I had the blessing of serving as one of the chaplains for St. Vladimir’s Summer Camp in the woods of Eastern Ohio this past week, where children from all over the mid-west put down their screens for a week, and worshiped, created, played, and swam together in what felt like the heat of hell itself (the indexes flew up to north of 108 degrees!)
One of the more enjoyable evenings of last week was watching the children get excited about the USA’s World Cup Soccer Match. Throughout both halves, the kids would randomly start the “USA chants”. Despite half of them not knowing the first thing about soccer, they would scream and hug each other in jubilation after the team scored a goal! All of them were united and stood behind a team that they all had in common.
Those precious moments served as a beautiful image to me of what happens when citizens of our nation set aside our differences, look past all that divide us, and focuses on the one thing that unites us…that we are all proud Americans. Whether we will find ourselves in November riding on the back of a Republican Elephant or on the back of a Democratic Donkey, the celebrations of the 250th birthday of our country were an opportunity for all of us to be united in our love, and (more importantly) in our giving thanks to God for the gift of the United States of America.
Now that the celebrations, the fireworks, and the excitement of the past few days of celebration are completed, all of us should be taking a moment to reflect on what we have done with this gift of a country that God has given us. While it is the job of the president and civil leaders to build up and highlight the accomplishments, its often the job of the priests and spiritual leaders to help us sober up and open our eyes to the work that we have yet to accomplish.
Let me start off by saying the obvious. Whether you like the President or current Government or not, we are absolutely BLESSED to live in the United States. Anyone who says otherwise has never been to, lived, or experienced life outside of our borders. That being said, what have we done with the blessings we have received?
We live in the wealthiest country in the world (at least until our government causes us all to go broke with overspending). Even our poorest citizens would be considered wealthy by international standards. God has given us all the opportunity to use our wealth to help others. Have we as a country, and individually, done all that we can to take care of our neighbor as ourself?
We are blessed to live in a place with tremendous cultural variety. Everyone comes from a different backgrounds and experience. I look at our own Orthodox Church in America as a microcosm of this “melting pot” American experience. In our own parish, we have second and third generation Romanians, Serbians, Russians, Ukrainians, Georgians, Syrians…and many other kinds of nationalities that end in “ians”. All of us have our own little quirks and ways in which we like to experience various Liturgical practices and customs. We all have different personalities and ways in which we handle disagreements. Yet through it all, we remember that before all of the nationalities, we are Orthodox Christians, made in the image and likeness of God. And like those children watching the USA soccer match, we focus on what unites us rather than what makes us different. Can we say that we do the same to those who are not like us on the street?
Perhaps the greatest gift we have been given as a nation, is one that coincides with the greatest gift that God gave mankind when He created us…our freedom. Today (and yes, I use the word “today” after experiencing government overreach during COVID), without any fear or government persecution, we are free to attend an Orthodox Liturgy. We all have the freedom to write an article for the newspaper, with our name on it, to criticize our elected officials without fear of reprisal or imprisonment. We have the freedom to go to the ballot boxes in November and select the leaders we feel most represent our family, our values, and our faith. Have we used that great gift of freedom during these last 250 years to bear fruits worthy of God?
I think our Holy Synod of Bishops said it best in their statement for the celebrations of this weekend:
“250 years is a span of time sufficient to accumulate both great achievements, and grave failures. This nation, like all nations under God, has known the heights of generosity, and the depths of injustice; the nobility of aspiration, and the tragedy of betrayal. The Church does not pretend otherwise, nor would it serve this nation’s good or her to do so. We bear witness to a God before Whom no nation and no person stand without need of mercy….
It is in this spirit that we call all of the faithful in the Orthodox Church in America, and through our witness, this nation to repentance…Repentance for injustices past and present; for the idols of wealth, comfort and power that seduces every generation; for the divisions and enmities that tear at the fabric of common life; and for the ways in which we have failed to love our neighbors as ourselves…
…A true commemoration of our nation’s founding is not merely a self-congratulation, but rather a moment of sober examination, of honest confession, and of a renewed dependance upon God.”
Thank God for our Holy Synod of Bishops in the Orthodox Church in America! While it would have been socially acceptable to write a statement praising our great country and touting all of its accomplishments, we have shepherds who also remind us to sober up and humble ourselves in our celebrations…looking to all of the ways in which we have squandered the gift of the United States of America.
Now that the celebrations are over, let’s begin our preparations as individuals, and as a nation, for the next 250 years. With great gifts come great responsibilities (see the parable of the talents). May God grant us the ability to guide ourselves and our elected officials in the way of peace. May He grant us, and our leaders, especially our President and Members of Congress, the spirit of Humility and Charity. And may God continue to trust us with His Divine Gifts as we continue to cultivate and produce fruits worthy of our country in the decades to come.