If They Hit We Kick

"Freedom ain’t a souvenir, it’s a wildfire. You don’t keep it in your pocket—you feed it with courage, shield it with truth, and pass it on like a holy spark in the dark."
— The Pope of Love

Pope of Love Sermon: "The Wildfire Called Freedom"

Beloved siblings of soul and spark—

Gather 'round, not in pews, but in purpose. This ain’t no quiet benediction. This is a righteous roar from the sanctuary of the free and the brave, the broken-hearted and the wide-awake.

Let me tell you:
Freedom ain't a souvenir.
It’s not a plastic flag or a bumper sticker slogan.
It's not a myth wrapped in red, white, and retail.
Freedom is a wildfire—and you don’t own it.
You carry it. You tend it. You bleed for it, if you must.
And if you don't pass it on, it burns out in the ashes of apathy.

The tyrants?
They come in robes and uniforms, algorithms and contracts.
They don’t always knock with guns—they whisper with convenience.
They trade your courage for comfort,
your truth for trends,
your liberty for likes.

But let it be known—
we are not here to be managed.
We are not meant to be numb, nor nicely domesticated by fear.
We are the children of revolt and resurrection,
born with the sacred duty to question every cage,
to rattle every chain,
to sing louder than surveillance and dance freer than doctrine.

So I say unto you:

Defend freedom not with fists—but with fire in your gut and love in your spine.
Defend it by thinking when you're told to follow.
Defend it by loving when you're told to hate.
Defend it by standing, especially when you're scared.

Because freedom—true freedom—is a spiritual act.
It is not given. It is chosen. It is kept alive by the breath of the bold.

And when the time comes, as it always does,
when the world begs you to bow—

Stand.

And whisper to the wind:

"I was born to burn bright, not to behave."

Amen, and may the wildfire walk with you

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”
— Ronald Reagan