Are We Trying Hard Enough?
The world seems a little crazy right now. Maybe we should try a little harder.
Dr. James Schroeder’s article in the Oct 14 issue of The Message reminds us that what the Ten Commandments teach us is not always how we live. Moral desensitization numbs us over time until wrong seems right. It’s a bit frightening.
Sixty years ago, no one would have worn the kind of revealing clothing that many wear today. Drug use was limited to healthcare; it was not for mind-altering purposes as was so popular in the ‘60’s and continues today. Gun violence, either one-on-one or as an act of mass murder in our nation’s schools, has become all too frequent.
In an article that appeared in the Oct. 15 edition of The Evansville Courier & Press, former editor of The Message Paul Leingang shared an incident he had as a child about praying the rosary at night when it was hard for him to fall asleep. He was brought back to that moment interviewing a Muslim child about what fasting for the first time meant to her in terms of experiencing her faith on a more adult level.
These two articles and the gentlemen who wrote them reminded me of someone else. In 2009 an unknown Scottish woman made a leap of faith and entered “Britain’s Got Talent.” The woman said she had a dream ... “to be a professional singer.”
The woman dressed nicely but was not really pretty. She was soft spoken but not overly articulate. Her hair was brushed but hardly styled. She had idiosyncrasies that pulsated to the judges and through the audience.
Then she began to sing.
In five seconds, many were brought to tears. While she sang, the faces of those in the audience changed. The judges were mesmerized with expressions of disbelief. One judge later apologized to the woman for the first-glance impression she got just seeing the performer. First impressions can lead to very inaccurate judgments and cruel comments – private and public.
The performer who changed the world, some would say, just by her singing, was Susan Boyle. Her record sales made her famous and wealthy overnight. She believed in her dream, and she shared it with the world.
Did she invent anything? No. Did she ask anyone for anything? No. She shared something of herself. She made people happy. She made people smile. She made people realize that deep inside, everyone has something to offer if just given a chance.
The Commandments call us to stand up to evil and unkindness. Our faith challenges us every day to be whom and what Christ calls us to be.
So, yes … maybe we should try a little harder.
