“Captain Crunch and Lady Liberty” by Brian Flanagan, Fiat Ventures
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This past weekend I went to Boston with my wife and our little guy who’s 8 months old to celebrate the 4th of July. One of the cool things we got to do on the trip was take a boat tour of Boston Harbor. Our Captain was on another level of the boat talking into the microphone and we couldn’t see him, so we decided to picture him as Captain Crunch. He was also our tour guide.
Captain Crunch told us all sorts of things about Boston, ranging from Revolutionary times to today. One of the piers he pointed out was the site where the Irish immigrants were processed as they came into the country, and many of them came through Boston instead of New York since it was 2 days shorter of a journey.
Ellis Island in New York was of course a much bigger entry for immigrants during that time. When I hear about Ellis Island, I always picture the Statue of Liberty with that classic poem on the base, ““Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest–tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
I think about all the people that came to the United States through these cities like Boston and New York. They knew life was tough back home and they wanted a chance for a better life for them and their children. It all boiled down to hope for them. But that hope outweighed their current circumstances, so they packed their bags and hopped aboard a ship.
The Gospel for this Sunday has always reminded me of that poem (or maybe it’s the other way around.) Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
I think the Statue of Liberty and Jesus are both presuming one thing in their invitations; humility. Captain Crunch told us about how it took humility for the Irish to leave everything behind and spend all they had coming over here for a chance at a better life. And even when they got here, businesses would have signs that said, “No Irish Need Apply”, so it wasn’t always a warm welcome. But still they clung to that hope, and eventually they would thrive and now Boston has one of the largest Irish populations in the world outside of Ireland.
Wouldn’t it be something if we had that same humility in coming to Jesus. To leave everything behind and cling to the hope he offers us. Recognizing that we can’t do it on our own, and that we need him – and that what he offers us is far better than what Lady Liberty offers – she offers the chance at a better life, but with Jesus, it’s a sure thing.
So this Sunday, think about where your great great great grandpappy came from and thank God for that part of your family history. Then pray for that same humility to come to Jesus and let him give you rest. And if you’re ever in Boston and want a great harbor tour, ask for Captain Crunch.