Dear Parishioners,
The July 4th Holiday is upon us and I am hopeful that y’all survive the holiday and find yourselves rested. This holiday is one that conjures up images of our founding fathers and the struggles they endured to establish a place where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness would endure forever.
Because the founding fathers of our country are no longer with us, the debate will probably always rage on about exactly where they stood faithwise. Were they committed Christians or simply theists? Did they envision a government protected from religious influence, or were they more concerned with protecting religion from government influence?
Whatever they were up to, it seems that the founders and framers of the country had God’s sovereignty in mind when they wrote and spoke. Here are some God-speak quotes from those great grandfathers of the good ol’ USA. If you read some of these the way I do it seems like present and recent past interpreters of the Constitution have gone astray!
George Washington – Creator of the Continental Army that won the Revolutionary War, first president:
- It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
- Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.
John Adams Helped draft the Declaration of Independence, second president president
- The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity, and humanity.
Thomas Jefferson – Author of the Declaration of Independence, third president:
- The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty…students’ perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens.
- I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by himself, to be the most pure, benevolent, and sublime which have ever been preached to man.
- Of all systems of morality, ancient and modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to be so pure as that of Jesus.
- The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.
James Madison – Helped draft the U.S. Constitution, fourth president:
- The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.
- We’ve staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us…to govern ourselves according to the commandments of God.
- Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.
Benjamin Franklin – Author, diplomat, philosopher, ranked among America’s greatest statesmen:
- I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without his aid?
- Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.’ I firmly believe this.
Samuel Adams – American patriot, leader of resistance to Britain:
- The rights of the colonists as Christians…may be best understood by reading and carefully studying the institutes of the great Lawgiver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.
Patrick Henry – American orator and statesman, influenced colonists towards revolution:
- It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
John Jay – American statesman, first Chief Justice of the United States:
- Providence has given our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.
Noah Webster – American lexicographer, dedicated member of Federalist Party:
- The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free Constitutions of Government.
Some great stuff in the above quotes! Too bad so many have forgotten the original principals of our country’s foundation! Let us pray for a greater realization of how important our Christian faith was in establishing this great country and how important it is in maintaining the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness we so much enjoy.
Fr. Jan
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