I’m on a
plane, sitting beside a soldier from Portage La Prairie, both of us in uniform.
It occurs to me that, while neither of us is “on duty” at the moment, we each
wear our uniforms today for similar reasons. He wants to be a visible sign and
symbol of the military for the public, a way for them to remember who the
military is and what it does. By his very presence he portrays his message:
Young men like me still do this. We still think it’s important enough to
dedicate our lives to. We’re here to protect you. And while I don’t really
enjoy flying in clericals, I wear my collar today for the same reason. Seeing a
young priest in the airport forces people to wonder if, perhaps, God is not
dead after all.
Throughout the plane, both the soldier and I have our public supporters. Behind him sits a man with a “support our troops” t-shirt. Behind me sits a woman wearing a cross. Yet people do not come up and congratulate me in public the way they do my travelling companion. While they see him as a symbol for all Canadians, I tend to be seen as representing a select few. A fellow passenger might say to me, “Oh, I’m not religious,” but it isn’t often that my neighbour is told, “The military isn’t really my thing.”
There was a time, however, when the clergy were also
seen as a symbol for all Canadians- both those who identified as “religious”
and those who did not. Our ancestors, I think, understood that we are
inherently spiritual beings whether we like it or not. No matter how self-made
and independent we may become, there will always be a part of us that we cannot
take apart and quantify: that which communes with our Creator, the spiritual
life.
Throughout the plane, both the soldier and I have our public supporters. Behind him sits a man with a “support our troops” t-shirt. Behind me sits a woman wearing a cross. Yet people do not come up and congratulate me in public the way they do my travelling companion. While they see him as a symbol for all Canadians, I tend to be seen as representing a select few. A fellow passenger might say to me, “Oh, I’m not religious,” but it isn’t often that my neighbour is told, “The military isn’t really my thing.”
 |
| Outside a Yorkshire convent at sunset |
The public legislation against wearing religious
symbols in Quebec is further evidence of our amnesia: to be a spiritual being,
it is presumed, is a personal choice that’s best kept private.
As Christians, however, we must disagree. Whether a person shares our faith or not, he or she was made to reflect the Creator. It is not possible to be a human and not be a spiritual creature. When we wear the symbols of our faith, then, we are not projecting our particular religious values onto an unsuspecting public. We are, instead, carrying bits of collective memory which remind us that we rely on one beyond ourselves for our life and daily bread. At the end of the day, we are not self-made and we can never outgrow our DNA as spiritual creatures. In a time when religion lags in Canada, we can be encouraged to remember that even when God’s people forget God, God will never forget God’s people.
As Christians, however, we must disagree. Whether a person shares our faith or not, he or she was made to reflect the Creator. It is not possible to be a human and not be a spiritual creature. When we wear the symbols of our faith, then, we are not projecting our particular religious values onto an unsuspecting public. We are, instead, carrying bits of collective memory which remind us that we rely on one beyond ourselves for our life and daily bread. At the end of the day, we are not self-made and we can never outgrow our DNA as spiritual creatures. In a time when religion lags in Canada, we can be encouraged to remember that even when God’s people forget God, God will never forget God’s people.
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