Lopez: The responsibilities of patriotism

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." George Washington’s farewell address was unlike the speeches of presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Religion, for Washington, was not a mere slogan. God was not someone to be remade in the image of his political ideology or ego.

"Let it simply be asked," he added, "where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation" be lost? Washington knew that morality comes from religion and depends on it.

Compare just any bit of Washington’s speech to what we hear as President Biden leaves office and President Trump assumes it. Biden’s speech sounded like a campaign for his vice president, as if he didn’t get the memo that ship had sailed.

God did get some airtime when Biden concluded in the spirit of sloganeering that has become commonplace in our culture: "God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor." Before that closing, Biden said: "I love America. You love it too."

But what is it to love? And what does that love require and inspire?

Here I must make a confession. I used to belt out the words: "If tomorrow all the things were gone/I worked for all my life/And I had to start again/With just my children and my wife/I thank my lucky stars/To be living here today/'Cause the flag still stands for freedom/And they can’t take that away."

Go ahead, I know you can take it from there — Lee Greenwood’s "God Bless the USA." It’s so ubiquitous that we probably hear it in our sleep. But not as a prayer — as a partisan anthem. You may love it if you’re a Trump fan — he’s made it a standard at his events. You may hate it if hating Trump is where you stand. Those of us in the middle of those extremes may just wish we were a nation that knew just what about the United States is worth thanking God for and begging him to protect.

Which is why as our eyes turn to Washington, it’s long past time to remember that we were created for something more — as was our country. Which is why our love of country must involve more than an ideology or a cult of personality. The preservation of the American experiment requires humility and a sense of responsibility rooted in knowledge of a Creator.

Washington prayed for his country from the deepest recesses of his heart. "I shall carry it with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence;" he said. "(T)hat your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual; that the free Constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained; that its administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue; that ... the happiness of the people of these States, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing."

We have a precious treasure that we’ve been given and are called to be good stewards of. May it, with our steadfast humility, serve as an example around the world.

klopez@nationalreview.com