To the Band of Brothers: February 11, 2021
Good morning!
I confess I have never been interested in Super Bowl commercials. I am bothered by all the hype in the media about them as Super Bowl Sunday approaches because I find most of them to be lame. Yes, there have been some exceptions in the past. For example, search on YouTube Wendy’s “Soviet Fashion Show” or Reebok’s “Terry Tate Office Linebacker” and watch those classics, but for the most part, they haven’t been all that good.
Well, there was another exception this past Sunday. If you haven’t seen it because you had better things to do on Sunday than watch Brady thrash Mahomes or didn’t notice it because you got up to go to the bathroom, please watch Toyota’s “Jessica Long Story”. Wow, I have to tell you, I haven’t been so moved by anything like that on television since the last episode of M*A*S*H (which you probably haven’t seen either because you are too young).
In 30 seconds, the commercial tells you the story of American Paralympic swimmer Jessica Long who has various world records, competed at four Paralympic Games, and has won 23 medals. She has done these extraordinary things even though she was born with fibular hemimelia forcing doctors to amputate both her legs when she was 18 months old. In spite of all this, the reason why the commercial is so powerful is because she was adopted.
What you find out is she was born in Russia and was left at an orphanage. Her would-be American parents, knowing she was a double amputee, decided to adopt her anyway. Jessica was raised by a beautiful family who went all out to make sure their adopted daughter had all the opportunities she needed to succeed.
Pope Francis has mentioned on many occasions that we live in a “throw-away society.” What that means is we live in a society that quickly considers things useless and discards them when they don’t conform to our understanding of “normal” or “useful.” Think about it, how quickly do we throw away a toy because we don’t play with it anymore or a pair of pants because they’re not fashionable anymore.
We also do this with people all the time. We don’t respect someone and blow them off because we disagree with their opinion. We turn away from the homeless man on Kendall and U.S. 1 because he’s annoying and doesn’t really contribute to society. We abort the child in the womb because he/she is deformed, sick, or simply an inconvenience.
Jessica Long is an example of how all people, no matter what their condition, are filled with purpose and meaning. They can do extraordinary things if given a chance and empowered by the love of others. Jessica Long’s story is a testament to the value of human life and its extraordinary potential. The final scene in the Toyota commercial flashes the line, “We believe there is hope and strength in all of us.” Thank God her American parents understood that.
Auspice Maria
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: webmaster@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the School property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit sits on a 30-acre site in western Dade County, only minutes away from downtown Miami.