The July 4 liturgy isn’t about nationalism—it’s about gratitude, providence, and praying for our nation.
Did you know that every July 4, Catholics in the U.S.A hear different Mass readings from Catholics around the world?
That surprised me! If we’re a universal church, why focus on individual nations? Shouldn’t our faith focus on global communion, with everyone from earth through purgatory to heaven? Isn’t this an act of pride for our nation? And wasn’t pride was the first sin (of the fallen angels and man) and is the root of all evil?
What is the Church thinking?
A true and simple answer is that we’re to pray for those whom God places in our lives—our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and our local and national communities. But the reason for a special July 4 mass goes even beyond that.
On Others’ Shoulders
We faithful know that celebrations of accomplishment should recognize the blessings that enabled it, God’s grace outpoured. Passing a test after dedicated study resulted from my cooperation with God’s gifts—sufficient intellect, time and the basic needs He provides.
Actually, our every breath is a gift, occurring only because God continuously wills our existence. After a jolt of terror when I first heard that, utter gratitude swelled up. Imagine if He had a human’s boredom and impatience! I marvelled at His eternal self and omniscient power soaked with infinite love for every one of us. Why do this if He didn’t love us? What a gift to know our ongoing existence relies on such a powerful heart! No wonder our hearts made in His image so deeply desire love!
Even worldly award recipients acknowledge their supporters. Our souls need the humility that recognizes our successes come through others, and from both caring and uncaring souls. We usually thank those who give from love. However, a nation’s society and government also impact who we are with the gifts we’ve acquired, albeit at times through adversity. Just as all human beings sin, so too, do all nations have their flaws, being governed by… humans.
It’s why, on July 4, we need to pray for our nation which affects so many people! We must pray for God’s intervention to eradicate evil and enlighten minds with His wisdom, and ask for Him to reveal the good He’s brought amid the struggles—and not just on July 4, but everyday. When worrying about my own past failings, I find encouragement in the phrase: “God writes straight with crooked lines,” commonly attributed to St. Theresa of Avila.
To quote St. Augustine’s academic version: “Since God is the highest good, He would not permit any evil to exist in His works unless His omnipotence and goodness were such as to bring good even out of evil” (Enchiridion 11). Ponder that… And recognize that the good He can bring flows through you, me, and our nation when we cooperate with Him.
Gratitude for God’s Providence
So, celebrating our nation at Mass is not about praising the U.S. for its accomplishments. Instead, it’s about thanking God for the good He has accomplished through our nation, and about seeking His ongoing providence. As an American of the United States, I am grateful for its heritage of providing good to the world. We offer more aid to foreign entities than any country in history, and established a land of opportunity such that the 675,000 visas (for non-relatives) annually are too few for those who wish to immigrate here.
Yes, we can still make improvements, of course. But I’m so grateful our nation’s ethos is to help others, to give from our blessings. The heart of our nation’s people seems generous: we don’t tend to disagree on whether to help people, rather on how and who. Made in the image and likeness of God, it’s natural that we love our neighbor and God.
Speaking of which, did you know that gratitude for divine providence and petitioning for its continuation are written into every U.S. state constitution (45 states name God and five a divine influence)? If prayer is countercultural, it is not un-American! Despite crime, corruption, ethnic slavery and all other vices and evils present at the nation’s inception, our founders perceived good was present and greater possible with God. Evil and ignorance of the “authentic good” for the human person existed then, exists here and still exists worldwide. But I see a nation with so many people constantly striving for better—even when we’re at emotionally intense odds.
So, we pray to our divine Creator, having reason to hope. And when we bring our hearts’ desires and our failings to Jesus at Mass, He transforms them into a perfect offering that returns grace to us and to all for whom we prayed, including our nation and the world. Again, I marvel at how important He has made us to Himself and to His work in His creation.
Petitioning, and How To Do It Right
Remember that praying for petitions is a must, but only with the proper focus and humility!
In Exodus, the Israelites ate bread and meat (quail) that literally fell from the sky. They crossed the Red Sea’s dry bed before the water crushed their enemies. And still, they grumbled! That seems insane! Maybe the weight of carrying all their possessions grew tiring, the pebbles stuck in their sandals became painful, or the children’s whining from all the walking reached a fever pitch, and the Israelite’s tempers flared.
However, they could have asked for help or greater understanding, recalling God’s providential care, so obviously present; instead, they grumbled and cried out to return to slavery! Hard to imagine, at first. But then I think of how often I’ve failed to set aside the sins that enslave me, and my grumblings over first-world problems on an otherwise great day… Forgive me, Lord!
Here, I picture God heaving a fatherly sigh as He withdrew His providence, and deadly asp snakes bit the Israelites. They begged for help (a good start to every crisis!) and Moses interceded. But this time God required more than walking forward—He wanted them to know from where their salvation came. They had to look upon a special cross with an image of the asp on it that was lifted up—sound familiar?
Those still alive gazed on it and were healed from the venom. My heart skips a beat when I think of how God prepared His people (and us!) for Jesus being raised on His Cross to save everyone, if we only look to Him on the Cross and humbly ask for His help, because we cannot save ourselves. Thus we pray in America the Beautiful, “God mend thine every flaw” and “Confirm thy soul in self-control.”
So, this July 4, petition the Lord for our country! And there’s no more powerful prayer than the Mass. Raise your concerns to Him during the consecration and after You receive Him, when He is there within you, in the closest-possible communion this side of heaven.
Where We Find Our Rest
We’re still in the desert, despite living in what many would consider a “promised land.”
Our country’s forefathers—and so many since and today—understood and embraced the necessity of trials for creating a land of opportunity. By God’s will and grace, such opportunity exists, but not to claim worldly riches and fames. He offers the wealth of knowing and feeling His love and the richness of changing the lives and eternal destinations of ourselves and others. There our restlessness ends, and we “crown our [nation’s] good with brotherhood” by helping others’ restlessness also end in His peace.
There is so much about our nation for which I want to thank God this July 4, and so much longing for its flaws to be mended. I’m eager to pray the greatest prayer, Mass, with heart, mind, and soul focused on our nation. Change begins in people’s hearts, the realm of the Holy Spirit. May we still our own desires to enable His transformation in our hearts as we pray for the same for others.
A Prayer for July 4
With my heart trying to orient first on God’s desire for our nation, I pray:
Lord, please turn the hearts of everyone in our nation to You, to be inspired and encouraged by Your love and will. Eliminate our pride, and remove the scales from our ignorant or misdirected eyes. Teach us to embrace your infinite mercy—for individuals, our communities, and our nation—then strengthen our resolve to follow You.
Help our country lead people to You and to fulfilling Your will, Your way. Help us act from true, authentic love for every person, recognizing the dignity You gave to and uphold in each of us. Guide and strengthen our leaders to follow you, and guide me to use the gifts you have shaped in me for the good of all. We ask this through our nation’s only Lord and King, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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