Title page of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Third Quarto (1611) (PD)
“…and by a sleep to say we end The heartache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished.”
– William Shakespeare, “Hamlet”
Ethics and the Law
The law can be a challenging career, demanding commitment, sacrifice, and fortitude. What may be even more difficult to live with are the compromises the world will impose on us, in the course of our careers.
As lawyers, we are required to adhere to ethical tenets; as Christians, to moral standards even higher. There is no question about that. But if we seek diligently to practice within those boundaries, we will encounter opposition.
Conflict
We will be forced to fight for resources, yet against what seem to others profitable – if questionable – courses of action. We will argue over budgets with non-lawyers who do not see the value of our work.
We will confront internal politics that have nothing to do with protecting the clients, and everything to do with protecting private fiefdoms. We will work exhausting hours to offset staff reductions. We will risk our jobs, in the often fruitless attempt to convince management to change bad policies.
All this simply to do our jobs as they should be done.
Natural Shocks
The struggle is not, of course, confined to the legal profession. Men and women of integrity face it in the workplace, everyday. Defeats are among the “thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to,” as Shakespeare put it.
Which can be deeply discouraging.
But life still has meaning and purpose. It is not defined by the terms of an employer, but by the terms of an infinite God with whom all things are possible.
With the civil unrest over a police shooting in Ferguson, MO still fresh in memory, a scandal involving racist police video and texts in Fort Lauderdale, FL [1], and a questionable police shooting caught on camera this week, in North Charleston, SC, I offer you a portion of the speech by Pres. John F. Kennedy on what was ultimately signed into law as the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In retrospect, two things are striking about this speech. Pres. Kennedy referred publicly to Scripture, actually relying on it for moral authority. That would not be considered politically correct these days. And the President called the issue of racial equality “as old as the Scriptures”. That statement is profound.
Hatred dates as far back as Hammurabi, as far back as Eden. Whether we pass it along by nature or nurture, hatred is part of mankind’s tainted legacy. That makes exorcising it all the more difficult. Each generation must decide for itself which side to take.
Fifty years have passed since this speech was made; a hundred and fifty, since a Civil War was fought over the issue of racial equality.
A black man has been elected President of the United States, but still that issue has not been fully put to rest. In fact, some of those opposed to the current president’s policies routinely use racial innuendo to mock him – as if they were the “cool kids” at school, sharing an inside joke rather than undermining our democracy.
We have not learned much, it seems.
“We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and it is as clear as the American Constitution. The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities, whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated…
One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free. They are not yet freed from the bonds of injustice. They are not yet freed from social and economic oppression. And this Nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all its citizens are free.
Now the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise. The events in Birmingham and elsewhere have so increased the cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them.
We face, therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk. It is a time to act in Congress, in your state and local legislative body and, above all, in all our daily lives…”
—
[1] Huffington Post, “Florida Cops Fired Over Racist Texts, KKK Video” by Andy Campbell, 3/22/15, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/22/cops-fired-racist-video_n_6918652.html.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
“St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata” by Jan van Eyck (1430-1432), Philadelphia Museum of Art
On this Easter morning, I would like to share with you another message from Peter Hileman, Esq., Executive Director of Christian Clinics of Philadelphia. You can find more information about Christian legal aid under that heading, above.
“I feel moved to give you a report, and am tearing up as I write this. I’m feeling the pain of the clients I met with last night. Their life is so hard. Most have suffered so much loss and grief and bear heavy burdens…
[One] man whose will I’m going to write is…unemployed, has no wife, or children, or house or car…He had no discernible assets yet wanted to leave…[donations] to three charities and his…[few belongings] to a friend…I told him I would write his will as if he had a million dollars.
…I asked him if he had ever been to church. He had, as a child, but had been burned by Christians many times.
I asked him if he was willing to give Jesus a second chance and told him the difference Jesus had made in my life, and that I just tried to follow him. Easy for me to say, I thought. My words seemed so ineffective and I prayed : ‘Lord, help me here.’ It helped that many of you had told me you were praying…
I thought I was getting nowhere and yet, I find out…[that he completed] our new follow-up card asking that someone contact him about spiritual matters or church.
So who knows, maybe our conversation was a turning point for him. In [CLCP’s] new video, our voice over…says: ‘Only those who have hope, can offer help to those who are stricken’…”
We Christians talk often about God placing a “burden” on our hearts for one purpose or another. That term is overused, but it is the right one. God has a burden on His heart for the poor and broken. We should, as well.
I am reminded of the stigmata St. Francis of Assisi received – wounds on the hands, feet, and side mirroring the crucifixion wounds of Christ.
As our hearts more closely mirror God’s, our pain at the pain of others will deepen. When it becomes unbearable, we can always lay it at the foot of the cross.
“Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble” (Ps. 41: 1).
Father, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Your Son, Jesus, place a burden on our hearts for the poor and forgotten. Remind us that He died for them, also.
Give us Your heart that we may do Your work, in this broken world.
We ask this in Jesus’ Name.
Amen
Please, pray for Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia http://www.clcphila.org, the clients it serves, and Pete, himself. Donations to the clinic are always welcome.
HAPPY EASTER!
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
“The Deposition” a/k/a “Florence Pieta” or “Pieta Bandini” by Michelangelo (1547-1555), Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen (Copyright Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY 2.5)
“Many believe – and I believe – that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put my hope in Him.”
– Michelangelo
The great Renaissance artist, Michelangelo, sculpted “The Deposition” or “Florence Pieta” late in life. We see Christ lowered by Nicodemus from the cross into the arms of His waiting mother. The sculpture is in sharp contrast with the more well-known “Pieta” at St. Peter’s Basilica whose perfection first established Michelangelo’s reputation.
Dissatisfied with “The Deposition”, Michelangelo attempted to destroy it after some eight years of effort. A novice sculptor was later hired to restore the piece. It is said the face of Nicodemus is Michelangelo’s own.
As Christians, we can sometimes feel battered. One struggle follows another. We are slandered and misunderstood; begin to accumulate scars.
The further along we go in life, the greater the challenges and the less clear their outcome. Weren’t we promised a mountaintop? Don’t we deserve a rest? Read more…
“The Arrest of Christ (Kiss of Judas)”, No. 15 of 31 Scenes from the Life of Christ by Giotto (1304-1306), Location Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy, Source http://geoffwren.blogs.com/photos/museum/kiss_of_judas.html (PD-Art; PD-old-100)
According to Scripture, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin for thirty pieces of silver. The name “Judas” has been synonymous with betrayal, ever since.
Many have pondered Judas’ motivation.
There is a suggestion in Scripture that Judas had a weakness for money (John 12: 4-6). Some propose, therefore, that Judas’ motive was monetary.
Others surmise that Judas was a zealot, so that his motive was political. According to this line of thought, Judas either betrayed Jesus because of the Lord’s failure to liberate Israel militarily or betrayed Him in an effort to provoke rebellion at Jesus’ arrest. Such reasoning would impute a relatively noble motive to Judas.
Of late, speculation has even been raised that Judas was acting on Jesus’ instruction, so that prophecy might be fulfilled. This approach would vindicate Judas, removing all stain from his reputation.
For a man who interacted with Jesus daily, who heard the Lord speak and saw His miracles firsthand, a monetary motive seems inadequate to explain betrayal. Patriotism can provoke more emotion than greed. However, if Judas believed Jesus to be the Messiah, the very Son of God, religious fervor should have trumped patriotism.
The proposition that Judas was acting according to Jesus’ command erroneously assumes that Jesus was not the predicted Messiah. Jesus did not need to engineer events, so that prophecy might give the appearance of being fulfilled. Prophecy was fulfilled in His Person.
Here is the heart of the matter. Judas was in constant close contact with Jesus; he knew this was no hoax. Either Judas would not believe or chose to betray the Messiah and Son of God, despite knowledge of His identity. This is the unpardonable sin, to reject God despite every opportunity to know and love Him (Matt. 12: 31) [1].
Aware of all this beforehand, why then did Jesus ask Judas to be one of the twelve? Perhaps it was to assure those of us coming after that He understood the betrayals we, too, would experience. Even in this the Lord demonstrated His great love for us.
“…[B]ehold, a multitude, and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” (Luke 22: 47-48).
—
[1] For more on this topic, see: NetBibleStudy.com, “The Unpardonable Sin”, http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/unpardonablesin.pdf.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Passover Seder Plate, Photographer Nikola Herwig (CC-BY-SA-3.0-migrated)
As most readers know, Passover is a religious festival commemorating the release of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt. It begins this year on April 3, 2015.
Nine plagues had fallen on Egypt, but still pharaoh’s heart remained hardened against the Hebrews. Before the tenth plague, the Hebrews were warned to mark the posts and lintels of their houses with lamb’s blood, and partake of a meal with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. That same night, the Egyptian firstborn succumbed to death.
It was the Passover meal which Christ shared with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. This is the meal Christians call The Last Supper. The lamb’s blood with which the Hebrews had marked their doorposts and lintels foreshadowed Christ’s own death on the cross.
“ ‘And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover’ ” ( Ex. 12: 11).
Lord, we were not there with You on that last Passover. But we partake of the communion meal, in remembrance of You. And we long for Your presence in our lives.
We know that those who believe in You are covered by Your blood, Lord; that our sins have been washed away by Your perfect sacrifice.
Be as food and drink to us, Lord — the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation. Place in us as great a thirst for Your Word as deer have for flowing streams. Then fill us to the brim with the living water only You can provide.
We ask this in Your Holy Name.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Daisy in the wind, Photo by Alias 0591 (CC Attribution, 2.0 Gen)
“They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries away” (Job 21: 18).
Often, those of us not raised in dire poverty fail to understand the chaos of that environment.
The electricity is turned off, and homework is not done. The ceiling falls in, literally. The grocery bag rips, the eggs smash, and there is no dinner. Children sleep in the bathtub as their only defense against drive-by shootings. An intoxicated neighbor sets the house on fire. An argument over sneakers escalates into a shooting. Police arrest a parent, and the children go into foster care.
No Safety Nets
There are no safety nets. There are no margins for error. What to the rest of us might be an inconvenience, at worst a minor hardship, can be devastating to the poor. Progress is impossible. A youthful indiscretion may cost a life.
Is there any wonder that long range consequences are imperfectly understood? These children have not been in a position to predict from one hour to the next what may befall them.
Disappointed and Discouraged
Children in poverty face constant disappointment, and daily discouragement from the adults around them. Promises must be broken again and again. Some of the criticism may actually be an attempt by adults to protect their children against the bias they are expected to face. Underachievement is perceived as “safer” than success. Read more…
San Diego Padres pitcher, Edwin Moreno, at Spring Training (2009), Source Djh57 (CC Attribution, 3.0 Unported)
The plea, “Put me in, coach,” has been heard in countless locker rooms and dugouts. A song with that refrain is frequently played during baseball’s annual rite of Spring Training.
Isaiah was as anxious to serve, when he had his awe-inspiring vision. You will recall that Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, so that His robe filled the temple (Is. 6: 1). Though describing himself as a man of “unclean lips,” Isaiah responded in the affirmative when the Lord asked whether anyone would be willing to serve.
Isaiah did not ask about the nature of the assignment. He did not bargain over his reward. He did not focus on his own shortcomings. We should take his approach as our model for responding when the Lord calls.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me’ ” (Is. 6:8).
Lord God, we come before You as humble servants. Like Isaiah, we recognize our limitations, yet cry out, “Here we are! Send us.”
Whether You have made us lawyers, teachers, writers, or mechanics, show us how best to use our talents. Give us always willing hearts, and send us where we can best serve Your purposes.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Dome at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (first permanent human structure at the South Pole), Photo by Bill McAfee for National Science Foundation, Source http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/scenes_from_antarctica.html (PD).
We take for granted today that man has conquered nature. After all, we have flown to the moon, plumbed the deepest oceans. But this was not always so. There was a time when exploration required great daring and great sacrifice; when notoriety could not be confused with accomplishment.
In their race to the South Pole, Captain Robert Scott, Dr. Edward Wilson, and Henry Bowers braved temperatures of 43 degrees below zero. All three lost their lives in the attempt.
Ultimately, the team was defeated by the weather. Their meteorologist, George Simpson had been unable to predict the unusually severe conditions. Simpson went to his grave uncertain whether he might have saved them.
Only with the advantage of more advanced equipment can we demonstrate the remarkable accuracy of Simpson’s projections. In fifteen of sixteen years, the team would easily have survived.
Only now do we realize that Wilson and Bowers gave their lives for Scott. Neither man recorded that fact, in the letters they left buried for loved ones. It was simply their final act of devotion to an injured leader, a far greater accolade than headlines, ticker tape, or applause.
How often – like Simpson – do we view our own efforts as failures, without any real comprehension of their impact? God’s perspective is not as limited as our own. Nor is His power. He can use even our failures to His purposes…purposes greater than we can know.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8: 28).
Lord God, You are present equally on the frozen waste, and the freezing street corner. You know our beginnings and endings, all that we will and will not accomplish.
Our days here are so short, Lord. Use us to Your purposes. Even when our circumstances are dire; even when we fail in what we intend.
For even when we fail, Your glory remains.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
Antique Valentine Card (1860-1880), Photographed by rgEbfucR4wKBlg at Google Cultural Institute, Current Location Museum of London (Accession No. A28549/33) (PD – Copyright Expired, Author Anonymous)
The apostle Paul’s verses about love are a favorite at weddings:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13: 1-2).
But these words were not penned as a sentimental reading for use at nuptials. They are the impassioned plea of a man who formerly prided himself on his status as a Pharisee, on his knowledge of and obedience to the law of God — a man whose entire worldview was irretrievably altered by Christ (Philippians 3: 4-6).
This line from Paul’s description of Christian love is usually omitted from the wedding ceremony. However, it illustrates his fervor:
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13: 3).
As Christians, therefore, we are called to love and charity. Not the appearance of charity, the empty gesture, photographers at the ready. Not the tax deduction. And not the resigned donation, noblesse oblige, heavy sigh for effect.
Paul makes clear that charity, like beauty, must be more than skin deep with us. Christian charity is not some dry obligation, but our opportunity to share God’s blessings with those in need – our opportunity to reflect His love to others.
As such, it is a privilege for which we are the ones who should be grateful.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 