Bridge Builders
Stories
THE WONDER OF WORDS: BOOK 2
ONE-HUNDRED MORE WORDS AND PHRASES SHAPING HOW CHRISTIANS THINK AND LIVE
In A.D. 1191, Pope Clement III approved a new guild. Its members included nobles, clergy, and artisans. The work of the guild consisted of clearing dangerous roads for pilgrims and building bridges over rivers and chasms. Members of the guild wore clothing that carried a picture of two things: a cross and a bridge. The guild was called "fratres pontifices," the bridge-building brothers. The guild of medieval bridge builders has long ceased to exist; yet, in a figurative sense, all men of good will are bridge builders. An Episcopal priest, Dr. Joseph Fort Newton, once commented: "People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges."
When a bridge is being planned, engineers must take into account three loads the bridge will have to bear: the dead load, the live load, and the wind load. The dead load is the bridge itself. In human terms, this refers to the human being who is serving as a bridge between people. To leaders of the congregation in the city of Ephesus who were doing that kind of work, St. Paul advised, "Be careful about your own spiritual life."
The live load which must be considered in bridge building is the traffic that crosses the bridge. In human terms, this refers to the people for whom you are the mediator. People in Argentina and Chile, for example, were poised for war in 1899, when an Argentine bishop appealed for peace. A Chilean bishop took up his cause and the dispute was submitted to King Edward VII whose decision settled the quarrel. The unused guns from both countries were melted down to be used in a colossal statue of Christ, erected on a mountain range between the two countries.
The wind load is the pressure of the wind on the structure of the bridge. In human terms, this refers to the adversities bridge builders face. Such adversity makes us tighten up, adding to the strain. The French philosopher, Gabriel Marcel, put his finger on the answer to this wind load when he spoke about "the secret affinity between hope and relaxation."
When a bridge is being planned, engineers must take into account three loads the bridge will have to bear: the dead load, the live load, and the wind load. The dead load is the bridge itself. In human terms, this refers to the human being who is serving as a bridge between people. To leaders of the congregation in the city of Ephesus who were doing that kind of work, St. Paul advised, "Be careful about your own spiritual life."
The live load which must be considered in bridge building is the traffic that crosses the bridge. In human terms, this refers to the people for whom you are the mediator. People in Argentina and Chile, for example, were poised for war in 1899, when an Argentine bishop appealed for peace. A Chilean bishop took up his cause and the dispute was submitted to King Edward VII whose decision settled the quarrel. The unused guns from both countries were melted down to be used in a colossal statue of Christ, erected on a mountain range between the two countries.
The wind load is the pressure of the wind on the structure of the bridge. In human terms, this refers to the adversities bridge builders face. Such adversity makes us tighten up, adding to the strain. The French philosopher, Gabriel Marcel, put his finger on the answer to this wind load when he spoke about "the secret affinity between hope and relaxation."
