This year, we celebrate the 250th year of our nation’s birth. Over all those years, we have lived, suffered and triumphed together. We have known good times and bad. Overall, we have much to show for our efforts. Never has a more prosperous nation existed in history.
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We are a generous people willing to share the fruits of our labor with those in need, here and abroad. We have even shed our blood, fighting around the world to defend good causes and to suppress evil and injustice.

More importantly, we are a very religious people. Perhaps we don’t think of ourselves in these terms, but we like religious matters. Those outside America marvel at our appetite for spiritual things. Perhaps our excessive materialism makes us feel our spiritual impoverishment more.

All these factors come together to give us reason to celebrate our 250 years. We can present our accomplishments and generosity to Our Lady on the spreadsheet of our good stewardship. We have been given much, and have used it well.
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However, we must ask her for the right things. Let us not waste time by asking for material benefits, petty spiritual favors or superficial solutions to profound problems.
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Our first request to Our Lady for the nation is that she show us a way out of our extreme individualism that dominates our culture. We must rid ourselves of the absurd notion that we are the centers of our own little worlds around which everything must revolve.
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The second request we should present to Our Lady on this occasion is to remove our misdirected and erroneous concept of freedom that facilitates private, public and collective sin.
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Our final request to Our Lady for the nation must be an end to the secular dungeon that encloses us in a world without divine agency.
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Thus, we might formulate our final request: Come, Oh Mother, Queen of all hearts, reign over the minds, wills and hearts, not through brute force, but through thy goodness and mercy.