Seasonal Reflection

Independence Day- USA
The date of July 4^th has been magnificently celebrated since the year 1776 because this was the day the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed to the American people. This document stated that every citizen in this country is entitled to the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The 13 American colonies wanted to be free from England, the country who had governmental control over them for quite a while. So, the Revolutionary War began.
The war had actually started before the Declaration of Independence was written by a Thomas Jefferson led group, but 8 years would go by before the colonists succeeded in winning their independence.
Still today, many people in America have their basic rights limited or denied altogether. Let us continue this annual celebration to send a message of hope that a time will come when all people, in this country and globally, will be free; free from living under any kind of oppression.
(taken from the book Companion to the Calendar: A Guide to the Saints and Mysteries of the Christian Calendar, Liturgical Training Publications, p. 100)
 
Hazel Martin, OFS
July 2019