July 4th - Independence Day?

Greetings, Sisters, Brothers, and Friends of the Community!

July 4th has been set aside as a day to celebrate the birth of America, to celebrate independence not only for us, but to express a hope that one day all peoples of the world will have freedom.

I can’t help wonder, though, if by wishing for this we get a bit off track.

Wanting to be independent, to be free, rather than being interdependent, was the mistake made back in the Garden of Eden. When we become truly independent, we disconnect ourselves from God, from others, and from nature, not realizing how very much interconnected we all really are. What one person does really affects another, what one person does really affects nature. It’s unmistakable when we look at the record of mankind throughout history.

Becoming truly independent actually brings us into a state of slavery. We become more easily susceptible to the influences of culture and societal norms that may or may not be good for us. We become ensnared in the desires, attachments and prejudices of our runaway egos, causing these scales to build up over our eyes very much like what happened to Saul. The prominence of false values become the norm to which all aspire.

True freedom rests in living a life with God, interconnected with each other. It comes when we shed the shackle of these scales, like Saul did in Acts 9:17-18, and allowing the truth of the Holy Spirit to flow through us. True freedom comes when we finally shed our false self and begin to live the life that God meant us to live, serving Him in our own unique way – a way that no one else could ever possibly do. As Psalm 137:4 asks, “How can we sing the Lord’s song (being who we really are) in a strange land?” (A land where although we think we’re independent we are actually under the influence of a misguided system.)

As Richard Rohr states, “It’s quite clear that in the final analysis it’s the grace of God that liberates us. It’s the experience of divine and unconditional love that really sets us free. No political system can offer us this inner liberty.”

Let us worship the Father in spirit and truth, for it is the truth that shall set you free.

Br. Daniel-Joseph, CTG