A KPBS program showed a tree with a sign nailed to it that read,
“What you take for granted, others are praying for.” At first glance I read that statement to mean that someone is praying for you, even for the things you take for granted. But, as I thought about it, I realized that’s not the message. The message is simple and sobering – the things you take for granted, others are praying for because they don’t have it. During our first night in Mexico I got a terrible stomach ache. Immediately my mind was filled with all the warnings about not drinking the water. The hotel reportedly has filtered water. The on-line reviews all say that the tap water is safe to drink. When we first arrived, Christi and I drank big glasses of tap water and gave our boys bottled water. We did this to test the claims of the hotel and, if it wasn’t true, we didn’t want our boys to get ill. At 2 in the morning, I suddenly worried that we’d been duped. I prayed and the pain started to subside. My prayers were simple: “Please take this pain away so I can sleep and please protect Christi’s stomach so that she doesn’t become ill.” As I was lying in bed, praying, and doing a Lamaze-type breathing exercise, it dawned on me that I take digestion for granted – until, of course, I get a stomach ache. I know some people that do not, and cannot, take digestion for granted. They pray for a healthy, pain-free system just like what I take for granted. NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett played professional football from 1971-1986. In a recent article, he said, it’s “no fun being in this body right now. Everything hurts.” The article goes on to explain the sheer volume of prescription drugs he has to take every day simply to live. Unlike Plunkett, I wake up most mornings pain free. And, most mornings I take that for granted. As you know, North Korea is in the news. The citizens of that country don’t have a free press nor do they have the freedom of speech. By and large, the rights we take for granted, they pray for. That note nailed to a tree is a good reminder for me to be thankful. To give praise to God for all the things I take for granted. All of them. Good digestion, living pain-free. I have large feet but have been blessed with shoes to cover them. I have clean water, fresh air, a safe and supportive work environment, a wonderful vocation, a healthy family and loving wife, great parents, mentors, friends, the ability to speak and write in English, and a country where I can live out and proclaim my faith without fear. That list is a mere glimpse of all the blessings I have received. And now, I will begin to pray for those who are praying for the things in which I take for granted. -Fr. Dave Each Sunday morning, I skim the news to see if there is something I should know before leading mass. Saturday is my electronic Sabbath which means I try my best to not read email, go on Facebook, or read electronic news. Not staying in touch with the news on Saturday can put me behind the information curve for a sermon at 8 am Sunday.
This past Sunday morning, I was excited about preaching God’s message concerning the difference between believing “about” and believing “in” Jesus. As usual, I quickly reviewed the news. The top story in my news feed was the usual back-and-forth about our current President (didn’t do this, did do that) which, frankly, is starting to turn into background noise for me. There was a story about a fatality at a rally in Virginia, threats from North Korea, a police helicopter that crashed, flooding in the U.S., and, finally, a story about the upcoming solar eclipse. I went on with my regularly scheduled sermon. On my way home that afternoon, I turned on sports talk radio to hear about the upcoming Chargers and Seahawks football game. Instead of hearing predictions about the game, I heard some honest talk about racism which I thought was interesting. At the commercial break, I checked a nationally syndicated sports radio show. They too were talking about race. I listened intently. It was then that the story about the rally/counter rally in Charlottesville really came to life for me. I need to make somethings absolutely clear. Racism is a sin. It is first a sin against God and second a sin against humankind. “In His image, we are created,” is not something that believers can take lightly or disregard. The Bible does not condone racism. In the Old Testament there are sayings and stories about tribalism and God favoring one tribe over another. This is a part of our shared salvation history, NOT an excuse for us to 1) believe one race is superior to another and 2) discriminate, exclude, defame another person or group of persons because of nationality or genetics. Racism comes straight from the bowels of hell and originates from the one Jesus calls, “The father of all lies.” Those who support, defend and evangelize white supremacy, Neo-Nazism, xenophobia, anti-Semites, and bigotry are, in my view, doing the devil’s work. Those who remain silent on the issue may aid and abet that evil, which our Lord’s Prayer asks God to deliver us from. This sin of racism is seductive. It plays easily on our fear of the other. Our brains tend to lean toward things that are comfortable and familiar. I grew up in the Northwest. The history I was taught then about post-Civil War reconstruction appears now to be optimistic. The reality is that reconstruction was not easily, or evenly, applied across the South. In many ways, post-Civil War America is still trying to heal and reconstruct ourselves as one nation under God. We are still wrestling with liberty and justice for all. Sunday night, Christi and I had a frank discussion about plans for what to do if there is a nuclear attack on the West Coast; we talked about how we are to raise our children during a time that seems to be experiencing an uptick in the evangelization of white supremacy. I imagine my parents had similar conversations in the 1960’s and, unfortunately, these are conversations we must have again, and now. Lord, for America, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. - Fr. Dave |