At the same time, the readings of the Sunday falling closest to the Fourth are simply part of the Lectionary cycle and are not influenced at all by our important civic festival. For example, this year's Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) recounts Jesus' friends and neighbors rejecting his teaching in his home town.
What's a good liturgist to do?
One of the things that I believe is that the liturgy can't ignore what is going on in the world. In fact, I have a strong belief that in order to change the world the liturgy needs to inform (and be informed) by current events. One example supporting this idea is our three-year Lectionary--each time we hear particular readings our own lives are different (sometimes dramatically so) than when we heard the same readings three years before.
The preaching, music, intercessions, etc. do not need to ignore either the readings or the civic holiday. Somehow, they need to relate, and that is the trick.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States last year, his opening address on the White House lawn was an eloquent expression of freedom and the role it can play in God's divine providence.
From the dawn of the Republic, America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The framers of this nation’s founding documents drew upon this conviction when they proclaimed the “self-evident truth” that all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights grounded in the laws of nature and of nature’s God. The course of American history demonstrates the difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In our time too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans continue to find their strength in a commitment to this patrimony of shared ideals and aspirations...
...Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility. Americans know this from experience – almost every town in this country has its monuments honoring those who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the common good and a sense of responsibility towards the less fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one’s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate. In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good (cf. Spe Salvi, 24). Few have understood this as clearly as the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland and in eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows, time and again, that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundation”, and a democracy without values can lose its very soul (cf. Centesimus Annus, 46). Those prophetic words in some sense echo the conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell Address, that religion and morality represent “indispensable supports” of political prosperity.
The Prayer for the Nation in the Sacramentary's Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions truly picks up on the Holy Father's words and can become the prayer of us all:
God our Father,
you guide everything in wisdom and love.
Accept the prayers we offer for our nation;
by the wisdom of our leaders and integrity of our citizens,
may harmony and justice be secured
and may there be lasting prosperity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ...
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