Faith Is About Redemption: The Life of Ted Kennedy

I have never really trusted those who are intolerant and condemning of other people's shortcomings. It makes me suspect that they are likely hiding their own. This weekend was full of the story of redemption for me; as the nation said its goodbyes to Senator Edward Kennedy.

I watched everything: from the moving Memorial Service on Friday night, to the amazing funeral mass on Saturday, to the private burial that same evening, to much of the news coverage and comment on Sunday. The stories from Friday are worth listening to again; especially the touching tributes from even Kennedy's Republican adversaries who grew to both respect and even love him, and the hilarious tales of sailing adventures. The Irish always say there should be lots of laughter at a good wake.

But it was the funeral on Saturday morning that most moved me. I don't know what I was expecting -- likely more speeches -- but not a traditional Catholic funeral liturgy, complete with the Holy Eucharist. Of course, what else should I have expected from such a Boston Catholic family? And here was the divine irony. At the funeral of the nation's most liberal political leader of the last half century, a watching nation was treated to a full Catholic mass. And even more, the readings are what most struck me. When was the last time the whole country got to hear the 25th chapter of Matthew, with Jesus imploring us, "I was hungry...I was thirsty...I was a stranger...I was naked...I was sick...I was in prison....and you came to me." And then, the song of Mary...."he will put down the mighty from their thrones, exalt those of low degree, fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich empty away." Ted and Vicki Kennedy carefully chose those readings for this solemn and special occasion, and the whole nation listened to them.

Then I watched the greatest collection of national political leaders in decades -- from both political parties, sixty Senators, countless Congresspersons, and four Presidents -- hug each other in the passing of the peace. Then they came forward to receive the body and blood of Christ, as cellist Yo Yo Ma accompanied Placido Domingo in Cesar Franck's Panis Angelicus. I started changing the channels then, just to see who was watching. CNN, MSNBC, FOX!, NBC, CBS, ABC, and FOX again!, were all tuned in to the Holy Eucharist. Who could have brought about such a thing- a man with serious personal flaws, who had experienced great pain in his life, had been the greatest political lightening rod of his time, and had, nonetheless, been the most successful Senator both in forging a list of accomplishments like no other, and in bringing people together from both sides of the political aisle.

The Kennedy children's prayers followed, for Grandpa, Uncle Teddy, or just "Teddy"-- articulately summing up his life's work and mission, and calling us to the same vision and values. As a father, the most emotional moment for me, and for many others, was when Ted Kennedy Jr. recounted a story about his Dad helping him up a very icy hill with a sled, just after the twelve-year-old had had his leg amputated. "I know you can do it," he tearfully recounted his father's words, "I know you can do it. There is nothing that you can't do. We're going to climb that hill together, even if it takes us all day." I would ask each of you to read that very touching story, right now, even before reading the rest of this piece.

Ted Kennedy's now grown son concluded, "He was not perfect, far from it. But my father believed in redemption and he never surrendered. Never stopped trying to right wrongs, be they the results of his own failings or of ours." Doris Kearns Goodwin quoted Hemmingway in saying "Everyone is broken by life. But afterward, many are strong in the broken places." And she said of Ted Kennedy, "he had absorbed his broken places." A letter was read, at the private burial service at the end of the day, back at Arlington, that the dying Ted Kennedy had asked President Obama to give to Pope Benedict when the President visited the Holy Father earlier this spring. The letter from Kennedy humbly asked the Pope to pray for him as his health was declining, and he was preparing for "the next passage of life." It read, "I know that I have been an imperfect human being but, with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path."

President Obama's remarks at the funeral were almost pastoral in their tone, and one could feel the emotion he was feeling for himself and the whole country as he spoke of the loss that we had suffered and the qualities of the Senator, the father, the husband, the family rock, the colleague, and the friend that we would all now so sorely miss. He spoke both of the long list of public accomplishments that will likely gain Ted Kennedy recognition as the greatest Senator in American history; but also, again, of the human weaknesses of the man, and how his beloved wife Vicki had likely "saved him," something which everyone, including Ted Kennedy, seemed to agree with.

Obama was almost nostalgic for an earlier time in Washington where adversaries still saw each other as patriots, and political enemies still respected and even liked each other as friends. Senator John Kerry would remark that although another Bostonian, House Speaker Tip O'Neill, had famously said that "All politics are local;" Ted Kennedy taught us that "All politics are personal." And story after story this weekend came from people whom Kennedy had touched in just that way--by doing so many countless things so very personally for them.

And from this weekend, I received a final insight: that the roles of being a prophetic advocate who stands passionately for social justice; and the vocation of also being a bridge-builder and convener who brings diverse people together -- are not, perhaps, so mutually exclusive after all. Most people tell me they are; but feeling called to both, I have often struggled to reconcile them together. But here was Ted Kennedy, the fiercest fighter for the poor and vulnerable in the United States Senate over the last half century and, yet, when fellow Senators on both sides of the aisle were asked who they most wanted to work with, it was always him. Why? Because they liked him, he never let his sometimes profound disagreements keep him from caring personally about them, he was a man of his word; and he was lots of fun!

As many remarked over the course of this amazing weekend, Ted Kennedy was the classic American success story who, though sorely tested by adversity and plagued by his own moral short-comings, found a way to overcome his personal flaws and pain to achieve extraordinary things. But Ted Kennedy was even more than that. His life was also the classic Christian story of redemption, of being saved from sin by faith, grace, and love; and by being faithful to the commands of Christ, "As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me." As the casket of Edward Moore Kennedy climbed up the hill toward his final resting place next to the eternal flame at the Arlington National Cemetery, one could almost hear those words of Jesus, "Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you form the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food." Rest in peace, ye flawed, faithful, and redeemed warrior for the kingdom of God.

Jim Wallis is the author of The Great Awakening, Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners and blogs at www.godspolitics.com.

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Comments

[Joseph2]

What about the unborn? Are they not the most vulnerable members of our society?
Good works will not get one into heaven (and I speak as a Catholic). Submission to God's Law and will, trusting in His grace, seeking forgiveness for our sins, and humbly submitting to the teachings of the Catholic Church (as Sen. Kennedy was a member of the Catholic Church) are the only hope we have.
Admitting publicly when one has violated God's Law and promoted a most "abominable" crime ,as direct abortion is, is only a just restitution. Nowhere is this been publicly stated on behalf of the late Senator.
Grant him a Catholic funeral? Fine. But don't 'canonize' someone who left out supporting a fundamental belief of the Catholic Faith( and I might add, of all people of good will who follow the natural law): the respect for the life of the unborn.
May he, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

[diak0n0s]

If he was indeed "faithful to the commands of Christ," as Wallis suggest, then that is now between Kennedy and the Living God who will judge all of us according to His Word.

The idolatry of the Kennedy's by Wallis and many others is a mystery to me.

[sarahwaters]

he asked joan's forgiveness, i guess, he drank, he went out with women, she like so many other public figures, stood by him, when he could have saved mary jo, but his reputation and career in politics met more to him at the time; isn't if funny, though, when people are just about ready to die, they have forgiveness from those they did a disservice. nothing is more important than asking forgiveness, that is what it is all about.

[GOODREASON]

People are born and people die. That is all he was, another person like you and I. Sweet dreams wild man!

[Daughter2]

Excellent, excellent piece! I had thought the same thing about Sen. Kennedy. Sin and redemption, they are the themes that run in everyone's frail, human lives. That is our commonality so, I, too become suspicious of what the intolerant ones are hiding. When one acknowledges the existence of both, then strives for the redemptive, and actually achieves it, then his/hers achieve a life in balance.

[chocolate]

One of Ted Kennedy's most important legacies might just be his redemption. What an amaxing example he set in his life's path. How many times he tripped and fell and kept on going.
Some people seem to think he had an easy time of it because of his wealth and family. But be careful what you envy. Wealth and fame are not a blessing when your soul loses its way. And he had a huge audience, literally the whole world, to watch him fall. How many of us would want to share our lowest lows with the world?
I love the saying -- Bloom where you're planted. Each day we have the opportunity to influence a piece of the world, some larger than others. You can either be a positive or negative influence. Kennedy had a much bigger world than most of us,and thus a bigger challenge as to how he was going to deal with it. We should all be grateful that he chose to work at his redemption rather than just retreat into history. Millions of people have been positively influenced by his actions. Even Repuiblicans have been tripping over themselves to claim his friendship. They recognized that he was the real thing.

[BlueZoo]

Regardless of how one feels about Senator Kennedy, the story of redemption is one that should strike home with all of us. What will YOUR family and friends say about you when you pass? Will they only recall the times you were rude, mean or spiteful? Will they laugh when they recall how many times you made them laugh? Will they remember you visited them in hospital or brought food to them when they were ill? For all of those here intent on only dredging up the past in the Senator's life, I hope to Heaven you never did anything that would reflect badly on you when you die! I would point to the Kopechne's statement of today: "We pray Mary Jo and Senator Kennedy are at peace!

[Lefty Larueaux]

I am still hurting inside from this loss. Never met the man, yet he was a hero of mine. I always joked with my friends at every presidential election cycle, that I would have loved to follow Ted Kennedy off the political cliff just one more time. A rueful way of lamenting the fact that his time had come and gone as a national political candidate.
Redemption is an extremely powerful concept. One of my very favorite movies is "A Christmas Carol". (don't puke, please). I cry (and always cry) when Scrooge walks into his nephew's house to ask forgiveness, and how freely it is granted. When one atones, be he/she on the right or the left, maybe we should be more forgiving. If that is one lesson we take from Ted's passing, that might be a good thing.

[Dean Schmucker]

Unlike Scrooge, I don't recall Ted Kennedy ever asking for forgiveness, or, like Scrooge, bearing the fruit of repentence.

[MikeBone]

Thanks for the good word, Jim. Keep the faith!

[hubersaloser]

Wow - after reading another touching recount of the late great senator - I have to admit that I just lost it.

Please let me know if anyone can help me find it?

[mnyegele]

From a teenager on, I was taught the importance of Christian Witness. For example, even as a teenager, if I heard people making derogatory comments about people of other races, I would correct them. Wallis, writing an article about Ted Kennedy is not an adequate form of Chrisitian Witnesss.
Right now we are having a health care "debate." My only question is WHY in a supposedly Christian country are we engaging in a "debate" about health care. What did Jesus do?
First of all he healed the sick. That was what most of his ministry was about. He never asked the sick about their HMO. He told the rich man to sell all he had and give to the poor. In fact, Jesus pointed out that it was more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to pass through a needle's eye. And finally, he called most of the religious authorities all sorts of horrible names. If you were to translate Jesus' words with appropriate attention to their cultural context, trust me, the words would be a string of unprintble expletives, (Which he probably used when he drove the money changers from the temple.)
Som, Wallis, what are you doing to promote Obama's health care reforms, which guarantee medical care for all? Where is your action plan? Words won't do because faith without works is dead. (Re-read the Book of James.)

[mostlyindignant]

So, mneygele the imperious, what are YOU going to do to promote Obama's health care reforms? Ask not what Wallis can do for the country, but what YOU can do for your country. Wallis wrote this as a tribute to Kennedy and a mini- lesson on redemption. But that doesn't mean that's ALL he does with his time, faith, and resources. So, YOU re-read the book of James, pull the splint out of your own eye, and get your fanny moving

[bluerthanblue15]

" My only question is WHY in a supposedly Christian country are we engaging in a "debate" about health care."

One word, mnyegele:

CALVINISM.

[Jackie228]

Jesus ( if you believe in Him as a Savior) came for the sinners. The thieves, the prostitutes & the Ted Kennedys of the world. If you are already perfect you don't need Him.

[DeeDubya]

America is the most superstitious country.

[TomDegan]

Watching George W. Bush at the funeral of Teddy Kennedy yesterday was, to say the very least, amusing. It's always great fun to witness the members of the vast right wing conspiracy confronted head-on with the theological flaws that are inherent in their philosophy. Watching that event with my pal, Kevin Swanwick, we were both mesmerized and just slightly overjoyed to be reminded yet again that the basic tenets of Liberalism are in perfect harmony with our Christianity - our Catholicism: feed the hungry, shelter the poor and clothe the naked. Oh, how I wish the camera would have cut to Bush's face the moment he was confronted with the most famous line (and justly so) from the Gospel according to Matthew:

"I tell you this: whatever you did to the least of these brothers of mine, you did to me."

Jesus of Nazareth

One can only imagine how uncomfortable that passage from the scriptures must have made him feel. Or how about the Sermon on the Mount?

"Blessed are the peace makers
For they shall be called Sons of God."

Teddy was imperfect - no question about it. He really was one of us

http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

[Bibbo]

Let me be clear about this. Abortion and Euthanasia rank right up there with genocide and racism as attacks on the dignity of human life. Giving a few dollars to feed the poor does not counterbalance or negate the evil of abortion. dont delude yourself that you can buy your way into catholicism while supporting abortion.This was the mistake Teddy made.

[OneLiberalLady]

You're entitled to your opinion, and no one is forcing an abortion on you, or euthanasia. Frocing others to bow to your version of reallity, however, is a little much.

[isjois]

We would see fewer abortions if we listened to and really helped our young people. Volunteer for a "pregnancy outreach program". You'll come to find that most young women who seek abortions do so for economic reasons. If those who call themselves "pro-life" would fight as hard for the "born" as they do for the "unborn" - there would be fewer abortions.

"Giving a few dollars to feed the poor" can make a huge difference to a struggling "parent-to­-be"/indiv­idual/fami­ly. Better yet, let's ensure all people in our country have access to adequate medical/dental care (Jesus "healed"), food (Jesus "fed"), shelter (Jesus experienced "homelessness") and other "basics". If you research abortion - you'll find that areas with stronger "social service programs" have lower rates of abortion.

[James Klagge]

What I want to know is whether Obama and the other Protestants were served communion. The TV only showed the Kennedys receiving communion. I am always unsure whether to go forward during mass (being a Protestant) b/c I know the official line is not to serve mass to non-Catholics. How was that handled here? If they served Obama, they I won't ever hesitate.

[Marise Phillips]

My observation (as a lapsed Catholic who attended regularly as a child) is that very conservative members of the clergy and laity believe that only Catholics -- who have recently gone to confession and been absolved of their sins by a priest -- should receive Communion.

Middle-of-the-road Catholics might come up for Communion even if they haven't been to confession in some time.

Some liberal Catholics (clergy and laity) believe that anyone who wishes to receive Christ's blessing should feel welcome to partake in the Communion ritual.

[mostlyindignant]

The Catholic drill, as I understand it, is that if you are not Catholic you can go up and receive a "blessing". In order to demonstrate this, you fold your arms in front of you, with your hands at your shoulders. This is different from most protestant denominations who assert that anyone who wishes to be at peace with their neighbor can receive communion- it is an "open table" as it is felt that God's grace is available to anyone who asks for it, wishes to receive it.