Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend marks an important moment for our country here in the United States of America as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For many of us, the Fourth of July is a wonderful day in which we gather with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate the gift of freedom we all enjoy. Amidst our plans for cookouts, fireworks, and travel, we can forget the significance of this great holiday and all the many gifts we have received from living in this country.

This weekend, we are invited to pause and reflect on the many ways God has blessed the United States by allowing us to follow His will through the values and virtues that helped establish this country. Here in this letter, I invite us to ponder three virtues that have defined our country, namely, courage, faith, and liberty.

First, I invite us to see how courage has played an important role in the establishment of the United States of America. When the Founding Fathers of the United States made the decision to declare their independence from the British monarchy in 1776, they did so with great courage, knowing that they were risking their lives for the sake of the common good of the people of this land. By declaring their independence from the King of England, they were committing the grave crime of treason that was punishable by death if they ever got caught. In the face of this danger, the virtue of courage allowed the Founding Fathers to look beyond the immediate peril against their lives and allowed them to fight courageously to defend their conviction to the truth.

Secondly, the United States was founded upon the basic principle that all men are called to follow God through faith in their daily lives. In the First Amendment of the Constitution, we read that the new Congress would not make any laws establishing a universal religion for the nation, nor prohibit the free practice of any religion in the United States. The Founding Fathers knew how important it is for all men to follow God and understood the significance of the values within the Judeo‑Christian heritage that was given to them from their ancestors in Europe. Without faith, man simply becomes a cog in a machine that is purely materialistic, and he risks losing his dignity as created in God’s image and likeness.

Lastly, one of the most valuable gifts we have received from God in the United States is the great gift of liberty that we enjoy each day. Liberty is the virtue which allows us to pursue the goals we ought to follow without the intervention of an outside force. When we think of liberty, we often think it is about “doing whatever we want,” but this is not correct. Liberty allows us to do what we ought to do in accord with what is true, good, and beautiful. In order to be truly free, we must follow God’s law and the laws of our nation to the best of our abilities.

As we celebrate this momentous 250th anniversary for our nation, these virtues help us to recognize how much God has blessed us in this country. We also acknowledge the many men and women who have sacrificed themselves to preserve our country and these values within our lives. While we enjoy the great gifts of courage, faith, and liberty, we recommit ourselves to God’s will and to placing Him first in our lives.

May Christ’s peace be with you,

Father Briggs