Ring the bells that still can ring

            Forget your perfect offering

            There is a crack in everything

            That’s how the light gets in

Those lyrics from Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” remind us that we are all flawed.  The cracked Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is a lasting symbol for our nation that we, too, are imperfect yet we are a treasured offering within the world.  Bells call us to what is important; and the crack developed during one of those important calls when our fledgling society was overcoming much adversity in the fight for freedom and struggling to move out of darkness to let the light in.  Perhaps it is significant that Philadelphia, City of Brotherly love and Super Bowl champions, should house the bell.

Nick Foles, back-up QB for the Chiefs last season, was the unlikely MVP of the big game. Standing upon the post-game winner’s platform, hoisting the Lombardy Trophy as confetti fell from above, he made a few comments.  Among them he said that not long ago we were just kids playing football in the back yard and dreaming of being right here.  He acknowledged that every kid has a dream and we should protect their dreams.  Foles knows that The Eagles are not his team to lead but he stepped in when the starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury.  He knew that they were underdogs in every playoff game because of him.  He knew he has flaws—though he seemed to play flawlessly—and he won’t be starting next season, but he did what he was there to do.

He is a perfect hero for Philadelphia, home of underdogs like Rocky. Arguably the craziest fans in the NFL (edging out Oakland because, until yesterday, they were hungrier for the ultimate victory), the city keeps a Silver Linings Playbook to consult for hope amidst challenges and adversities.  Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen wrote about it, too: “City of Brotherly Love, don’t turn your back on me…I was bruised and battered; I couldn’t tell what I felt—unrecognizable to myself…brother, are you gonna leave me wastin’ away on the streets of Philadelphia…When I see the light, I know I’ll be alright.” The Liberty Bell is a symbol that unlikely freedom fighters can become a great nation and perpetual underdogs can become champions.

Don’t worry about the crack and the imperfections. That’s how the light gets in.  Of course, so it is with us.  Let that be our anthem—let that be our silver linings playbook.  Just as eagles soar and kids dream, bells call us to what is important.  Even if we have a crack in our bell, we should let it ring.  We are stewards of what has been entrusted to us.  The team is not our team; neither is our family, our parish, or our resources.  But they have been entrusted to us for a little while.  Like Foles, we should do the job that we’re here to do before it gets taken away, and do it to the best of our ability.  Let the light in!

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That’s how the light gets in