Free to be Holy
On July 4, 2026, America will celebrate its 250th birthday. I can already see signs of the celebration everywhere. Flags wave proudly from porches. Homes, businesses, and cars are decorated in red, white, and blue. It’s heartwarming to see people express gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy in the country we call home.
As I reflected on this today, I found myself thinking more about freedom — both in our country and in our faith. As Americans, we celebrate the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For generations, men and women have sacrificed greatly to preserve these freedoms. They are gifts that should never be taken for granted.
But our faith invites us to see these gifts in an even deeper way. While America celebrates the principles of freedom that have guided our nation for 250 years, the Church has spent more than two thousand years inviting people into another kind of freedom—not political freedom, but freedom of the human heart. Both are precious, but they are not the same.
Of course, all of us want to live happy and free lives, but the question of where happiness is found is an important one. Our culture often tells us that it’s found in being independent, having money, owning nice things, or achieving success. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things, yet many people discover that even when they attain them, something is still missing.
Christianity teaches that lasting happiness and true freedom are not found in what we possess, accomplish, or control. They are found in loving God, loving others, and becoming the people we were created to be. This is the freedom our hearts long for. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, "The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes." It goes on to say that freedom reaches its perfection when it is directed toward God, our true happiness (CCC 1733).
St. Paul reminds us that we were "called to freedom," but not to use our freedom to serve ourselves. Rather, we are to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). This is the freedom our faith offers in Christ—a freedom from the things that keep us from loving well, like selfishness, pride, resentment, and greed. But it’s also a freedom for something greater. It is a freedom for love, mercy, compassion, and service.
As our nation prepares to celebrate this historic milestone, I’m grateful to live in a country that recognizes that I am endowed by my Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Christianity helps me understand these gifts in an even deeper way. Through faith, I discover that true life is more than existence, liberty is more than doing whatever I please, and happiness is more than getting what I want. It’s the freedom to love more deeply, live more fully, and become the holy person God created me to be.
All Reflections are written by Dr. Nina Marie Corona, founder of AFIRE Ministries. To explore more of her reflections on finding God in everyday life, visit When on Earth: Discovering Christian Spirituality in the Daily Happenings of Ordinary Life
© 2026 Nina Marie Corona. All rights reserved.
