Patriotism and Providence

June 28, 2026

As we will be celebrating Independence Day this week, during the 250th year since the birth of our nation, it is a good opportunity to reflect a little on those who by cooperating with God’s grace and accepting His gift – helped bring this nation into being.

There seem to be many rumors and purely misinformed or intentionally misguided attempts at removing any religious connection between the founding of our nation and the founding fathers. Those who call themselves “professors” or “experts” often know less about the actual truth of the matter than they think, because many of the systems in the educational or media world today are nothing more than propaganda machines for an antireligious, anti – God, anti-Church viewpoint. The fact of the matter is, that while some of those who took part in the drafting of documents and such at the beginning were a-religious, they were definitely the minority. The absolute majority of the founding fathers demonstrated a deep faith and understanding of the necessity of God’s grace and providence in bringing this nation into being. On top of all that, the majority of those who did the fighting and the dying, whether on the battlefields or on the frontiers – where an extremely religious and faith filled people.

There are two distinct forces at work within our country today as there were then – good and evil. God and Satan. God brought our country into existence with the gifts of freedom and liberty that were and still are unknown to the majority of the world. However, the evil one is constantly looking for ways to pervert and subvert these gifts through pride, arrogance and other sins. We have active forces within our own country that are absolutely intent on trying to destroy these gifts of God and remake this country into the image of the socialist or communist paradise, that is nothing more than hell on earth.

Let us never forget, a land without God is a land without hope. A political system without morality is nothing more than the chains of slavery to evil. A society that places no value on human life, especially the most defenseless, is a society that will fall in love with death. A church without a clear direction towards God and adherence to His law, is a house that will not stand. God must be the center of all and the goal of it all. Our forebearers understood this, and because of that they were able to forge a nation so vast and so filled with liberty and beauty that the world could not and still cannot comprehend how it would be possible. Without God, it would not have been, and without God it will not continue.

George Washington wrote during the revolution: “While we are duly performing the duty of good soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of a Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian.”

And in 1781, after the victory at Yorktown which sealed the triumph over the British and the freedom of the United States, he sent this message to the troops: “Divine service is to be performed tomorrow in the several brigades and divisions. The Commander-in-chief earnestly recommends that the troops not on duty should universally attend, with that seriousness of deportment and gratitude of heart, which the recognition of such reiterated and astonishing interpositions of Providence demand of us.”

We would do well to remind ourselves of what Archbishop Sheen wrote many years ago: “It is our solemn duty as Catholics, therefore, to be conscious of our duty to America, and to preserve its freedom by preserving its faith in God...

But as we talk about patriotism, it might be well to remind ourselves that in a crisis like this even devotion to the stars and stripes is not enough to save us. We must look beyond them to other stars and stripes, namely the stars and stripes of Christ, by Whose stars we are illuminated and by whose stripes we are healed!

God love you and God bless these United Sates of America,

Fr. Anthony