It was one of those times when I expected something else to happen. This is an old story, but it comes to mind every once in a while, especially at this time of the year. As the person in charge of the television news operation in a Midwest market, I had discussed our coverage plans for the evening with the producer of the 10 p.m. news. I thought we had agreed on the priorities. At home, after dinner, I watched the news with the expectation of seeing a lead story on the appearance that evening of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. I was disappointed. The 10 p.m. newscast included footage of a non-injury auto accident, but nothing about Mother Teresa. When I was able to talk with the producer after the newscast, he said he didn’t think it was newsworthy to send a crew to cover “some nun” he had never heard of.
* * * Every time I think about the frustration of that evening, another disturbing thought creeps into the mix. I remember a time when I had a phone call in the news room from a music group promoter. The caller said this group was going to be playing in the city, that their appearance was a significant news event, and that our station ought to cover it. The group had a lead singer who was on his way up, the promoter said. That’s about all I remember about the call, except this – and I still can’t believe that this really happened to me – that the name of the group was “The Commodores” and the lead singer was Lionel Richie. Maybe I mis-remember the name of the group. Maybe it was some local group trying to cash in on the rising popularity of somebody else. Whatever it was, I have to say that at the time, I didn’t think it was newsworthy to send a crew to cover some singer I had never heard of.
* * * Those memories rise up for me at Easter time. That’s when I reflect on the judgments we make about the value of a person who is personally unknown to us. During Holy Week at our parish, the choir sang, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” And I have to answer, No, I was not. Nor was I there when they laid him in the tomb, or when the women came to announce that the tomb was empty. I was not there when some apostles were walking to Emmaus with some guy, who explained to them the significance of what had happened in Jerusalem. Would I have paid attention to what they said? To be honest, what we now call Good Friday would have been one of those times when I expected something else to happen. A public execution, a temporary distraction? Was it just an ordinary day of little significance? Or was it part of the most extraordinary intervention into the history of humankind? To put our faith in the person at the center of the Easter event, we need to depend on someone we trust. I was not there, but I believe.
* * * Take the time to reflect on the ones whom you have trusted, and to ponder your responsibility toward those who trust you. How do others know what is important in your life? Members of the Christian Family Movement gather in small groups to observe the realities of the world in which they live, then to judge what they see in the light of Christ’s teaching, and to act to make their world better. Participation in such a group is a simple way to share faith and expand the experience of Christian life. Now is not the time to hide in the upper room or whatever refuge we may have built to keep the world away. Now is the time to help others to get to know the one who is not dead, but lives among us, the one who heals the sick and gives sight to the blind, the one who expects us to continue the work of the Father.
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