On January 23, 1996, Rev. Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate. Everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.

“We know Your Word says: ‘Woe to those who call evil good’ but that is exactly what we have done.

“We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

“We confess that:

“We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism;

“We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism;

“We  have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle;

“We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery;

“We have killed our unborn and called it choice;

“We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable;

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values

“We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem;

“We have abused power and called it  politics;

“We have coveted our neighbour’s possessions and called it ambition;

“We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression;

“We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

“Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the centre of Your will. We ask it in the name of Your son, the living Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Our country is inaugurating a new legislature. Who will pronounce or endorse this prayer in the new Parliament?

Democracy means people en­trus­ting power to a few for the well-being of everyone. Governments and administrations come and go. The country remains. The people always outlive their governments.

But the questions are:

Will their leadership have helped make their lives more comfortably numb or more vibrantly meaningful?

Will people become more valuable or more disposable as we march forward drunk and dizzied by a booming economy, flowing cash, State-sponsored comforts, glitzy entertainment and a liberal emancipation from old-fashioned and time-tested values?

Will the dignity of every human offspring be respected from conception?

Will children know who their parents are and grow up in the security of a stable, loving family?

Will trust emerge again between people?

Will politicians, business and media people, ministers of religion and just plain citizens use their great or small powers to serve rather than to exploit?

Will any administrative measure, financial investment, social welfare or law-enactment heal the often-hidden brokenness and pain deep inside us?

All these are indeed necessary but tragically insufficient.

Meaninglessness cannot be fixed by affluence. Meaningfulness can only be found when we open our hearts to the only life-giving reality: the Spirit within us. “We are not human beings in search of a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings immersed in a human experience.” (Teilhard de Chardin, SJ)

If only we opened ourselves to this truth, we would indeed experience a new way of doing politics, expand our economy and build relationships on true values that lead us to the fullness of life. This would be the birth of a new society and a new, truly progressive country.

But before we start this revolution, inside and outside Parliament, yes, we need to get down on our knees in prayer.

Fr Paul Chetcuti is a member of the Society of Jesus.

pchetcuti@gmail.com

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