Spark of Faith

Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral is about to begin. The bells of the Basilica are ringing. I am reminded of the song "Three Bells". The chapel bells ring for Johnny Brown's birth; again for his marriage; and again for his death. Continuity; as it should be; not always as it is.

More of us than not, begin our physical lives in a hospital; and in most instances, end our physcial lives there as well. In our spiritual life we come of age in the Church and return there at the end.

And the cycle continues.

In these "celebrations of life" that the living carry out for the dead, it is the physical life that is commemorated. As the life is returned to the Church, shouldn't the celebration commemorate the spirit?

The spirit in all of it's glory; warts and all? For it is that story that the true character is exposed. The failings that are corrected; the acts of kindness that are revealed; the somber moments of failed faith and the consequences that ensue. The spark of the soul is like that of a fire. It may sometimes burn brightly and if not tended may reduce to mere embers; but with the grace of God and the acts of humanity, the fire is stoked and the spirit returns to the glow of faith.

As we connect with each other in our lifetimes, we share the spark of divinity; it is transferred in those moments of friendship, compassion and consolation. We share it through a tender touch, a wink of the eye and in the words of reprimand. It is together that the flame of faith ignites our souls. The flame burns most brightly in the face of forgiveness. Forgiveness of others, but more importantly forgiveness of self.

Before we make that last trip to the Church we must ready ourselves and set our souls free through forgiveness of self. As in life, it is the "brightest" that finds the glory in the Kingdom beyond.

Shine on.

Lion of the Senate

The Kennedy family is often looked upon as "American royalty." While they enjoyed the trappings and wealth of royalty, they did the work, enjoyed the triumphs and endured the tragedies of "every man."

On this day of his passing, many words will be written chronicling his life and remembering his energy and fortitude. He was a survivor in a family that had been touched by so much loss. I still can remember the heat-felt tears I cried when JFK fell. The shock of it happening again when Bobby was assasinated. Always there, always supporting, Teddy remained and took the reins of the family business; service and politics.

While playing football at Harvard, he was approached by the Green Bay Packers. Teddy declined their invitation to play and said that he planed to "go into another contact sport, politics."

In his career in the Senate, Ted Kennedy was at the center of health care and labor reforms. He was an integral underwriter of legislation such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americorps, Americans with Disabilities Act, the WIC nutrition program and the Fair Minimum Wage Act.

I have had several opportunties to hear Senator Kennedy speak in person. The first time I saw him was in '72 or '73. Senator Kennedy was addressing the American Medical Association conference in Miami Beach. I had a press pass from my college newspaper. I could barely write the article because I was in such awe of him that I took few notes. Yes, he was working on health care reform in the '70s.

With his passing, the torch of the Kennedy's finally goes to the next generation. A generation that I am not convinced can fill the shoes of their elders. It's hard to grow in such an enormous shadow.I can still recall his speech, when his last half-hearted attempt at the presidency ended: '. . .for all those whose cares have been our concerns, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

The young prince of Camelot is gone. God Bless Teddy.