The AGREEMENT
Walking along Sheldon Avenue in
New York City, the skyscrapers towering above him and the traffic
and beeping of horns drowning out most other sounds, Father Conklin
of Castleton Parish, an older man in his early sixties with grey
hair dressed in the traditional black priestly garb, was
single-mindedly focused on his purpose. He turned the corner onto
Heller Street and in the center of the block at building number
six-hundred and fifty-eight was the headquarters of Hamilgate
Financial, the largest and most prosperous investment bank in the
Northeast. Father Conklin had an appointment with the CEO of the
bank and its namesake, Craig T. Hamilgate. That Conklin, whose
preaching was often viewed as Christian criticism of the excesses of
the financial sector, would be here of all places could be explained
by only two reasons. One possibility as to the drawing of the
financial and religious sectors together, despite that they operate
on almost exclusively contradictory grounds, was that this
particular bank needed some degree of holy sanction to keep up its
credibility amid two major scandals publicized in the local media
and papers, which involved illegal accounting practices, bribery
charges, and misleading information given to investors. A second
possibility was that since the Church was set on a mission to
convert and, as they saw it, civilize the peoples of Central Africa,
the Holy See needed funds that were once accessible but recently
lost in their effort to fight through the courts some of their own
scandals, which were widely publicized in the local media and papers
likewise.
But Father
Conklin never had any part in Church abuses and was always an
advocate for the rights and protection of parishioners, and
especially of the children of the faith, at times even going against
the wisdom of his superiors if he felt his actions were the right
thing he believed God had wanted him to do.
The truth of
the matter was that both these possibilities were likely correct;
each side had an interest in the meeting and thereby agreed to it.
So as with meetings of this nature, Father Conklin did not know what
to expect. Being a man of prudence, this being why his superiors
had chosen him for the part, he was aware of the one great good the
business sector is looking for, and that is positive publicity. He
also, being one who studied economics at Saint Mark’s University,
was well acquainted with the great end of business, namely profit.
In a word, he was aware of the basic angle Craig T. Hamilgate would
be coming from, but was agnostic as to the particulars.
With all this
in mind, and his Christian purpose firmly in his heart, Father
Conklin walked through the doors of the headquarters of Hamilgate
Financial. He took the elevator to the top floor in the one-hundred
and forty-four story building. At the end of the hall was the room
that was Hamilgate’s office where all major decisions of the bank
were finalized. There the priest was greeted by the secretary, who
said:
“Father
Conklin, correct?”
“Yes,” he
responded.
“Mr. Hamilgate
is ready to see you. You can just go right in through this door.”
“Thank you.”
Father Conklin
walked into the office and there was Craig Hamilgate sitting at his
wide, polished wooden desk with his papers. He was a man in his
mid-forties with a finely shaved dark-brown beard and dark-brown
hair whose strong and angular facial features showed that he was one
who had firmness of purpose etched into his very being. Hamilgate
looked up and smiled as he saw his guest walk into the room.
“Father
Conklin, please, sit down,” he said in a voice that was deep,
steady, and indicative of the authority of his position.
Conklin looked
at this extraordinarily spacious office with awe. The room was in
the shape of a moderately elliptical circle, and all along its walls
were bookshelves containing thousands of works on banking,
economics, political science, philosophy, and the natural sciences.
Among the authors who were well represented were Addison, Hume,
Quesnay, Smith, and Turgot, as well as other lesser-known writers of
the Enlightenment period who were champions of economic liberty. Of
the writers of the natural sciences, Galileo, Newton, Bacon,
Priestly, Darwin, Spencer, and Dawkins enjoyed considerable
representation. The works of the great poets were practically
non-existent, save for Marlowe’s Tamburlaine and some volumes of
that notable poet laureate hailing from the United Kingdom, Ted
Hughes, whose works were heavily influenced by the study of
archaeology and anthropology. Upon Hamilgate’s desk were The
Federalist Papers, that classic work of American political theory,
open to essay number ten.[i]
Directly behind
Hamilgate’s desk, and in between the tall, rounding library
bookshelves, were large glass windows, through which was a
breathtaking view of blue skies and the cityscape.
Hamilgate stood
up and with an open hand pointed to the seat in front of his desk.
“Please sit.”
The priest
smiled and sat.
“I hear that
you have a reputation for being a man of unwavering faith.”
“I hope so,”
responded Conklin, still smiling.
“Good, very
good. Now to business. So, Central Africa is it?”
“Yes, Central
Africa. Southern Chad, specifically. The major problem with this
nation is its shaky economy, which we believe primarily stems from
an unstable political situation. But nations with the rule of God
as their firm foundation will create harmony and unity through
religion, which thus will lead to political stability, and this will
lay the groundwork for foreign investments as investors will feel
safe putting their money into the nation’s financial
infrastructure.”
“Ah,
trickle-down economics according to the Church,” chuckled Hamilgate.
“Something like
that,” said Father Conklin, smiling. “Now of course religion won’t
solve all their problems, but we believe we can serve the people of
Chad and thus do God’s will. But we don’t have an unlimited supply
of funds.”
“Which is what
prompted your superiors to request this meeting.”
“The Church
humbly beseeches your assistance,” said Conklin as he smiled.
“I thought the
Church had already tried proselytizing to Africa. But to your
credit, historically you have had some success with that.”
Conklin nodded.
Hamilgate
continued:
“Chad has a
significant Muslim population, so you know you will have
competition.”
“The Church
believes we can work together with peoples of all faiths for the
improvement of the country.”
“I see,”
Hamilgate sighed. “Well, you know the procedures. My VP discussed
this with your assistant Father DiBenedetto, and we’ll work out the
details, but I’ll mention a few particulars here. One of my people
will have representation at the next New York Conference of Bishops,
and at the end of the first day of the conference he is guaranteed a
meeting with your superior Cardinal McNeal who will be in
attendance. My company will have preferential status in the
financial plan packages of Church employees in the tri-state area.
And there will be a permanent line of communication opened between
our offices, mine and yours.”
“Yes. But of
course the fine details will be worked out. But yes, that is the
agreement,” said the priest.
Suddenly
Hamilgate exclaimed:
“The deal!”
As he said this, he pounded the
desk with his fist, which was not done in anger, but with a keen
sense of amusement.
“Let’s be honest with each
other, Father Conklin. It is a deal, not an agreement.” Hamilgate
laughed, then smiled.
“Sir,” said
Conklin, who was understandably startled and a little confused. “Is
there a problem?”
“No, no,” said
Hamilgate, as he shook his head. “It’s just that I wish we all
would see the truth of the matter, you know, ‘was blind but now I
see’ and all of that.”
Conklin was
slightly offended by that last comment, but given that he had seen
much abuse and even outright hostility against the Church, and the
fact that Hamilgate had agreed to be a generous benefactor for the
African mission, the priest said nothing. But Father Conklin was an
intelligent man and he knew what Hamilgate was alluding to. The
truth was Conklin did not like these “agreements” that the Church
often made. He, in fact, thought that it cheapened the Church, but
he knew of no other way for it to accumulate enough capital to do
the good works it set out to do. In a word, he felt it was a
necessary evil. The positive ends outweighed the questionable
means. But Craig T. Hamilgate, being the man he was, and deeming
himself a philosopher of some sorts, did not let his point end
there.
Hamilgate
continued:
“I just believe
that humanity, particularly those with the altruistic bent, would
benefit by seeing reality for what it truly is. Then those
heart-wrenching crises of the soul that periodically afflict man
would be less prevalent.”
“And what
reality would that be?” interjected Conklin with a strong degree of
skepticism and a stern face.
“Ahh!”
Hamilgate said with eagerness as he saw an opening to espouse his
philosophy. “That is the reality of human nature and the culture
that stems from that nature. Life, at its very essence, is
political. It consists of continuous series of power struggles,
sometimes among individuals and sometimes among groups. Life is
best defined as a struggle for dominance, which involves both
conflicts and alliances as means to achieve that degree of
dominance. Even other species of animals act on this nature,
although the politics may not be as complex as that of their human
counterparts.”
But Father
Conklin was not satisfied with being a passive listener, and as he
thought of himself as not only a theologian, but also an
intellectual, and priding himself on his reputation for being a
superb debater, which he first achieved at Saint Mark’s and which
remained with him throughout his tenure as a priest as Castleton, he
interjected:
“Okay,” Conklin
laughed. “You want a discussion. A debate, philosophical and
theological, if you will.”
Hamilgate
smiled, then nodded.
“Mr.
Hamilgate,” said the priest, “I’m familiar with the view that man
must be aggressive and ruthless in order to survive and thrive, but
in the end this view causes more problems than it corrects. With
your philosophy there is no trust, no love, and no security.
Everyone is out for their own gain. This is simply not true. There
are good people who have Christ as their guide who are motivated to
help mankind because of their love of God and their neighbors. And
the view that one should be aggressive and uncompassionate to
achieve success is un-Christian. Scripture explicitly states that
the meek, the merciful, and the peacemakers will have great rewards
in Heaven for following God’s teachings.”
“Oh, let’s be
serious here, Father!” Hamilgate exclaimed. “Those behaviors you
just praised as Christian behaviors will only lead to people being
taken advantage of. People will instinctually view those behaviors
as weaknesses. By taking the Beatitudes, where you apparently get
your philosophy from, as the law one should live by, you will
basically go about life with both hands tied behind your back. And
in life, you have to have both hands ready at all times because life
is a battle and it is all about winning against your opponents.”
“Mr. Hamilgate,
stop right there. See, this is the problem with reading Scripture
on your own without the aid of one who is well-versed in exegesis.
You may know particular passages, but you need to study it as a
whole to understand the spirit of the law. I do not believe that
Christ wanted no resistance to oppressors or to wrongs done to us,
but there are times in which we must bear wrongs done so as not to
cause greater conflict. Saint Paul said, ‘To the weak I became
weak, to win the weak. To them all I have become everything in
turn, so that in one way or another I may save some.’[ii]
It therefore follows that to the strong one must become strong. To
deal fairly in life and at the same time not be taken for a fool,
one must know how to read the personalities one deals with and one
must be able to use both their strong and weak natures accordingly.”
Father Conklin
smiled, as he knew his argument was not only was based in logic but
steeped in Scripture.
Hamilgate then
thought for a bit and said, “Very good, Father. Very good. But
that would not be clear to someone reading the Bible on their own
because one passage often contradicts another passage, as the Hebrew
Scripture’s injunction of ‘an eye for an eye’ clearly contradicts
the Beatitudes and Jesus’ injunction to ‘turn the other cheek’ and
love one’s neighbors.”
“Again, Mr.
Hamilgate, one cannot read Scripture alone. One will need the aid
of someone with an expertise in that field in order to prevent any
misinterpretations that could easily occur.”
“Then my
question becomes why did God allow for the Bible to be created in
such a way that it is so easily misread.”
“People are
fallible, Mr. Hamilgate. Not God and His Holy Writ. People
misinterpret, but the truth of God remains.”
Hamilgate
breathed deep and then smiled with eagerness as when one meets a
worthy opponent in battle after failing to find a challenge among
all the men he has faced and defeated.
“Fair enough, Father.”
Conklin continued:
“Mr. Hamilgate, I sincerely
respect what you have done for our Holy Church all these years, but
I would be remiss if I did not state my honest opinion.”
“And that would be…”
“Biblical theology would
unequivocally deem your naturalism to be given over to worldliness,
and frankly, to be promoting evil thoughts and evil actions. As a
chosen emissary of God whose purpose is to bear witness to the truth
that man must follow the ways of Christ, I see your views as a
direct attack on the Christian faith. To say that mankind has a
dictate from Nature commanding that he be ruthless and that he view
life as a battleground where he must win against his opponents is
beyond mere error. It is evil.”
“Evil?” Hamilgate laughed.
“What is evil?[iii] How
is it determined? Is it the intent behind one’s actions or the
results of one’s actions that matter? If I, as a businessman,
selfishly pursue my own interests of wealth and prestige, and
through my ambition and entrepreneurial spirit increase job growth,
am I not improving the lives of others? Am I not good, regardless
of my intent? If you, Father, as a clergyman of the Church,
selflessly, if such a concept truly exists, work towards bettering
human lives, and through your altruism create or allow for
overpopulation and the contagion of fatal disease due to your
policies of restricting methods of birth control, are you not
harming the lives of others? Are you not contributing to world
suffering? Are you not evil, regardless of your intent?”
At this point of subtle
accusation, Conklin felt mildly dizzy for a moment and his heart
skipped a few beats.
Hamilgate noticed and asked,
“Are you feeling alright, Father?”
“Yes, yes,” said Conklin, as he
composed himself. “I’m fine.”
“Shall we end our discussion
for the day? Will you concede my point?”
“No, no, no. Let’s continue.”
“So be it. My point is that
this is how you must think and act in order for you to be successful
in business and in life in general. I can speak for my field
personally. If I choose not to cut excess employees from my
corporation because of my love and compassion for mankind and my
fears of going against my principles, then my corporation will be
weaker than that of my competitor who does not follow the same
principles that I do. My competitor will have more business options
than I do, and this will make his corporation that much stronger
than mine. In the end, it is likely, if he is a direct competitor,
that he will bankrupt or buy out my corporation. So the ultimate
result is that the business that held to rigorous principles is no
more and the business that did not is successful and employs
thousands of people giving them livelihoods so they can support
their families. As the primary decision-maker of this investment
bank, I have not followed a code of compassion, but a sound business
plan. And in the end it is my bank that will be giving a grant to
the Church’s cause. In the end, the Church and the people of
Central Africa benefit from my lack of compassion.”
Father Conklin thought deeply
about Hamilgate’s argument, and made great effort to understand its
intricacies.
Hamilgate continued:
“My business is brinkmanship.
I know just how far to bend the rules to maximize profit. I’ve
learned just how far I can go. It is a skill; it is an art.
Traditional morality, if I adhered to it, would only hold me back.
So I learned the rules – I know them well – and I learned how to get
around them.
My next question is this. Are
we not so different after all? My motivations are pleasure, power,
and prestige, and I readily acknowledge them because I am honest
with myself. But what of your motivations, Father? Your true
motivations.”
“I am not without sin, Mr.
Hamilgate. No man is. But I believe my intentions are pure and
based on a genuine love of God and mankind.”
“Are you certain about that,
Father? Are not your motivations for helping the poor people of the
world selfish also? Do you not hope for the rewards of the ecstasy
of Heaven for your good deeds? Do you not hope to rank high in the
Abode of the Saints and take a glimpse of God’s benevolent face as
the just wages you deserve? Thus, are not your motivations
pleasure, power, and prestige? Are we not truly the same, save for
the fact that I am honest with my motivations and you are content to
live in a lie?”
“Sir, I just don’t believe that
all of my actions should be considered selfish. That goes for all
of humanity for that matter. There are those who are solely
concerned about themselves and always live this way. But there are
others who are altruistic who get pleasure out of improving the
lives of others and making them happy. I don’t see human motivation
as a one-dimensional thing as you do.”
“You don’t, do you? Father, I
was not trying to question your motives in particular. Nor was I
trying to question the motives of mankind. All I am doing is
elucidating human truths and pulling the veil from over our eyes. I
am here to bring truth, just as you say you are, Father.”
Conklin shook his head. “I
disagree,” he said. “This is not where our discussion began. I was
not given a chance to fully address how you define life and its
struggles.”
“So what of the merits of my
original argument?”
“Alright,” said
the priest. “As to your supposition, I will say this. It on the
surface appears to be based on the sciences of human psychology and
sociology, that is, individual and group behavior, but beneath the
surface there are too many holes.”
“Like in
evolution?” said Hamilgate with a smile.
“Ah,” laughed
Conklin. “Yes, there is debate among Catholics about that. I hold
that evolution is based on science, but I maintain that it is in no
way contradictory to the teachings of the Church. Other Catholics,
and some Protestants too, who tend to be strict literalists, hold
that it does conflict with Scripture, and thus they make their case
that the theory must be thrown out, but this tangent has no bearing
on our original discussion.”
“Then please
continue about my supposition, as you put it.”
“Well,” Conklin
responded, “there is much more to life than what you say. There are
so many unknowns. Science has yet to create a complete theory of
the world, and by the same token, so has theology, as man has severe
limitations as to his understanding of Nature, Existence, Time and
Space, and the ways of God Himself. In other words, and I don’t
mean to sound too harsh, but your theory is frankly a bit too
simplistic.”
Unfazed by the
priest’s words, Hamilgate stated:
“Simple truth
miscalled simplicity, Father. Simple truth miscalled simplicity.[iv]
But let me give my argument some depth. Let us look at our culture,
the source of which is our nature. In fact, this culture has
supplanted our religion. This culture has, dare I say it, become our
religion. This religion that we all follow may be termed
Instinctism. We may say we are Catholic, Episcopalian,
Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Orthodox, Quaker, Mormon, Jewish,
Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Unitarian, Atheist, or Agnostic, but in
fact we are all practitioners of Instinctism. This religion has
five pillars: Sex, Money, Status, Power, Respect. And we worship at
these pillars. We worship at these pillars every day!” This last
sentence was said with a relish.
The priest
shook his head.
“But religion
is the very cure for this problem,” said Conklin, as he thought
about Hamilgate’s words introspectively. “Any Christian of any
denomination will tell you that human nature indeed has inherent
evil, but if man is encouraged to love God and his neighbor, then
this will promote a higher purpose to be followed, which it is hoped
will eclipse the lower purposes of our natural desires.”
“Has this
happened in truth, Father? Are you telling me that with religion
necessarily comes holiness and righteousness? Take a look at the
history of Medieval Europe when the Catholic Church had enormous,
unprecedented power. And how many scandals of intrigue and murder
occurred? Look at the Borgia family that put one of their own into
the papacy.[v] Did the
prevalence of religion pacify human nature? No. Religion just
became a powerful tool of the ruthless and the ambitious. And it
will continue to be used in this way so long as the people judge by
the appearance of things rather than by the way things truly are.
That is to say, religion will always be an effective tool of the
strong as the people will always judge in this way.”
Father Conklin
was hit hard by this retort, as he knew a sound argument was made,
being that he had studied Medieval Church history in depth and in
particular knew of the abuses of the Borgia family that once had
enormous influence over Church politics.
“But this has
no bearing over the Church today,” the priest said rather weakly.
Then he regained much of his composure and said, “This in no way
proves that the Church’s doctrines are wrong,” and finally gained
the rest of his confidence and said “and it in no way disproves the
existence of God.”
“Father,” said
Hamilgate as he smiled, “I was not trying to proselytize the tenets
of Atheism to you. This was never my aim. And I really do not
think you want to bring the discussion in this direction.”
“No. We can go
in this direction. That is fine.”
“Are you sure
about this, Father? Are you truly willing to delve into this murky,
unclear area? If you really want to bring our discussion to the
question of God’s existence, so be it.”
“So be it then.
So what about God, Mr. Hamilgate?” said the priest, as he started
to raise his voice. “What about God and His design? How does this
fit into your picture?”
“What about
God?” responded Hamilgate, calmly. “That’s a good question. Where
is He in all of this? He is neither here nor there in my equation.
If He does exist, then He apparently lets all of this happen and
lets ambitious men use His name for their own political gain. That
is incontrovertible fact.”
“Then for
argument’s sake, let us put aside theology for the moment and argue
solely on your naturalistic terms. Love is a natural, instinctual
emotion. All human beings, no matter how good or how evil, have
felt it. How do you explain Love, Mr. Hamilgate?! What about
Love?!”
“Love?!
Love?! Are you serious, Father? Love is just a myth, like Heaven,
Hell, Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny.”
“Oh come on!”
yelled Father Conklin, who by this time was visibly upset.
“No, I’m
serious. Love, or should I say, what we like to think of as Love,
is really just the human need to feel emotionally secure. It can be
a very threatening and dangerous world and to feel that a loved one,
whether a parent or a spouse is protecting you, gives a necessary
feeling of security. In fact, that is the origin of the myth of
God, that is, in man’s emotionally insecure nature, i.e. his fears,
and the consequent need to feel protected that arises out of his
insecurity. Do you not notice that there are many who have not been
religious all their lives, who suddenly become religious when their
last days appear ahead of them, when that final destination, that
undiscovered country, death, comes near? Does this not tell us that
the reason that God lives, or should I say, the reason that we
perceive that He lives is due to human fear, fear of the unknown,
the fear of death?”
“You’re wrong,”
said the priest.
Hamilgate
continued:
“The myths of
God, Love, and morality are for the weak-minded. The only truth is
our instincts. Nature rewards strength over weakness, not
righteousness over inequity. This is the dark wisdom of the age.
The age that always was. The age that will ever be.” Hamilgate
thought for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and passionately said
these words: “To Hell with God, whatever He, She, or It is. Would I
have ever gotten this far in life by believing in God? I want you
to seriously and intelligently look at the situation we have now.
You, an emissary of the Church, are at the mercy of me, a man who
has no belief in and fear of God, and who acts accordingly. And
this situation is time and time again repeated throughout human
history.”
By now Father
Conklin had started to feel ill. He was getting older and just did
not have the penchant for debate as he used to.
Then, the
intercom on Hamilgate’s desk began to flash and buzz.
“One second,
Father.”
Hamilgate
pushed the button and the secretary’s voice said:
“Mr. Hamilgate,
the Reverend Richard Johnson of the Episcopal Church of South
Westchester has arrived for his appointment. He’s inquiring about
some terms you suggested in your agreement with him.”
“Ah, yes,”
responded Hamilgate. “Send him to my office in five minutes.”
“Yes, Mr.
Hamilgate.”
He pushed the
button on the intercom to end the call and stood up.
“Come. I want
to show you something,” Hamilgate said, and he motioned for the
priest to follow him to the large windows behind the office desk.
Conklin
complied somewhat reluctantly and joined him.
The view of
blue skies and cityscape were fantastic.
“I own all of
these towers,” said Craig T. Hamilgate with pride as he pointed out
the windows with an open palm upwards. “To think that man could
have all of this if he only bow down and follow his instincts.”[vi]
“I feel ill,”
said Father Conklin in a more than airy voice. “We’ll have to
continue these business dealings another day. Please, show me to
the door.”
Hamilgate
calmly walked to his desk and through the intercom told his
secretary to get someone to escort his guest out of the building
safely. A man from security answered the call and did so, but just
as the priest was walking out of the building, he mentioned to the
man that he felt dizzy, and then he collapsed. An ambulance was
called immediately. Later it was found that Conklin was treated for
exhaustion, anxiety, and a newly-discovered heart condition that
made him bed-ridden for two weeks. He eventually asked to be
relieved of his duties as Church liaison to Hamilgate Financial, as
he could not conduct business in his existing condition. Sadly,
after much intensive care and many sincere prayers, Father Conklin
died a few days later. Though as for his prayers before he died,
they indeed were heartfelt and as expected came at a greater
frequency, yet there was a noted difference in the way the priest
said them. That is, there was a sense of heavy-hearted questioning
in his prayers, so much so that they ceased to be requests and
became more like questions he wanted answered by the Creator. It
was said that Father Conklin died in peace, though the nurses at
Saint Mary’s Hospital had mentioned to those who asked that in his
sleep before he died they often heard him mutter the words “dark
wisdom” and “the age of Instinctism.”
It may be
asked, following the tragic death of the much admired and respected
Father Conklin, what of the newly-made ties between this widely
influential investment bank and the most powerful Christian church
in the world? Did either side regroup and put off for a time this
potential alliance as the first Church liaison ended his visit with
an argument before he so abruptly left due to illness beyond his
control? The answer to this question, it was found, was in the
negative. The agreement was by no means severed due to what was
perceived as a minor inconvenience, and Father DiBenedetto was
summarily appointed in Conklin’s place. In fact, Church authorities
cited the well-regarded Conklin’s perceived emphatic support for
this alliance as evidence to go through with it. None made mention
of Conklin’s reservations that were made privately to his close
confidants, except for one young and idealistic priest who was a
very good friend of Conklin, but whose inexperience and seeming
naiveté were used to argue against his position to nix the deal. So
in the end, it went official; in fact, it was Craig T. Hamilgate
himself who met with Cardinal McNeal at the Conference of Bishops.
Indeed, Hamilgate proved to be a regular saint with his knowledge of
Scripture and Church history, and so impressed the attendees that
they questioned whether he was a man of business or a man of the
cloth. And when this man prayed at the opening and closing prayers,
it seemed so sincere that two senior priests sitting close by asked
themselves whether he had been blessed with the rarest of spiritual
gifts from God. So thus the original meeting between Conklin and
Hamilgate had been a productive one. The Church would eventually
receive the capital for its African mission as promised, and the
long chain of business connecting the financial and religious
sectors of life remained intact.
But in order
for the reader to know the entire story, our narrative must not end
here. It must be said of the impact that Father James Conklin had
made in the lives of myriads of people from all over the world. He
was a man with an undying thirst for justice and he lived out his
principals. In the prime of his intellectual and moral vigor, when
he was in his mid-thirties, he would work with local Central African
government officials and set up chains of schools in the most
impoverished areas. He did this for three years until he was called
by his superiors – as they knew of his background in economics – to
aid in the business development of Bolivia and worked closely with
their national leaders to establish a more free market economy. And
as he spoke fluent Spanish, he was assigned to the Roman Catholic
Church of La Paz, where he would speak against the evils of
Communism and urge his parishioners never to vote for anyone who had
ever been a member of the Bolivian Communist Party, as he knew of
the tension, divisiveness, and even outright violence that
historically resulted from nations enacting policies of this
nature. In the lead up to the Kosovo War, Conklin was called by the
Vatican for a mission to foster peace in Southeastern Europe. He
was sent to Serbia and did his best to urge restraint among the
leaders of their ruling party.
And in the last
few years of his life, Father Conklin was assigned to Castleton
Roman Catholic Church of New York, where he served as a gentle
shepherd of the Lord, giving hope to a people who were uncertain and
who questioned whether hope was real. His sermons were moving and
his parishioners adored him.
Father Conklin
was laid to rest in the Matherfield Cemetery in Boston, the city of
his birth. His funeral held at Our Lady of Victories Catholic
Church was attended by hundreds, many of whom were influential
people from different parts of the world. Craig Hamilgate was
invited, but was too busy with matters which he considered necessary
to the national interest to attend. Leaders from London, Paris,
Washington, Sarajevo, Rome, La Paz, N’Djamena, Sydney, Tokyo,
Beijing, and many other world cities were in attendance. They were
all there to pay their respects to a great man.
During the
service, most of Conklin’s parishioners were in tears. The most
notable part of the service was the eulogy given by one Father
Joseph F. Matthews, a man the same age as Conklin, who could put
into words what everyone in attendance was feeling about this
uniquely special servant of God.
Father Matthews
stepped up to the podium and said:
“Father James
Michael Conklin was…”
Matthews’ voice
then started to crack up.
“I’m sorry,” he
sniffled. “I’ve known James for my whole life. We went to seminary
together, and even then his dedication to Christ was unwavering.”
Matthews then
composed himself and continued:
“James Michael
Conklin was a man who never lost his innocence. Christ asks us to
come to Him as a child,[vii]
and James remained with his youthful hope for his entire life, which
he never hesitated to share with the rest of the world. I remember
a conversation I had with him after he returned from Kosovo. He
said the measure of a man was the amount of Love he has in his
heart, regardless of his race, nationality, or religion.[viii]
‘It is biblical!’ he would say to me emphatically. His eyes would
beam as if he newly discovered some hidden revelation. ‘This is
Christ’s most important commandment,’ he told me. ‘Love one
another.’ I am shaking before you just remembering that
conversation. But this is who the man was. And he went out in the
world to act on his beliefs. His love was too strong for him to do
anything less. So my advice to you all is to know this man. Know
him for his heart, a heart that has touched all of us in some way.”
Father Matthews
then paused for a second and mused aloud:
“James Conklin
was not a one-dimensional man. He was indeed complex. He always
questioned simple solutions to in-depth problems. And I know of
times when his doubt was a plague unto his soul. Father Conklin was
not a man without doubt, but a man whose love was stronger than his
doubt, whose hope was stronger than his doubt, whose faith was
stronger than his doubt. It is that strength of character, it is
that strength of will that made him who he is, who we remember him
to be. ‘Strength and love, strength and love,” he would tell me.
‘These are the laws we must live by.’ And I questioned him on
this. I questioned him on the impracticality of it. I asked him,
‘How can you follow the laws of strength and love when there are so
many people who do not live by this code of love? Will not one’s
strength waver under these circumstances?’ He just smiled and
laughed. He did not have to say anything after that. I knew what
he meant. He would lead by his example and prove to the world what
he meant. He would show the world the principal of love.
He opened his
heart to the world for a reason, my friends. He wanted us all to
follow his example. He wanted us all to risk everything for love.
It could be done, was his point! It could be done! And this is
what he did. He proved it to the world, and this is what we will
always remember him for.”
Father Matthews
then stepped down from the podium and everyone stood up and
clapped. So enthusiastic was the applause that the walls of the
church started to shake and some thought the engraving of the Lord
hanging on the apex wall would fall if it continued. Some perceived
this as a sign.
When the applause subsided, a
pianist passionately played “I Believe” for the attendees. Her
voice was as angelic as her playing was enchantingly beautiful.
Many more tears were seen among the people. It was here at the end
of the song that the service ended. Then there was much discussion
about Conklin’s candidacy for canonization, the processes that this
would take, and whether he would meet the qualifications. Most of
the attendees believed he would
[i] The
Federalist Papers were the collected essays of Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The work was an
effort to persuade the people of New York State to ratify
the Constitution of 1787. In “Federalist #10,” Madison
wrote of the dangers of direct democracy and antagonistic
political factions forming from different economic
interests.
[iii] “As a
chosen . . . What is evil?” Cf. John 18:37-38
[iv] William
Shakespeare, Sonnet 66
[v] Rodrigo de
Borgia, also known as Alexander VI, was pope form 1492 to
1503 and was infamous for his corruption.