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Constitution Day Reflections by Dr. Seana Sugrue
September 15, 2006
Constitution Day is an opportunity for each of us to reflect upon what it means to be an American. There is little doubt that the value most associated with Americans is liberty. Born in revolution for the sake of self-governance, and enshrined in its Constitution through the Bill of Rights, Americans are a people who prize liberty as one of the foundations of government.
Liberty ought to be cherished, as it is one of the rights with which we have been endowed by our Creator, as the Declaration of Independence states. Freedom of conscience and of religious worship are corrupted when they are coerced; only when men think and worship freely do they truly serve God and each other. It is important to recall, however, that freedom is a gift of God to man. That is what makes it worth cherishing.
As free men and women, we are called upon to use our freedom well. Freedom is not merely a God-given right; each of us is also held accountable for how we exercise this right. Liberty is not an excuse for license. Although we may choose to live only for ourselves and to be guided by desire rather than by the limits of our natures, we then fail in our calling to serve God and one another. We remain accountable for our actions because we are free. In being given the important responsibility of being self-regulating, each of us is called upon to recognize that there are limits that should not be transgressed.
Men are born free so that they can serve. The ways in which each of us is called to serve is unique to our particular talents, dispositions and abilities. Some are called upon to defend our country in just wars. Some are called to religious vocations. Some are called to marriage and family life. Some are called to spread knowledge; others are called to lead. Whatever our vocation, we exercise our freedom responsibly when we offer our abilities as gifts to others, just as we have been given the gift of freedom.
America is a great country because it is a land of opportunity. Each of us has a better chance of developing our gifts, and of using these in the service of others, in America than just about anywhere else in the world. In America, an orphaned child can grow up to do great things. I am profoundly grateful for this country, where even those who come from humble beginnings, may live to their full potential.
Ave Maria shares in the American ideal of allowing each person to develop their talents so as to better serve others. As a community bred in faith, we strive to promote excellence and fidelity to truth. We aspire to educate men and women so that they will be self-governing, responsible, and in the service of God and others. We are a community that values freedom as a gift from God. We seek to advance liberty, not license.
We are grateful for America, and for the Constitution that recognizes the gift of liberty, which God has given to man.
Seana Sugrue is associate professor of politics and chairman of the department of politics at Ave Maria University.