This Thanksgiving Day let us express gratitude for all the blessing we have received and the freedoms we enjoy. We recognize freedom of religion as being the foundation stone for the other freedoms.
We have many reasons to give thanks today: For our families, our country, and our parish - you can make your own list. Many people do not realize that freedom of religion is starting point for other freedoms. You can verify this by reading the Magna Carta, the document that launched the modern democratic experiment. Its first clause states "that the English Church shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties inviolate..."
Religion represents the deepest core of the human person - that place where we meet God and where our relationship with him/her touches every aspect of a person's life. We see freedom of religion under attack in many part of the world - countries that allow no Christian Church and punish those who convert to Christ. Although these countries allow "freedom of worship”, they allow people to do what they want in their homes and in their hearts, but when people express a faith different from state norms, they come down hard. In this country we take freedom of religion for granted. It is hard to imagine that our government could start dictating what churches can teach or how they carry out their religious practices.
This Thanksgiving Day let us express gratitude for all the blessing we have received and the freedoms we enjoy. We recognize freedom of religion as being the foundation stone for the other freedoms. And we re-dedicate to preserving that precious gift!