I love a clothesline. It sounds crazy but I get immense joy from hanging freshly washed clothes on the line and then standing back and watching nature take over and do the rest of the work.
It’s the simplicity I think that attracts me to the clothesline. In a world of overcomplication it’s comforting to know that I can always rely on the power of a simple pully system and a little sun and wind to get a job done.
But there is also a certain vulnerability of hanging out your family’s clothing for all to view. There might be some holes or stains that others shouldn’t see. I’ve even heard of newer neighbourhoods banning the use of clotheslines because they detract from property value and can be “unsightly.”
While Jesus never actually addressed the topic of clotheslines, I was reminded of them when I saw the Gospel readings for the next couple of Sundays. On June 25, we will hear Jesus tell the Apostles: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul …” (Mt 10:26-28)
When I put my laundry on the clothesline, it’s out there for all to see, for better or worse, and I’m okay with that. But what about my faith? What about my children’s faith? Am I okay with living my faith in a way that conceals nothing, that leaves nothing secret? Have I taught my children to “speak in the light” and “proclaim on the housetops”?
My children range in age from 6 to 20, so the oldest ones have started to live their own lives and have been faced many times with the choice to keep their faith concealed or let it shine. The odds are certainly stacked against them when it comes to proclaiming their faith publicly. I am increasingly aware of what it could (and has) cost them – friends, job opportunities, social events, etc.
Recently two Major League Baseball pitchers have spoken out against anti-Catholic bigotry. Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals and Blake Treinen of the Los Angeles Dodgers publicly defended Christianity in light of the Dodgers’ invitation to an anti-Catholic group to receive an award at their stadium in June. At the end of his statement, Williams said this: “As Catholics, we look to Jesus Christ and the way he was treated and we realize that any suffering in this world unites us to him in the next.” Now that’s hanging your team jersey out there for all to see and it’s also a clear response to the aforementioned Gospel passage.
The truth is we don’t like being vulnerable and for some reason, shining a light on our faith, as Christ told us to do, makes us feel vulnerable in this culture that is no longer considered Christian. And often, we do live in fear of those who can “kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Threats to our livelihoods and, yes, even our physical bodies, are realities these days when we choose to live our faith publicly. Those MLB players will likely face consequences for voicing their faith, and they could easily have chosen to say nothing.
So why should we risk our comfortable lives for the sake of our faith? Isn’t it enough to go to church every week, go about our business the other six days and, generally, keep quiet? Obviously not, since Jesus told us to “proclaim on the housetops.” But the reason is given in the Gospel for July 18, which ends with the line “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8). In other words, we owe everything to him who paid the price of sin for us.
The uncomfortable situations in this life, the discord in our own families, the loss of money, is temporary. These are not little things and they shouldn’t be downplayed, but they need to be seen in comparison to Christ giving up his life for us on the cross. Not to mention that God cannot be undone in generosity, though he often takes care of us in a different way than we planned.
Our society tells us it’s okay (sort of) to be Catholic in private, but not in public. If someone has real faith it should be obvious, just like the clothes on their clothesline.
Lazzuri writes from her home in Nova Scotia, where she lives with her husband, six children and her mom. She can be reached at [email protected]