 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
This holiday conjures up stories in all of us - stories of fireworks, picnics, parades etc. My memories are of fireworks at Gilson Park as a kid, or on the roof of our buildings here, or on the deserted streets of the now highly developed south Loop where Sheila McGuire, Marilyn Wolfgram and bunches of us went to get a free glimpse of the fireworks at Soldiers Field for years or from the 88th floor of the Hancock building.
One 4th of July when I was in my early teens in Rochelle, a couple of my cousins and I went to the park in town where the farmers’ fair was taking place, I got talked into entering a blueberry pie eating contest and was urged on my younger cousins. With hands tied behind our backs the contest was to see who could eat the most pies in a given period of time. Well… I won…..and guess what kind of pie is not my favorite today??? Our stories do form us……
Today, we, as a country celebrate the story of our country.
Stories for us as human beings
Now, we know that, as human beings, if we run away from our own story or if we try to ignore our roots, our parentage, the realities of our own unique experience of childhood, we can spend the rest of our lives searching for ourselves and we can be restless in a very basic kind of way. Owning our own unique story as unique human beings and accepting fully that story is a life’s work and, when we can do it, it is a sign of psychological health and of maturity.
That story can free us (if we own it) or it can bind us (if we fight it … or if we only take in a part of that story) but whichever it does, it forms us!
Our country’s story
Our country is rooted in rebellion, and even prior to that, it is rooted in faith (the search for religious freedom). Our intense desire for freedom of speech and freedom of religion and the legal battles that fill our judicial annals are understandable in light of that communal story.
Our basic documents proclaim the equality of all (albeit at the time it was the equality of all men). At the same time our forbearers, did not always respect the basic human rights of all peoples nor did they seem to regard all as equals. Stories of disrespect for the indigenous people of this land and stories of importing people, to be slaves for our foremothers and forefathers, proliferate our past. In the Civil Rights Movement we began to own our own story of the evil of slavery. We have not yet owned that whole story or the story of our utter mistreatment of native peoples. These continue into the present in sometimes hidden ways. In so many ways we, as a people, continue to run away from those communal stories and therefore the injustices persist.
The fixation with guns that is so prevalent across our land may be rooted in the stories of our early settlers feeling the need to defend themselves from their “enemies”. We own that story and, as a culture, we hang on to only part of that story (the importance of guns!). As a result, we make enemies out of people who are different than we are, and justify the presence of guns in our society – firearms that now kill our children on a regular basis.
The other night at a St. Viator’s parish presentation on “Ending Torture in our Country”, a woman told a story of another parish where the group had posted a sign in front of their church about ending torture in our country and several people had called the rectory to complain that ending torture was a political issue and therefore not appropriate for the Church to be proclaiming. I began to think about that in relation to our country’s story – especially in a post-9/11 America - where torturing Muslim men in Guantanamo was promoted as pro-American.
Then, there is our communal story from the days of “Jim Crow” – didn’t that story of a people who needed to be treated differently also promote the use of torture by our police departments, our law enforcement people?
All of these stories form us!
What is our story as seen through the lens of today’s scripture readings?
The passage from Isaiah was written for a people who were understandably discouraged. They were returning from many years of captivity. They felt abandoned by God. They felt somewhat helpless
At times, we may feel abandoned, alone in our values, and somewhat helpless.
….and what does the prophet Isaiah say - It may seem that God has deserted you but God’s love is all encompassing. Of course, he says, you, the people, need to do your part to rebuild your lives!
In the face of a culture of violence, we may feel alone or helpless. Isaiah calls us to take an active role in counteracting that love of violence that we hear about every day.
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written from prison. (It was probably compiled by Paul’s disciples from bits of his writings.) The community in Philippi was a beloved and faithful group. Paul is basically saying – don’t worry, everything will be all right as long as you focus on the positive reality of God in your lives. He is saying - I want you to be happy no matter what kind of turmoil and misunderstanding is all around you.
One translation of this passage says “Let your tolerance be evident…….Live according to what you have learned and accepted...” The result will be that “the God of Peace will be with you.”
Perhaps that translation might speak to us this 4th of July? “Let your tolerance be evident”……Live (not according to the violence we hear promoted through our media and through our culture of “war”) but according to what we have learned in the gospel. Then, and then alone, will the God of peace be with us in our country.
The gospel passage is a continuation of the gospel we heard proclaimed last week on the occasion of Sister Pierre Marie’s funeral – that long discourse on love placed at the last supper. It speaks of love and of peace as Jesus. A farewell gift to us.
That is the simple message (the profound message) of Jesus’ life - that our life be based on love.
That message encompasses the story of our tradition. We long for peace. Love is the way. So simple – so challenging to live!
That, too, is our story!
So the story of our nation which we celebrate today sheds light on our lives today as people of these United States. The greatness of our country will be enhanced if we own all of the stories of our past and move forward in the spirit of the scripture readings today in love and toward peace.
Contact us: webcoordinator@osbchicago.org