n the
instant before her death, the Grandmother has a moment of revelation –
the Misfit, a murdering criminal, is her “child,” a reflection of
herself and her own wickedness, a product of her own hypocrisy and
self-righteousness. The irony of the tale is that a good man is hard to
find, not because of the times, but because there are no good men – then or now – except for One.
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
"In the instant before
her death, the Grandmother has a moment of revelation – the Misfit, a murdering
criminal, is her 'child,' a reflection of herself and her own wickedness, a
product of her own hypocrisy and self-righteousness. The irony of the tale is that
a good man is hard to find, not because of the times, but because there are
no good men – then or now – except for One.Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
Essentially, a 'good
old days' response to the problems of our time is a form of blind
self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the
time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present
age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no
longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all,
we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all
men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and
civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and
century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those
within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of
our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and
of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices
which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of
this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in
fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including
(and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever
raised the dead."
Lately my own life has a Christian has been focused more on the good in everyone than the evil, mostly as I work to be more accepting and loving towards others and those who might feel, act, or live differently than I do. (I suppose that's been my long-term spiritual journey, from my last couple of years of college onward--all of this is on my mind, too, because of conversations with both a good friend and with a smart young student yesterday.)
But it is Lent, so I suppose it's somewhat appropriate to remember our own brokenness. That does seem to be, as the writer reminds us, one of the things O'Connor does best. And, recognizing our own brokenness can play that key step in recognizing what connects us--and what is lovely and worth loving in us all. The "good old days" (which never existed) don't have a monopoly on that wonderful potential for recognition.
In the
instant before her death, the Grandmother has a moment of revelation –
the Misfit, a murdering criminal, is her “child,” a reflection of
herself and her own wickedness, a product of her own hypocrisy and
self-righteousness. The irony of the tale is that a good man is hard to
find, not because of the times, but because there are no good men – then or now – except for One.
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
In the
instant before her death, the Grandmother has a moment of revelation –
the Misfit, a murdering criminal, is her “child,” a reflection of
herself and her own wickedness, a product of her own hypocrisy and
self-righteousness. The irony of the tale is that a good man is hard to
find, not because of the times, but because there are no good men – then or now – except for One.
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
In the
instant before her death, the Grandmother has a moment of revelation –
the Misfit, a murdering criminal, is her “child,” a reflection of
herself and her own wickedness, a product of her own hypocrisy and
self-righteousness. The irony of the tale is that a good man is hard to
find, not because of the times, but because there are no good men – then or now – except for One.
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
Essentially, a “good old days” response to the problems of our time is a form of blind self-righteousness, an attitude that says we and our time (or the time we yearn after) would have never committed the same errors of the present age; people were at one time good (or polite, kind, safe, etc.), but no longer. However, as Christians, we cannot accept this attitude. First of all, we must continually be aware of and preaching that since the Fall, all men are broken and evil, from all times and places. The pendulum of culture and civilization swings from one extreme to another, but each time, each era and century and decade, has its flaws, most of which are unrecognized by those within it. As believers, we must do the work of first reminding ourselves of our own personal and cultural brokenness (both in the present and the past) and of working to make ourselves aware of the real vices of our own age, vices which we are most likely unaware of. Second, we must work to rid ourselves of this subtle and dangerous form of self-righteousness, one that masks itself in fuzzy nostalgia. We must recognize that all people, past and present, including (and especially) ourselves, are all Misfits in need of the only One who ever raised the dead.
- See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/02/there-are-no-good-old-days/#sthash.OLh5F2sH.dpuf
