Streets with no Names

Humbly hearing what others have to say and teach us

09/30/2018

Mark 9:38-43, 45 At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

One of my favorite lines in Shakespeare comes from the play Henry IV, Part I, where young Prince Henry states: “For wisdom cries out in the streets, and no man regards it” (Henry IV, Part I, I, 2). I take that to mean that wisdom, insight, truth is often found in unexpected quarters and even in unfriendly company. But the tragedy is we miss it because of our own biases and blindness. Last week I watched in dismay as the Kavanaugh hearings unfolded after the accusations of alleged sexual misconduct came to light. Sadly, senators on both sides sunk to accusing each other of subterfuge and showmanship, suggesting one side was clearly right and the other entirely wrong. I think there was wisdom on both sides of the issue but as Shakespeare said, “no man regards it.”

Perhaps you have followed the accusations a former apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Vigano, leveled against Pope Francis. The archbishop claimed the pope was complicit in knowing and allowing Cardinal McCarrick to continue in ministry in spite of sexually abusing a minor. In response the pope has kept silent. To that silence, Vigano wrote another letter on September 29 (just yesterday), citing the maxim “silence means assent,” asserting that the pope therefore agrees with his accuser. Is anyone seeking wisdom, or is everyone simply shouting their own opinions more stridently?

Even though I am a Catholic priest, I enjoy finding wisdom from my Protestant friends, which may surprise some people. One friend, Elvin, a devout Methodist, sent me a song about growing old that should be sung to the tune of “My Favorite Things” from the movie “Sound of Music.” Listen now: “Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting, / Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, / Bundles of magazines tied up with string, / These are a few of my favorite things. / Cadillacs, cataracts, hearing aids, glasses, / Polident, Fixodent, false teeth in glasses, / Pace makers, golf carts and porches with swings, / These are a few of my favorite things. / When the pipes leak, when the bones creak, when the knees go bad, / Then I remember my favorite things, / And then I don’t feel so bad.”  Elvin is sharing his wisdom and I should regard it.  Old Catholics and old Methodists carry similar crosses.

Jesus teaches his apostles to open their minds and hearts to wherever wisdom may be found, even outside their own circle of friends. John complains to Jesus: “Teacher we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” It is as if John were arguing: he’s a Democrat and we are Republicans and we need to stop him! To which Jesus replied: “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me.” For whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus, like Prince Henry in Shakespeare, stresses that “wisdom cries out in the streets” and is not cornered or held captive by one person or one group or one nation or one ideology. St. Augustine once observed: “Man is limited by the sacraments, but God is not,” meaning we have to use the sacraments as our surest stairway to heaven, but the Holy Spirit can carry someone to heaven in a firey chariot if he so chooses, like he did with Elijah in 2 Kings 2. Whether it is the Son’s sacraments or the Spirit’s inner stirrings, both are on the same team and whispering their wisdom in the streets.

Let me suggest some symbolic “streets” or situations where we are prone to miss the wisdom that people cry out there. For example, teenagers find it frequently difficult to hear the wisdom of their parents. But who can really blame them, since teenagers already know everything, there is very little wisdom for them left to learn. Another example of a street where wisdom is missed is hearing what a spouse says. Often because of past hurts arising from accusations made in anger or argument, we tend to tune out our spouse and fail to catch the wisdom our spouse imparts. A third street where we disregard wisdom is when it comes from Church hierarchy or authority. Clearly there exists today a credibility gap for many Catholics whenever some bishops speak. We wonder: if they are capable of covering up clergy sex abuse, how can we believe them when they speak authoritatively on anything? But the Holy Spirit never abandons the Church and continues to give wisdom and courage to her pastors so they can guide us. Over the two thousand years of church history, the popes have made many moral miscues, but not even once have they misguided the faithful in terms of teaching faith and morals. We miss much wisdom when we ignore the Church’s ordained leadership.

Another street we might stroll down and where we seek wisdom is in the Sacred Scriptures. St. Augustine at first turned up his nose at the Bible because he believed it was too childish in style to be taken seriously; he was a serious rhetorician. But later he learned, as Scott Hahn said, the Scriptures are simple enough that a child can play in it like a wading pool, but it is deep enough to drown elephants (and great theologians). Wisdom cries out in many different streets but, as Shakespeare said, “no man regards it.”

One of the most popular songs of the Irish band U2 was titled “Where the Streets Have no Name.” The lead singer, Bono, wrote it about Belfast, Ireland, where people were judged by the name of the street they lived on. Some streets were prestigious and so were its residents, while other streets were poor and those residents were ignored. In his own way, Bono was encouraging his countrymen to regard the wisdom crying out in all streets, regardless of name or notoriety. Wisdom cries out in the streets; sometimes in streets with noble names, sometimes in streets with notorious names, and sometimes even in streets with no names.

Praised be Jesus Christ!