One Nation Under God

Equating a sesquicentennial with 150 years will forever be committed to my memory. When St. Mary’s Church in Pontiac celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016, we had quite a bash. Chairpersons were appointed many months in advance, and those chairs wasted no time forming a committee, which then created subcommittees. We celebrated what many others before us had built and the freedom to worship together as a community called St. Mary’s in Pontiac.

Speaking of sesquicentennials, our very own Diocese of Peoria is celebrating its 150th anniversary. (I consistently see it referred to as 150 years, and not the sesquicentennial. Maybe because sesquicentennial is a mouthful and 150 is easier to promote? That’s probably a question for Bishop Lou. But I digress.) One hundred and fifty years of “proclaiming Christ yesterday, today, and forever” within our diocese! As part of the ongoing celebration of the 150th anniversary, our diocese consecrated itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Special celebratory sidenote: You can join in on the celebration by attending a First Friday regional Mass. Today, July 3, at St. Mary Church (Pontiac) at 5:30 pm; St. Patrick Church of Merna (Bloomington) at 5:00 pm; Epiphany Church (Normal) at 5:30 pm.

This local milestone also coincided with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding. Talk about truly being one nation under God! Our country was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as we celebrate 250 years of independence. (And again, I consistently see 250 years of America, and not the mouthful of semiquincentennial. I think I see a pattern here…)

We live in a great country with great freedoms. “With great freedom comes great responsibility.” Eleanor Roosevelt reminded us of this. The message is clear: freedom comes with a duty and responsibility. Freedom is not an autonomous right or feeling. Freedom is not a personal endeavor to do whatever we please. If it were, we could see how it would lead to destruction of a society.

I was struck by a line in this message from Father Mike Schmitz about freedom and responsibility in our country. In the 1960s & 70s, Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl shared that our country should have a twin statue to the Statue of Liberty. In America, we can be so focused on our own personal liberties and freedoms, and the Statue of Liberty is a wonderful reminder of these freedoms. However, we also need a twin statue to go along with it: the statue of responsibility. Because with great freedom comes great responsibility.

Just as we are baptized into Christ Jesus and are freely given membership into His love, His family, and the Church, we are also expected to develop that relationship with God and those He places around us. Every real relationship we are in comes with real responsibility. Whether that’s as a beloved son or daughter of God, or as a member of a family, or a citizen of the United States.

This weekend we celebrate 250 years of being one nation under God. Centuries ago, John Adams said that the only way democracy could ever thrive is among a religious people. Why? Because even when the government doesn’t enact or propose a law to order the people, religious people will have the moral code to maintain order because of their obedience to a higher law and higher authority. Let’s be a religious people with a guiding Father. Let’s celebrate our freedoms and acknowledge our responsibility to wield those freedoms with virtue. One Nation Under God.