Negativity and Thankfulness
July 5, 2009
Mark 6:1-6
A man of Italian descent always had a dream of visiting the city of Rome and of meeting the Holy Father. So he saved up money and put together a trip to the holy city, believing it would be the trip of his lifetime. The day before he left he went to his barber for a haircut. He told the barber about his plans. “Rome,” said the barber, “it’s over-rated. I’ve been there. How are you getting there?” “Well,” the man said, “I’m flying Alitalia.” “That’s a mistake,” said the barber. “That airline is a loser. It’s always late. And the food—you can’t eat the food. Trust me; you won’t eat a thing. Where do you plan to stay when you get there?” “Well,” said the man, “I have reservations at the Hotel Michelangelo. It’s supposed to be very good.” “I’ve stayed there,” said the barber. “It’s over-priced. It’s a dump. When you need something, you can’t find anyone. What do you plan to do when you get to Rome?” “Well,” the man said, “my heart’s desire is to meet the pope.” “Forget it,” said the barber. “The pope is very busy. He only has time for wealthy and important people, not ordinary people like you and I. Trust me. You will not even get close to him.”
A few weeks later the man returned to his barber. The barber greeted him and said, “I bet you never made it to Rome, did you?” “Oh yes, I did,” said the man. “I flew Alitalia. And not only did we arrive thirty minutes ahead of time, but they bumped me up to first class and I ate like a king. I stayed at the Hotel Michelangelo. And they were nice enough to send a car to the airport to pick me up and give me a room that had a beautiful view of the city. The service was impeccable. But most of all,” said the man, “I had a private audience with the pope in his own apartments.” “No,” said the barber. “I’m amazed. I can’t believe it. Well, what did you do when you saw the pope? Did he say anything to you?” “Oh yes,” said the man. “I was brought into his apartments and I knelt down to kiss his ring. He looked down at me and said, ‘My son, where did you get that terrible haircut?’”
It is very easy for us to become negative. And it is even easier to become negative about the people and the things which are closest to us. This is what we see happening in today’s gospel. Jesus comes to visit his own hometown. Now for months Jesus has been traveling around Galilee with huge crowds singing his praises. But when he comes to his own hometown, to the people who know him the best, all that he receives is criticism about his person and his mission. This lack of belief so unsettles him that he can do no work of power there. The negativity of the people of Nazareth was an obstacle to God’s grace.
Now there is a certain appropriateness that this gospel about negativity falls on this weekend of July 4th, because one of the things that we are closest to and are capable of being negative about is our country. All of us one time or another complain about the policies, the decisions, and the laws of our country. We can do this with some justification because our country is not perfect. Are there politicians who make decisions based upon their own advantage rather than the good of us all? There are. Have decisions been made to use our military power in a way that is unnecessary and at times destructive of others’ rights? That has happened. Are there laws which have been passed which are unfair to the weakest among us, the most vulnerable, and at times placed unnecessary burdens on all of us? That also is true. But despite these reasons for negativity and criticism, none of us should deny the tremendous blessing that is ours for living where we do.
Recent events in the elections in Iran, and the coup in Honduras only emphasize the point. With all the faults of our country, our government is still responsive to the needs of the people rather than the desire of a few leaders who would use their power for their own ends. As much as we can criticize the greed and the corruption and the lack of governmental control which resulted in the present economic crisis, few of us here would be willing to exchange our standard of living for the circumstances of so many in our world. Even though we can complain about our trade policies, we live in a land that is so abundant and can still produce food and resources that support our country and our livelihood.
From a perspective of faith all of these things are not simply good luck for us. They are God’s blessings. We believe that it was God’s will that we were born or that we came to live in this place, in this blessed place, where we can live a fuller life than so many other places in the world. For all of these gifts we must always be thankful.
This is why negativity is so dangerous. Negativity can not only cover over our gratefulness. It can also paralyze us. When we are negative, when we are filled with criticism, it causes us to give up. A negative attitude encourages us to throw in the towel. But when we are thankful, we are motivated with energy to make our country even better. Therefore, the patriotic pattern is also the Christian pattern. It is not a pattern of negativity and paralysis, but one of thankfulness and action—action to make the country we live in more just and more attentive to the needs of all.
So on this holiday weekend, let us be sure to put aside the negativity that frustrated Jesus at Nazareth. Instead let us be people of thankfulness, thankfulness for this place and for our freedom. Then let us use our thankfulness to correct and to improve the country that we love.
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