The Meaning of Fireworks

As I stood on my apartment balcony this evening watching fireworks being set off in 4 different directions within my view, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. At first, I didn’t quite know why, but as I continued to gaze upon the splendor of brightly-lit explosives, I thought of the people setting them off and how this will likely continue for a few nights, even if on a gradually smaller scale. And I wondered, do people merely delight in the opportunity to set off beautiful airborne explosives, or are they truly celebrating the meaning of Independence Day? I think the source of my sadness comes from the thought that perhaps most people fall in the former category, and I do not excuse myself from this generalization. I’m sure that as a child, I had little awareness of what we celebrate on the 4^th of July, but I certainly enjoyed trekking up the small hill on which our family lived to set up our lawn chairs with our neighbors to watch the fantastic display of fireworks in the distance. However, I don’t think my feelings for the holiday changed much once I grew to adolescence and adulthood and understood what those fireworks represent.

Now, I am not claiming to be the most patriotic person in the world, but neither am I completely devoid of any feelings of patriotism – I have been known to get a bit teary eyed when singing “God Bless America” in church. Still, I wonder if we have lost a bit of the meaning of what we are celebrating. And I don’t just mean Independence Day (although the very fact that we often colloquially refer to it not by its proper name aforementioned, but merely by the date “Happy Fourth of July,” we say, not “Happy Independence Day,” indicates in a small way this loss of meaning). This thought has often troubled me in the past around Christmas time, when I look at what a major holiday it is in our country and in my own family, but how few truly celebrate it for what it is meant to signify.

It seems we have collectively lost something. We have lost the true meaning of our own traditions and holidays. We think of Easter and what comes to mind is candy, Easter baskets and eggs, the Easter bunny – not the triumph of Christ over sin and death. We think of Independence Day and what comes to mind is barbecues and fireworks, perhaps a long weekend with the family, and perhaps secondarily the lives lost by our forefathers who fought for the freedom and democracy we have in this country. We think of Halloween and what comes to mind is costumes and candy, scary movies and haunted houses – not “All Hallow’s Eve,” or the Vigil of All Saints’ Day, which is the celebration of the holy men and women who have gone before us and left us examples of holiness. We think of Thanksgiving and what comes to mind is food, family, turkey with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce – not the celebration of different cultures coming together in peace and fellowship. We think of Christmas and what comes to mind is presents, trees and stockings and electric lights, reindeer and Santa Claus – not the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have often thought about how I would ideally like to celebrate holidays if I were to marry and have children. I was thinking mainly of Christmas and Easter, but upon further meditation, I think all of our holiday celebrations are worth a second look. I would want my children to know the true meaning of a holiday, not the empty accolades with which we dress them. No, Christmas is not all about how many presents you got, or how “good” you were this year (as if those two ever actually correlated). And Independence Day (aka the “Fourth of July”) is not merely about getting a day off to barbecue or go to the lake and watch fireworks. Rather, those fireworks should serve both as a reminder of the soldiers who fought for our initial freedom, and those who continue to fight for it. When we hear the explosions of the fireworks, we should call to mind the explosions of the bombs of warfare that bring not joy, but terror to the hearts of soldiers in the midst of it. But the beauty they unleash should also call to mind the joy of victory – victory won at a price – and gratitude to those who have paid the price.

And all of this makes me think that the very fact that so many of us have lost the true meaning of our celebrations is perhaps nowhere more felt than at Mass. As I stood on my balcony this evening, my sadness was at the emptiness of our celebrations, and my thought was initially that the only true celebration is that of the Mass. But in extrapolating these ideas after writing it all out, I realize that while this is true, we have also lost an overall sense of meaning, and so it is no surprise (and nowhere more tragic) that many have also lost a sense of the true meaning of the Mass.

I have often wondered aloud to my friends why people go to Mass if they don’t understand or believe in it. I even met a man recently who told me that once during a homily, the priest said something to the effect of:  “if you’re not getting anything out of the Mass and you’re not here for Christ in the Eucharist, then why are you here?” And so he left, and didn’t come back for over a year. Now, this is an imperfect quote of what the priest said, and his intention was of course not for parishioners to leave, but I find the phenomena of people continuing to go to Mass – perhaps weekly, perhaps sporadically – when they don’t believe in it and have no real spiritual connection to it, absolutely perplexing. But, in a sense, it is the same as our holidays. Many celebrate Christmas because they always have, even if they are now professed Atheists, they “celebrate” “Christmas,” meaning they buy presents for and get together with friends and family. Similarly, many go to Mass because they always have, or perhaps because they think it is what “good” families do, and so it is about their personal image.

If that’s enough for you, then I will not discourage anyone from going to Mass where they may still receive some graces, even if it is seemingly unperceived by them. But I want to challenge anyone who may be reading this (including myself) to strive to find the true meaning behind our celebrations, whether it be fireworks, or the ultimate celebration of celebrations – the Mass. Just as there is meaning behind the fireworks, there is meaning behind the Mass. Interestingly, they are quite similar. Each year on the 4^th of July, we celebrate the freedom that was won for us at a price – the lives of many who fought in the Revolutionary War. Every day at Mass, we celebrate the Freedom that was won for us at the Highest Price – the sacrifice of our God, our Savior, on the Cross, and His triumph over sin and death at the Resurrection.

Happy Independence Day, and May the Souls of the Faithful Departed – especially those who have died fighting for our freedom – Rest in Peace!