2020-07-05 _ 13th Sunday
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Zechariah 9:9-10 ● Psalm ● 145 ●
Romans 8:9, 11-13 ● + Matthew 11:25-30
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Title: Recognition.
[_01_] Many years ago, my mother found herself in a parking lot with a
flat tire unable to drive. Before she could call for AAA roadside assistance, 2
friendly and eager young men assisted her, jacking up the car vehicle, removing
the lug nuts of the flat tire, replacing it with the spare tire, by their own
efforts.
My mother was stunned, amazed, appreciative of their
efficiency and eagerness to help her. They would accept no monetary reward or
tip, and hardly even accepted a compliment and said they did this out of
Christian charity and were glad to be helpful.
At the time, my mother was far away, out of state, in unfamiliar
location. She never saw them again. In this case, it was their faith which
saved her, got her out of a jam.
[_02_] What do we mean by
RECOGNITION or NAME RECOGNITION?
Do we want to be remembered? How would you and I want to be
remembered? Recognized?
We live in a time right now that is very complex and
chaotic regarding names and recognition. Consider statues being removed, names
being taken down.
I would just like cite one example of how we got here, an
example that may be a little less controversial.
In 2002, Seton Hall University decided Seton Hall
University decided to REMOVE the name of Robert E. Brennan, a major financial
donor who went to jail and was convicted of felony from a recreation center on
its campus in South Orange, N.J.
The name came down. I am not aware that Seton Hall tried to
return the money that went into the building of the recreation center. But,
nobody ever does that…but I am just saying….
What “good” is someone’s name …what value does someone’s
name have?
In a religious sense, we als
The word reverence is
often associated with explicitly religious activities or actions.
Or, simply with acknowledgement or with someone paying
attention.
Therefore, we might jump to the conclusion that people who
are famous …who are well known are somehow more worthy of reverence or respect.
But, respect was shown by these 2 young men with their
technical tire-changing skills..not to mother because she was a celebrity, but
simply a person in need, and also to God.
There is always something personal in reverence and in
respect,but it does not have to some big fanfare or July 4th parade.
We may not be allowed to have July 4th parades
this year, but we can still be reverent in simple ways.
Reverence reminds us that there is something sacred and holy in everyone and for
everyone.
In Vatican II, a key message is that holiness – of which
reverence or respect for God and neighbor is a part -- is not limited to any
one state in life, but is indeed universal, embracing all baptized Christians. It consists in the perfection of that type of
love called charity or agape.
(https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/universal-call-holiness-lumen-gentium-chapter-5-vatican-ii/)
*** pause ***
[_03_] Was it not true
that in the death of Kobe Bryant – L.A. Lakers’ basketball star suddenly in a
helicopter accident in January that we were reminded of the fragility of life
and value of the life of all 9 (nine) people / persons in the helicopter.
Mr.
Bryant may have had – along with his daughter Gianna – a bigger funeral with
more reporters and cameras in downtown Los Angeles, but his life did not have
more value than anyone else.
The COVID 19 crisis and
coronavirus procedures and safety procedures remind us that every life has value
and that we observe these procedures out of reverence for the value of not only
our own lives, but the lives of others… even those whom we do not know.
[_04_] Reverence for our
neighbors is also the basis for all all true community, for the right approach
to marriage and to family and to our nation.
Reverence, I suggest, is what we need when we consider we
are in a very uncertain and contentious time and chaotic, regarding the value
of our national history and the history of our national values.
I reflect on this because it is Independence Day, July 4th
weekend…
[_05_] Regarding the
value of our national history, we see many engaged in a fierce debate about the
monuments, statues, images, names on buildings, names on schools.
We are in the midst of what is called the “cancel culture.”
Source m-w.com.
The idea of canceling—and as some have labeled it, cancel
culture—has taken hold in recent years due to conversations prompted by #MeToo
and other movements that demand greater accountability from public figures.
The cancellation is akin to a cancelled contract, a
severing of the relationship that once linked a performer to their fans. As
Jonah Engel Bromwich writes in the New York Times, the word echoes the trend of
on-demand subscriptions of content, from which a user can opt out just as
easily as they opt in.
The “cancel culture” definitely kicked in on college
campuses, such as the Seton Hall university example and the removal of Robert
Brennan’s name
Because he was found guilty of fraudulent activity, these
generous donors “got cancelled”
Hardly anyone noticed now remembers his names because their
names were not on the building for very long and now it’s more than a decade
later
Remarkable recently was the “cancellation” step taken by
Princeton University this past week to remove President Woodrow Wilson’s name
from a Princeton U graduate school for public service and public policy.
His name was removed – cancelled -- due to Woodrow Wilson’s
known support racial segregation policies in his own political career.
So, in one fell swoop, a decision was made that – in this
case – Wilson’s name no longer has historical value – at least not at
Princeton.
I’m not here to excuse Woodrow Wilson. He does not need my
help, but ask – is this action in accord with our own Christian view of what is
reverent or what is not reverent?
Do we determine what or who has value simply based on who
has been “cancelled” or “rejected” ?
St.Paul 1st letter to Corinthians, chapter 1.
For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is
foolishness: but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of
God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise: and the prudence
of the prudent I will reject.
[_04_] I’m suggesting that to
live by the “cancel culture” can be a way of discerning certain values. That’s
good.
On the other hand, in the extreme, it can be a form of
irreverence or not being reverent because the person who lacks reverence cares
only about what offers him or her satisfaction, whether someone or something can be of any use personally.
So, whether it is Seton Hall or Princeton or the public
square we either publish or remove “names” and “statues” et cetera simply
because they are useful or not useful.
But, do we do the same to real-life flesh and blood people?
[_05_] I suggest that what
is wrong right now is not that we are
removing statues but also that we have not had nearly enough time to discern
with reverence what our true values are.
For when we look for leadership and love we might recall
that the first leaders and lovers in our lives were not politicans or governors
or senators but our own parents – our mothers and fathers because they treated
us with reverence and recognized that we had both a body and a soul.
Von Hildebrand wrote: “It is from reverence that there
flows the willingness of a lover to grant the beloved the spiritual space
needed to fully express his own individuality. All of these elements of true
love flow from reverence. Reverence for
our neighbors is the basis for all true commitment and community.
And while not all of the founders ofour country practiced t
perfectly, the Declaration of
Independence of July 4, 1776 summarizes this value quite well,that there are
certain inalienable rights…not rights guaranteed by a government, but given to
us by God, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Which are only possible with reverence with reverence and
respect for neighbor, for our nation, for God and for each other.
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