Grass in the Cracks
Author: The Rev. Dr. David Bridges, Priest
June 30, 2021
When I was a kid, there was a
stretch of four-lane highway built across a 9-mile area of rural farm land. It
connected two very small towns and there was no reason for that road to be
built, except that it was funded as part of a larger Bill in the State
Legislature by a local Senator.
After a few of years, one side of the divided highway was
closed-down, and it sat dormant for decades. I saw grass beginning to poke-through
the small cracks in the road surface. Every year the grass and weeds grew
bigger, and the gaps in the pavement grew wider.
If left alone, the weeds will eventually destroy the
pavement, rendering it unusable. That broken pavement remains today, but is now
likely beyond repair. When the pavement was first installed it was a beautiful
work of engineering, but when it was no longer affordable or convenient to
maintain, it was allowed to degrade and is now no more than an eye sore.
Two hundred and forty-five years ago, our forefathers
founded this Nation on the principles of independence and freedom from tyranny,
oppression, and State religions. They came to the New World from countries that
did not allow freedom of speech, or religion.
They came from countries that did not allow open elections.
They had lived under dictators and crooked governments, and they said “Enough!”
It was time to create a new form of government, one that would allow the human
spirit to blossom.
The plan worked, and we have come to know the United
States as the most prosperous and powerful Nation on the planet. But there is a
problem. Like the grass that pushes through the cracks and divides the
pavement, hatred and prejudice are forcing our Nation apart.
Perhaps a contributing factor is our ability to digitally
abuse one another via the internet, and especially social media. We have chosen
to spend our energies finding fault with everything, rather than learning to
value one another.
In 2008, a then member of the U.S. Senate told a civic
group, “When I started in the Senate we all ate together in a large dining room
at the Capital. Then, for some reason, the dining room was divided by a wall;
Republicans on one side, Democrats on the other. When we stopped eating
together, we grew farther apart.”
I believe in the core principles of our Constitution and
the intent of our founding fathers. I am very concerned about where we are
heading. If we cannot work together, the divisions in our Nation will widen and
the weeds and grass will take-over.
This July 4th, please think about how
fortunate we are to enjoy the freedoms we have, and consider how we can
put-away our harmful divisions and return to the American way of working together
to improve our families, communities, and Nation. “A [nation] divided against
itself cannot endure.” (Mark 3:24) May God bless America.
Blessings and Peace to you
All,
Fr.
David+
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