I was flipping the channel in the car the other day and came across Dr. Laura. I don't usually listen to her show but in this case a woman was asking how she is supposed to manage gathering together with members of her family who have very different worldviews etc etc.
The caller wanted to know how she should tactfully address every ones differences at the holiday table a la the "Festivus airing of grievances" :
Dr. Laura's answer was typically short, "Keep your mouth shut".
Feast days are a time for people to gather together and celebrate the common ground they share. For people who hold a given holiday with strong religious, symbolic, historical etc meaning, this can be a bit rough.
But I will say this, I would rather gather at a rowdy table surrounded by scores of saints and sinners alike than spend a holiday with just those few who imbue the day with the exact same meaning I do (that is - assuming they don't consider me one of the un-washed masses and turn me away at the door).
"While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
"On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
- Matthew 9:10-13
No comments:
Post a Comment