[StBernard] Resurrection and Recovery?

[Westley Annis]

Craig, after reading this dissertation on a blessed event a few times, I
don't feel it is appropriate to compare the traitor against Jesus to what is
referred to as a "traitor" in St. Bernard Parish. The events of Jesus and
the biblical portrayal of God vs. the Jewish community who either supported
or condemned our Lord with transgressions cannot evenly be matched nor
equaled to the event of God-Man on earth. 

Saying "Bearing our cross" is less hypercritical, offending and
yes..blasphemous because a crucifixion was the sentence most common to Jews
and lawbreakers of Roman justice in those days. 

The "hidden meaning" within grasps at the heart of those fellow St.
Bernardians who made St. Bernard Parish their lives, lived through the storm
or not and chose in a personal sense to break the anxiety of life by their
choice to move on, even if it meant they needed to do it away from their
beloved parish to get a piece of tranquility they so desperately needed. I
am not asking for an apology because those who support this logic fall short
of forgiveness themselves.

Thusly, I state that any person who had to make his/her life-changing
decision and remove him/herself from such a tragic and traumatic
environment; who needed to go on when financial burdens smothered their
lives and will feel the pain and horror of it all the rest of their lives
should be further traumatized and/or ostracized in this manner. God only
knows their real reasons why they couldn't rebuild or stay in their
community and I'll not judge them for it here. Only that there are a zillion
people from the parish who regretted or was made self-persecuting for their
decision. So many of us realize that it was not their fault for making the
hardest decision of their lifetime. Yet, there are others who condemn them
(and I'll not use Christ's example of crucification as I too would feel the
wrath of blasphemy) in judgment.

The profoundness of the article can easily be overshadowed by the
inappropriateness of the content during a most blessed time of Easter. I
believe the gist of Easter is forgiveness and no spell-checker imaginable
would have caught such inadequate words within the dialog. Any
interpretation would require one's own conscience to sift through the matter
for what Jesus would like and not us.

One sometimes needs discreetness as an elected official and although future
votes may not include those who had to make a tough choice to move away,
setting a good example is always the best choice, don't you agree? 

Wishing "everyone" good fortune and love wherever and whatever fate and God
has in store for each life.

--jer--