Typically when you say you're going to have a few friends over to help out on a project, that just means the usual suspects who have nothing else to do that day and are willing to lend a hand for a few free beers. However, when you're working on your first album and your producer George Harrison says he's going to invite some of his pals to stop by and pitch in, well...
Okay, sure, there's probably still lots of booze involved, but you also get Harrison on lead guitar, Eric Clapton dropping a couple of solos, Ginger Baker banging away on drums, and Keith Richards thumping the base. You could do worse. The amazing thing is, though, even with lineup as a backup band, it's still Billy Preston that steals the show with his keyboards and earnest vocals. The performance is amazing and the lyrics, they're no so bad either...
Let not your heart be troubled
Let mourning sobbing cease
Learn to help one another
And live in perfect peace
If we just be humble
Like the good Lord said
He promised to exalt us
For love is the way
That's the way God planned it
That's the way God wants it to be, doesn't He
You better believe me
That's the way God planned it
That's the way God wants it to be, for you and me
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Exactly what is God's plan has to be one of the most basic questions out there. I suppose that's why the Catechism leads off with the statement, "God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church."
Or, as the old Boston Catechism put it, "God made us to show forth His goodness and to share with us His everlasting happiness in heaven." It's pretty much that simple. If only, as Mr. Preston suggests, we could show a little humility, get out of God's way, and let His plan unfold instead of mucking it up with selfish plans of our own. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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