The last two days at Mass we have sung patriotic hymns, not surprisingly. I was struck by some of the lyrics. I have always been a fan of "America" (aka, "My Country 'Tis Of Thee"). The fact that it is the same tune as "God Save The King/Queen" is quite delicious. This is the last verse:
Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.
Then we have "America The Beautiful," another lovely hymn. Here is a verse from that old song:
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
I remember John Ashcroft's confirmation hearings for Attorney General. Ashcroft offended the sensibilities of some of the Senators by suggesting his ultimate allegiance was to God, not man made government. Yet, this is the same sentiment of the verse from "America" listed above. In fact, it gives a defense of kingship, albeit a divine kingship. Referring to God as "king" (and recall that Christ is often referred to as "King of Kings", from the verse from Isaiah made popular by Handel), suggests an appropriate submission to an authority beyond the temporal. In "America The Beautiful" it says "God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!" So there is a virtue in obeying the law. See Lincoln's Lyceum Address for an impassioned defense of that position. The sermon this morning contained wise words about what truly sets us free. Oddly, the absence of restraint isn't really freedom. It more likely means that we become slaves to our passions. Everyone knows that more freedom comes from obedience to rightful authority. The Gospel of John says this (John 8:32):
Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
This is a far cry from the utter shallowness of Justice O'Connor in Planned Parenthood v. Casey:
At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State.
The radical individualism expressed in this statement is as undefensible as philosophy as it as constitutional jurisprudence. The import of the phrase is that the we as a public have no legitimate interest in the character of our fellows, and that decency, selflessness, and patriotism will spring up spontaneously from the people. As Simone Weil once put it, "To set up a standard of public morality a notion which can neither be defined nor conceived is to open the door to every kind of tyranny." How far we've come from God as "Author of Liberty" and "Confirm thy soul in self-control" to "it's none of your business what anyone believes about anything." Try sustaining a repbulic on the self-evident falsehood of selfishness inherent in that idea.
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