I think "independence" is overrated. Seriously. So we can vote, drive, use ATMs, and pick up an assortment of wine coolers at the Quickie Mart without question. Big deal! This independence thing has gotten a lot of us grownups into heaps of trouble, by the way. I think we independent adults could learn a lot from the little ones here. We have a 10 month old baby boy, and he is radically dependent on us, his parents. He has no worries. No car payments. No mortgage. No meetings, no consequences (until the age of reason of course), and no one cares if he toots in public. In fact, we all think it's cute. Everything is cute. He is driven, coddled, cared for 24/7. We carry him, change him, feed him, and all he has to do is LET US DO THIS FOR HIM. In other words, be dependent on us.... Let us love him... Receive the gifts of his father and mother and just wallow in their superfluous care. Is anybody thinking what I'm thinking?
This radical "dependence" is the way to go! So I hereby declare this Sunday, the 5th of July.... Dependence Day! Dependence on Our Father Who Art in Heaven for everything. Dependence on our Blessed Mother Mary's care, who too was and is the model of dependence on the Father. Let us let them carry, coddle, and care for us in our deepest needs this day.
Isn't this the goal of freedom anyway? It's not a gift to be squandered on ourselves, but one to be given back in trust. I love you is ultimately to say "I am lying helpless in your arms. I depend on you. Have your way with me." Paradoxically, becoming dependent on God is what "liberates" us! The more I receive from Him, the more I depend on Him, the more I can give to my wife and son and the micro-world of persons I encounter in my daily walk. So Happy Dependence Day to all! Dependence on the One from Whom all Freedom flows!
2 comments:
Great thoughts! It's also a good day to remember all those seen & unseen workers we depend on for our daily life: our clergy, our employers, our community members (especially those who keep us healthy, safe, educated, and entertained), and people around the world who tend to our nourishment and material needs. We're dependent on them, too, and we often take them for granted (not you, of course, Bill, but myself and many others). I thank God for them all!
Thanks Frances, and oh boy do I take them for granted. Thanks for the reminder!
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