Thursday, February 04, 2016
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage
Many
children’s tales have as their crucial element somebody inheriting a fortune
from some distant uncle; it seems like a more virtuous version of winning the
lottery. Suddenly all one’s financial troubles are over and one can fulfill
one’s material dreams, such as buying a Porsche, going on a cruise, or building
a villa on the coast of Florida. But if you ever actually found yourself a
designated heir you know that in reality inheritances are a lot more complicated:
wills are rarely unequivocal, so you find yourself arguing with lawyers, or
worse, with siblings. The tax man and other legal entities make sure it takes
forever for you to finally get your portion of the pie; and many times the inheritance
has some strings attached. I found myself once inheriting a house which, while beautiful, was in a very distant
location and required significant upkeep; another time a lawyer informed me
that with the money and property
that were mine by right also came also a yet unsettled lawsuit, and
thus potentially a huge lawyers’ bill. In other words whenever you
inherit things become, to quote
Facebook, complicated.
I
recently attended a Legacy conference, a meeting of young professional
Christians from around the USA: the title was inspired by the conviction that this
generation has received a lot from the Lord and from previous generations and
it was theirs to figure out what to do with that legacy. As I pondered the
metaphor I realized that spiritual inheritances are almost invariably just as
complicated as material bequests. The choice whether or not you accept the
inheritance is tricky: it often sort of lands in your lap, and refusing it is
often a huge deal. Most legacies, while making you richer in some ways, also
require maintenance, upkeep, in other words, cost. And there is always a fly in
the ointment, i.e. something you would as soon not receive as part of the
package.
Allow
me to give a couple of examples. I was born Austrian and on the whole, I am
very grateful, even proud, of my nationality. But it does not take a genius to
know that parts of my history are very checkered and I’d just as soon not count
them as part of my national patrimony. I am also a European and gladly so.
Recent events have shaken that continent’s confidence in the political project
of the European Union. What people are beginning to realize is that the dream
of Robert Schuman and others requires nurturing and tending, otherwise the very
basis of it will get eroded: many of us who have enjoyed the benefits of the EU
have forgotten that the basis of it is an understanding of the Judeo-Christian
roots of our countries. It will require some hard choices by politicians and ordinary
citizens to take care of our legacy. Finally
I am also Catholic and am very convinced of that choice; both distant and
recent history of my church contains events which are shameful and which I just
as soon not acknowledge. But they are part of my history, and I need to stand
by them too.
So
what is your inheritance? What have your parents, your forebears, your
spiritual fathers, left in your cradle? What of it is rich, enjoyable and
something to be proud of and what is less of a gift and more of a liability?
And what responsibilities come with the gift, be it for maintenance, upkeep or
sharing? Psalm 16 is the prayer of somebody who is embracing his inheritance
and who boldly acknowledges what he has received. Consider praying this Psalm…
# posted by tino @ Thursday, February 04, 2016 
