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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Memorial Day

Monday May 26, 2008

+ Memorial Day

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” and blessed are they who honor the memory of the dead.

Readings: Tobit 1:3; 2:1-8 Psalm 27 Mark 12:1-12

And I wept. When the sun was down, I went and dug a grace and buried him. My neighbors laughed and said, “See! He is not afraid any more.” [Tobit 2:7-8a]

Last evening I watched the Annual Memorial Day Remembrance on PBS. It is always an emotional experience not only for the thousands in attendance in the shadow of the Nation’s Capitol building but also for the millions who ‘participate’ ‘at arm’s length’ in their living rooms.

For some reason, last evening’s performance seemed more poignant that other years. I suppose some cynics view this as an attempt to dramatize the glories of war. Others may use it to politicize their case and cause against war. As in many such instances, the purpose of the ‘feast’ is blurred.

Memorial Day is not about glorifying war nor should it be the opportunity for politicians to condemn what young soldiers all too innocent and unknowing of the horrors of the killing fields attempted to do what politicians could not do through negotiations and diplomacy. Soldiers are neither sadists nor masochists. The vast majority go to war because they believe that it is their duty to defend freedom from oppressive forces that would seek to destroy the rights for which they die.

Is war ever just? The arguments pro and con will continue. As I reflect on World War II, I can’t help but be grateful for the allied forces that took Europe back from Hitler. But I also think of the innocent thousands of German soldiers who went to war blindly, utterly convinced that they too were doing the right thing. Not every German solider was a Nazi.

Today we put the arguments to rest for one day in order to remember the thousands who died in war, their lives cut short by one bullet or bomb. It was not fair. It will never be fair.

Paul VI in his now memorable talk to the United Nations in 1965 declared, “No more war! War never again!”

Our prayer today is that war will become obsolete as the solution to world conflict and that justice through negotiation will become the accepted path to peace.