Seekers on the Journey,
Some observations of current events as we commemorate the Declaration of Independence:
On the heels of the SCOTUS ruling that just reversed Roe v Wade, robbing a woman of bodily autonomy, Justice Clarence Thomas argued in a concurring opinion that the Supreme Court “should reconsider” its past rulings codifying rights to contraception access, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage. The separation of church and state is being further eroded. While we were waiting for SCOTUS to rule as to whether the Biden administration could end the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy that sends certain people seeking asylum and freedom in the U.S. to Mexico to await their cases, we hear about, as CNN reports, “53 people died in what one Homeland Security Investigations agent called the deadliest human smuggling incident in US history. Some victims could be younger than 18. ‘This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy,’ said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.” On Tuesday, with her deposition, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson dropped the bombshell that confirmed what so many knew to be true about the machinations around the January 6 insurrections.
Ukraine continues to fight for its democratic sovereignty. Our Black sibling voices are being suppressed. And there are all the other struggles for freedom we don’t hear about.
As we come into the Independence Day weekend and all the fireworks that will upset our furry friends and those with PTSD, the famous “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” lyric from Me and Bobby McGee popped into my head. I decided to research what these words penned by Kris Kristofferson, made famous by Janis Joplin (posthumously released), might mean. Interestingly enough, I found an e-article source from another former British colony: India. In their online hindubusinessline.com “Just Another Word?” article of August 14, 2020, Sarthak Kaushik offered this quote from a Kris Kristofferson interview. “It definitely expressed the double-edged sword that freedom is. You may be free, but it can be painful to be that free. But maybe at the very end, when you leave, you will be free when you’ve nothing else to lose, you know, when you’re gone.”
When it comes to pain, I’ve been known to quip the English translation of the old French saying: “Il faut souffrir pour être belle.” Beauty is pain. Jesting aside, the journey toward freedom is painful. And it appears that humanity still hasn’t fully attained freedom.
And then, there is Jesus, the one through whom God has been offering us freedom.
This Sunday, I will be reflecting upon Luke 10:1-11, 16-20. Jesus tells the disciples, “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Do we listen? Do we keep true to the command to love each other as we love ourselves? What does it mean to follow Jesus and honor God?
I look forward to seeing you in person or on Zoom at 10 am on Sunday.
Tune in and not out,
Rev. Michael Cronin