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Rejoice! Rejoice and give thanks, O my soul,
I will praise the Beloved as long as life lasts;
Do you put your trust in mere mortals —
When they die, their plots and schemes die with them.
Happiness comes from relying on God: Who can make a forest? A rose? A rainbow? A wren?
The Designer of Life, the Creator of Beauty,
Fair treatment for the poor; food to the hungry;
It is the Beloved who gives us eyes to see what is good; It is Spirit that loves all life. Worship this One — our God, and no other, all your life long. ~ Psalm 146, as interpreted by Deborah Beach Giordano I have composed a prayer for our time that I want to share with you. It goes like this:
I don't know about you, but I think I've heard enough about that young woman, her contempt for the law, and her rich family to last me three lifetimes. I cringe at the sure and certain knowledge that this circus will, inevitably, be followed by a Movie of the Week, a slew of "tell all" books, and more publicity. Even the legitimate news sources have been running what seems like 24-hour coverage of her court hearing, her stay at the county jail, her 2 a.m. release from said jail, and, now, another court hearing and a return to jail. If she's half as tired as I am, Miss Hilton must be exhausted. Yet the fascination with her is real. I can fuss about the media all I want, but they wouldn't air things that didn't get watched; they don't waste paper on articles that aren't read. Her name is at the top of the list of online discussion forum topics, and the exchanges about her are heated. Many — probably the majority, would like to see her imprisoned for months or even years. That's why jail sentences aren't supposed to be determined by "popularity." Judgments based on public opinion and emotions are wrong; they are first-cousins to lynchings. On the other hand, sentencing that is determined by the wealth or social standing of the perpetrator is a terrible injustice; one that strikes a deep chord within our human hearts. And that, I think, is the cause of the American public's almost-obsessive interest in the case of the People of California vs. Paris Hilton. It isn't a concern with who she is, but with what she is. (Not her character: her finances.) Is there "equal justice under the law" — or is there one set of rules for the rich and another set for the rest of us? Is what is "fair" determined by how much money you have? Is justice just another commodity that can be bought and sold in America? Well, to coin a phrase, the jury's still out on that question. I know what I hope for: that what's fair, is fair for everyone — regardless of class or creed, color or culture. Justice ought to be colorblind — and that includes being blind to the color green. But the cynic (or maybe it is the realist) in my soul knows different. It is that tangible injustice that eats away at us, isn't it? We know — we can just feel it in our bones, that things will not turn out as they "ought" to do. Long term or short, somehow justice will not prevail. "If it were me," we say, "I'd be doing hard time. I wouldn't have access to a phone or computer, my lawyer wouldn't be issuing press releases. They wouldn't be giving me any special treatment." That's true. I'm not going to lie to you. The fact is: whatever the outcome of Miss Hilton's case, life will still be unfair. And if that bothers you, that's a good thing. We should be outraged at injustice, we should denounce those who sell "forgiveness" — our Lord certainly did (Mt 21:12; Mk 11.15; Lk 19.45; Jn 2:13). We are called to speak out for "the voiceless"; those whose concerns are rarely heard and seldom addressed. The ones for whom life is never fair: the widow and the orphan, the poor and the aged, the infirm and the imprisoned (Mt 25:34-40). I wonder. What is it about all this that truly sets our teeth on edge? Is it our passion for fair treatment under the law: that "the punishment fit the crime"? Are we serious when we say that we hope this will teach Paris Hilton to be a better citizen? Or do we really wish that we could be as irresponsible as she is — and as free from the consequences of our actions? Do we envy her ability to buy her way out of the troubles she gets into? It is tempting to imagine being able to "fix" all of the hurts we have caused and those we have suffered over the years. Just throw some money in that direction and poof! all guilt and sorrow would disappear... But it wouldn't really be that easy, would it? The things we have done and the things we have left undone cannot be made right by a simple application of money. Of course there are aspects of our lives that would be easier if we had pots of the stuff, that's certain. But missteps and mistakes cannot be undone. We have to learn to live with ourselves and with our history: we have to make peace with who we are. And now comes the truly amazing part. The Beloved has already made peace with who you are. Your loves and hates, your strengths and weaknesses, your fears and your dreams; everything that makes you who you are has been blessed and sanctified by Christ's holy touch. Hear the good news: you are forgiven, loved, and free. There is no need to punish yourself for what has gone before, self-reproach serves no purpose, self-hatred is blasphemy against what the Holy One has claimed as God's own. You are forgiven, loved, and free. Remember how shocked everyone was when Paris left jail the first time — set free to spend her time under "house arrest" in a beautiful mansion in the sun? It seemed terribly unfair — except, we imagine, to the sinner herself. Was she grateful for the reprieve? Did she vow to become a better person? What would you do?
Virtual hugs and real-time blessings, Deborah + This Week's Suggested Spiritual Exercise: If you had just been set free from prison, what would you do first? Who do you think you would have missed the most? What would you have missed seeing the most? Hearing? Smelling? Tasting? Feeling? Take time this week to give special thanks to the Beloved for these special blessings. Photo credit: Song sparrow, by Curtis Preuss, copyright The Nature Company JOIN OUR LIST: If you would like the weekly Reflection to be sent directly to your email address, you may join our list for free by emailing dbgiordano@comcast.net with the word "Reflections" in the subject or body of the email. The Reflections mailing list is NOT used for any other purpose. dbgiordano@comcast.net with the word "Reflections" in the subject or body of the email. The Reflections mailing list is NOT used for any other purpose. |
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