By Fr. Glenn Jones:
Oh look … July 4th next weekend! We typically say that we are celebrating the “birth” of this nation on that day because it is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but really it was more of “conception”—“carrying to full term” certainly was not assured at that point. There was still a long way to go—fireworks being reminiscent of the musketry, cannonades and “rockets’ red glare” that would follow for several years. Perhaps the actual “labor pains” of the nation began when the British finally surrendered in 1781 and the new nation had to hammer out its governing principles. One might argue that the “birth” of the nation and its governance was in 1789 when the Constitution was ratified by a majority of the states.
But … the thing about birth is: offspring don’t come forth fully formed, but—like ourselves—are born into a life of constant development—of “becoming”—which is never complete. And if all parts of the body work together, more rapidly and surely they progress to a greater good of the whole; otherwise, they may they spiral downward to mutual detriment. This is an inescapable result whether in families, religious communities or societies. As Jesus noted: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Mark 3:24-25)
These days we sometimes hear clarion calls for the nation to “start over” because of some negative aspect of its history. But even if that were possible, does one discard an offspring because the child is imperfect? If that were true, what child would survive the “terrible twos?!” No; one corrects, cultivates and accompanies the child to help him grow into bettering himself.
Well … perhaps rather than being in the “terrible twos”, our nation is in the “terrible two hundreds”—still in an imperfect early stage of development in pursuit of solutions to persistent and self-destructive problems such as racism, poverty, addictions, powerful exploiting the weaker, etc. But … we are in good company with the rest of humanity; racism, poverty, addiction and the same problems we struggle with also plague everywhere—some to greater, some to lesser degree. Even slavery still exists in many places. The societal problems of this nation are simply a type of microcosm of those of the rest of the world. This is the human condition…the continued development of civilization—certainly not fully formed as yet, but rather continuing to develop … in unceasing labor pains to bring to birth a renewed humanity.
Does something as uncontrollable as one’s race make a person better or worse? No. The Christian will recognize that Jesus Himself rejected no one, even those rejected by the His culture—Samaritans, Gentiles, etc. To know if God accepts all, we need go no further than the vision of St. John of Heaven in Revelation: “…behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” (Revelation 7:9) There’s no “except blacks” or “except whites” or “except [insert ANY race or peoples here].”
Personally, I’m very much a proponent of MLK Jr.’s sentiment: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” But what constitutes good character? To discern this we might lean on St. Paul: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
A body works best when all its parts work in harmony. Again, St. Paul reminds us: “…the body does not consist of one member but of many. …if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?…As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” …God has so composed the body…that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” (1 Corinthians 12:14-26) Is Paul not right? What is gained by mindless retribution and retaliation except the furtherance of hatreds and animosity? Teams, families, societies and nations are stronger when all are working in concert.
After all, one might consider the number of great minds which might have been wasted … great works lost … because of prejudice, hatreds, strife? What great philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, political leaders, etc., never reached potential due to unnecessary hampering of their natural and God-given talents and gifts? What potentially wonderful friendships do we miss because of irrational hostilities and beliefs? It’s “a shame” in at least two senses—in the sense of unnecessary loss, certainly … but even more so as a disgrace in the rejection of shared humanity.
One thing is for sure: we only lose by disparaging one another—celebrating one group at the expense of another; that only furthers resentment and hatred. On the contrary, we must be wise enough to realize that each person has gifts to offer … if only they will offer them, and only if they are received.
We can give to one another either the closed fist or the open hand … a push down or a help up. But even little children know it’s a lot easier to destroy than to build … to knock down than to build up … to wreck rather than reconcile. Each person must decide which he will do. If we decide for the good, maybe we’ll be around for the next two hundred years … and be all the better and united for it.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
…For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life for evermore. (Psalm 133:1-3)
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9)
Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.