Considerations For The 4th Of July
Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was one of the first successful Jewish American authors, and was celebrated in her time as an important American poet. She is best known for her immortal words that are engraved on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Her poem, “The Great Colossus”, continue to inspire Americans on how we think about freedom.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Our country is a good country. Despite our problems and challenges, our shores have provided freedom and opportunity for millions of peoples. In his First Inaugural Address (January 20, 1981), President Ronald Reagan said: “If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth”.
However, we all know too well, that our nation is presently challenged by many difficulties.
Read entire homily here.
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