The celebration of the Fourth of July invites each of us to reflect on what it means to be free.. To that end, I would like to call attention to the Pledge of Allegiance of the flag and specifically the words, “One Nation Under God…” Interesting that most American citizens know the pledge, but have little to no idea where it came from. The founding fathers made no provision for any kind of pledge or loyalty oath for US citizens: the only oath prescribed in the Constitution is the oath of office for the President. For the first hundred years that our country was a free nation, there was no nationally accepted loyalty oath and no code for use of the US flag by its citizens. In the late 1880’s, a magazine called ‘The Youth’s Companion’ began a campaign to increase patriotism in US schools by flying flags over schoolhouses. This is why today schools continue to have flagpoles with flags flying. By 1892, it was now the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. In 1892 at the Colombian Exhibition in Chicago, the ‘Youth’s Companion’ group decided to celebrate Columbus’ anniversary by helping organize an event called the National Public School Celebration. For that event, the magazine staff wrote a 23-word ‘Youth’s Companion Flag Pledge,” that went like this: I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” This pledge spread through the nation quickly and by 1923 when the National Flag Committee was convened by the American Legion to work out for the first time, a national code for use of the flag, they adopted the Youth Companion’s Flag Pledge, changing ‘My Flag’ to “ the flag of the United States of America.” On Flag Day in 1954, President Eisenhower signed a law adding the words, ‘Under God’ to the pledge. Those two simple words carry the tremendous impact that this great nation of ours in under God’s guidance, but also under God’s judgements! Those two words imply that our standards for measuring success as a nation should never mean how rich or powerful we are, but by how we live up to God’s standards treating every human life (born and unborn) equally, ethically, and morally right. Think of freedom not as the right to do as you please, but the opportunity to give back what God has given to you. Happy 4th of July, Fr. Roach
