Who
do you trust?
That’s
the name of a gameshow from the early days of TV, way back in the 1950’s.
Johnny
Carson’s first big hit.
But
that question goes back a lot further than the ‘50s.
People
have been asking that for as long as there have been people.
Asking
each other and, even more importantly, asking themselves.
The
radio talk show bloviators have been screaming for years that we can’t trust
anybody.
Except
them.
And
unfortunately, far too many people listen to them and believe them.
Buying
in to the paranoia and fear and bigotry and hatred that they peddle.
This
election year all the candidates are telling us we can’t trust the other
candidates.
The
other guys are all liars—or maybe just fools.
Hacks
bought and paid for by the special interests they’ll serve.
One
campaign manager said, We’ve got to get
our supporters angry enough to get out and vote.
He
said that rather casually, in passing.
But
it was a moment of revelation for me.
Of
course I knew that the talk show guys had their ideologies and their political
views.
And
they wanted to spread distrust of anyone who thought differently.
Smear
them, destroy them if they could.
But
this campaign manager’s passing statement showed me why they’re tolerated.
Why
these hate-mongers and fear-mongers aren’t soundly denounced by all leaders.
It
turns out, they’re not just serving their own egos and bank accounts.
They’re
not just working to promote and spread their ideologies.
They’re
direct players in the get-out-the-vote effort.
They’re
keeping the rabble stirred up, making sure their listeners stay angry.
Angry
every day, for years.
So
angry and distrustful and afraid, that they wouldn’t think of
Passing
up the opportunity to get out and vote against the candidate they hate.
That
anger is not good for us.
Just
the other day our Gospel told how Jesus urges us to reconcile with others.
Whoever is angry with his brother is liable
to judgement.
If you bring your gift to the altar and there
recall that your brother has something against you,
Go first and reconcile, then come and offer
your gift.
It’s
true that we can’t always trust everybody.
Last
week we heard the Gospel passage where Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the
desert.
Jesus
was right not to trust him.
But
not everyone is a Satan.
Discretion
is needed, but our pendulum has swung far too deep into the mistrust zone.
I
guess I’m showing some of my own us/them mistrust and paranoia.
I’ve
got a touch of it myself, at least against the radio guys.
And
the politicians and candidates I disagree with most.
The
mistrust and polarization is contagious.
It spreads
and infects all our relationships throughout our whole society.
Our country’s motto is In God We Trust.
It’s
written on our coins and bills.
The
humorist Jean Shepherd, who wrote that show we see every December, A Christmas Story,
Also
wrote a book titled, In God We Trust—All
Others Pay Cash.
We
have a lot of clever sayings like that title.
Slogans
that are attractive because they’re short and clever and witty.
And
they contain an element of truth.
But
they intentionally overstate their point, that’s part of their humor.
Of course we should trust in God.
But
we should surely be able to stretch our trust at least a bit beyond that.
We
don’t need to make all others pay
cash.
In
fact, we might be a lot happier if we decide to hold back on the mistrust.
Give
a reasonable degree of trust to others until they show that it’s not deserved.
If
necessary, we can use the approach that Ronald Regan made famous in dealing
with Russia.
Trust,
but verify.
In
God We Trust—he’s given us assurances throughout human history.
In
today’s First Reading from Genesis, Abram takes a chance on trusting God.
And
God rewards him with a sign.
The
sign of the covenant that began then and continues today with the Jewish
People.
In
our Gospel, the disciples are taking a chance on Jesus.
They
believe him, they trust him, they’ve already seen signs.
But
you can bet they were greatly reassured when they saw Moses and Elijah with
Jesus.
And
saw Jesus transfigured.
And
when they heard the voice of God from Heaven say
This is my son, listen to him.
So
who do you trust?
Nobody is
not a good answer.
As
the voice from Heaven said, Listen to [Jesus.]
And
Jesus tells us:
Reconcile
with your brother.
Love
your neighbor.
Love
your enemy.
We
can start by trusting them to be decent human beings like ourselves.
Listening
to them, trying to understand their point of view.
Holding
off from the temptation to quickly ridicule or vilify them for their opinions.
Setting
an example of tolerance and understanding.
It’s
going to take time to turn the mood of this country around.
The
mood of this world.
But
it can be done by reconciling with
our brothers and sisters.
By building
a sense of mutual trust.
That’s
a big part of the job of building the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
And
today, we’re the ones God is calling to that task.
