyond the occasional encounter every year on the cul-de-sac with a lawn chair and a burger. It extends to our local communities, parishes, schools, and, on a larger scale, our country.Patriotism, the rightly-ordered love for our country, is more than a feeling. It’s a virtue that one can, and should, grow in. It is grounded in the love of neighbor and is shaped by our desire for personal holiness. Nationalism, on the other hand, is a dangerous obsession with our country that uses it against the common good of others. Understanding what true patriotism is can help us grow in the virtue of authentically loving our country.
In his 1995 address to the United Nations, Pope St. John Paul II highlighted the dangers of falling into nationalism, mistaking it for patriotism.
“True patriotism never seeks to advance the well-being of one’s own nation at the expense of others. For in the end, this would harm one’s own nation as well: doing wrong damages both aggressor and victim,” he taught. “Nationalism, particularly in its most radical forms, is thus the antithesis of true patriotism, and today we must ensure that extreme nationalism does not continue to give rise to new forms of the aberrations of totalitarianism.”
The Next 250 Years
Looking over our history in the United States, there are many things to celebrate, and many things we need to learn from. The beauty of this nation does not come from specific events that prompt us to take notes in a history classroom. It’s from the people who make our country beautiful. We’re not perfect, not even close. But God is at work in all of us.Frequently, my students ask me in class what we can do to make this country better. My honest answer? Pray and be involved. Pray for growth in personal holiness in yourself and amongst one another. Prayer is a simple act that guides our decision-making.
With gratitude for the great things our country has done and with humility to recognize the ways in which we’ve fallen, let’s be involved in our country, always seeking to build the Kingdom of God among us. Be outspoken about the issues that impact the most vulnerable. Be peaceful and a voice of sincerity and holiness. Be involved at the most local level; don’t just focus on the national stage. Some of the most profound decisions that impact us take place in our local communities, yet most aren’t involved there.
Living patriotism in our communities will have a ripple effect, transforming our state and our nation. When well-ordered, the virtue of patriotism isn’t separate from our relationship with God; they go hand in hand. We are one nation under God. Always remember that God is with us, especially in uncertain times.
Austin Mernagh, Theology and Social Studies Teacher, St. Francis Alumni
Source: www.denvercatholic.org/one-nation-under-god-catholic-perspectives-on-america-at-250