Today is a national holiday in the U.S. on which we celebrate the anniversary of our independence. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776. In declaring independence fron the tyrany of King George, our founders articulated a vision for a nation where "all men are created equal," and where we acknowlege that all are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happyness." This is why we celebrate and light up the evening sky with fireworks.

We pledge allegence to the flag of United States which represents this republic, "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

At this very challenging time in our history, when secular values and deep divisions among us threaten this lofty vision of our identity as a nation, this is an important day for prayer.

I order to preserve our nation's special commitment to equality and justice for all, and model this vision for the rest of the world, we must, as individuals, and as communities, pray for healing and conversion among us.

Remembering who we are called to be, by our faith in a God who loves us all, we can ask for the graces that will move our hearts in the direction of compassion and mercy, of dialogue and compromise, all in service of the common good, and with growing commitment to the least advantaged among us.

If we aren't able to celebrate the Eucharist on this holiday, I offer the prayers the Church gives us for a special liturgy in the U.S. this day. We can pray these prayers today and ask for the grace to align our hearts to their message.

As we celebrate our liberty today, we can remember the words of the poem by Emma Lazarus, on the plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty. We read Liberty's welcome as she "cries with silent lips:"

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"