INDEPENDENCE DAY, JULY 4, 2024

MASS READINGS:

Gospel

Mt 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven. "At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming. "Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"–he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home. "He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

REFLECTION

"Courage, child "

When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, John Adams remarked, “It ought to be commemorated as a day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty”.

Many lives were lost fighting for the freedoms afforded in the Declaration of Independence from tyranny of the British King.

Jesus Christ, King of all, sacrificed His life, so that we would be free from the chains of death. We celebrate Mass as the greatest way of Thanksgiving.

The Declaration of Independence guarantees the freedom to practice

our religion. Not just only worship but freedom every second of the day to practice our faith, to be free to be Catholic, truly Catholic.

And yet that freedom seems to be slipping away. The Department of Health and Human Services wants Catholics to provide, pay and obtain insurance for birth control pills, sterilizations, IVF, over the counter abortifacients, abortions at any time, (even seconds before birth) and gender change. Catholic adoption services have been forced to close down when conscience does not allow same sex couples adopting. Many are incarcerated for breaking federal law regarding praying before abortion clinics. The government funds Planned Parenthood. Many Catholic services rendered to the needy have had to close because of federal laws imposing rules not consistent with the Catholic faith. There are fines with penalty of incarceration if one refuses to bake wedding cakes for same sex marriages.

As we celebrate this July 4th with parades, picnics, and fireworks, remember we are celebrating the freedoms that many died for. Stand up and be heard, vote your conscience. Take courage and speak up and make your voice be heard.

God bless you.