Another Independence Day has come and gone; but for a short time, despite all the bad news to which we are exposed every day, we were able to focus on what it means to be an American.

This year’s 4th of July was one of the more memorable for us in recent years. Since we have no family nearby, we were invited by close friends of nearly three decades to spend a family day with them, their children and grandchildren. It involved a cookout featuring their famous “smash-burgers,” as well as games and laughter. For grandparents who rarely get to see their grandchildren, we truly enjoyed being around youngsters. It was a most pleasant experience. As we have noticed before, the person who promoted the idea that the “empty nest” was a goal to look forward to in later years must have hated children.

As darkness came on (which happens quite late here at 48 degrees north latitude), we walked to a vantage point from which to watch the private fireworks displays. And what a show it was! For over an hour, as we sat on the banks of the Spokane River, we were spell-bound by what appeared to be fireworks competitions from the piers of the river-front homes. It was as if we had been transported through time to the nation we used to know — when Americans were proud to genuinely celebrate the birth of this land — a land that we were raised to believe was blessed.

It is indeed blessed — and, yes, Mr. Obama, exceptional! Forget all the nonsense from certain “trad” quarters that denigrate our nation’s founding with such facile arguments as “well, if it was so great, we wouldn’t be where we are now with LGBTQ and divorce and pornography,” etc. ad nauseam. Folks who spout that kind of illogical venom would do well to be careful not to have that argument turned on them regarding our Holy Mother Church. America is not perfect –never was — but in the beautiful anthem, “America the Beautiful” we ask God to mend our flaws. It is true that our history is not unblemished; but show us a nation — a people — that have been more generous, more decent, more free.

We have mentioned before in these pages that the great Catholic statesman, Patrick Buchanan, who really was “right from the beginning,” always insisted that America was a good country long before it was a great country.

So, let us humbly ask Almighty God to save our country. Let’s invoke our patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary in her Immaculate Conception, beseeching her to through her protective mantle over our beloved land, and to continue to watch over us.

Many of our Missals contain Archbishop John Carroll’s Prayer for Government. If you do not have it, Fr. Z placed it on his website on the 4th of July. Additionally, in 2020, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò composed a prayer for America, a nation that he came to know and love when he lived here as Papal Nuncio. The SSPX priories in Florida disseminated a beautiful card with the above image of Our Lady watching over the United States, and the prayer on the reverse:

Let us resolve never to surrender in our battle against the forces of evil that seem to be pressing in on us from all sides. Not just for us, but for our children and for all posterity. May God continue to bless America!