Declaration of Interdependence
by Bishop William Joensen | July 8, 2026
When Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams and the apple of his eye for 54 years of marriage, died on October 28, 1818, the former U.S. President was steeped in grief but not overwhelmed by the sting of death. Among those who consoled him was the drafter and fellow co-signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, who in the years after July 4, 1776, became both Adam’s fierce political rival and deep personal friend. In response to Jefferson’s letter of condolence, Adams responded: “While you live, I seem to have a bank at Monticello on which I can draw for a letter of friendship and entertainment when I please.” Adams continued,
“I believe in God and in his wisdom and benevolence and I cannot conceive that such a Being could make such a species as the human merely to live and die on this earth. If I did not believe in a future state, I should believe in no God. This universe, this all, this [totality] would appear with all its swelling pomp, a boyish firework” (McCullough, John Adams, p. 625).
The fireworks were unleashed with heightened festivity and fervor this July 4th, as we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the document that marks the official founding of our country. I hope that the clarion opening of the Declaration is etched into every American’s consciousness: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
We do not share the religious dispositions of many of the Founding Fathers, including Adams and Jefferson, whose notion of God bore traces of the impersonal, rationalist Deism that informed much of both the American and French Revolutions. Still, the recognition of these self-evident truths IS the inner scaffolding upon which our Republic still stands despite the tumultuous periods through which we’ve passed—including the rather coarse, antagonistic political and social culture in which we are presently steeped.
The late Jesuit Father John Courtney Murray famously identified these truths woven into the American experiment. As summarized by author and theologian George Weigel, they include these tenets: (1) God is sovereign over nations as well as individuals; (2) The human person has the God-given capacity to be self-governing; (3) Just governance is by, through, and with the consent of the governed; (4) There is a sense of justice inherent in the people by which they are empowered to judge, direct, and correct the processes of government; and finally, (5) Only a virtuous people can be free (Murray cited in Weigel, Centesimus Annus: The Architecture of Freedom, pp. 19-21).
We celebrate and defend these truths as we celebrate the resiliency of our nation, in which “out of many, one”, a democratic form of government has endured for 250 years. We also ponder the vulnerability and fragility that ensue if the clamoring voices that deny these truths prevail.
Only by acknowledging that we are all beholden to the God whose wisdom and goodness brought each of us into being, whose claim to our devotion and obedience takes precedence over any political authority, can we protect ourselves against the incursions of tyranny. Only by honing and refining our sense of justice inherent to human nature, rational beings participating in God’s own eternal law that guides us to fulfillment, can we offer valid consent. Only then can we deliver objective judgments of our elected and appointed officials’ actions, correcting and redirecting them as needed.
For each of us is beset by self-interest, tending to soften our sense of duty to our neighbor and bending supposed ‘rights’ into privileges and benefits that diminish others’ chances of pursuing happiness. All of us need ongoing conversion—perhaps now more than ever—where we allow the Good News of God’s revealed intent to save us for himself to first convict our consciences and then spur us to deep personal encounters with the merciful face and heart of Jesus in the sacraments and in our fellow citizens and neighbors. Beyond any moral effort, self-help discipline or therapeutic regimen, it is only by the grace of Christ that we can become the virtuous agents who are truly able to live, love, and advance a society where freedom rings.
In June, our nation’s Catholic bishops expressed this need for deepened dependence and trust in God’s abundant mercy and grace. That is why, united as one college of bishops, we consecrated the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and we encouraged all pastors and parishes in the Diocese of Des Moines to do so with you, God’s people. In the spirit of St. John Paul II and Pope Francis, we recognize, “In union with Christ, amid the ruins we have left in this world by our sins, we are called to build a new civilization of love.” “Amid the devastation wrought by evil, the heart of Christ desires that we cooperate with him in restoring goodness and beauty to our world” (Francis citing John Paul II, Dilexit nos, n. 182).
Our prayer of consecration is itself a spiritual “Declaration of Interdependence,” where we thank God for the abundant gifts given to this nation, but also humbly implore God, “May our hearts be united to yours, so that our families and communities enjoy peace and happiness; may broken relationships be reconciled, injustices repaired, and the wounds of our land be healed.”
Among the virtues essential for America to realize its founding promise and enable all persons to flourish in freedom and faith is the virtue exhibited in the relationship of Adams and Jefferson, the virtue of civic and spiritual friendship that overcomes all rivalry, pride, and dissent. Providentially, in his recently released encyclical Magnifica humanitas (MH), Pope Leo XIVsets forth the grandeur of humanity as intended by God in light of the rising influence of AI, artificial intelligence. He calls us to redouble our sense of solidarity and concern for real persons who live alongside us. The Pope encourages us:
“I invite everyone to contemplate, in the face of the Son of God, the grandeur of humanity, that shines a light also on the era of AI. In Christ, we are called to cooperate in the work of creation, rather than be disinterested observers of technological processes that limit our freedom and responsibility. The dignity inscribed in each of us by the Holy Spirit can also be seen in our capacity to reflect critically, choose and love freely, and form authentic relationships” (Leo, MH n. 233). “What saves humanity is not enhanced self-sufficiency, but a relationship that liberates, a communion that transforms. . . . A person’s future is not calculable, but depends on one’s freedom—elevated by the inexhaustible grace of God—and on the relationships cultivated” (MH n. 128). Isn’t that already our mission right here in the Diocese of Des Moines: to “cultivate connections in Christ”?
I strongly encourage you to explore Pope Leo’s message engaging the intersection of human identity and artificial intelligence—perhaps making it part of your summer spiritual reading: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html.
In the summer-long celebrations connected with our nation’s 250th anniversary of its founding, no doubt there will be plenty of choruses of “God Bless America” sung at ballparks, historic sites, parades and churches. For me, I will find particular delight and hope for this Republic in singing these stanzas from “America the Beautiful”:
“America, America, God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.” “America, America, May God thy gold refine, Till all success, be nobleness, And ev’ry gain divine.”