Then came what I believe was Reagan’s first public foray in openly speaking of America as a divinely chosen nation:

I, in my own mind, have thought of America as a place in the divine scheme of things that was set aside as a promised land…. I believe that God in shedding his grace on this country has always in this divine scheme of things kept an eye on our land and guided it as a promised land.

This Reagan thought became a theme—and a call—for five decades. He closed by issuing a challenge to the young women—to join him in the epic “battle” against “totalitarian darkness” that confronted their nation. He asked that each of them “contribute a little light,” that each “strike a match,” to “help push back the darkness” facing humanity.

“[W]ith your help,” the future president urged, “I am sure we can come much closer to realizing that this land of ours is the last best hope of man on earth. God bless you.”

Thirty years later, in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan ignited the match that would burn down the Iron Curtain.

The title of Reagan’s talk in Fulton, Missouri that day in June 1952?

“America, the Beautiful.”

That was how Ronald Reagan saw America, its place in the world and in history. Its rendezvous with destiny now rests with those in that Rotunda and all across the fruited plain. It is their challenge today to pick up the torch, strike a match, and ensure America shines amid the darkness of humanity, that it remains a Shining City on a Hill.