In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me.

I adore you with profound reverence. I beg your pardon for my sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful,

my immaculate mother, St. Joseph, my father, and Lord,

my guardian angel, intercede for me.

Having celebrated the 4th of July in the United States,

it may be appropriate for us now to consider love for our own nation,

wherever we may be.

Jesus is a great example of patriotism.

He famously said, give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God, what is gods. He said this because some people asked them if it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar.

They wanted to catch him and make him contradict himself.

However, he responded with this very wise saying,

give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

There are two legitimate realms of authority, and the authority of Caesar, of the temporal world,

the temporal order, is willed by God.

It is something that we should respect.

And it is surprising that Jesus said this himself as a Jew,

being under the oppression of the Romans at the time, under Caesar.

But still he recognizes the legitimate authority,

even if the people who ruled may have been unjust in things that they did and decisions that they made,

in choices that led to terrible consequences.

Our Lord himself even recognized the authority of Pilot at the very moment of being sentenced

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