One More Election to Make
Fr. Basil Gikas, Sunday November 9, 2008

Since the revelation of the Old Testament, some 1000 years ago, God has promised to send His people (the Israelites originally) a Messiah - a savior; the chosen one that would lead them into the Promised Land out of slavery, into a land flowing with milk and honey.

Some people recognized that messiah centuries later as Jesus who is the Christ (the anointed one) who proceeds from the Father and is one essence with Him. Others do not recognize Jesus as such and consider him a great man or another prophet or a great charismatic leader.

On Election Day Americans elected a dynamic charismatic young man to lead- Barack Obama. It has been so long since we witnessed many eager faces involved in this political process of electing a U.S. President. Television cameras showed the tears of joy from African Americans at Grant Park Chicago and the smiles and hugs of anticipated change and hope.

Yet during the acceptance speech of the president elect, we heard comments that it may take more than one term to effect real lasting change. Mr. Obama is a realist about time frames for change, some journalists commented!

I am glad Obama is realistic because no one knows the difficulty of the dance until they get up off their chair and try to dance it. (The dance is the presidency of the United States!)

I am glad Obama is realistic about his task at hand but are we? Are we setting him and ourselves up for another disappointment? A messiah to be sought and later slighted? America loves to build up its heroes and then tear them down! The Bible is also full of such figures: Joseph, Moses, Jesus to name a few! In the sixties it was Jack, Martin and Bobby who became the tragic heroes of that turbulent era of the sixties!

The President elect had 24 hours to enjoy the victory before he started getting briefings and making appointment decisions-reality set in. Let us also return to reality. No man can easily change the inner condition or intention of another man, yet alone a society or nation like the USA. Yes it may take a term or two.
You cannot just legislate ethics or moral code or values to a people no matter how charismatic you are and expect an immediate result. Financial bailouts are limited to the conscientious contrition of those in trouble. The real election is theirs to make in the short and long run: vice over virtue; greed or gratitude; decadence or discipline.
A person has to elect whom they will serve and whose path they will follow. So there is one more personal election we have to make.

There will be no dramatic change in Washington or the USA until there is an inner spiritual and personal revolution for each of us. Political leaders pass through honeymoons and domestic quarrels. They face unforeseen and invisible forces once they undertake their burden of responsibility.
President elect Obama is a great orator, skilled politician, very bright, ambitious, concerned and cool tempered.

But a Messiah is someone who is willing to put Himself at risk and undertake self sacrifice for his people and be beyond human passions and ambition. These are divine qualities attainable by extraordinary humans yet elusive to the human condition in a world that not only seeks a messiah but also seeks his selfless sacrifice. The personal election does not rely on the leader`s ability to change but gives the personal elective power to the people themselves who elect the leader in the first place.

Let us then make one more election of selflessness and virtue. Towards the traditional values of temperance and sobriety in all things... Of people before profits... of God before self good... Of family before financial fortune.
There is an election of change.