Lessons to be Learned

     At 4:30 am April 12th in 1861, Brig. Gen. Beauregard fired on Fort Sumter in Charleson Harbor, South Carolina, thus beginning the Civil War in the United States.  The bombardment lasted thirty six hours until the Union forces surrendered and lowered the Stars and Stripes.  The next four years saw unbelievable death and destruction as brother turned on brother in the struggle between the North and the South.  It has been 150 years since the beginning of that struggle, and the next four years will be filled with commemorations and anniversaries.

     I am a bit of a Civil War buff.  Like many, I studied the conflict in history classes and memorized the Gettysburg Address of President Lincoln.   But it wasn't until the early '90's that my interest increased, in a large part because of the people I was living with - one my assistant and the other a priest resident.  One had a grandfather who fought for the South at Kinnesaw Mountain, Georgia.  The other had a great grandfather who was at Gettysburg with the Union troops.  It made life interesting being caught between the Union and Confederate sides.  My understanding of the conflict and its consequences deepened as I studied the effect on people in that Civil War (or as the South often called it "the war of Northern Aggression").  The war was about many things: states' rights, the economy and the issue of slavery.

     This morning in John's Gospel (John 8: 31 - 42) Jesus tells the people "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  When denying that they are slaves to anyone, Jesus reminds them "... everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.  A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains."   That last line struck me in a powerful way.  A slave does not remain in a household forever.  He/she is a commodity, expendable, disposable.  But not a child ... they belong, they remain forever, they are cherished.  The Civil war could be about many things, but at its heart it is about being counted, cherished, beloved of God and therefore belonging to the family of humanity.  It is about dignity and freedom, standing on the truth of the Gospel message.   This nation fought that out.  Whether it learned the lesson is sometimes unclear, but what is clear is that the truth will set us free.  Stand in the truth that is Jesus Christ, and learn from the lessons of the past.