Fortnight4Freedom: Day 1

Reflection for Day 1

In the opening chapter of Declaration on Religious
Liberty, the Council Fathers at Vatican II forthrightly
declared that “the human person has a right
to religious freedom.” This right is founded upon the
intrinsic dignity of the human person. From God’s
revelation we know that the dignity of human beings
resides in their being created in the image and likeness
of God (Gn 1:27). Like God we are intelligent
beings with free will. Because of this we can know
the truth and perform God-like actions, such as being
loving, kind, forgiving, etc. Reason itself, in knowing
what a human being is, confirms that we possess
a dignity and worth that exceeds the rest of creation
and that cannot be violated, but rather needs to be
protected and fostered.
What human beings believe concerning God is of
supreme importance. Religious belief lies at the very
center of who we are in relation to what is most central
and cherished in our lives. Therefore, the Council
insists that the religious convictions of individuals
or groups should never be coerced but must be held
freely, protected by a civil constitutional right.
What challenges to religious liberty do you see
within our contemporary world? When the Council
says that religious liberty must be upheld “within due
limits,” what would fall outside of “due limits”? What
religious belief would seriously offend the moral order
or a just law?

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Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty
O God our Creator

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

(Say this prayer every day thru July 4)



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