LIONS WIN - THERE IS HOPE: Yesterday the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 7 - 3. This was the first NHL division victory by the Lions in 19 games. The Packers have beaten the Lions 10 straight times. The last time the Lions won a championship was 1957 (I was 9 years old). Yet every Sunday I sit in front of the TV and watch the worst football team in history and hope that they might win. I have been doing it for years.
There is something about the virtue of hope that is tenacious. It runs in the background of our hearts. At times we even deny that it is present. We face economic hardships, failed relationships, and broken hearts. We loose faith and think that hope is gone. But in the face of all of that we sit Sunday after Sunday and watch the Lions. And on a snowy day in December with a third string quarterback they win. It is only a football game. It didn't turn the economy around. It didn't fix one failed marriage. It didn't cure cancer and didn't buy one Christmas gift. But at about 4:15 Sunday afternoon, for a minute, hope and the Detroit Lions won out. If we can give ourselves permission to watch a loosing football team week after week, we can give ourselves permission to hope for a better world.
INCIVILITY PART TWO: Last week, Kieth Olbermann, a commentator for MSNBC, gave a 12 minute commentary on President Obama and the compromise tax bill. Calling it a commentary is too nice. It was a 12 minute, angry rant that included using God's name in vain. If Mr. Olbermann feels that he is the new Edward R. Murrow he has another thing coming. Even in the midst of criticizing the McCarthy hearings, Murrow never stooped to the kind of invective that Mr. Olbermann, or Rush Limbaugh for that matter, used and have used in the past. Both are paid millions of dollars and given a nationwide stage to voice their opinions. But somewhere, someone failed to teach them manners.
The Constitution gives us the freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I don't begrudge anyone the right to speak their minds. I don't even begrudge MSNBC, Fox News, or Premier Radio Networks their right to pay as much as they want to whomever they want to speak their minds. I do begrudge the invective and hate filled speech that hides under the cover of legitimate commentary. It accomplishes nothing but to show the shallowness of their character.
There is room for disagreement. There is even room for anger at times. There is room for strongly held beliefs. But, as my grandmother told me, there is no room for being rude. Incivility demeans the soul of another. It screams one's superiority and denies another's worth. And it leads nowhere. Rarely do anger outbursts lead to any growth.
I suppose the easiest thing to do is to change the channel. Done.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Instant Gratification
It is amazing how much the world has changed in the past 100 years. In 1911 a letter mailed from New York to San Francisco would take a month to arrive via ship or stage coach. In 1909, one mile of Woodward Ave. in Highland Park, Michigan became the first public road paved with cement. In 1910 radio was in its infancy, the telegraph was the quickest means of transmitting words from one place to another. It took 9 days to cross the ocean from Europe to the United States.
In the past 100 years scientific discoveries built upon scientific discovery. We have traveled fast and father than our grandfathers ever dreamed possible. Every aspect of our lives moves faster and faster. Words fly from computer to BlackBerry. Orders placed in Michigan to a company in California are filled and shipped overnight. Hospitals now advertise their short wait time in the emergency room. We no longer have to wait more than a day to have our dreams fulfilled.
In many ways we live in a time of instant gratification and, for the most part, that is a good thing. However, there are some things that take time and this runs against everything that we have experienced. Today is election day and every indication is that the Republican Party will see huge gains in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The American people have given the Democratic Party two year to effect the change they ran on in 2008 and, in the view of many, they have failed. Now the Republican Party has two years to straighten out the mess seen in our country. They will have two years to turn the economy around, reduce unemployment and reduce the deficit. They will have two years to settle the war in Afghanistan and deal with immigration. If they don't do this, they too will be voted out to be replaced by a new crop of legislators.
The problem is that none of these problems can be solved in two years or ten years. We are so used to instant results and instant gratification that we don't have the patience or the time that it takes to fix these systemic problems. That sets us up for a two year cycle of hopes followed by failure. I do not know how we restore the patience we need to address all these problems. But somehow we must.
We need a vision of the future that goes beyond weeks or years and make plans that will take decades to complete. Then we will need the patience to stick to those plans even if we do not see any progress in the short run. We need to reform how we look at our elected representatives so that they do not begin their re-election bids on the day after they take their oaths of office. We need, as a country, to give our elected representatives the courage to do the right thing and not just the politically expedient thing. We need representative whose first thought is NOT how will this vote effect my reelection but rather how will it effect the citizens.
While some gratification may be instant, all good things come to those who wait. We really have no choice.
In the past 100 years scientific discoveries built upon scientific discovery. We have traveled fast and father than our grandfathers ever dreamed possible. Every aspect of our lives moves faster and faster. Words fly from computer to BlackBerry. Orders placed in Michigan to a company in California are filled and shipped overnight. Hospitals now advertise their short wait time in the emergency room. We no longer have to wait more than a day to have our dreams fulfilled.
In many ways we live in a time of instant gratification and, for the most part, that is a good thing. However, there are some things that take time and this runs against everything that we have experienced. Today is election day and every indication is that the Republican Party will see huge gains in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The American people have given the Democratic Party two year to effect the change they ran on in 2008 and, in the view of many, they have failed. Now the Republican Party has two years to straighten out the mess seen in our country. They will have two years to turn the economy around, reduce unemployment and reduce the deficit. They will have two years to settle the war in Afghanistan and deal with immigration. If they don't do this, they too will be voted out to be replaced by a new crop of legislators.
The problem is that none of these problems can be solved in two years or ten years. We are so used to instant results and instant gratification that we don't have the patience or the time that it takes to fix these systemic problems. That sets us up for a two year cycle of hopes followed by failure. I do not know how we restore the patience we need to address all these problems. But somehow we must.
We need a vision of the future that goes beyond weeks or years and make plans that will take decades to complete. Then we will need the patience to stick to those plans even if we do not see any progress in the short run. We need to reform how we look at our elected representatives so that they do not begin their re-election bids on the day after they take their oaths of office. We need, as a country, to give our elected representatives the courage to do the right thing and not just the politically expedient thing. We need representative whose first thought is NOT how will this vote effect my reelection but rather how will it effect the citizens.
While some gratification may be instant, all good things come to those who wait. We really have no choice.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Come November 3, please!
Cue scary music
"Make sure that you call Congressman X today and tell him that you do not want anyone messing with your Social Security! Tell him that you don't want a representative that let murderers free on bond who then went out and abused puppies! Tell him to stop smuggling aliens across the border from Canada with their pockets full of illegal drugs and smelt! Tell Congressman X to stop lying about his military service when he won the Silver Star! Tell him that you don't want Big Government messing in our lives but do not touch our medicare! Tell Congressman X not to tax your energy drinks, sodas, or bottled water! Tell him to repeal Obamacare but to keep his hands off your prescription drug coverage. Tell Congressman X that you want him to oppose restrictions on Wall Street. Tell him that he is ugly, overweight and dyes his hair. This message brought to you by Americans for an American America."
Cue more scary music and use black and white.
"Don't let this election be bought by foreign oligarchs! Stop the Russian mafia from trying to influence the outcome of this senate race! Ask the Americans for an American America why they wont divulge who supports them and their big business, big agra, big oil, big fat agenda! Don't be fooled. Don't be lied to! This message brought to you by Patriots for a Patriotic America."
\
Cue still more scary music, use black and white and a LOUD VOICE
"WAKE UP MICHIGAN! IF YOU ELECT X AS GOVERNOR THE BLACK HELICOPTERS WILL COME AND TAKE AWAY YOUR 401k, YOUR SWEET CORN, AND YOUR PUPPIES ABUSED BY MURDERERS RELEASED BY CONGRESSMAN X AND SHIP THEM ALL OFF TO CHINA! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN! VOTE FOR Y WHO WILL CUT TAXES, CREATE JOBS, SEND YOU $1,000.00 AND COME AND PAINT YOUR HOUSE NEXT SATURDAY! (now, softly) This message brought to you by Honest Patriotic Americans from Michigan."
So, please all of you, make sure that you vote on November 2 so that we can stop all these horrible ads that keep interrupting Days of Our Lives!
"Make sure that you call Congressman X today and tell him that you do not want anyone messing with your Social Security! Tell him that you don't want a representative that let murderers free on bond who then went out and abused puppies! Tell him to stop smuggling aliens across the border from Canada with their pockets full of illegal drugs and smelt! Tell Congressman X to stop lying about his military service when he won the Silver Star! Tell him that you don't want Big Government messing in our lives but do not touch our medicare! Tell Congressman X not to tax your energy drinks, sodas, or bottled water! Tell him to repeal Obamacare but to keep his hands off your prescription drug coverage. Tell Congressman X that you want him to oppose restrictions on Wall Street. Tell him that he is ugly, overweight and dyes his hair. This message brought to you by Americans for an American America."
Cue more scary music and use black and white.
"Don't let this election be bought by foreign oligarchs! Stop the Russian mafia from trying to influence the outcome of this senate race! Ask the Americans for an American America why they wont divulge who supports them and their big business, big agra, big oil, big fat agenda! Don't be fooled. Don't be lied to! This message brought to you by Patriots for a Patriotic America."
\
Cue still more scary music, use black and white and a LOUD VOICE
"WAKE UP MICHIGAN! IF YOU ELECT X AS GOVERNOR THE BLACK HELICOPTERS WILL COME AND TAKE AWAY YOUR 401k, YOUR SWEET CORN, AND YOUR PUPPIES ABUSED BY MURDERERS RELEASED BY CONGRESSMAN X AND SHIP THEM ALL OFF TO CHINA! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN! VOTE FOR Y WHO WILL CUT TAXES, CREATE JOBS, SEND YOU $1,000.00 AND COME AND PAINT YOUR HOUSE NEXT SATURDAY! (now, softly) This message brought to you by Honest Patriotic Americans from Michigan."
So, please all of you, make sure that you vote on November 2 so that we can stop all these horrible ads that keep interrupting Days of Our Lives!
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Autumn Marsh of Inner Saginaw Bay
The big water of Saginaw Bay is surrounded by a fragile ecosystem that teems with life. The marsh is a buffer between the waves of Lake Huron and the land that supports the farmer. The marsh is not a simple thing but is composed of Phragmites and Reed Grass and Wild Rice and shallow mud sitting upon limestone. There is life there of all kinds: snakes and muskrat, white tailed deer, waterfowl and marsh hawks, yellow capped chickadee and snipe, minnows and those fish that seek them such as bass and perch and walleyes.
To experience the marsh and all it holds means that you must start in the dark of late night. Make your way down deer paths or overgrown channels that once could float your boat. At the shore, canoe out into the shallow water and look up. The dark sky is alive with the light of billions of stars. Constellations are written across the darkness. Shooting stars and meteors slash across the sky and flame brightly toward the horizon. The darkness plays games with our ability to determine distance. The expanse of shallow water seems much wider than it really is. The star light is just bright enough to guide your way to a marsh island where the earth is firm enough to bring the canoe ashore. The canoe becomes a steady perch to watch the marsh come alive.
The night is silent. No traffic sounds nor trains nor horns nor the sound of cottage doors slamming. All you hear is the breeze rustle the reeds. Occasionally something flies swiftly overhead in the dark. Then, ever so slowly, the night begins to dim, as if someone gradually turns down a rheostat. The black of night is dimmed into gray. Most of the stars disappear and only the brightest still is visible. Then, ever so slowly, the eastern horizon begin to change from black to gray to dark blue to violet. Shapes become ever more distinct. Distances shorten. Light grows in the marsh.
Then you begin to hear the mallards begin to "talk". They give their feeding call and it is answered further down the marsh. Other waterfowl begin to stir and you can hear their wing beats as the fly overhead. As the sky get lighter you see the geese as they begin to stir and head inland to eat on farmer's fields. Blue Bills, Red Heads and other divers begin to raft up and fly either along the shore out out to the islands. The clouds begin to shine as the sun, still below the horizon, colors them is reds and oranges and yellows and golds. When the sun finally comes over the horizon, the wild rice shines like woven gold. Marsh hawks begin their flights and an occasional eagle soars high overhead. The shore birds fly back and forth and Green Wing Teal zoom past low over the water. Gulls circle looking for the schools of minnows. Occasionally you see a white tailed deer dash through the shallow water heading to the firmer ground of a nearby island.
As the day grows brighter, the wind freshens and the phragmites wave back and forth. Mallards settle in pot holes looking for the wild rice. The day moves forward toward a repeat of the cycle. The marsh is alive.
To experience the marsh and all it holds means that you must start in the dark of late night. Make your way down deer paths or overgrown channels that once could float your boat. At the shore, canoe out into the shallow water and look up. The dark sky is alive with the light of billions of stars. Constellations are written across the darkness. Shooting stars and meteors slash across the sky and flame brightly toward the horizon. The darkness plays games with our ability to determine distance. The expanse of shallow water seems much wider than it really is. The star light is just bright enough to guide your way to a marsh island where the earth is firm enough to bring the canoe ashore. The canoe becomes a steady perch to watch the marsh come alive.
The night is silent. No traffic sounds nor trains nor horns nor the sound of cottage doors slamming. All you hear is the breeze rustle the reeds. Occasionally something flies swiftly overhead in the dark. Then, ever so slowly, the night begins to dim, as if someone gradually turns down a rheostat. The black of night is dimmed into gray. Most of the stars disappear and only the brightest still is visible. Then, ever so slowly, the eastern horizon begin to change from black to gray to dark blue to violet. Shapes become ever more distinct. Distances shorten. Light grows in the marsh.
Then you begin to hear the mallards begin to "talk". They give their feeding call and it is answered further down the marsh. Other waterfowl begin to stir and you can hear their wing beats as the fly overhead. As the sky get lighter you see the geese as they begin to stir and head inland to eat on farmer's fields. Blue Bills, Red Heads and other divers begin to raft up and fly either along the shore out out to the islands. The clouds begin to shine as the sun, still below the horizon, colors them is reds and oranges and yellows and golds. When the sun finally comes over the horizon, the wild rice shines like woven gold. Marsh hawks begin their flights and an occasional eagle soars high overhead. The shore birds fly back and forth and Green Wing Teal zoom past low over the water. Gulls circle looking for the schools of minnows. Occasionally you see a white tailed deer dash through the shallow water heading to the firmer ground of a nearby island.
As the day grows brighter, the wind freshens and the phragmites wave back and forth. Mallards settle in pot holes looking for the wild rice. The day moves forward toward a repeat of the cycle. The marsh is alive.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Autumn
If you are lucky enough to live across the northern tier of states, you are in the midst of the greatest season of the four. Autumn skies are clear and the deepest blue. The air is crisp and scented with the smell of leaves. The maple in my backyard has a golden yellow color that blends with the yellow brown of the pin oak next to it. The burning bush at the corner is a deep red and the sumac are aflame.
At night, the stars seem brighter because the air is clear. During the day, the sun tracks across the southern sky and colors seem brighter and not as washed out as the summer sun.
All of the beauty of autumn has one cause - death. The leaves take on their colorful beauty because they are dying. The sun is "dying" as it tracks lower in the sky. The air is crisp as the earth cools. The dying of summer is beautiful.
If nature can paint dying with so much beauty, how much more can our own dying be beautiful? We die a little bit each day. Old skin flakes off and reveals new skin underneath. Aging saps us of our strength but that gives us more time to think, ponder and reflect. Infirmities cause us to be less self-reliant and to rest on the arm of another. These dyings can be beautiful if seen in the right light.
We are all heading for the final death of our bodies. Each day brings us closer to that moment when we will pass from this life. Our deaths may be violent, sudden, lingering, tomorrow, planned for or decades away. However that moment comes, it will come. I do believe that the moment will be beautiful. The passage from this side of life to the other will be the beginning of a new experience of life. That moment will be wonderful.
The season of autumn needs campfires, cider, plain cake donuts, a nice warm sweater and a good rake. Enjoy.
At night, the stars seem brighter because the air is clear. During the day, the sun tracks across the southern sky and colors seem brighter and not as washed out as the summer sun.
All of the beauty of autumn has one cause - death. The leaves take on their colorful beauty because they are dying. The sun is "dying" as it tracks lower in the sky. The air is crisp as the earth cools. The dying of summer is beautiful.
If nature can paint dying with so much beauty, how much more can our own dying be beautiful? We die a little bit each day. Old skin flakes off and reveals new skin underneath. Aging saps us of our strength but that gives us more time to think, ponder and reflect. Infirmities cause us to be less self-reliant and to rest on the arm of another. These dyings can be beautiful if seen in the right light.
We are all heading for the final death of our bodies. Each day brings us closer to that moment when we will pass from this life. Our deaths may be violent, sudden, lingering, tomorrow, planned for or decades away. However that moment comes, it will come. I do believe that the moment will be beautiful. The passage from this side of life to the other will be the beginning of a new experience of life. That moment will be wonderful.
The season of autumn needs campfires, cider, plain cake donuts, a nice warm sweater and a good rake. Enjoy.
Friday, October 1, 2010
HOMECOMING
It is homecoming season across the land. High schools are gearing up for the annual exercise of school spirit. Faces are painted. Color days are decreed. Cheer leaders practice their flips and twirls. Football teams practice trick plays to ensure victory. Floats are constructed. Kings and queens are selected. Bonfires are alight and, across the Midwest, cider and donuts are doled out to returning graduates who still wear their varsity jackets and tell stories of past victories.
Homecoming is an interesting event. Once it was a celebration of a returning college team that had been on the road across the Ivy League. Fur coats, straw hats, pennants, are a game made up the event. Now days, it is not so much about the returning team. Two years ago, our homecoming game followed two home games. Last year there was the story of a team that played their homecoming game away, because their field was under repair.
Homecoming is not so much about the return of the team, but the return of past graduates and it can be bittersweet. Those who graduated last spring and have gone off to college return to their schools and are roundly ignored. Those who, as seniors just last year, were honored just find that they have been replaced by a new group of seniors. People nod "hello" and then go about fawning over this years seniors, this years football heroes, this years homecoming court. Last year's graduates tend to gather together and slowly begin to walk away and go back to their new lives.
Then there are returning graduates from years past. They are the guys who once a year blow the dust off their varsity jackets and the women who can still wear their high school uniforms. They come back with their children and walk the halls again and show junior where daddy made the three pointer at the buzzer to win the league championship basketball game. They stand with other classmates and talk about all the hi jinks they pulled, the tackles they made, the jocks they dated and the about of hair spray they used to get the big hair look for the dance. For past graduates, homecoming is a time to remember a more simple time. It was a time where the only worries where who to take to the dance, what color shoes went with the dress, and if a powder blue tuxedo was too tame. It was a time when friends were made for life. It was a time when a student could practice being an adult while still having the safety net of home. It was a time when someone could dream of the future and make some plans. It was a time when students from even small high schools could still feel the fame that comes with success on the field, gym, diamond and classroom. Homecoming is a time for remembering a past that might be more fantasy than fact but that is okay. Returning graduates can step back into the past, if even for a couple of days, and touch what it really means to "come home."
There are places in our lives that can be called "home." It can be our childhood house, our parish church or our high school. Home is a place where we can feel safe, even if it is only in the dreams of the past. Home can be touched by actually going home. It can also be touched through photos and videos. Home can be touched by touching those friends who were a part of our lives then.
For those of us who live in the Midwest, homecoming also has the add extra of autumn with cool evenings, changing leaves and the smell of burning leaves. What a great way to spend a weekend. Rah! Rah! Rah!
Homecoming is an interesting event. Once it was a celebration of a returning college team that had been on the road across the Ivy League. Fur coats, straw hats, pennants, are a game made up the event. Now days, it is not so much about the returning team. Two years ago, our homecoming game followed two home games. Last year there was the story of a team that played their homecoming game away, because their field was under repair.
Homecoming is not so much about the return of the team, but the return of past graduates and it can be bittersweet. Those who graduated last spring and have gone off to college return to their schools and are roundly ignored. Those who, as seniors just last year, were honored just find that they have been replaced by a new group of seniors. People nod "hello" and then go about fawning over this years seniors, this years football heroes, this years homecoming court. Last year's graduates tend to gather together and slowly begin to walk away and go back to their new lives.
Then there are returning graduates from years past. They are the guys who once a year blow the dust off their varsity jackets and the women who can still wear their high school uniforms. They come back with their children and walk the halls again and show junior where daddy made the three pointer at the buzzer to win the league championship basketball game. They stand with other classmates and talk about all the hi jinks they pulled, the tackles they made, the jocks they dated and the about of hair spray they used to get the big hair look for the dance. For past graduates, homecoming is a time to remember a more simple time. It was a time where the only worries where who to take to the dance, what color shoes went with the dress, and if a powder blue tuxedo was too tame. It was a time when friends were made for life. It was a time when a student could practice being an adult while still having the safety net of home. It was a time when someone could dream of the future and make some plans. It was a time when students from even small high schools could still feel the fame that comes with success on the field, gym, diamond and classroom. Homecoming is a time for remembering a past that might be more fantasy than fact but that is okay. Returning graduates can step back into the past, if even for a couple of days, and touch what it really means to "come home."
There are places in our lives that can be called "home." It can be our childhood house, our parish church or our high school. Home is a place where we can feel safe, even if it is only in the dreams of the past. Home can be touched by actually going home. It can also be touched through photos and videos. Home can be touched by touching those friends who were a part of our lives then.
For those of us who live in the Midwest, homecoming also has the add extra of autumn with cool evenings, changing leaves and the smell of burning leaves. What a great way to spend a weekend. Rah! Rah! Rah!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
RESPECT
"Judge Randolph: Lieutenant, do you have anything further for this witness?
[Jessep defiantly gets up to leave the courtroom]
Col. Jessep: Thanks, Danny. I love Washington.
Kaffee: Excuse me. I didn't dismiss you.
Col. Jessep: I beg your pardon?
Kaffee: I'm not finished with my examination. Sit down.
Col. Jessep: Colonel!
Kaffee: What's that?
Col. Jessep: I would appreciate it if he would address me as Colonel or Sir. I believe I've earned it.
Judge Randolph: Defense counsel will address the witness as Colonel or Sir.
Col. Jessep: [to Judge] I don't know what the hell kind of unit you're running here.
Judge Randolph: And the witness will address this court as Judge or Your Honor. I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel. "
from the movie A Few Good Men. (1992)
The dialogue above is part of one of the great courtroom scenes in modern cinema. Col. Jessup, played to a tee by Jack Nicholson, takes great offense that Lt. Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, does not address him with respect and the proper title and then commits the same offense against the judge. Col Jessup demands respect. Judge Randolph has earned respect.
Respect can be earned or it can be demanded. One type of respect is freely given. The other is proffered out of fear. Respect can be given to an elder for what they have accomplished or just because they have lived a number of years. Respect can be given to people in authority because of the uniform or badge they wear. A character on TV recently said "If they have a gun I always call them sir." Respect is given to teachers, clergy, doctors, nurses and firefighters becuase of the service they are capable of giving. Respect is given to parents because of the life that they helped create.
Or not.
Respect doesn't seem to be valued much these days. Disrespect seems to rule the day. Doors are not held open. "Hello" and "Good bye" are often left unsaid. The magic words of "please" and "thank you" have been forgotten. At a recent liturgy attended by a large number of teens, an elderly man was seen to stand to give a pregnant woman a seat when none of the teen age boys would do so. Respect and politeness do not seem to valued.
It was recently suggested to me that high schools should have a period of time each day set aside to address issues of etiquette, respect for others, common courtesy and awareness. I have pastored a parish with a high school for 16 years and have commented that as I stand outside of the school at dismissal, 95% of the students will walk by without so much as a nod of the head, let alone a greeting.
Maybe it is old fashioned, but we need to instill a sense of respect in people. We need to acknowledge that other people exist. That we are not alone. That other people have value. John Donne reminded us that "no man is an island." We stand shoulder to shoulder with others and need to treat each other with respect. If we begin to respect others a little more, then perhaps our glass darkly will be a little clearer.
[Jessep defiantly gets up to leave the courtroom]
Col. Jessep: Thanks, Danny. I love Washington.
Kaffee: Excuse me. I didn't dismiss you.
Col. Jessep: I beg your pardon?
Kaffee: I'm not finished with my examination. Sit down.
Col. Jessep: Colonel!
Kaffee: What's that?
Col. Jessep: I would appreciate it if he would address me as Colonel or Sir. I believe I've earned it.
Judge Randolph: Defense counsel will address the witness as Colonel or Sir.
Col. Jessep: [to Judge] I don't know what the hell kind of unit you're running here.
Judge Randolph: And the witness will address this court as Judge or Your Honor. I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel. "
from the movie A Few Good Men. (1992)
The dialogue above is part of one of the great courtroom scenes in modern cinema. Col. Jessup, played to a tee by Jack Nicholson, takes great offense that Lt. Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise, does not address him with respect and the proper title and then commits the same offense against the judge. Col Jessup demands respect. Judge Randolph has earned respect.
Respect can be earned or it can be demanded. One type of respect is freely given. The other is proffered out of fear. Respect can be given to an elder for what they have accomplished or just because they have lived a number of years. Respect can be given to people in authority because of the uniform or badge they wear. A character on TV recently said "If they have a gun I always call them sir." Respect is given to teachers, clergy, doctors, nurses and firefighters becuase of the service they are capable of giving. Respect is given to parents because of the life that they helped create.
Or not.
Respect doesn't seem to be valued much these days. Disrespect seems to rule the day. Doors are not held open. "Hello" and "Good bye" are often left unsaid. The magic words of "please" and "thank you" have been forgotten. At a recent liturgy attended by a large number of teens, an elderly man was seen to stand to give a pregnant woman a seat when none of the teen age boys would do so. Respect and politeness do not seem to valued.
It was recently suggested to me that high schools should have a period of time each day set aside to address issues of etiquette, respect for others, common courtesy and awareness. I have pastored a parish with a high school for 16 years and have commented that as I stand outside of the school at dismissal, 95% of the students will walk by without so much as a nod of the head, let alone a greeting.
Maybe it is old fashioned, but we need to instill a sense of respect in people. We need to acknowledge that other people exist. That we are not alone. That other people have value. John Donne reminded us that "no man is an island." We stand shoulder to shoulder with others and need to treat each other with respect. If we begin to respect others a little more, then perhaps our glass darkly will be a little clearer.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lazarus and the Rich Man
In St. Luke's Gospel we hear Jesus tell the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man. The Rich Man lived high on the hog with a fine home, great meals, stylish clothes and great friends. Outside his door lived Lazarus, poor, ill, alone and cold. Both die and Lazarus rests at Abraham's side and the Rich Man lies in torment. The Rich Man asks for Lazarus to give him a drop of water. Abraham says "no". The Rich Man pleads for his family and is told that Moses and the prophets are all they need. The Rich Man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers thinking that someone coming from the dead would get them to change their ways. Abraham says "no".
I got to thinking about the Rich Man this week. He knew Abraham so he must have been a believer. He had a family that he cared about. He knew success. What made him ignore the poor Lazarus encamped outside of his door. Initially, the Rich Man may have tried to shoo Lazarus away. Perhaps he stepped over or around him. I think that after a while he just didn't see him any more. Lazarus just blended into the background out was out of the Rich Man's sight. He became like a spot on your living room carpet that after a while you no longer see it. Only when someone points it out do you see the spot.
It can happen that we just don't see things any more and that can be so sad. Many years ago a couple came to see me about their marriage problems. They were a successful, suburban couple with three children and all that money can buy. During our visit the wife said "I have not been happy for two years." Her husband, in all honesty, said, "Honey I didn't know that." He just didn't see it. Her sadness had faded from his vision. Work, soccer practice, music lessons and school had so filled them both that they became blind to each other. They faded from each others view. Like Lazarus, whom the Rich Man no longer saw outside his door, their mutual sadness lived in a blind spot in their heart.
What is it that we fail to see? Is it the poor or the homeless? Is it our own faults? Is it the pain, or joy, that our beloved feels? Is it the quiet goodness of people around us? Is it the Lord who comes in so many ways throughout our days? We need to look harder at what is around us. He need to eliminate the blind spots. We need hearts filled a yearning to see more clearly.
We need to polish our Glass Darkly.
I got to thinking about the Rich Man this week. He knew Abraham so he must have been a believer. He had a family that he cared about. He knew success. What made him ignore the poor Lazarus encamped outside of his door. Initially, the Rich Man may have tried to shoo Lazarus away. Perhaps he stepped over or around him. I think that after a while he just didn't see him any more. Lazarus just blended into the background out was out of the Rich Man's sight. He became like a spot on your living room carpet that after a while you no longer see it. Only when someone points it out do you see the spot.
It can happen that we just don't see things any more and that can be so sad. Many years ago a couple came to see me about their marriage problems. They were a successful, suburban couple with three children and all that money can buy. During our visit the wife said "I have not been happy for two years." Her husband, in all honesty, said, "Honey I didn't know that." He just didn't see it. Her sadness had faded from his vision. Work, soccer practice, music lessons and school had so filled them both that they became blind to each other. They faded from each others view. Like Lazarus, whom the Rich Man no longer saw outside his door, their mutual sadness lived in a blind spot in their heart.
What is it that we fail to see? Is it the poor or the homeless? Is it our own faults? Is it the pain, or joy, that our beloved feels? Is it the quiet goodness of people around us? Is it the Lord who comes in so many ways throughout our days? We need to look harder at what is around us. He need to eliminate the blind spots. We need hearts filled a yearning to see more clearly.
We need to polish our Glass Darkly.
Friday, September 24, 2010
We See as Through a Glass Darkly
The vision that we have of the world around us is tempered by what is present in our hearts. Loves and joys along with fears and dread color what we see. Reality is only as objective as our subjective perceptions of it. Two people may look upon the same sight and see something completely different. For both, what they see is true for them. Their hearts have defined the images. When someone shares what they see, it may be different from what someone else sees, but still the truth.
For ancient believers, the face of God was too awesome, to powerful to see. When God walked before them they averted their eyes or veiled their faces for fear of being consumed by the face of God. Their vision of God was clouded by the veil. St. Paul spoke of this when he said that what we see now is an indistinct image of God - God as viewed in a cloudy mirror or through a glass, darkly. He spoke the truth, as he saw it. He longed for heaven when he would see face to face.
When we share what we see, what we believe, we hope to allow others to see our vision or version of the truth. We share to persuade sometimes, to enlighten perhaps, or just to allow others to see what we see.
In this blog I hope to share what I see or think or feel about life and love and God and faith and hope and yearning. I believe that all of us have stories to tell. This is my attempt to tell my stories and share the vision that I have colored by what is in my heart.
For ancient believers, the face of God was too awesome, to powerful to see. When God walked before them they averted their eyes or veiled their faces for fear of being consumed by the face of God. Their vision of God was clouded by the veil. St. Paul spoke of this when he said that what we see now is an indistinct image of God - God as viewed in a cloudy mirror or through a glass, darkly. He spoke the truth, as he saw it. He longed for heaven when he would see face to face.
When we share what we see, what we believe, we hope to allow others to see our vision or version of the truth. We share to persuade sometimes, to enlighten perhaps, or just to allow others to see what we see.
In this blog I hope to share what I see or think or feel about life and love and God and faith and hope and yearning. I believe that all of us have stories to tell. This is my attempt to tell my stories and share the vision that I have colored by what is in my heart.
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