[__01] Fragile. Handle With Care. This is a
Christmas message for you and for me – as the delivery personnel of December 25
– as bringers and carriers of presents/gifts.
Sensitivity is
important as transport ourselves – and our presents – to the table or the tree.
Today we are striving
for balance.
[__02] Yet, this balance is not simply to avoid
broken glass. We would strive for balance so as to protect the gift of
life, gift of the life of Christ born
within each of us.
This gift is, in fact,
under the tree – and being unwrapped– every day. Some of these gifts are easier to unwrap – or
to rejoice over than others.
Will we, for example,
see relatives, friends today who make us uncomfortable, who are difficult in
their words or their actions?
We respect the image
of Christ in the other person by handling with care, handling with love.
[__03] The first Nativity occurs, with….
- shepherds
who handle their sheep with care,
- the
3 Kings who handle their precious gifts for long-distance ground delivery
- Mary
and Joseph who protect the live of our Savior with care.
This is the ultimate test of fragility and poise and balance – to guard the life of a child or another person who depends on us for attention, for nourishment, for some vital sign.
Fragile. Handle With
Care.
[__04] I’d like to reflect on a recent book, a
best-selling biography written about a World War II veteran by Laura
Hillenbrand.
In her career, Laura
Hillenbrand has been inclined to write about the redemption of a predicted
loser, i.e., the redemption of an underdog. Hillenbrand became famous writing
about the thoroughbred horse, Seabiscuit,
a horse who surprised many
observers.
Published in 2010, this
World War II biography is about a real human subject, Louis (Louie) Zamperini from California.
Louie is a young man
who serves in World War II as an American soldier, titled “Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.”
[__05] The title -- “Unbroken: A World War II
Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” refers to many in the war, but
also to Louie himself - the one who
struggles to survive … who tries to remain resilient…and who is redeemed.
Louie has talents
which even make him the “favorite” in at least one area of life, the predicted
winner due to his physical/running talent. Yet, Louie encounters many hurdles/obstacles
in World War II serving our country in Hawaii and the Pacific.
David Margolick
summarizes the arc, the trajectory of young Louie’s life this way, in a New York Times review:
“Zamperini grew up in Torrance, Calif., and
thanks partly to a bout of juvenile delinquency — he became adept at breaking
into homes, then fleeing the police — he developed into a world-class runner.
He ran the 5,000 meters at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (even Hitler – [in Germany]
-- commented on him) and later, [on the track] [at USC] at the University of
Southern California, flirted with a four-minute mile. His coach said the only
runner who could beat him was — you guessed it — [the thoroughbred] Seabiscuit.”[1]
[__06] Louie is called to guard and develop the
gift of his physical endurance – through running on and off the track -- early.
This is a material gift – a physical gift that will pay off in wartime service.
Margolick writes – “[Zamperini’s life] is one of the most spectacular odysseys of [World War II] or any
other war, and “odyssey” is the right word, for with its tempests and furies
and monsters, many of them human, Zamperini’s saga is something out of Greek
mythology.”[2]
But, this is not
mythology or even staged-reality TV. It is the reality of war in the region of Hawaii and the Pacific where difficult
conditions stretch them to guard their resources, the little food they have,
and to guard the lives of the injured and sick.
“In late May 1943, the B-24 aircraft
[the B-24 bomber and plane] carrying the
26-year-old Zamperini went down over the Pacific. For nearly seven weeks —
longer, Hillenbrand believes, than any other such instance in recorded history
— Zamperini and his pilot [Phil and their tailgunner – MacNamara began a
journey to survive] on a fragile raft.”[3]
Unfortunately, shortly
after their crash – on their first night floating in the Pacific with only a
few bars of chocolate and a few pints of water to survive …. MacNamara –
panicked over the crisis – eats and drinks everything. No food or water remain.
This is a spiritual as
well as a physical crisis. Yes, there is
resentment over the action. Louie even once says, “I’m disappointed”.
But, in the end these
are the only words spoken about the incident. Their seven weeks on the raft, drinking
rainwater and eating a few fish, continue.
[__07] Fragile. Handle Life with care. This is a
message that MacNamara, a trained soldier, did not actually follow.
Yet, the incident on
the raft is not only about surviving the sharks but also the bitterness of
resentment. On the raft, forgiveness
equals survival. Forgiveness equals
teamwork.
Forgiveness equals
life.
Louie, Phil – and
MacNamara too – survive through mercy. This is their vital sign, one as
important as any signal flare or radio communication.
[__08] We also live and exist because God
sustains us, handles us with care and communicates his love to us.
He brings life to us
through the birth of the Messiah, through the Holy Communion we receive at
Sunday Mass, at Christmas Mass.
We welcome him we
adore him, with love and care. His life
within is fragile, yet capable of growing stronger. [__fin__]
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