Well that's kind of how I felt when the orthopedic surgeon said he needed to revise my knee replacement done back in December 2010. Technically called a revision (verson 1.0 to 1.517?), it's basically knee replacement surgery light - we hope. So that's what I have to be thankful for as I am scheduled to do this the week before Thanksgiving.
Sunday's 9/11 liturgy went well, but the discussion afterward, as folks shared their feelings then and now, was - I think - the most significant part of the day. Just as the Church is a community, so are all of us whose lives were affected (in large or small ways) by that day a community.
There are some pundits who say it's time to move on, but remembrance is an important part of who we are as a people. We don't need to get stuck in unhealthy grief, or be paralyzed by fear, but remembrance - in the ancient sense of "making present again" keeps us in community with one another - no matter how wide we are dispersed. It is, in the ancient and catrholic practice of the Holy Eucharist, how we make Christ present to us in the here and now - not the only way we make him present, but in a profound and elemental way.
As our genration passes from the scene, those who follow need to here the stories of sacrifice and bravery and compassion. We need to assure that our children and children's children understand - in the most fundamental way, that Love conquers evil every time. Anger - righteous or not eventually leaves us bitter and fallen in on ourselves. Love calls us out of our bitternesss and anger into lives of mercy and grace. As Paul tells us, "Love never ends.... Faith Hope and Love abide thse three, but the greatest of these is Love."
No comments:
Post a Comment