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 and businesses are decorated in red, white, and blue flowers, banners, and so many other unique and fun patriotic displays. It’s heartwarming and unifying 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 about freedom itself and how differently it is understood in our country and in our faith. While America celebrates the principles of freedom that have guided our nation for 250 years, the Church has spent more than two thousand years proclaiming another kind of freedom—not political freedom, but freedom of the human heart. Both are precious, but they are not the same.
In America, we value the freedom to speak openly, practice our faith, choose our leaders, and pursue our dreams. 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.
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 getting what we want, being independent, having money, owning nice things, or achieving success. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, yet many people discover that even when they attain them, something is still missing.
Christianity offers a different vision of life, liberty, and happiness. It 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. Life, liberty, and happiness find their fullest meaning in lives marked by self-giving love.
This does not make us less free. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, "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). True freedom is not simply the ability to do whatever we want. It is the freedom to choose what is good, true, and life-giving.
The challenge, of course, is that we live in a culture that often assumes freedom means self-will—that happiness is found in creating our own truth, having more, or being more. It is an appealing vision, but a self-centered one. Yet many of us have discovered that this type of freedom can ultimately enslave us. We can become so focused on ourselves that we lose sight of others. We can become so attached to our own desires that we lose sight of God's will. Left to ourselves, we chase things that seem to offer freedom, only to feel trapped. That's because our hearts are most free when we live according to God's truth.
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 Christ offers—a freedom from the things that keep us from loving well, like selfishness, pride, fear, resentment, and greed. But it is 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 am 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 to 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 is the freedom to love more deeply, live more fully, and be 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.
