I have been watching CNN for the last hour or so made less than usually unbearable by the presence of Anderson Cooper and Roland Martin.
What has struck me is the undertone of joyousness in their comments and attitudes. It is as if a giant shadow that has been smothering our country for the last eight years has suddenly begun to be replaced by a bright shining light. It is. metaphorically speaking, the moment when the sun once again rises in the Arctic Circle which had been shrouded in gloom and darkness for what seemed like an eternity.
As trite as it may be, you can feel it in the air. Not just in Washington, but in every village, town, and city across the nation. Like the condemned man on Death Row, we have been given that last minute reprieve. And as wrenching as the last eight years have been, it has, I believe, given us a deeper appreciation for what freedom and democracy are really all about.
In Catholic theology, they speak of the "unpardonable sin". At first glance, that would seem to be contrary to the basic belief that God forgives all repentant sinners. But the "unpardonable sin" which is the sin of despair, unlike other sins, is by tradition the sole sin that cannot be forgiven. It is the conviction that one is damned absolutely, thus a repudiation of the Christian Saviour and a challenge to God's infinite capacity for forgiveness. In other words, it is the sin which the sinner himself believes is unforgivable.
Many Americans have been guilty of that sin. Even though not one single crisis either domestic or international has been resolved something miraculous has happened. At the very end, hope triumphed.
And if you believe in signs and symbols, look no farther than what happened on the Hudson River this week.