Pondering the End of a Generation

As the day has unfolded, I have watched the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy. Although I didn't watch the wall-to-wall coverage that blanketed the cable news networks, I did get an opportunity to see parts of the funeral mass, the stop at the steps leading up to the Senate chamber, and the graveside rites. Whether you liked or disliked Sen. Kennedy, it is hard to imagine a senator who more defined a hard-working leader who fought for what he believed in and spoke his mind on issues of the day. I happen to be one of the Democratic Party's faithful who believes that Teddy, as we affectionately thought of him in meetings that I have attended and at the Democratic National Convention's that I have attended, was indeed one of the finest examples of a United States senator that this nation has ever seen.

When you look at the broad sweep of his 77 years of life, exuberant and joyful life in the face of great adversities and great personal tragedies. Who among us could have lost one brother, a President of the United States, to a tragic assassination only to face the same situation five years later with a second brother who was running for President. But through both of those tragedies, he never lost his hope; he never lost his joy in living life to his fullest. Senator Kennedy freely admitted that he had personal problems and personal failings. But isn't that the true story of human beings? Aren't we essentially flawed creations because of original sin? Yet, through these personal failings, the senator was able to look to his faith to find the means of redemption. For, redemption is what original sin caused ALL of us to need! Often, we are so quick to condemn folks who fail. Our "righteous indignation" rises to the front as we stand up and act as if we are any better than that person who has failed. Well we aren't. The scriptures teach us that "all have failed and come short of the glory of the Lord" (Romans 3:23, paraphrase). Who among us has the right, or even the moral standing, to cast the first stone. I will certainly say that I don't. And the senator thus teaches us a powerful lesson through his life. In the face of adversity, in the face of tragedy, in the face of despair, we must rise above through our faith and our trust in the "author and finisher" of our faith.

So, I say, "Godspeed Senator Kennedy." We were all better off for having had you as such a powerful force in American politics for all these many long years. We will sorely miss you in the years to come!