The writing on the wall

I have always been fascinated as to how the language in the Bible has influenced the English language.  I avidly read David Crystal’s Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language when it was published in 2010 to celebrate the 500^th anniversary of that translation.  The book describes how people often use expressions from the Bible not only to recall a particular Bible message or to set a spiritual tone, but also when they don’t even know the phrase came from the Bible, for the phrase has just become one more thread in the rich tapestry of English.

 

Abraham Lincoln was a tone-setter extraordinaire and his speeches were generally filled with biblical allusions.  I was reminded of this a week or so ago as we were remembering the Gettysburg Address.  Surely, he could have said, “Eighty-seven years ago…”  Instead, he said, “Four score and seven years ago…,” alluding to Psalm 90 where our life span is described as “three score years and ten” (Ps 90:10 KJV) When Lincoln used these allusions, he meant for his listeners to know – and virtually all of them would have “gotten” the allusion – that the purpose of the Civil War, and of the very founding of our country, was not simply political, but more importantly, spiritual.

 

On the other hand, this morning, we read from the fifth chapter of Daniel the origin of the term “the writing on the wall.”  Even among people who do not know its biblical origins, this expression has become a common idiom.  Of course, when we use this term today, we are usually not referring to graffiti, but rather to some figurative “writing,” and we’re generally not intending to cite Scripture, though, like in Daniel, we usually intend to warn our audience about a dire situation at hand.

 

Thinking like Lincoln, what are the spiritual writings on the wall that we should heed today?  As in the time of King Belshazzar, the writings can seem quite ominous.

 

·        In the United States, one family in seven lives in poverty, and the income disparity between the wealthiest and the poorest has reached an all-time high.

·        Approximately 20-25% of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion.

·        Suicide rates are increasing, to the point that in 2010, the latest year comprehensive statistics are available, more people in the United States committed suicide than those who died in automobile accidents.

·        In 2011, 41% of the live births in the United States were to unmarried women

·        Less than one-third of the Catholics in the United States attend Mass weekly and in a Gallup poll, the percent of Americans describing themselves as having “no religion” has doubled in the past twenty years.

 

These are not just ominous signs for our own country – similar signs can be seen in many countries around the world.  How are we to respond to such global and pervasive issues?  Do we even have the power to correct these issues?

 

Our answer lies in a new writing, but this one not simply figurative.  It is not written on a wall, but it is words that are meant to be written on our hearts.  It is not intended to inspire despair or fear, but it is filled with hope and joy.  This week, Pope Francis released Evangelii Gaudium – the Joy of the Gospel.  In this exhortation, the Pope states that all Christians have access to a power which can overcome the greatest dangers that face us today.  That power is grounded in the unconditional love of God.  When we encounter this love in the person of Jesus, our lives are transformed into ones of great joy, which in turn, transforms the entire world.

 

Here are some of the opening lines of this amazing exhortation:

 

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her…How good it feels to come back to him whenever we are lost! Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew.” Evangelii Gaudium 3

 

At this very moment, people are gathering from far and wide and will soon sit down with friends and family to give thanks for the gifts they have received.

 

Thus, the Pope’s message is extremely timely, for gratitude is a door through which we encounter the unconditional love of God.  May this encounter transform us into lights of joy that we, and the world around us, might lift up our heads and start anew.