July 4, 2004

Faith, flags, fireworks


I’m writing this on the eve of our annual gush of national patriotism. But these days, especially since the horrible events of 9/11, July 4 isn’t so much a holiday as it is the centerpiece of national fervor: a time of flags and fireworks.

That’s certainly not bad. There are troops to support, national pride to celebrate and heroes—fallen and not—to honor. And oh, yeah, an election in four months.

But since this is The Catholic New World, along with the aforementioned flags and fireworks I’d like to insert something called faith.

Wait! Don’t wave the banner of separation of church and state at me; don’t say flags and faith and fireworks and elections don’t go together. They do. But the fit is careful and precise.

That fit is the focus of a recent question from a reader who wanted to know about flags and church.

How come, he asked (more like “demanded,” actually), the American flag doesn’t share the sanctuary with the papal flag in our churches? Wouldn’t that be a great way to show support for our country and troops, especially in this time of war?

Good question, particularly since some may recall such adornment during World War II. What’s wrong with a smattering of red, white and blue along with the papal gold and white? Whatever happened to “praise the Lord and pass the ammunition”?

The answer is a good lesson in faith

There are no official hard-and-fast rules about an American flag in a church sanctuary; like many other things, this is left to the discretion—and the good sense—of the local bishop. There is an official recommendation, however, from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, one that reflects what has been the policy of the Archdiocese of Chicago for many years. Both state that there may be a place for an American flag in church, but it’s not in the worship space.

In other words a flag, perhaps surrounded by the names and photos of parish men and women serving the Armed Forces, is appropriate in the vestibule. But a flag in the worship space can give an impression that isn’t correct, that faith and flags share a common link.

You see, we Americans sometimes elevate patriotism to the level of faith, forgetting that God is not an American citizen and that our faith is somewhat larger in scope than national boundaries. Yes, God blesses America (at least, we hope so), but he’s an equal opportunity blesser.

Perhaps among the best ways we can live out that blessing is to proclaim our faith in the public square. Separation of church and state doesn’t mean separation FROM the state.

As far as fireworks go, we’re coming up on election season, and who to vote for (or against) and why will roil Catholics. We’ve seen it already with the controversy regarding Eucharist and politicians whose votes don’t always reflect the Gospel (See The Cardinal’s Column, Page 3) and we’re seeing it regarding the “Catholic vote” and those same politicians.

The best guide is the U.S. bishops’ document called “Faithful Citizenship” (available at www.archchicago.org and www.usccb.org, which spells out how to wave the flag of faith in the secular world—not by a black-and-white supporting political parties or politicians, but by proclaiming faith’s values. Even politicians who disagree with church tenets can do good things.

I’m aware that someone’s going to complain that I’m being less than patriotic here. (And some Catholics on the fringe might complain that I’m not strong enough.) Neither could be further from the truth.

By themselves, flag pins, signs on cars or red-white-and-blue bunting aren’t patriotism. By themselves, neither do pious words, religious gestures and using faith as a weapon necessarily reflect the power of God.