a benediction

Someone called me up recently to tell me that my last post - the bit about caning all the poor people - is a bit heavy handed.

I don't know.

It's satire... can satire be too heavy handed? In Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal", to which my title refers, he suggests eating children as a healthy way to solve the hunger issue. Believe you me this, the poor of the world are going to far prefer a little once-a-year beating (more of a love tap, really), to carniverous cannibal foraging by the "upper" classes.

I understand, though. It's about my approach and my tone, that I come off as a screamer and a thumper of bibles and the heads of anybody who comes too near. There I am, standing up there on a rock, gesticulating loudly to the wind and calling down the curses of heaven upon the indifferent, conformist heads of my countrymenandwomen. I don't mean to - cause as soon as I set myself up as "high-and-almighty-josh-prognosticator-of-putrescence and protector-of-purity" then I veer dangerously close to becoming chummy with that Ted Haggard guy, or whomever else was idiotstick enough this week to pretend to be "God's Voice to the Beknighted (may they rot in hell!)".

What I oughtta do - what I really oughtta do - is to shut up, sit down on that rock for a while, and hummmmmmm. Maybe then when I am done (if indeed that happens) I will come up with something like the following - a calmer, more humble call as was written by the chap way back when who came up with this benediction I crib from my buddy's website:

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Traditional Franciscan Benediction
(original source unknown)


There, now wasn't that nicer? Sharp and too the point, but somehow containing a handful of humility and hopefullness. I like.

Go, therefore, and do likewise.