Daniel In The Lion's Den

As those of you who frequent this blog know, I don't often write about religion or religious issues. However, I thought I would share this story.

As you all know, yesterday was Ash Wednesday. I decided to attend the 5:30 service near my home rather than near my office, mainly because it allowed me to leave work a little early. I arrived at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church about ten minutes early and was pleased to discover that Cardinal McCarrick would again be delivering the Mass. The church was pretty empty, but being one block from the Senate office buildings, it always fills up at the absolute last second.

As usual, the mob arrived at 5:31, and among the notable attendees were Senators Kennedy, Kerry and Leahy. The Deacon chose to read Matthew, Chapter 6, before the homily; which I found to be appropriate considering that those present would be annointed with ashes for all of the world to see. He read aloud:

Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don't sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most assuredly I tell you, they have received their reward.

But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

In praying, don't use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.

[...] Moreover when you fast, don't be like the hypocrites, with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to be fasting. Most assuredly I tell you, they have received their reward.

But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face; so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

When he finished, I couldn't help but think about the Senators sitting around me and how much Justice Alito's Senate hearing had resembled biblical hypocrisy. All of the grandstanding and monologues predicting doom and despair at the hands of conservatives served to highlight the Democrats' inane strategy of manufacturing righteous indignation as a substitute for reasoned debate.

The Democrat Senators on the Committee used their time to talk, rather than to ask questions, all the while hoping there would be enough C-SPAN footage to splice together a campaign commercial if necessary. They ranted and raved and babbled on about this and that, and they ran as fast as they could to the news cameras to show registered Democrats that they are doing their jobs and that they are their brethren.

By the time we got to communion, it appeared that we had lost Senator Kennedy, but I noticed someone else in the line that I had not seen before. It was Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito. At that point I had to laugh to myself and wonder if the irony of the situation was lost on him. We had all just been told, "when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men... in praying, don't use vain repetitions... for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking..."

The Senators sitting around me had publicly abased Alito to curry favor and popularity with their party faithful who have the power to put them in positions of even greater power. They shouted their grievances from the Capitol, from newsrooms and from the Swiss Alps -- not to effect change but merely to be recognized for their screaming. All the while, Alito was prudent, humble and patient, and he eventually prevailed.

When the Mass ended, I walked to the door and watched Senator Kerry shake hands and pat people's backs on the way to his idling limousine. He entertained children's screams of "I wish you were the President" and their parents' loud concurrences.

Then I noticed something else. While Presidential runner-up Kerry was being demagogued, Justice Sam Alito walked out the side door, down the stairs, and made his way up the block alone in the dark. I can only imagine he was walking back to the Supreme Court, probably to get back to the important work that almost no one will see him do, and even fewer people will thank him for.