‘Building hopes and dreams one person at a time’

It is time to celebrate once again our nation’s Independence Day — the Fourth of July!  As we do so, I hope we can use it as a time to reflect on the hopes and dreams that have built our country and those that we continue to aspire to! Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, our nation’s Declaration of Independence would state: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 

As a nation and as a people, our understanding of these words has gone through growing pains throughout the years whether addressing human enslavement, women’s rights, the right to vote, the rights of workers, the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death, racism, migrants and immigration, and basic human rights universally. I am sure there are moments where we wish we could ignore the ignominy of the past (and even the present). Yet, I propose it is in acknowledging them in one’s life that can set the stage for real conversion!

Case and point would be the Prodigal Son (see Lk 15:11-32). As the story begins, the “younger” son is all wrapped up in himself, not caring for any of those around him including his own father! When he asks for his inheritance, he is saying to his father that this parent doesn’t matter dead or alive!  All he is concerned about is himself!

For a while, it seems that he has it made, but when his lifestyle loses its funding and its luster, the son begins to look at life in a different light. He begins to think of others who he most likely paid little attention to before, if not held in disdain — the laborers hired by his father, as well as even the animals who he simply took for granted with no consideration whatsoever. The wayward son comes to his senses in that he recognizes how his father treats those around him in a dignified manner, caring not only for those whom he has hired but also for God’s creation itself. His hopes and dreams then turn back to his father, not to claim his position in the family, but simply to be treated as one with unalienable Rights.

However, we know now that the father receives his son with open arms and invites him to share in what he has. This leads to grumbling on the part of others who have been faithful citizens all along, including the elder son. Yet, the father reminds him, too, that “everything I have is yours,” but we celebrate when those lost find their way back to their hopes and dreams.

I had such an experience in my own life recently as I explored one afternoon some of the Catholic history found in the hills and hollows of Kentucky. The pioneer spirit was edifying, but it was interfaced with the Catholic Church’s history of enslavement of its own members because of color. I can honestly say that I had never really thought of this aspect of our country and church’s history. As I did so, I must admit I became nauseous. How could this be? How could we treat another human being in such a way?

Yet, lest I become too self-righteous … I ask myself, how about my reaction to all those persons I encounter daily, enslaved by economic factors, addiction or mental health concerns? How do I help them to know that there is still something to hope for and to dream for? 

As in building a nation, I am sure we look at our nation today and the unrest within it and wonder what you and I could possibly do about it. But what if we built the hopes and dreams one person at a time?

There appear to be two extremes in the present moment: deconstructionism and a fear of human fraternity. In the first instance, there is an attempt to cancel history and erase all mistakes in the mindset of “out of sight, out of mind.” This move is so wrong because to forget one’s history is to risk repeating the same mistakes. I think often of walking through the streets of Rome where one can find centuries of artwork — some of which may be statues of virtuous men and women, others who should never be emulated.  Nonetheless, they remain there as reminders for you and me of the difference each of us can make in our world. Like the story of the Prodigal Son, we are invited to learn from the past so its evils may not be repeated.  

The second extreme is described by Pope Francis in Fratelli tutti as, “Dark Clouds over a Closed World.” He writes in Paragraph 11:

“Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression. Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests. Once more we are being reminded that ‘each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations while setting its sights even higher. This is the path. Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day. It is not possible to settle for what was achieved in the past and complacently enjoy it as if we could somehow disregard the fact that many of our brothers and sisters still endure situations that cry out for our attention.’”

The pope’s insights remind me of the words found in Preface I for Independence Day. It reads: “He [Jesus] spoke to us a message of peace and taught us to live as brothers and sisters. His message took form in the vision of our founding fathers as they fashioned a nation where we might live as one. His message lives on in our midst as our task for today and a promise for tomorrow.”

For me, this prayer is our prayer this July 4, 2024. It encompasses this final thought from Pope Francis, which I make my own as well!  Have a Happy Fourth of July!

“It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women. ‘Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure. No one can face life in isolation … We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together … By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together.’ Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.”