Reflections on American Pie...

By Michael Rizzio
Op/Ed

Reflections on American Pie...
'A long, long time ago'

...And the three men I admire most,
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast,
The day---the music died.

...And they were singing...
Bye, bye Miss American Pie...

Each year as we celebrate 'America's own' holiday these cryptic words inevitably rise like the Phoenix to vividly enflame my memory with imagery dating back to the late Vietnam era.

Looking back to when America's rock empire was a blazing fire and crumbling under the weight of a decade of collected sin, it was 'the writing on the wall' for a future of pain and sorrow, a big black V scarring the good earth in the long shadow of Honest Abe on Washington's Mall. We might possess the bomb and the Byrds, but we were at war and we were losing. Evil, the prince of this world 'sat on a candlestick' in a prideful attempt to extinguish the Light of Truth, as he set about installing his counterfeit, artificial light in our lives. We Americans ceased being vigilant, ready to meet our Maker on---'the day that I die.'

'Can music save your mortal soul?'--- sure seemed like it at the time.

The graphic scenes of Spielberg's War of the Worlds will not be supported by this American citizen and his family, as we take a small step to protest the trend, to help 'stop the insanity.' We Americans have nothing to fear from canned celluloid, computer-generated, metallic, viscerous alien stock. However, we must have a holy fear of our God because of what we are erecting to take His place in our lives. More and more I believe we are violating a sacred trust, our special relationship, our covenant with the Lord. We are choosing instead, our anti-life American trinity, the three-headed beast and idol: wealth, power, and entertainment. I could insert names here, but charity tells me that initials are sufficient: B.G., D.T., M.J. They may be on the marquee, the lead characters in the long-running play, but it is the enduring roles in this Eternal Tragedy that are critical. The American caste system cycles character actors through the mill, the vicious spiraling vortex of fame that eventually renders them untouchable. We, consummate spectators that we are, watch our idols fall from grace and we weep, with false compassion and without humility, for this key virtue is no longer part of our song, you see...'the church bells all were broken.'

Boy do we need the ever faithful, ever mindful bells of the Angelus to ring anew, for they toll for us all.

But there is another song that I want to touch upon this morning, one sung in three-part round. It is a stream of consciousness, a deep lament, a woe based on what might be a prophetic foreshadowing of what was to be Jeremiah's scriptural account of the loss of the Ark of the Covenant and the fall of city of Jerusalem in the 6th Century BC. It can be found on the same 33 1/3 rpm disc that spawned 'Vincent' and 'Pie. (In scripture it is found in Psalm 137)

BABYLON

By, the waters, the waters of Babylon
We lay down and wept and wept for Thee Zion
We remember, we remember, we remember Thee Zion.

Don McLean, a renowned poet (and prophet?) in the Year of Our Lord 1972, was and I believe still is, a practicing Catholic.

Thirty-three years ago, this troubadour sang:

'fire is the devil's only friend.' ... We watched helpless as the twin candlesticks burned in NYC.

Weeping at Babylon... Well, we are there and from what our SecDef tells us, the weeping might go on for another twelve years.

America must wake up to our God-given destiny... IN GOD WE TRUST on our currency is but sad lip service to the Truth whom we are called to serve.

Is it too late for a last second 'Hail Mary,' a game winning touchdown pass?

True repentance and humiliating sackcloth, maybe?

American Pie...I remember memorizing every word of that six verse, six minute, metaphorical saga thirty long hot summers ago. As a kid caddying at Greenbrook Country Club in New Jersey, I would recite it over and over again as I fulfilled my role, my duty as a human beast of burden at four or five dollars an hour. As a protest against the Beatles' led British invasion of the 60's, 'Pie recalled the tragic death of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper in Iowa in 1959, the month before my birth. When I cycled through the scenes in song I realized that we are all part of the same cosmic dance---no matter how small we think we are, we have a big responsibility, we have a piece of the Cross.

I think we can learn from what is hidden between the lines of this American classic...for if and when the American levee does break...All bets are off.

Roman candles and bottle rockets...what now Batman?

Happy Birthday America...Jesus loves you!

Well, perhaps we'll listen now.

Note: I just returned from mass where our priest reminded us that today is the feast of Blessed Junipero Serra, who established the string California missions from San Diego to San Francisco...the coast...where the Trinity's train was bound...go figure.

- Imitate Mary, Become Like Jesus, Live for the Triune God -

Contact

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity
http://www.soltlaity.org TX, US
Michael Rizzio - Regional Lay Council, 361 563-2602

Email

jmjriz@aol.com

Keywords

Culture of Life

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