Marion Chronicle Tribune

John F. Kennedy sat next to me at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in West Palm Beach, for his last mass in this life—though 40 years before my arrival. Emotions welled as I reflected on his passionate desire for change, for attendance to the human condition, and the various references to his profile during this current election season. To drive from Jupiter Island and homes with 25 attendants across to the modest place of worship is quite a contrast in cultures, and provides the backdrop for JFK’s life. Though from the Sybaritic climate of caviar and cashmere, he championed the daily struggles of the disenfranchised. He reminded us that from wealth gained through capitalistic gains can rise a voice for the needy.

After spending time gazing on the well appointed marble naives and altar, I was shocked upon seeing a man’s leg sticking out from beneath a pew. It wasn’t ironic that a homeless man was napping in the confines of the same worship place as one of our heroes of human rights. Nor was it ironic that the leg was dark skinned, representing so many of the battles for which JFK fought and we continue to. And accenting this picture was that the makeshift pew abode of this homeless soul was beneath the large stained glass window with “Feed my sheep” and “Feed my lambs” on the bottom sections. There, around ten rows from the statue of Christ and in the shadow of the balcony crucifix, was a man seeking shelter from his world of choices and circumstances.

We all need such a place. Though JFK didn’t crawl beneath his pew, for those minutes during his last mass in 1963, he was preparing to pave the way for those who would, and in a sense for inspiration for you and me. Jackie Kennedy lamented that “He didn't even have the satisfaction of being killed for civil rights . . .” but in a sense, that bullet elevated his efforts for civil rights to echelons beyond his living grasp.

As Cindy and I passed the prayer room with all candles aflame, it couldn’t go unnoticed that we exited to find a Rolls Royce limousine near the door, and yet behind us lay a man asleep on the floor. The Kennedys and many others, perhaps several on Jupiter Island today, attest to the fact that men and women of extreme wealth can care deeply, and with extreme sacrifice. Their cars and homes might be extreme, but their cares and hurts are human all the same, and the extreme gifts of some mark our aspirational maps of hope. .

What are your thoughts from the pew?

sometimes I need to understand if your words are metaphorical or actual..
are you saying you actually sat beside a living, breathing JFK or a metaphoric one '40 years after his visit' to St. Anne’s?
and I would like to also ask, does this mean that you support and 'give your vote to' Barrack Obama?

JFK was not a man without flaws, but it does seem like he genuinely cared about the poor and middle class. I'm glad you pointed out his wealthy background because it is important to remember that rich people can care also. I see many people dislike others just because they have more money and I think that is wrong. It would be nice if more wealthy people were willing to help poor people just a little to give them a chance to compete in our capitalistic society. If instead of just giving them money we could give them opportunity many people would be able to pull themselves out of poverty. I'm not a populist and i do not think big business is bad, but everyone should be given the chance to work and support their family.

JFK seems to me a man largely remembered more for what he represented than for what he accomplished. That is in no way to diminish his accomplishments, it is just that his legacy reverberates from the lips of those who speak of him. Both of my parents know exactly where they were and what they were doing when they first heard news of his assassination. It was a formative time in the lives of that generation and was so due to his iconic standing. Barack Obama has that same kind of energy and ability to galvanize the body politic at large to affect change that I envision JFK having. I support Obama this year chiefly for his possessing of these abilities, for even with the controversy surrounding his pastor, Obama delivered a landmark speech that called for unity in a profound way. It is only once the spirit of the country is united that we can effectively see the poor looked out for in a substantial way.

My Uncle once declared that when JFK advertised his desire for change to the world, no matter how fanciful it may at the moment have seemed, people took notice. To catch and not ride the Soviet coattail, JFK promised that within a few years this American nation would have manmade satellites landing on the moon. In, 1969 Neil Armstong and Buzz Aldrin made that dream materialize. JFK may not have demonstrated personal infallibality (see Marilyn Monroe), but these events simply remind Christians of the broken nature of humanity. In this state, and only in brokeness, does Christ reach down to pull his sheep out from the snarling jaw of its predator. And sitting in that pew, secretly wishing to die for the Civil Right's Movement so that good could ultimately triumph, proves the depths of the Holy Spirit's tangible power operating through a humble human vessel.

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