A reflection on the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time by Deacon Mike 

June 28, 2020

Jesus said to his apostles:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
 
Wow, at first glance, this sounds a little self-centered on Jesus’ part.  Love Me more than your parents, your wife, your children.  But, in reality, there is truth and beauty here.  I believe St. Augustine said it best when he wrote, “Love God, then do what you like.”  I think Jesus is just trying to tell us that if we love God as we should, all other love will be aligned as well.  It’s as simple and as hard as that.
 
Then, the second challenge is set before us; take up your cross and follow me.  In essence, I think He is letting us know, the road to being one of His followers is not an easy road.  To take up one’s cross is to take on suffering, but not just suffering for suffering sake; but to take up one’s cross just as He did, to bear the suffering of others.  This is where the second commandment He gave us comes into play; “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 
 
In light of the recent events, sparked mainly by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota and other incidents, protests, rioting and looting has seemed to become the norm.
 
We hear the slogans, Black lives matter, Blue lives matter, all lives matter.  Which is it, which one is right, it begs the question; which side are you on?  And as I ponder this question, amid all this chaos, I hear the gentle voice of Jesus asking me, “who is your neighbor, do you love your neighbor?” 
 
When I hear the slogan, Black lives matter I immediately think, yes, they do, but doesn’t my life matter as well?  Is a Black life more important than a White one?  Don’t I matter too?  Then I read an explanation that helped me see this slogan in a new and different light and it comes straight from scripture.  St. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 26: If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.  If I cut my finger, I don’t put a bandage on my toe.  I try to stop the bleeding from my finger and concentrate on treating and healing the injury.  I haven’t forgotten my toe; it isn’t any less important; I have just focused on what is wounded, what is hurting. 
 
At this moment in time, right now, our brothers and sisters who happen to be Black are feeling wounded, have been cut deeply and are in pain.  Do I condone the rioting, the looting, the violence, the outright anarchy?  No, of course not.  As any Mom will tell you, two wrongs don’t make a right.  Do I support the right to peacefully march, to protest, to speak out?  Absolutely, there are voices that need to be heard.  So, do Black lives matter?
 
Then I ask, do Blue lives matter?  Ask the spouse of a police officer, or their son or daughter.  Having spent twenty-nine years as a CHP officer, my simple answer is yes.  Can I defend the actions of the Minneapolis officer who knelt on the neck of George Floyd until he was dead in any way shape or form?  Emphatically no.  Are there bad officers out there?  Yes, I have seen some, worked with some and have seen some rightfully lose their jobs.  That being said, the vast majority of officers I worked with tried their best to do a good job.  Like any profession, there are good and bad.  We ask our officers to do what we don’t want to do, to see what we don’t want to see, to clean up the messes that, as a society, we have made, to wade through human suffering and misery and not let it influence or modify their own humanity.  So, do Blue lives matter?
 
Honestly, what I see is two groups that appear opposite one another, but in reality, are both sides of the same coin.  I believe in some way; they are both victims of a broken system.  Allow me to explain.  For far too long our government leaders, media experts and social influencers have talked about change, but have done little to actually change anything.  The welfare system is broken, the education system is broken, the justice system is broken.  Far too many of our brothers and sisters are raised in an atmosphere of hopelessness in our society.  Is it any wonder that crime, violence, drug use, alcoholism, etc. flourish?  And it is our police officers that are asked to respond to, react to, clean up and sometimes take the blame for the messes that these failed policies have created.  They are, in a sense, victims and messengers of a failed system and we all know, you don’t kill the messenger. 
 
These are issues and problems that are years, decades in the making and no solution is going to be simple or any fix come along overnight.  We need to begin by acknowledging this is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem, it is a people problem, it is our problem.  If we are going to eradicate inequality and end the racial divide, we must first confront the system that created it.  It goes beyond slogans and rhetoric, the real work entails learning about the inequalities that grew out of the old system and learning how we can move forward.  It requires us to stop yelling at one another, to sit down and truly listen to one another. 
 
It requires real answers to hard questions; how do we improve the education system that is failing in so many urban communities?  How do we transform a penal system that appears to deliver harsher punishments to people of color?  How do we train and equip our police officers to better serve the community?  How can we provide greater economic opportunities for communities, for people, that for far too long have been left behind, beat down and oppressed?  How do we develop a fair and equitable immigration policy?  These are just the beginning of the questions that need to be answered, the problems that need to be solved.  I don’t have any easy answers to these questions, I don’t think any one person does. 
 
We need people with profound wisdom and resolve, who would love to speak and to listen to one another.  And, as always, the grace and wisdom of our loving God.  This is what I pray for.  This is important work that must begin at all levels, federal, state, local, but most importantly, it must begin with me, in my heart.  How do I answer His gentle questions. Jesus asks me, “who is your neighbor?  Do you love your neighbor?”  The answers to these questions I pray for as well.
 
That being said, answering my earlier question; which side am I on?
 
I am on the side that sees the dignity, worth and value of every person, created in the image and likeness of our God, regardless of the color of their skin, gender, social standing, country of origin, life experiences or any other factor.
 
I am on the side that refuses to pit race against race, party against party, religion against religion; the side that realizes we must stop the sowing of the seeds of hatred and violence in any form. 
 
I am on the side that is tired of seeing a large part of our population, be they Black, Hispanic, Oriental, Native American or any nationality, being treated unjustly.
 
I am on the side that believes respecting the dignity and value of every human life from conception to natural death is essential for any society to truly thrive.  I am on the side that questions if Black lives truly matter, why is the abortion rate proportionately higher involving Black children, as well as other minorities. 
 
I am on the side that is deeply grateful for the vast majority of our police officers who selflessly protect and serve, who strive to keep communities safe, and who risk their lives daily for total strangers.  The side that believes that they deserve our respect and support and have the same right as anyone else to return home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.  I thank God for His grace and love and the intersession of St. Michael, that I was allowed to return home safely and to retire after 29 years and am grateful for the privilege to have been able to serve.
 
I am on the side of supporting peaceful protests, open meaningful dialogue, anything to help me understand what it is like to walk in my neighbor’s shoes. 
I am on the side that still believes in the lofty vision our country was founded on, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.  I’m on the side that wants to believe that the American dream is still alive.
 
I am on the side that says All lives matter, but sometimes we need to focus on that part of the body that is wounded and in need of God’s healing love through us.
 
I am on the side that is trying very hard to recognize everyone as my neighbor, to try to let the love of God flow through me, to bear their suffering, their cross, just as Jesus bore mine.
 
So now you know what side I’m on, and I believe, on my side, there is room for everyone.
Deacon Mike
St. Rose of Lima (Roseville)