Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, we rightly give thanks for the freedom we enjoy. That freedom did not come without sacrifice. Countless men and women throughout our nation's history have served, fought, and even given their lives so that future generations could live in freedom.
Freedom, however, is never an end in itself. It is always meant for something greater.
We see this truth clearly in the Book of Exodus. When God raised up Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He wasn't simply freeing them from Pharaoh. He was freeing them for Himself. Again and again, Moses delivered God's message to Pharaoh: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
The goal of Israel's liberation was worship.
The same is true for us. Through His death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ has set us free from the slavery of sin so that we might live as beloved sons and daughters of God. Our freedom finds its fullest expression when we worship the Lord and place Him at the center of our lives.
This is why last Sunday's Gospel is so important. Jesus tells us that our relationship with Him must come before every other relationship. He is not asking us to love our families less. Rather, He is teaching us that when we love Him first, we are able to love everyone else more fully and more faithfully.
This also helps us understand why the Church teaches that Catholics have the obligation to participate in Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation. Sometimes people think this is simply a rule the Church invented. It is not. From the very beginning of salvation history, God has called His people to gather in worship. The Third Commandment tells us to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," and from the earliest days of the Church, Christians gathered on Sunday, the day of the Lord's Resurrection, to celebrate the Eucharist.
The Sunday obligation is one of the precepts of the Church, but it is much more than a rule. It is a reminder of what matters most. It protects and nourishes our relationship with Christ and ensures that worship remains the foundation of our lives rather than something we fit in only when it is convenient.
Every week we make time for many important things: work, family, recreation, errands, and rest. All of those have their proper place. But if Jesus truly is the Son of God and worthy of our first and greatest love, then nothing should take priority over meeting Him in the Holy Eucharist each Sunday.
As we celebrate the gift of freedom this Independence Day, may we also remember the greater freedom Christ has won for us. May we never allow anything to keep us from worshipping the Lord with His Church. For it is here, gathered around His altar as a family of faith, that we become the people He has freed us to be.
God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless our nation.
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Father Leo
