My sister, Marcia, was invited to read a story about St. Patrick on his feast day to a first-grade class earlier this year. At the end of the story, she talked about how part of her ancestry was from Ireland. Then she asked the children “Where are you from?”. A few responded “Mexico” or “Vietnam” or other places. But some of the students simply said “I am American.” So true! Regardless of where we are from originally, now we are all American and we share in its rich history and values. The official seal of the United States contains its motto: “E pluribus unum”. This is a Latin phrase that means “From the many, one.” There is good reason for this motto. The United States is formed by a union of 50 individual states, from California to Maine to Florida, each with its own unique geography and history and personality. The states come together in the halls of Congress to determine how best to spend federal taxes, to discuss how best to defend our nation against unjust aggression, and to pass laws that affect everyone. But the motto also refers to the fact that our nation has always been largely composed of immigrants from many nations, including Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Germany, Cuba, India, and many others. These peoples brought their own music, cultures and religion. The United States is a Great Experiment that tries to form one people out of these many nationalities while acknowledging their many freedoms. These freedoms include freedoms of speech, of assembly, and of religion. Democracy is a modern invention that was unfamiliar to Jesus. But he would have approved of any structure that encourages welcoming the stranger (Mt. 25) and love of one’s neighbor, especially the neighbor who is different (Mt. 5) – – – Fr. Jim