Happy 4th of July!
Some of us are enjoying an extended weekend holiday this year for July
4th...I thought I'd share some thoughts
about liberty from a Catholic point of view. (Remember I'm no theologian
or any other kind of expert here, just a Catholic man expressing an
opinion.)
First of all, I'm talking about the concept of "liberty" vs. "freedom."
Our Founding Fathers often referred to liberty - a lot more than they
did to freedom. Some other time we might get into the differences
between the two terms, but not now.
I know thoughtful Catholics who have pointed out that "liberty" can
imply a kind of individualism that really isn't faithful to Catholic
teaching. It can wind up meaning the kind of individualism that more or
less permits any sort of behavior "as long as you don't do anything to
hurt someone else." Some Libertarians believe this, and so some
Catholics believe you can't be Libertarian and Catholic.
I do understand the objection some Catholics have here, when liberty
somehow allows or even encourages people to become libertines, that is
one who behaves without moral scruple, especially in sexual matters. The
words even sound alike. But I don't think there's an inevitable
connection. So I'm not so sure that liberty has to be a bad thing. In
fact, if you dust off your copy of the Declaration of Independence and
read it you might agree with me. Too few of us ever get beyond those
most famous words which are inevitably and generously quoted every year
around this time:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator
with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and
the pursuit of Happiness.”
How many of us remember, or were ever taught, that those words were not
some inspired vision that sprung from the individual imagination of
Thomas Jefferson, but emerged from roots firmly planted in natural law?
In fact, in the very first paragraph of the Declaration, we find a
specific reference to that natural law when the signers stated in no
uncertain terms that they were acting in order
“...to assume among the powers of the
earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and
nature’s God entitle them.” (emphasis added)
The signers justified their claim for independence on natural law.
And we note that Jefferson wrote these words with the knowledge that
every American of his generation understood exactly what he meant by
“laws of nature.” Not only could Americans in Jefferson’s era understand
that their claim to independence was justified by natural law, but they
also understood that God, Creator of all human beings and everything in
the universe in which they lived, was the author of that law.
I think a Catholic can agree with this. I don't think it implies that
liberty inevitably leads to becoming a libertine. If you understand the
concept of the natural law, and follow it, and remind yourself that
natural law comes from God, then I don't see how liberty - when it
recognizes the natural law - can be bad.
Wishing you a wonderful day of respite from the daily grind. And a
special shout out to all those who do have to work today, especially
those in our police departments who will do their best to assure our
safety as we celebrate our independence.
Meanwhile, here's a guy who's not a Catholic singing a wonderful song about America.
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