Once again, the observance of Independence Day is with us. It’s been an American tradition since our founding. Sadly, we are torn as a nation. We seem to have a growing division about what our nation stands for and what democracy is. I would conclude that we suffer from the old problem recorded in Scripture and demonstrated by history….forgetfulness. It is a universal flaw of fallen human nature. Nobody sets out with the goal of forgetting. It happens silently and seductively. Someone once said that “The only real mistake is the one we don’t learn from.” That’s what happens when a person or a nation forgets their past. When the people of Israel were delivered by God from slavery in Egypt, Moses was directed by God to establish the Passover meal, it was to be faithfully observed annually. It was to remind succeeding generation of where they had been, where they are and where they are headed. This ritual foreshadowed the institution of the Mass. The Mass is ingenious in a multitude of ways. One of those is to remind us, as in RE-MIND. The last words of the consecration of the wine, “Do this in memory of Me.” The Mass is a daily reminder that we are sinners, we need to be saved and Jesus has saved us! This serves to keep us grounded in healthy virtues of humility, gratitude and service to God and others. All because we “remember!” So, during this year’s celebration of Independence Day, let us remember and strive to recall and reclaim all that has been forgotten regarding our nation and our Faith! Yours in Christ our Lord, Fr. Sid.