“The Fourth of July is no time for a shallow, blustering, stump-speaking type of celebration. Patriotism is too sacred for that. If ever there was a time for honest-to-goodness appraisal of, and consecration to, true patriotism, ’tis now.

“All of us are challenged this day to remember the values that are included in true patriotism — all those things which have made our country the greatest on earth, those things for which we should be willing to die. There is something almost divine in true love for one’s country. Religion and patriotism are woven together. Love to God means love for those high things which He has created.”

The previous quoted words are not mine, but those that came from a small chaplains book entitled “Strength For Service” that was used in 1942, in the midst of World War II. Certainly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor our United States was united in spirit and conviction, and patriotism was at an all-time high. Such sentiments for one’s country are powerful and real and they move and shape our lives especially when we are in a time of catastrophe or crisis. Who cannot remember the strong feelings that emerged after September 11th? Again, our country united against a foe that sought to bring destruction and death to our shores.

As you are reading this article, I am beginning a three-week vacation period, and am enroute to Manila in the Republic of the Philippines. In fact, I am airborne on this July 4th — winging my way from Cleveland to Detroit to Japan to the Philippines. Looking forward to my visit with in-laws and other family members there, I will miss the traditional parades, picnics, and fireworks back home in the States. There is no Fourth of July in the Philippines, because that is a uniquely American holiday of celebration!

However, I am reminded of years gone by when my extended family celebrated each July 4th with a family reunion. The day was spent in attending the biggest parade I had ever known in downtown Warren, Pa., and then going to a family member’s home to eat my fill of potato salad, baked beans, and hamburgers and hotdogs. Of course, we played games as children, while the older folk (of which I am now one) sat around and reminisced and discussed the problems of the day. We would end the day by sitting in the football field of Beaty Junior High School, on a blanket, watching the fireworks over Conewango Creek. So exciting with all the “oohs” and “ahhs” that only a child could utter.

But families change, times change, and elements of patriotism seem to change as well. No longer does my family have such reunions, for most of the family is passed — the younger generation desiring to do different things. Parades to me now seem long and tiring, and fireworks — well, I have seen my fair share, and I suppose they no longer hold the same appeal as they did to a bright-eyed 8-year-old more than 40 years ago.

However, if I was home this July 4, I would surely fly the American flag from my home and be proud of our rich history as a nation. I just might take in the local parade and even from the vantage point of my second-floor bedroom window, catch the fireworks as they blast and pound the sky with their beauty and grace.

These United States in 2008 are facing a variety of major issues. It would seem that the naivete of 40 years ago is now nothing but memory. Rising health costs, rising unemployment, rising energy costs, rising crime, rising unsettledness in many parts of our world, and an ongoing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan keep our sights focused on potential and possible crisis all around. Let us not forget the patriotism that is buried deep within our very souls this day. Let us not forget our love for a democracy that affords us freedom, that the majority of the world can only hope for — including the Philippines where I will soon land, that suffers excruciating pains as a Third World country.

While many acknowledge that our future is in the hands of those we elect, I would proclaim that it is our eternal God in whom we must trust. May we keep sacred the heritage from our fathers and mothers, who have gone before and paved the way for our present and future. May we pray for those who maintain vigilance and for those who defend our shores each and every day.

God bless our native land!

Firm may she ever stand,

Through storm and night:

When the wild tempests rave,

Ruler of wind and wave,

Do thou our country save