Making The Rough Places Plain: There's Truth in Reality

 A reflection from the archives of The Saturday Morning Post, April 21, 2018

April 21, 2021

Greetings, God and All...

Three years ago, before there was even a hint that face covering use would become a way of life and there weren't social guides and other sorts of gatekeepers at the doors of the church, mosque, or synagogue of your choice, I had the inspiration to reflect on just how far the faith had made effective use of social media in the mission of evangelization. Even as I was preparing to relocate my son and myself to new and yet familiar surroundings, little did I know then...

Back in my early days, the days before hundreds of television channels via cable and internet streams, the local channels offered programs of a religious genre. The Lutheran Church offered The Lutheran Hour and Davey and Goliath. The Jewish community aired a program for children called The Magic Door. Catholics were treated to Life Is Worth Living, presented by the great orator of the 1950s and 1960s, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Little by little, broadcast regulations changed and these programs were replaced by news programs, extended versions of Meet The Press and similar “panel discussion” programs. Religious programming might have died altogether were it not for people who would finance the evangelical Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the (Catholic) Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and shows by a growing number of non-denominational “televangelists” including Creflo A. Dollar, Reverend Ike, and more recently, Joel Osteen.

EWTN began on a wing and a prayer in 1981. Broadcasting only a few hours a day at first, from the very beginning daily Mass was presented. Locally in Chicago, “Mass For Shut-Ins” was aired on Sunday mornings. It’s bounced across several channels over the years and had a name change, but to this day those who search for it can still find it. In the age of live video streaming over the Internet, it is now possible not only to watch EWTN’s broadcasts, but local churches are presenting their services to the citizens of cyberspace as well. Two of my friends’ churches, as well as the Catholic community at the Marytown shrine in Libertyville, Illinois, are able to be viewed with just a few mouse clicks.

I am a big fan of this accessibility to what I’ll call ‘virtual’ church. For those with limited mobility, this brings the Church home and gives people the opportunity to hear God’s word preached and to pray (often in real time) with a community of faith. It is a boon to the sick and homebound. For me, it is an invitation to create a better prayer environment at home by opening a ‘window’ to an active house of prayer or dedicated chapel for devotion. I use this environment to pray the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) along with audio podcasts of the texts. The devotions of the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy and much more can be found through YouTube, along with beautiful representation of sacred art from paintings to stained glass windows and accompanied by classical sacred music.

My introduction to this online presence came from my late wife, Diane. She came across several devotional websites while researching curriculum for Nick, recipes, handicraft projects, and her own personal studies. I was indeed grateful for her legwork which indicated that some devoted people were indeed making use of modern technology as a resource for anyone able to access it. I continue to look for these and other sites and the treasures they might offer. I’m truly thankful to have this at my disposal.

For all its good and its potential outreach to anyone almost anywhere, however, it should not be considered a sole substitute for active participation in worship or liturgy for anyone apart from those confined for serious reasons. Take enough of the congregation out of the pews of churches, and the virtual outlets will dry up and wither away. Virtual church puts ultimate control of attention to content in the hands of the user. Even in my own experience, there are times where the distractions of time and place take me away from the extended sanctuary I have opened. There is also the danger of turning off preaching that is unsettling or doesn’t line up with an under-formed personal sense of spirituality, even when the source material is as good as it possibly gets.

This takes on another dimension when you consider receiving the sacraments. There’s no way to receive Holy Communion through a TV or computer screen, regardless of denomination. With the Catholic teaching of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic elements of bread and wine, the graces we seek through reception of this sacrament just aren’t accessible through a virtual environment.

It is important, therefore, to keep in mind an understanding to have a virtual presence available to those who truly need it and can benefit by it. This presence is of great help to sustain us throughout the week when our schedules are full; reminding us that God works 24/7 and that at any given time or place, we can interact with Him. Relying on virtual presence alone, though, leaves us still hungry for the sacred food and drink which sustains us on our pilgrimage to eternal life; and the companionship of other disciples and believers along the way.

---

...How prophetic those words became, so it seems. I was more than willing and eager to participate in the establishing the virtual Church environment, going online months before churches would reopen, with capacity restraints and sanitary guidelines and social guides to oversee it all.

Has it been effective, even as a stop-gap measure?

That's hard to say. I don't have access to the numbers, and they vary from place to place. What I do know, and didn't think of three years ago, is that there's always a cost involved.

The cost, in terms of number of people, is probably negligible. Church attendance, already in a declining slope before the pandemic, has continued to decline, judging by the numbers of users watching services through online livestream. There's a financial cost as well; domains such as YouTube and Facebook are looking to how many users access livestream sites. If a consistent average isn't met over time, content providers (churches, etc.) will have a harder time getting content up and running. Then there's the equipment needed, anywhere from recording on a cell phone to the more sophisticated TV-quality audio-visual equipment and editing software. Plus, any copyrighted content must be properly licensed for broadcast, whether over-the-air or livestream.

For all that, I believe that if it connects one person to a continual nurturing and awareness of the spirit within, it's worth the cost. In practical terms, however, being able to sustain that is a difficult decision; one that few congregations can genuinely afford while at the same time make the push to get people to return to in-person  worship.

Both of the Catholic congregations in which I had worked to provide online access recently stopped doing so. Numbers were flat; costs to livestream would increase; and the copyright license was up for renewal. I can't get upset over the decisions made, especially since most are in agreement that this was supposed to be a temporary solution due to the effects of the COVID pandemic...along with the points covered in the reflection I wrote three years ago.

Other congregations and dioceses continue to offer livestream and see it as an important tool to remain connected, especially to the most vulnerable and the homebound, as well as those who are possibly watching these programs in slots other than real-time. In a media market such as mine in metropolitan Chicago, there are several sources that have been established for a while and these are most likely to remain. Other newcomers to social media may retain an online presence because they see value in it that makes its expense an investment. My prayer is that we are not cutting off access prematurely, as variants to COVID and the uncertainty of many regarding the infection rate and the effectiveness of the vaccines - not to mention the politicization of the pandemic and the response to it - add to the division within our country and our congregations. If the Good Shepherd would leave 99 faithful in His lush pastures to find one lost sheep, then we must take this to heart and continue to show places where access remains to those who seek it.

Until we meet again, may the God of mercy be with you...

+the Phoenix

Making The Rough Places Plain: Reboot, Refresh, or Restore?

April  1, 2021

Stay here and keep watch with me; the hour has come

Stay here and keep watch with me; watch and pray...

(cf. Matthew 26:36 ff.)

"It starts." (Rafiki, The Lion King)

Welcome, God and All...

As spring's coming has breathed some new life into Planet Mother Earth, and the pace of vaccination for COVID-19 has stepped up, we have come upon the sacred days of the Passover and its twin, the Triduum (three days) of the Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection.

I'm hearing something of a relative paradox. Here in my corner of the Kingdom on Earth, churches are reopening; some for the first time in a year. And their leaders are worried, because the metrics on which they decided they could safely reopen - their open window of opportunity - could just as easily slam shut as those metrics are again trending in the wrong direction.

If I understand correctly, two main reasons for this latest disturbing concern stem from a) under thirty-somethings throwing caution to the wind and heading to the Florida and Texas (and probably California) beaches to 'celebrate' winter's end; coupled with b) the aforementioned and half of the rest of us ignoring the mandates to wear face masks and stay six feet away from each other. This issue especially is controversial and has been from the beginning as many do not believe the mandates are needed - and where they are in place, don't have any legal standing behind them.

In short, we are battling ourselves and have yet to understand that as much as this virus mutates, so we must also change our behavior - radically, so it seems - to even stand a chance of containing it.

I also learned this week (it's amazing that these studies and poll results are so perfectly timed) that a Gallup poll has indicated that less than half of the American populace have membership in a church. This is not related to COVID-19; the trend has been heading downward for a long time now. Nearly 75 years ago that number was somewhere around 75 percent. 

To hear that actual attendance is trending upward at the moment understates the facts that in January attendance was awfully low in those places that were open, and of course zero in churches, mosques, and synagogues that weren't. Plus, I must remember that we're under capacity restrictions. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in our nation's capital has a seating capacity of ten thousand people; yet they're only allowed to admit 250 at present for any given service. One of my spiritual "brothers" recently made the observation that 90 percent of attendees at Mass lately have grey hair. (And the other ten percent have no hair, so I observe.)

Still, it is good to be able to start - somewhere - and I am thankful to God to be allowed the privilege, as it were, to do this year what I could not last year; even if it's only a fraction of what I was doing two years ago in any single place. 

I must also confess something. As a church musician whose livelihood was affected for a time by the onset of the pandemic, I looked wherever I could to stay active. It stems from part of my life's story, detailed elsewhere in these pages, as to the how and why I became a "wandering minstrel" for Christ. The long and the short of it is (and timing is indeed a blessing considered here) that God has granted me the grace to sing his praises in multiple congregations once more. With the continuing approach to using cyberspace and broadcast communication, the effort continues to reach out to many who might not hear the word of God or the prayerful inspiration of the ministers involved.

In my youth I fantasized that I would one day be recognized on public media like TV and radio. I realize that God allowed this into my life in His own way. I have stumbled through this many times. I am thankful that He, the risen Jesus, still raises me up.

Know that the resurrected Lord is still in control here. I don't think I need to go back and recap the story today. I'm not sure there are many people with the patience to listen, even though they should. Go and worship Him with all your being. Attend a service at a house of worship if you can and are able. Take advantage of opportunities that are provided by the media, even if they're not widely publicized (as in ask, and you shall receive). Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Make it loud enough for all around to hear. We can - with God's help - reverse the disturbing trends that plague our time, by turning to the One who turned the world upside down, yet still holds it - lovingly - in His hands.

Until we meet again, know that the risen Lord died for you so that he could be with you...and pray that He continues to have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

The Saturday Morning Post: Spring Has Sprung

 March 20, 2021

Good Morning, God and All...

Spring Fever. March Madness. All of us have experienced our own version of these.

It was one year ago that we came to a new experience; one that we didn't want or ask for. We're still living that, now amplified by reminders that winter's back has been (for the most part) broken. Aren't we looking for any reason to break the chains under which we have been burdened for...forever, it seems?

I confess I haven't written in a couple of weeks. While I was indeed recovering from an infected fingernail, that is something of an excuse. I have been running dry in the reflection department. That's easy when the cycle of events continues to remind me of...(how can I best state it?)..."the waywardness that is ours". as the Church states so eloquently in one of her many prayers.

In a recent reflection I wrote that often Lent calls us to 'make room' for our spiritual life to grow. Much like spring cleaning, when we're able to open the windows and let fresher air in, so also it is a time to do the same thing in a spiritual sense. I might not necessarily appreciate the process when it happens, but in the end I experience the blessings that come with it.

Rather than writing, I have been reading. Facebook has been pleased to remind me of the reflections I posted there from years past, and also of the time before FB when I posted  regularly here. Yes, I unwittingly wrote them so that I would remember to read them when God felt I needed to, because in my feeble mind His holy Word simply wouldn't be enough. Not every one is a diamond in the rough, but none of them have ever been removed from my repository in cyberspace. I'm thankful it's still there, uncensored by anyone - especially me.

I have also been watching, looking for something refreshing as opposed to the airing of "classic" TV or the less satisfying current offerings on the tube. I found The Chosen. I don't know how I managed to miss it last year; maybe I was drowning in the sorrow that churches around the world had closed their doors to prevent spread of the pandemic - which was supposed to help 'flatten the curve in two weeks'. Needless to say that didn't work.

I found what so far has made Lent for me. The first season of eight shows is available to watch for free online. A second season will begin on Easter Sunday. Financial support to produce and air the program was done through crowdfunding. Millions have viewed the first season and are anticipating the show's return.

I am thankful for the opportunity to have seen this so far. More than a generic run through the Gospels or in a musical setting where the nuances can interfere with the storytelling, The Chosen appeals to me as a character study of the people who are part of the story. I won't go into great detail here - you really should see it for yourself. As with any retelling or reimagining of the Gospels, the producers have taken dramatic liberties in suggesting some of the characters' backstories and dialogue. All I can say to that is that nothing I've seen would have been impossible. 

I have been praying that hearts would be unlocked. Change is always difficult, especially when we are forced into it (as it seems we nearly always are). In the heat of the moment, frustration that undesired things are happening - or that desired things aren't happening fast enough - is all too common. But when I set the moment aside, giving it to God, I realize I am still His. I forget my troubles - including my place in the hymn I might be singing at the time.

The arrival of Spring is one big reminder that the glorious splendor of Easter is near. I don't intend to let it pass by, like I had to one year ago. I pray you take care, and recall the ultimate act of love for all of us...

...Until we meet again, may God be with us; and have mercy on us...

+the Phoenix

The Saturday Morning Post: Courtly Zeal for a Nearly Empty House Still Consumes Me

March 6, 2021

Good Morning, God and All...

Zeal for your house will consume me  (John 2:17; cf. Psalm 69:10).

Better one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84:11).

Nearly a year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic sent many of us into a sort of exile.

(Note: I'm largely avoiding the politicizing of the issue. At the moment what matters most to me is how it has shaped our relationship with God. I promise to be brief, even to the point of leaving thoughts incomplete as I'm still dealing with the aftereffects of an injury to one of my fingers, the tip of which is still a bit tender.)

From March until July last year, the House of God was off limits. The Church (at least in the US) closed their doors and the 'celebration' of Mass limited to broadcast and streaming media. 

I wrote back in 2009 about the passage from Saint John's Gospel referenced above; where Jesus displays (righteous) anger over, as he puts it, turning the House of God into a marketplace - or at the very least, putting the atmosphere of said marketplace ahead of a place of prayer and worship. Oddly, I mentioned that the Church of today did not discourage passersby the opportunity to enter and pray. I want to believe that there are still churches that are allowing this, given capacity and other restrictions still in place here and around the world.

I wrote back then about a sense of a museum-like atmosphere in our church buildings. You know, look but don't touch; don't stray from your group; refrain from excessive talking. If anything, the pandemic has added to this atmosphere. Face coverings keep us from singing and some from even saying "amen" to the prayers of the Mass. Capacity limits and the necessity of social distancing leaves us with hastily taped-up signs and roped-off seating. And that's once you get in. Sadly, many churches have locked their doors other than for scheduled services. 

Still, I was thankful when Catholic churches in my area were able to reopen. Other denominations chose to remain closed, relying strictly on live-streaming or parking lot worship from the (in)convenience of your automobile; even during the bitter cold of the winter now turning to spring. How those two verses from the Psalms, echoed by Jesus, have come to mean to me!

There's a popular Catholic hymn whose verses are drawn from four verses of the book of the Old Testament prophet Hosea. Its refrain still echoes today God's longing to reach out to us: Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life. What does this mean today, when access to God's 'home' is still restricted? And for some, decided against because of fears stemming from the pandemic? Well, let's start with God's longing for you, for me, for us. Shouldn't that open and deepen in us a longing for God? How is that longing to be satisfied if we make excuses and not efforts? How do we expect to be consumed by a loving God when we come up with any number of reasons to avoid going to Him, even in private prayer at home or wherever you are?

A year ago, we were suddenly cut off from God, here in the (supposed) "land of the living." This year, we are able - in reduced numbers - to offer our praise, air our concerns, and be fed by His Word on His 'turf.' But just as important, we are offered ways to bring God's home into ours. I pray that many who are sitting on the fence do this in spite of the many temptations that would draw us away. Who knows? Could it make for overflowing houses of worship when people finally determine it's safe to remove the signs, and the tape, and the ropes off the pews?

(I got a second wind...and I had actually wanted to offer a reflection on the next part last week but it would have taken forever to type it out one-handed. However, it dovetails in nicely here.)

To help satiate (at least for a time) this longing for God usually involves altering one or more patterns of our behavior, or habits. This is the longer and more accurate definition of self-sacrifice, or "giving up something" as a Lenten offering. I suggest giving some thought to the suggestions I offer below.

Make a realistic goal, and what steps to take to accomplish it. It's comparable to making New Year's resolutions, but on a spiritual level. Realize that it's an ongoing commitment. One should not abstain from sweets with the goal of losing ten pounds only to binge eat after Easter and put on fifteen. Now this doesn't mean you can't reward yourself - after all, as I've pointed out before, Sundays are always observed as reminders of the glorious resurrection of Christ and do not count as part of Lent's "forty" days. God rested on the Sabbath - and so should you. But if you're able, maintaining your commitment each and every day is possible by God's abundant grace.

It's not a competition. Don't try to do one big thing when a few smaller things can be more beneficial to others as well as yourself. There's always the annual running gag about Lenten give-ups, and trust me, the best ones have already been taken. As we've endured some difficult weather systems over the last few weeks, a few have suggested giving up winter for Lent. (Really, that will happen anyway and it's not under our direct control when.) Pope Benedict XVI made near the top of the list when he gave up (resigned) his office in 2013. Then there are those bent on giving up Lent as if it weren't there. Or worse - simply giving up. They need our prayers and ultimately encouragement to take up the mantle of making room for Christ in our hearts and homes. The biggest  give-up? That is to what our Lenten journey ultimately leads us - Jesus giving up his life on the Holy Cross for our sake.

It's never too late to start - but one should start somewhere. Don't be afraid to ask for help and keep asking. Jesus has promised that you will receive help along the way.

Until we meet again, may God be with you...and may God have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

Making The Rough Places Plain: You've Got "Knee" Mail

a reflection from the archives of The Saturday Morning Post 

February 20, 2016 

Good Morning, God and All...

You've probably seen the phrase "God accepts Knee Mail." A roundabout, techie-type reference to reverent, personal prayer - and one which seems to pop-up on social media with greater frequency...that is, if you've 'liked' pages with quasi-religious and/or quasi-patriotic content. You see, in order to give you the best 'experience' online, the folks behind Facebook and Twitter and the rest work tireless hours developing and tweaking code to provide you with nearly all the content you want to see with just the right amount of advertising, regardless of relevance, that pays for your experience.

Did you know Pope Francis was within 100 feet of the US border last week? Probably. Most of it would have escaped observation. On Wednesday he concluded his trip to Mexico with an outdoor Mass in Ciudad Juarez, just over the border from El Paso, Texas. A contingent of American Catholics, not to be denied a chance to get close to His Holiness, watched from behind the border fence and via theater-screen TV.

The pope spoke to the Mexican people present - and those who watched from elsewhere - about several issues, issues he's spoken on elsewhere in the world; topics much aligned with turning toward God and seeking his mercy and forgiveness. He visited a prison and blessed crippled children. At the border in Ciudad Juarez, he brought up migration. It would be expected because it is something locals know a lot about; but migration and refugees are also issues elsewhere in the world right now. Of course, being a particularly frequent topic of conversation in that locale, the pope's remarks were certainly a considerable topic for conversation and discussion. That enough would have kept the pundits busy.

However, once Francis and his press entourage were on the plane back to Rome, there was the inevitable opportunity for candid remarks. Indeed, I believe this sort of conversation is exactly what Jesus would do with his apostles after any sort of public interaction. The subject having been brought up because of immigration, Francis was asked for his thoughts about the situation here in the US, and about candidate Donald Trump's pledge to build an $8 billion wall to close off our southern border. The pope remarked, "A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian." That brought about comments from the Trump campaign that Francis was being manipulated by the Mexican government. I note that Francis also spoke about unfair labor practices and the prison system, as well as immigration while in Mexico. Reading the transcripts of the homilies and addresses given by the pope, I don't see where the Mexican government was shown in a privileged light. If anything, he challenged Church and State authority as well as individuals; exactly what Jesus would do.

What takes the cake, though, is this response from The Donald himself:

"No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith."

I don't know about you, but this absurd statement flies in the face of religious liberty concerns every bit as much as what progressive liberal Democrats have been doing for years. If I understand this in the proper context, Mr. Trump would not be friends with Saint Paul...or either of his 2 Corinthians or 2 Thessalonians. And he would have a hard time with Jesus...a very hard time, indeed; for the Gospels are filled with references of the Lord's questioning the faith of many, especially the Pharisees, the leadership among the Jewish people who also exerted as much authority and oppression in the name of God and the faith as their Roman occupiers would allow. I know some of you will make the jump to labeling Jesus as a 'socialist'; but he didn't fill that description any more than 'liberal', 'Democrat', 'conservative', 'Republican', or even 'evangelical Christian'.

We DO have the right to question principles of all kinds; even those steeped in religion or faith. But we must do that by determining and questioning our own principles first. We must also realize that we're called to grow in faith. It's not possible to determine our own faithfulness, let alone the faithfulness of others, without constant connectivity to the source of our faith. That leads me back to where I started this reflection. As busy as we are, as confounding as our political processes have become; it is time to put ourselves in touch with the Truth. Whatever your spiritual practices are, I hope the next time you see a reminder to pray for our nation, or to get yourself in touch with God, that you will 'take a knee' and give Him a minute or two of precious time.

Until we meet again, may God be with you...and may God have mercy on us all.... +the Phoenix

The Saturday Morning Post: Blame The Groundhog

 February 20, 2021

 Good Morning, God and All…

It was only a month ago that the 46^th POTUS was inaugurated. It’s been just eighteen days since America’s penultimate rodent after Mickey Mouse, Punxutawney Phil, allegedly saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. He had to have seen a shadow from artificial lighting, because it was snowing in northwest Pennsylvania that morning…and it doesn’t seem to have stopped since. Nearly everywhere in the USA, and all the way through Texas and into Mexico, it’s been cold and icy and snowy.

As for other news, former President Donald Trump was acquitted of the impeachment charge of inciting the insurrection of January 6 at the Capitol building that cost five people their lives and scores of injuries to others. The Senate failed to muster the two-thirds majority vote as 43 Republicans voted “not guilty” on the premise that, since Trump was no longer in office, the impeachment trial was unconstitutional. Rush Limbaugh, a long-time and legendary spokesman for conservative ideology, died three days ago after a long battle with cancer. I’m no doctor, but I wonder if his declining health took a sharp turn for the worse as Trump kept pounding his bully pulpit, claiming the 2020 election had been stolen from him, and took an even greater turn after January 6. There were more than a few among the left who could not resist turning to social media with glee when Rush’s passing was announced. Most of the rest of us, hopefully, found a moment to silently pray that the Lord of judgement received his soul with mercy.

It seems important to me to mention that Rush Limbaugh’s death happened on Ash Wednesday. Because it’s tied to Easter and how the date of Resurrection Sunday is determined, what were the odds? What more of a stark reminder, amplified by the words repeated around the world that day, Remember that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return!

If we thought 2020 was a year like none other in recent history, 2021 seems to be continuing in a less than desirable direction. A nation more divided than ever. A world suffering the terrible effects of said division, in America and elsewhere; and a pandemic that defies containment. While secularism can explain, if not rationalize, all that’s going on, I still can’t help thinking that maybe it is the wrath of God that has brought all this upon us. It makes sense. Science agrees that our culture’s carbon and philosophical footprints have led us down this path, and the terrible things we are enduring and suffering are the results of our labors or lack thereof.

Life as we knew it changed once we got into last year’s Lenten season. The realist in me does not see an end to face covering or most of the social restrictions imposed on us before Lent next year, even as vaccines have been developed. Even as President Biden asks for unity, the politics of our present circumstances thrive on division, drawing us away from prayer and discernment on just where our true allegiances belong.

I have gone so far over the course of my life as to immerse my surroundings with those who are like-minded in Christ. I am still a sinner, of that there is no doubt; but how much worse the state of my soul would be without them. We may not agree on everything, but we help keep each other from straying far from the path on which Our Lord travels. That’s especially important right now. In the midst of all our worldly troubles - and there are many - to understand the blessings Lent offers (again, there are many) we should focus on those people and things that keep us close to God.

And so it is with a heart longing and a hunger and thirst to better understand and proclaim that God loves us and longs for us even more than we do for God, I pray that this might be our ‘best Lent ever.’ Indeed, it’s already better than the last one.

Until we meet again, may God be with you - and may God have mercy on us all…

+the Phoenix

Making The Rough Places Plain: Division By Zero

 a reflection from the archives of The Saturday Morning Post

February 18, 2017 

A House Divided

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” --Abraham Lincoln, from a speech given in Springfield, Illinois on June 16, 1858, that launched his unsuccessful campaign against Stephen A. Douglas for the US Senate

In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It moved the celebrations of Memorial Day and Veterans' Day to a specific Monday. (Veterans' Day was later moved back to its original observance date of November 11). The third Monday of February was to be designated as "Presidents' Day" as it would always fall between the birthdates of quite possibly the two greatest Americans to ever hold the office: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

It is one of those holidays that, unless you work for the federal government, the US Postal Service, or banks, you're likely to be working. Depending on the State in which you live, as a student you may or may not observe the holiday. The president of my last employer liked to observe the holiday until the business climate and the weather more or less directed that another day would be better suited to offering employees a holiday.

We might want to consider honoring all the accomplishments of our past presidents on this day. That is, we might but more than likely would not. For nearly all of my life, going all the way back to LBJ, the presidency of the United States has been a contentious office; with the person holding it under nearly constant criticism. And at no time in modern history is that more apparent than with the recent occupant of the White House.

For many years now, by nearly every statistical measurement, we are a divided nation. But does this division run deeper than it appeared in 1940? Or 1930? or 1915? Or 1865? Or 1860? Or 1776, or earlier?

Lincoln's reference to a "house divided" in 1858 had biblical references. In the Gospel of Mark 3:25, Jesus states, "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand", in response to the scribes' claim that "by the prince of the devils he casts out devils." Also, in the Gospel of Matthew 12:25, (KJV): And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto him, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. Saint Augustine, in his book Confessions (Book 8, Chapter 8) describes his conversion experience as being "a house divided against itself."

In Thomas Paine's 1776 Common Sense, his description of the composition of Monarchy, "this hath all the distinctions of a house divided against itself . . ." and during the War of 1812, a line appeared in a letter from Abigail Adams to Mercy Otis Warren: "... A house divided upon itself - and upon that foundation do our enemies build their hopes of subduing us." Lincoln himself used the "house divided" phrase in another context in 1843. Division on the issues, is as old as our great nation...a tale as old as time itself.

Now, reconsider this: in last week's Message, I wrote: "Whenever we take time out of our busy lives to consider the plight and needs of another or others, we are doing what God has called us to do." I wrote this in the context of assisting my brother while he was in the hospital, or getting a fellow musician who doesn't drive to make it easier getting to his next appointment. But over the week I also came to realize that it's another point of motivation for the organizers who asked immigrants to stay home from work and school last Thursday. It's also a motivator for protestors to gather to demonstrate in their support for a cause.

Christians are called to spread the faith. It's always been that way. But because Christianity is also divided, the message delivered can have strings or stigma, real or imagined, attached to it. When we fell in love with the automobile, those little roadside signs with verses like "the wages of sin is death" popped up alongside the weeds. Those have disappeared, replaced with fewer and further between billboards with more imaginative (and sometimes controversial) messages to consider.

I write here and in my daily "Good Morning, God" messages because of the call to spread the faith. It serves a dual purpose, of course. It started as a vehicle to let friends and family know I'm still alive, kicking, and coping with the status quo. It then evolved into both the occupation or vocation of prayer that we're all called to express, as well as a response to the call to express the faith, and (hopefully) spread it. It's not unlike the parable Jesus tells about the sower and his seed. Some falls where there's a lot of uncaring traffic; it's trampled and nothing grows from it. Some falls where there is already thick growth. It starts to sprout but is quickly choked by everything else there demanding nurturing, and only the strongest survive. But there is some seed that will get to fertile ground and will grow and exceed expectations. That's what I humbly attempt to do.

Conversation can always take turns based on the things we do and experience. My dear wife Diane had a sharp mind but was confounded at times by mathematics. She claimed that mathematics was not an exact science whenever she reached a stumbling point. When I attempted to help her by pointing out an error she didn't see, she would counter that math could not be an exact science because it could not define division by zero. I might have countered today with a discussion of black holes, anti-matter, and other sorts of things that stirs the pot in the scientific community, but are to the rest of us paper tigers, or Don Quixote's windmills. I bring this up because to a growing number of people, the Truth and the Faith has become an unexplainable thing, as impossible to define as division by zero, as useless to them as screen doors on a submarine.

Yes, there are cracks and fissures, flaws and faults in everything we touch. The 'cracks in the stained glass' are being exploited and cause many to abandon the faith. Yet in those moments when we see the brokenness, we are closest to seeing Jesus. I know that is hard to believe, especially until you have a direct and personal experience in brokenness (sometimes more than one). Conversion begins and change takes place when we recognize Christ in the cracks. He sends the Holy Spirit in renewal. Renewal incorporates restoring what is usable and discarding what is not. Cracks and fissures may redevelop over time, and renewal will be called upon again.

The liturgical calendar has brought us once more to the season of Lent. It's the time set aside to look for Christ in the cracks in the stained glass. In doing so, may we persevere to the end seeking the greater truth, the truth that sets us free from division and truly builds and connects us.