Scripture:
Reflection:
But he knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.’ -Luke 11:17
I won a speech contest in my third year of high school. The year was 1962. The event was the annual Mother of Good Counsel Seminary Speech Contest. Our school’s mission was to train young men in the relatively popular media of the day (preaching and writing journal articles) geared to spreading God’s word, in particular the word of Jesus’ giving us his all—the Gospel of Good News. All that goes to say it was an important event. In preparing for this event, each class chose their representative for the upcoming contest after each classmate presented their speech to the class. My classmates chose me.
In preparation for the schoolwide contest, Father Germain CP, a short solidly packed man and our third-year speech teacher as well as the head librarian for the community, (monastery, a college, and a high school) coached me on how to give that speech. I’ll never forget being in his office, a narrow corridor like room on the west end of the library. “When you come to the last line, Dan, give it all you’ve got!” Father must have realized that even when I wasn’t trying to get your attention, I usually gave it all I had. Anyway.
The speech was Patrick Henry’s “Call to Arms” which I can still recite almost verbatim sixty-two years later. The final line, as you probably know is: “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me eath!” (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclopædia_Britannica/Henry,_Patrick)
As I reflect on this event as well as the many, many events in my life since that “win”, I believe Henry’s liberty or death is a false dichotomy. Henry as Fr. Germain, and all my teachers and mentors of that time, have been given death. I believe, death, as Jesus taught us with his life is not to be feared. It is the final entry into freedom from such man-made separations, i.e life vs liberty; win vs lose; White vs Black…
God, thank you for life! Please, help me see that all You have given me is life giving freedom, even death. Help me see further that it is not my job to decide who receives which of Your gifts today or at any time. I only have to say yes to the life each day, one day at a time.
Dan O’Donnell is a Passionist Partner and a longtime friend of the Passionists. He lives in Chicago.