God and country - two important concepts embraced by the Catholic Church and brought into harmony this weekend.
This Memorial Day we rightly honor our heroes who have defended the right for our nation and us as individuals to recognize and exercise the dignity and freedom of the human person.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) has this to say about freedom:
"Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude. As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "'the slavery of sin' (c.f. Rom 6:17)" (CCC 1731-1733). But this freedom comes with a price: "Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and self-discipline enhance the mastery of the will over its acts" (CCC 1734).
So one reason why we are willing to fight and die for freedom is because the need for freedom is imprinted onto our very nature. By virtue of our ability to reason and our free will, we are impelled to seek truth, especially religious truth. Our Creator instilled this drive within us, so that we would seek Him, for He is truth. And having found truth, we are obligated to live it to the best of our ability. But we cannot do this if we are forced or under constraint. It is the obligation of the state to ensure that its citizens are free to exercise their religious freedom. However, if the state fails in its obligation, or is attacked by another state, then, at some point, human beings will rightly and necessarily fight - and die - for true freedom.
This Memorial Day we should, both as citizens and as Catholics, honor our fallen brothers and sisters; those who have died so that we may continue to choose freedom. But in doing so we should also remember our Church, who has defended the dignity and freedom of the human person for over two-thousand years.
Prayer For Memorial Day
God of power and mercy,
you destroy war and put down earthly pride.
Banish violence from our midst and wipe away our tears,
that we may all deserve to be called your sons
and daughters.
Keep in your mercy those men and women
who have died in the cause of freedom
and bring them safely
into your kingdom of justice and peace.
We ask this though Jesus Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen
—from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers
found at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/memorial-day-prayer.cfm
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) has this to say about freedom:
"Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude. As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or reproach. The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to "'the slavery of sin' (c.f. Rom 6:17)" (CCC 1731-1733). But this freedom comes with a price: "Freedom makes man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary. Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and self-discipline enhance the mastery of the will over its acts" (CCC 1734).
So one reason why we are willing to fight and die for freedom is because the need for freedom is imprinted onto our very nature. By virtue of our ability to reason and our free will, we are impelled to seek truth, especially religious truth. Our Creator instilled this drive within us, so that we would seek Him, for He is truth. And having found truth, we are obligated to live it to the best of our ability. But we cannot do this if we are forced or under constraint. It is the obligation of the state to ensure that its citizens are free to exercise their religious freedom. However, if the state fails in its obligation, or is attacked by another state, then, at some point, human beings will rightly and necessarily fight - and die - for true freedom.
This Memorial Day we should, both as citizens and as Catholics, honor our fallen brothers and sisters; those who have died so that we may continue to choose freedom. But in doing so we should also remember our Church, who has defended the dignity and freedom of the human person for over two-thousand years.
Prayer For Memorial Day
God of power and mercy,
you destroy war and put down earthly pride.
Banish violence from our midst and wipe away our tears,
that we may all deserve to be called your sons
and daughters.
Keep in your mercy those men and women
who have died in the cause of freedom
and bring them safely
into your kingdom of justice and peace.
We ask this though Jesus Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen
—from Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers
found at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/memorial-day-prayer.cfm
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Our FORMED Recommendation for the Week
Movie: Bakhita https://www.formed.org/watch/57e174bc7e237b6012a388eeRecognizing the value of freedom, this is a story that shows how hard-won it can be. Born in a village in Sudan, kidnapped by slavers, often beaten and abused, and later sold to Federico Marin, a Venetian merchant, Bakhita came to Italy and became the nanny servant of Federico's daughter, Aurora, who had lost her mother at birth. She is treated as an outcast by the peasants and the other servants due to her black skin and African background, but Bakhita is kind and generous to others. Bakhita gradually comes closer to God with the help of the kind village priest, and embraces the Catholic faith.She requests to join the order of Canossian sisters, but Marin doesn't want to give her up as his servant, treating her almost as his property. This leads to a moving court case that raised an uproar which impacts Bakhita's freedom and ultimate decision to become a nun. Pope John Paul II declared her a saint in the year 2000.
Directed by Giacamo Campiotti (St. Giuseppe Moscati, Doctor Zhivago) and stars Fatou Kine Boye, Stefania Rocca, Fabio Sartor, Ettore Bassi, and Francesco Salvi.
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