Independence Day Weekend – July 4–5, 2026
True Freedom: Living Intentionally
1.
God Invites; We Respond
Some things
are not automatic—like this microphone, which I have to remember to turn on.
But we live
in a world where many things are automatic.
Have you
ever started typing something into Google, and before you've even finished your
sentence, Google already knows what you're are looking for? Or you begin typing
an address, and your phone finishes it for you. Artificial intelligence can
summarize information, organize our thoughts, and answer questions in seconds.
These are
remarkable tools.
But every
new convenience invites us to ask a deeper question.
As
technology becomes more automatic, am I becoming less intentional?
Technology
makes many things automatic.
The
Christian life often asks us to do just the opposite.
Love is often
a choice against selfishness.
Faith is
often a choice against doubt.
Forgiveness
is often a choice against revenge.
Compassion
is often a choice against indifference.
These
virtues don't grow through artificial intelligence.
They grow
through God's grace and our willing response, one choice at a time.
Jesus never
asks for an automatic response.
He simply
says:
"Come
to me."
2.
The King Nobody Expected
The prophet
Zechariah gives us an unexpected picture of a king.
Most people
would expect a king to arrive on a mighty war horse.
Instead,
God's King comes riding on a humble donkey.
Not with
force.
Not with
intimidation.
But with
humility.
Jesus
fulfills that prophecy when He enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding on a
donkey.
Then, in
today's Gospel, that same King says:
"Come
to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
Jesus never
drags anyone to Himself.
He never
programs anyone.
He never
forces anyone.
Love never
works that way.
He simply
invites.
3.
Freedom Chooses Love
This weekend
we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Our nation
treasures the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Those words
have inspired every generation of Americans.
But every generation
has had to receive those words again, to understand them more deeply, and to
live them more faithfully.
The same is
true of our Christian faith.
Jesus says,
"Take
my yoke upon you... for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Freedom is
not the absence of responsibility.
Freedom
is the ability to choose the responsibilities that lead us toward love.
Jesus does
not promise an effortless life.
He promises
that we will never carry our burdens alone.
His yoke is
light because He walks beside us.
4.
Love Is Chosen Every Day
A wedding
ring is a visible sign of marriage.
But a
wedding ring doesn't make a marriage.
Every
morning a husband chooses to love.
Every
morning a wife chooses to love.
The ring
simply reminds them of that choice.
The same is
true of every Christian vocation.
Parents
choose to love their children.
Children
care for aging parents.
Priests
choose to serve God's people.
Citizens
choose to work for the common good.
One simple
way we live intentionally is by making Sunday Mass part of our lives—not only
when we're home, but even when we're traveling or on vacation. God never goes
on vacation from us, and we don't leave Him behind when we travel. Gathering
with His people wherever we are reminds us that our friendship with Christ
travels with us.
Every
vocation, in its own way, says:
"Lord,
I come to You."
5.
Ordinary Afternoons Shape Our Lives
A few months
after I was ordained, I met several former coworkers for lunch at a beautiful
restaurant in Manhattan.
It was a
wonderful reunion.
I even
remember seeing someone famous there that afternoon—Bryant Gumbel.
As lunch
ended, I caught myself thinking,
"Well...now
it's time to go back to work."
Then I
smiled.
I wasn't
going back to that office anymore.
I was coming
back here—to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, visit the sick, and serve God's
people.
Then another
thought came to me.
My life
wasn't going to reach its high point in that lunch.
The
friendship around that table was genuine.
But it
didn't depend on the elegance of the restaurant.
The lunch
would end in an hour.
The
friendship would continue.
And I
realized I was also being called into another friendship—a daily friendship
with Jesus Christ, lived out in the ordinary work of being a priest.
The same is
true for every one of us.
Fireworks,
parades, anniversaries, and celebrations are wonderful.
But our
lives are shaped much more by ordinary afternoons.
Character is
formed one faithful choice at a time.
6.
The Greatest Freedom
One of the
great symbols of our country is the Statue of Liberty which stands in New York Harbor
– but the Statue / Liberty Island is in New Jersey (I’m just saying…)
For
generations it welcomed immigrants arriving in New York Harbor with hope.
Its
invitation was to a new homeland.
Jesus offers
something even greater.
He offers a
new heart.
The Statue
of Liberty says,
"Give
me your tired."
Jesus says,
"Come
to me."
The deepest
freedom is freedom from sin.
The freedom
to repent.
The freedom
to forgive.
The freedom
to love.
The freedom
to become the people God created us to be.
So this
Independence Day weekend, let us thank God for those who sacrificed to preserve
our freedoms.
Let us pray
for our country.
Let us pray
for peace.
Let us pray
for our leaders.
Every day
technology asks us,
"What
would you like me to do for you?"
Jesus asks
something different.
"Will
you come to me?"
That
question cannot be answered by artificial intelligence.
It cannot be
answered on autopilot.
It can only
be answered by each one of us—
one ordinary
afternoon,
one act of
faith,
one response
to God's grace,
at a time.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
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