America Is Great When America Is Good

"But we also know this: Nothing we love ever comes easily. Ours is a nation forged by war and protest, in the loneliness of struggle and the slow work of centuries. We have always sought to perfect our union, even-especially-in the face of forces that seem too strong to ever overcome. This is another moment of extraordinary difficulty. It amazes me that so many people can endure so much suffering of others while doing nothing to address their needs."

"In the song of Saint Francis, the patron saint of my home city, we ask the Lord to make us an instrument of his peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. The way of Saint Francis, the way of soldiers and suffragists, the way of our beloved John Lewis-that must be our way, too. We the people must follow the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

The Founders and leaders such as Thomas Paine and Abraham Lincoln answered defining crises by claiming independence, winning war, and preserving the union. Great good can arise from great trials, but nothing valued comes easily; the nation was forged by war, protest, solitude in struggle, and slow work across centuries. Americans confront another extraordinary difficulty whose outcomes will shape the country and world for decades. Faith and moral principles offer direction: accept that no light exists without darkness, become instruments of peace, sow love where there is hatred, and follow the Golden Rule through patient, hopeful action.

Read at The Atlantic