"At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty in our form of government," said Thomas, "I think more and more that it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties in their daily obligations." 

"I think it is hard enough for you to solve your own problems, not to mention those problems that often seem to defy solution," he added. "In addressing your own obligations and responsibilities in the right way, you actually help to ensure our liberty and our form of government."
  
Thomas also addressed the role of faith—a bold faith—in being a good citizen, something he said he learned personally from his grandfather, who taught him to revere "duty, honor [and] country" even though he was reportedly raised in a racially-segregated society. 

"He knew that though not nearly perfect, our constitutional ideals were perfectible if we worked to protect them rather than to undermine them," he said of his grandfather. "Don't discard that which is precious along with that which is tainted." 

Thomas concluded his message by exhorting graduates to thank their families and teachers—"these are the people who have shown you how to sacrifice for those they love, even when that sacrifice is not always appreciated," he said—and to be kind to those in need.

"As you go through life," he said, "try to be that person whose actions teach others how to be better people and better citizens."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Give Him 15: Mercy is Our New Currency

A Little Baby Girl Is Rescued from a Dumpster in Texas. A Dumpster

Nonprofit Asks Feds to Investigate Schools' 'Gender-Affirming Care' Practices

Latest Move by the President to Prevent a Government Shutdown Is Brilliant

Trump Closes Loophole Allowing Illegal Aliens to Drive Commercial Trucks After Tragic Accidents

Trump's Administration Finds 25,000 Missing Migrant Children

Autism, What We Know: Science Backs Up President Trump's Statements

Former FBI Director James Comey Indicted by Grand Jury for Obstruction in Russia Hoax Investigation

The Spiritual Battle is REAL!: Sean McDowell's Son Encounters a 'Demon' While Evangelizing in NYC

3 Suspects Arrested after Houston Youth Baseball Coach Shot during Pregame Prayer With Kids

Explosive Clash: Dearborn Mayor Attacks Resident Who Objected to Terrorist Street Naming

Economy: Second Quarter GDP Revised Up – Again – to Best Quarter Since 2023

DOGE Helped Uncover the Biggest Health Care Heist in American History

Charlie's TPUSA Campus Tours Continue as Virginia Tech Venue Fills to Max Capacity

Justice Department Seeks to Indict Former FBI Director James Comey before Looming Deadline, for Allegedly Lying to Congress

What Happens When You 'Pause' Your Child's Puberty? The Answer Is Even More Devastating Than You'd Think

Texas Bans Gender-Confused People from Using Opposite-Sex Facilities in Public Schools, Prisons

NBC Forced to Retract Claim that ICE Used 5-Year-Old Autistic Girl as 'Bait'; In Reality, Her Criminal Alien Father Abandoned Her in a Car and Agents Rescued the Child

President Trump Urges UN to Protect 'The Most Persecuted Religion on the Planet Today: Christianity'

Secret Service Finds, Dismantles Massive 'Telecommunications Threat' Near UN General Assembly in New York