SIRR SAYS

Getting a Handle on the Holy Spirit

2010-05-16T11:16:00.001-05:00

It was an early morning on the celebration of the Feast the Ascension, 2:30 am early, wondering if a I had prepared this column for publication prior to my mishap with landscape timbers on May 8th and my eventual hip surgery of the following Monday and now the ensuing rehabilitation which has moved me the surgical wing at Mercy Hospital to the Rehab Unit five floors – less hectic and much quieter and able to finally get some sleep, so I though until my mind blew me away at 2:30 am.
And their she was ready to be my spirit in the night, to help straighten out my nocturnal mutters, to help me into to my walker as I stumbled to the bathroom and to put me back to bed, with no more a smile and a nod to say “I understand” for my week so far has been a series of the encounters with the Holy Spirit we praise and sing today.
From the simple but presence felt encounters of those ministers of care who have graced my room each morning, the Holy Spirit is present – their warm smile and friendly greetings, offered with the spirit of fire and the soft breeze of God’s abiding breath liner each day after this encounter. Yesterday, on the morning of my transfer to a new floor of opportunities I encountered a religious sister well into her 80’s who has been ministering in our neighborhood in Canaryville for longer than we have been living there…it was a spirit-filled moment.
The daily visits this past week by my doctors and nurses have been encounters with the spirit for me. To encounter the spirit and put a face and name to the Holy Spirit has been a difficulty for us from the very first encounter in the upper room. The Holy Spirit I come to now realize is our own imitation of Christ to the world – a famous treatise detailed in the middle ages by Thomas a Kempis. This is the Holy Spirit in action, this small intimate action between the people of God that we often dismiss as shear coincidence.
This day of the Holy Spirit also begins our celebrations of who we are as a People of God – a trilogy of celebration where we take a deeper look at our who we are: Holy Spirit – Trinity and Body and Bloody of Christ.
For me this past week I have encountered on a whole new level the deeply personal connection of these three great teachings of our church through new eyes that it was not my intent at looking through. My only concern was to heal and getting better, but now I see more clearly that the presence of the Holy Spirit is not in the big and splashy moments, it is in the words long ago written by St. Thomas Aquineas where encounter the full intent in God in the small things in life – that’s with this day is all about.
Our encounter with the Holy Spirit is small, intimate and with my experience this past week can happen to anyone we meet wherever we meet. Our problem in these daily encounters is that we have not always recognized them as such and always rationalize them as something other.
Let the Holy Spirit enter through the portals to access and keep the doors open to the spirit is abundant to help us recreate this world which badly recreation. We have the power to do such things and the help or the Holy Spirit at our side.

Recognitio at the 11th Hour

2010-05-01T19:51:00.003-05:00

Not that the Holy See has any pressing matters at this time, but the Vatican apparently has nothing better to do with its time on sexual abuse matters, so they have officially given the approval for all the English-speaking countries of the world to have a new, faithful to the Latin, translation of the Mass. Having read it for the past year, I am not impressed and saying that this will enhance our worship is a stretch at best.

It was maybe five or more years ago when I attended a four day gathering on this very topic and hear the well-respected Fr. Paul Turner proclaim "that if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Apparently, as he was speaking the real "fix" was in and we were going to get a new translation whether we liked or not. Now some five years later, Turner has become the official cheerleader for this new translations and is literally turning cartwheels and contorting his words and body in an amazing amount of ways to tell us, or rather educate us, in the great things that this new translation will do for the liturgy. Talk to the publishers and composers and they have a different take on this. And as for the priests who have to lead us in this new translation, at least here in Chicago they have to go to training sessions and become certified to say the new words. I can just see all the retired guys doing this...Not!

After the recent news coming out of Europe and moving ever closer to the Pope himself, you would think they would not move down this road, but it is example, once again, of Rome fiddling away while its world is burning and heading toward ruin. Recent polls suggest and rather stunningly, that Christianity on a whole is in a major downswing and that churches, as one poll suggested, may be closing faster than GM dealerships did a the height of the current recession we are working our way out of.

So to all you good Catholics, prepare the changes. The last time this happened was back in the 60's after Vatican II, but that was from a language we didn't understand - Latin - to the vernacular - a language we speak every day. It is ironic that this Recognitio came when many cities were celebrating the genius of William Shakespeare, that master wordsmith, but asking to talk as Bill and the rest of England of that day would have. At least it is English that we could understand.

Stay tuned to more of what happens here as I, in my position as Director of Liturgy, must become the Mary Poppins of the parish and find a way to make these changes in a most tasteful way. I will have to resort to "a spoonful of sugar to make this particular nasty medicine go down." Prayer for me, but pray for Mother Church for the Father's of the Church are doing a good job of messing this one up.

Decompressing

2010-04-26T23:27:00.003-05:00

Easter happened and it was a glorious celebration. The Vigil saw two wonderful young adults initiated into full communion in the Catholic Church and the following morning I was able to once again work with some of my favorite musicians at a neighboring parish for the 7:30 and 9:15 am Easter worship - something I enjoy and something I have been doing for 8 years now. Thank You Jennifer for keeping these times for me on the "high holy days" of Catholicism!

Crashes come when you don't expect it and three days later, the crash of mom's health confront us and another intervention, the last being 9 years ago, meant she at to move from mere assisted living to the Alzheimers Care Unit. It was just across the street, but my being in eastern Illinois and my brother in western Illinois was a challenge as mom is up on Minnesota's Iron Range. I asked my good friend John in neighboring Duluth if he would help us out and according to all the reports we got a few days after the big move across the street, he was the perfect choice to handle this move. I said that I didn't know how to thank him. His response was that he would work for potica, a Croatian desert that I will most easily supply him with. I say thank you over and over.

Decompressing from too many flights over a short three days too much for me. My brother is use to it, but I am not the frequent flyer and sitting in airports is not the most entertaining thing. It's a week and half later and I am finally decompressing and that's a good thing as there is much to do in the next few weeks.

Part of the decompression comes from another source who surprised me with a Bob Dylan gift - a harmonica Bob played at a concert back in August 1989 at Harriet Island in St. Paul MN. Brad was there and after learning how much of my Dylan collection was on vinyl, this was the piece he felt would complete my collection. Thanks Brad. I've only know Brad a few years because of my college alma mater gatherings, but I really do count him as a friend.

I needed this random act of kindness at this moment. That's what friends are for.

Cherish the friends you have. I know that may be an old and trite line, but it is very true.

Worthless Surveys

2010-04-10T23:25:00.003-05:00

Nursing a few pulled muscles in my back from sneezing too hard the other day, the price of getting older, I finally sat down and took the mandatory surveys that the Archdiocese of Chicago wanted me to take over a month ago. Well, the bottom line on this is if they wanted answers to go their way, they most certainly are getting them for in both cases the generic, multiple choice answers that were given in know reflect who I am let alone what I have been doing for the 20 years I have been in this archdiocese, let alone what my job description has been for nineteen of those years.

In the first survey relating to the recent Catholics Come Home campaign, they assume that all of the parishes involved in this campaign had somewhat the same response, but in actuality the response was not even noticeable for the parish I serve in and if they were coming home, these people made gave no overt signs that they were away from the practice of their faith for some time. In a great number of the questions, the proper answer was not given and the ability to pass on that question or to give another answer was not an option. Truthfully, this survey was flawed through and through.

With regard to the second survey which was pointed to one's own practice of the faith, these questions were worded in such a way to cause confusion and even the questions gave erroneous statements let alone the answers that gave no options outside of the answers given, and being someone who spent much of my in the service of the church, the answers didn't come close to the knowledge of have...theology, Christology, Liturgy...you surely get the picture on this.

In any event, I summarily dashed off an email to the office involved and forwarded my disgust in the poor survey and suggested that if they wanted the results to show a very shining picture of the impact that the videos had, they just should have done away with the survey in total and fabricated something. Then again, this is the Church and their history of fabricating information is long and if one pays close attention to the happenings in Rome these days, the politics of the coverup seem to playing out before our very eyes. But this shouldn't trouble anyone as the history of the Church universal has had just as many good times as it has had troubling times....bad popes and good popes and inquisitions just a few of the items that grace the 2,000 year history.

These surveys will do nothing more than save a few jobs in the Chancery and give some positive spin to the evangelizing that is bringing Catholics back in large numbers, so they say. But in reality, what are all these Catholics coming home to? We are poised on the edge of cliff as we watch the church splinter, with leadership that doesn't lead and tackle the problems facing the faithful, but tinkers with the words we recite during our liturgies. This is what all those Catholics coming home have to look forward to.

But there is hope. The church has survived this long not because of the leadership of bishops, cardinals and popes, but of the voices and persistence of the faithful and their belief in Jesus Christ and what he taught. And so it will happen again. I put my faith in the faithful.

Soli Gloria Dei!

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!

2010-04-07T23:50:00.003-05:00

Sounds like a name of a Broadway musical. Yes, in fact it is the name of one of my favorite musicals, written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and like a good Greek play, as timely today as it was back in the early 60's when it debuted.

I urge you to seek out this wonderful musical with music that has a message for today.

Frustration and Reconciliation

2010-03-26T11:24:00.003-05:00

Having just messed around with trying to get a post on my page, I have had to resort to the old posting editor as the new, improved and updated template I have been using for the past few months loads for about 2 seconds and then quickly gives me a bland page. Frustration.

The frustration is just another part of the ongoing frustration I am having with people who call them citizens of this country and can't get over the fact that we white folk are slowly edging to becoming the minority group in this country that, according to some accounts, is the "home of the free - if you are white, but if you of any other skin color you're not considered worthy of being a citizen."

The current posturing of members of Congress in allowing such vitriol to run amok with pointed threats of death and four letter words left in messages on voicemail shows the lack of respect that has risen in the country over the past years, brought to a head because this country overwhelming elected a president who happens to the biological offspring of a white woman and an African. I don't remember learning anywhere that the president of this country was only to be white-skinned.

The first thing we need to remind ourselves is that we've heard this type of rhetoric poured out before. Open the Bible and read the Passion Narratives, something we will hear beginning this Sunday when we begin commemorating the Lord's Passion and Crucifixion. The words of death were hurled at Jesus for reasons that were purely fabricated. The words of death are currently be hurled at good people, who have the common good of all at their center, but are listening to an opposition that I feel is feeling the sting of electoral defeat and stoking the flames of hate by lying about what is actually in the legislation that passed both houses of Congress and is now the law of the land, much to their objection.

Debate really leads us nowhere. Debate in its purest form is nothing more than people using the talking points they have to bolster their stance. It is through meaningful and respectful dialogue, equipped with the facts, in this discussion format can compromise and reconciliation be truly reached not for personal gain, but for the common good, something that this country was founded on.

In discussing things in a civilized manner and not overheating the words with innuendo, we are more able to come to agreement on the steps that need to be taken as we move forward. It is reconciling our differences, setting aside the pettiness that makes us right and everyone else wrong, that effects sound decisionmaking.

Christ, through his ministry and even in the face of an execution he knew was coming, preached the gospel of peace and reconciliation with all, no matter they differed in their approach and understanding of his mission. The enemy is always us for we bring our prejudices and biases to the table, should we wish to be there, rather than approaching any exchange of ideas with the calmness and facts that we should have.

Often, when seeking reconciliation, we are frustrated because it is not just our asking God for forgiveness, but opening ourselves to the same scrutiny which then calls us to extend the hand of reconciliation to those who we feel have wronged us, offering a sacrifice of ourselves and acknowledging that we are as much to blame as anyone. But no, our humanness gets in the way and we want a simple black and white answer to the situation, not satisfied with the fact that we live in the gray, not the black and white.

I am frustrated at all levels this day by the lack of respect that many carry because of race or just plain ignorance. When pressed to give what commandments of God were the most important, Jesus calming tells the questioners that the first is to love God with all your being and the second, and very similar, is to love each other as not only God loves us, but we love ourself. That is not narcissistic, but a truth that unless we love ourselves, we are incapable of others, no matter who they are and what they look like.

In the great Creation Narrative found in the first chapter of Genesis, at each juncture of the narrative, God pauses after each part of the creation and says it is good. Likewise, after creating humanity in the very image of God, there is no hedging here either, humanity is good as well. If humanity were not good, would God have allowed the Son of God and the Son of Man to take the form of a human being?

Think about it!

The Wearin' of the Green...or not!

2010-03-17T11:31:00.000-05:00

By all accounts, today, March 17th is the day that we all become Irish, so I was informed by the school secretary upon my earlier appearance in our parish school. Contrary to the popular attire for today to wear something green, I am the standout: jeans, beige striped button down shirt, maroon and gray sweater vest and a dark brown suede sport coat - the very opposite of what is called for on this day.

My ancestry is not Irish, although I do have an aunt who is, but the rest of the family is Croatian, 100% in fact, and my wife, well she comes from German and English stock. You get the picture!

On my way into the rectory this morning, there were numerous reports about the Chicago police and State Troopers stepping up their patrols to control the annual abundance of drunk drivers that will take to the roads today in honor, I hardly think it is honorable, of the missionary St. Patrick. Pressing most of these revelers of Irish Whiskey, Green Beer and a good Stout Ale, they would not be able to relate the story of this venerable bishop who did so much for the sake of Christianity.

How did we get to this point and why did St. Patrick get singled out for this drunken revelry? Well, it seems to be a tradition, but I tradition I simply won't be a part of. Now, truth be told, I do like my Guinness Stout Ale and although I am not an Irish Whiskey drinker, I do lift to my lips the best of single malt Scotch. From my Croatian heritage, although I have in stock a bottle of Slivovitz grape brandy, the most I can do is take an occasional whiff of that.

But back to St. Patrick, here is a much better way to keep this day with the prayer known as St. Patrick's Breastplate:

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

St. Urho

2010-03-15T14:06:00.000-05:00

Ode to St. Urho
by Gene McCavic
(written in Finnish dialect)
(Original copy found at the Iron World Center, Chisholm, Minnesota)

Ooksie kooksie coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as birds
Neffer peefor haff I hurd dose words!
He reely told dose puts of kreen
Braafest Finn I effer seen!

Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes
Putt Urho poyka got what it takes.
He got tall and trong from feelia-sour
Unt ate culla moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why dat guy could sase dose peetles
What crew as thinck as chack bine needles.
So lets give a cheer in hower pest way
On this 16th of March, St. Urho's Tay!

"Heinasirkka, heinasirkka, meine taatta hiiteen."
(Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to hell!)

An Eventful Week of Celebrations

2010-03-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

It's the middle of March and although most attention will be directed to the "Madness" of the NCAA Basketball Finals, we should take notice of the days of this coming week and where they stand historically.

Monday, March 15 is known as "The Ides of March" and points us back to the assassination of the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar at the hands of many, most notably "et tu Brutus."

"The Ides of March fall on the 15th calendar day of March, although the date has also become intimately associated with the assassination of Julius Caesar, who was murdered in the Roman Senate on 15 March, 44 BC. Because the death of Caesar marked a radical change in Roman society, the concept of the Ides of March is familiar to most scholars of Western history, along with fans of Shakespeare, who remember the line “Beware the Ides of March,” from his play Julius Caesar. In modern days, the Ides of March carries a sense of menace and doom, because of this association."

"March-ing" forward from this most notable Monday, what follows is a truly "saintly" assemblage, some real and one of pure fiction:

March 16: St. Urho, the patron Saint of Finland (yes, this be the fictitious one, but stay tuned about the legend of this product of northern Minnesotans of Finnish descent and his mighty pitchfork aimed at those blasted grasshoppers).

March 17: St. Patrick, the patron Saint of Ireland (and the coloring of the Chicago River and green beer. Okay, that isn't what this legend is really about, but too many people think it merely an excuse to party in excess with the likes of green beer).

March 18: St. Cyril of Jerusalem. He, like Patrick is real and some very profound things to offer back in the 4th century as well as today.

March 19: St. Joseph, the husband of Mary, Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Much is not known about Joseph, but his legend has offered us a model of what a father should be.

Each day this week, I will offer a short reflection on this mid-Lenten time of feasting both to the real and fictitious. You can weigh the merits of each and hopefully will better understand them in your future.

Conviction at the Links of Utopia

2010-03-07T23:39:00.000-06:00

When was the last time any of us who golf actually sat down to analyze what we do when we hit the course for a round of golf. And if truth be told, and take it from someone who does all the wrong things when approaching a game of golf, analyzing our game is something we do over a beer, not under the shade of a big oak tree with a journal in hand.

Golf's Sacred Journey's first lesson is all about conviction. Hey, I just want to play a round of golf and the only conviction that is in my mind is finishing with a respectable score. But to be sure, that's the wrong kind of conviction. So, find a quiet place and write about these three things:

1. Why do I grip the club like I do?
2. Where do you play the ball in your stance for various shots?
3. What is your predominant shot pattern and why?

Maybe for the professional golfer these three questions are important and could move one up the money trail, but for myself, it's all about trying to enjoy the game without becoming frustrated.

Self analysis is probably the hardest thing one can do and during this season of Lent, that's what we are called to do. We embarked on this journey back on Ash Wednesday with the mandate to "rend your heart, not your garments" - get to the very heart of how we live our life, how we negotiate the various various situations we find ourselves in and how we handle each of these places in the fairways of our lives.

After reading this short chapter, it became evident that my problem with my game, as well as trying to answer the questioned posed, had everything to do with my demeanor. The point of conviction is being assured of yourself in spite of where you find yourself. It requires getting in touch with your inner rhythm so that each time you prepare for a shot you are doing the same thing, the same way and never doubting the outcome. It's the famous lyrics from back in the late sixties echoing in my head: "slow down, you move to fast, you gotta make the morning last."

"Every champion has convictions, but perennial champions have convictions based on foundations. These foundations become his first line of defense when facing adversity." And to that add that you must believe in yourself and your method, a method based a core values to accomplish what you have set out to do. It could be a game of golf or the game of life.

What's important here?

Lent, like golf, has the ability to give us the necessary rhythm to walk daily through the good and bad that we find ourselves in, but if we are not steady, not in control of our swing to accomplish a quality game, we will become the type of golfer I currently am - the scenic tour golfer, meandering toward the goal each challenge presents, but not meeting it head on.

Tomorrow, I report to the Criminal Court Building of Cook County as I have been summoned to be in the jury pool. This couldn't come at the most awkward of times as this week is full of many activities that I have much to do with. But, I will stake out my "oak tree" somewhere in the halls of this iconic edifice at 26th and California on Chicago's Southwest Side and contemplate my "game", asking and reflecting honestly on what it is I do when presented with the little white ball on a field of green - natural, uphill, downhill, or lying in a sand trap.

Lenten Meditation with the Runner

2010-02-26T20:08:00.000-06:00

Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor.9:24-27)

How easy it is to admire discipline in athletes, but how hard it is to practice it ourselves.

Lent is traditionally the time when we commemorate our Lord's 40 days in the desert as He began His earthly ministry. Throughout the ages, Christians have used this time for self-denial to train their bodies and spirits in godliness. Here are a few suggestions on how we might do that.

We can give up our time. We can give up our free time and spend more time with Jesus, in His word, or serving others. We can spend additional time in prayer for others.

We can give up control of our words. This is hard when we love to give our opinion and advice. For Lent we can discipline ourselves to listen carefully, to ask questions before we speak.

We can give up feelings of resentment. It may be true that no one appreciates us in the way they should, but no matter how difficult our day, our burdens are nothing compared to what Jesus bore for us.

We can give up a habit. Sometimes anger, bad attitudes, gossip or a judgmental spirit keep us from being as effective as we could be in ministry.

For Lent, ask the Lord to be your personal trainer, to show you what is keeping your from being the spiritual athlete he wants you to be. Age, abilities, don't matter - obedience does. Listen to his voice; practice the spiritual training habits in the Bible, and use Lent as a time to become more effective in serving Jesus.

That Humbling Game of Golf

2010-02-20T16:41:00.000-06:00

It's been 7 years since I put my golf clubs away, determined to pick them up again and pursue the links and that little white ball again. The circumstances of my shelving my game has more to do with the attitude abounding in the golf league that I joined than with myself, but a part of it was adjusting to "real" bifocals after playing this game without the need of glasses for a better part of 40 years.

I did my major-league blowups a long time ago on the golf course, sending putters and drivers in just as many directions as I sent the golf ball. My game, although for a good portion of my life I carried around a 3 handicap, was anything but straight and true - I preferred the scenic route and served a banana slice that was truly remarkable.

After all the years of playing at a non-competitive pace, I was confronted with scorecards, handicaps (my clubs - an old joke), and points. What the hell were the points for? Plus, the golf course was a course I wouldn't have played on intentionally. After about three or four outings, trying to re-establish whatever game I had in the past without bifocals, I sputtered, sliced, and multiple put far too many holes while guys much older than myself - and on the course much more often each week than I could be - made up my mind that I wasn't into the competitive game, I was into golf for the being outdoors, the walking and the smell of the trees and grass. And that's when I walked away, nothing like the episode in the first part of the book Golf's Sacred Journey - Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.

Over the past years I would each Spring say that I was setting aside a day each week to regain my form on the course, but I always found a way out. What I learned from these years is that I enjoyed, more than anything, playing on another, more scenic course that was once an 18 hole course that was parsed into a 12 hole course when the expressway it sits next to was expanded and now is blissfully engaging 9 hole course with lots of hills, a few challenging doglegs, and wonderful people. I prefer, so I found out, that I enjoy more and more, playing by myself or with people I don't know. No pressure, just enjoyment.

And now, here I sit with book in hand and about half way through and determined - so I have informed my wife - to do it this year, but to heed the advice of said book after taking my sacred journey this Lent to get in tune with myself first before getting in tune with my clubs. And so, the journey begins here with my thoughts about what I am learning along the way. In this journey, I invite you to join me and even comment, if you wish.

My thanks to Corey, a friend and roommate of our son who spent this past Christmas with us. The book I allude to is from her family back in Nebraska, a family firmly planted on the local golf course. A gift was needed for having her over for Christmas because of her work schedule, it was nice to have another person at the table.

Okay, get ready to tee it up!

2010-02-17T15:12:00.000-06:00

The quick fix or the meaningful journey to change our hearts.

By this time I have already crossed well over 500 foreheads with the ashes from last year's burned palms. I most cases, the faces are familiar, but there are also faces that are new in the lines that form to receive the ashes that symbolize this day.

Today begins a sacred journey - a journey that takes us to the very interior parts of our personhood to examine and discard all that keeps us in a right relationship with God and our relatives, friends and neighbors. This sacred journey is not about giving anything up, but changing our behavior pattern so that we can be more fruitful followers of the precepts of the son of God, Jesus Christ.

Over the course of these 40 days of Lent, I will take time to give additional insight on how it's going with me during my own journey and to suggest some things that might help you along the way. My guide will be a most unlikely resource "Golf's Sacred Journey, Seven Days at the Links of Utopia" by David L. Cook, PhD.

Getting Ready for Lent 2010

2010-02-13T16:28:00.001-06:00

Mardi Gras celebrations are taking place all over as I write this. Of note is the extended celebration in New Orleans which began last Sunday with the venerable "Saints" winning the Super Bowl...and so the partying began in earnest, slightly altered by some unseasonably cold weather conditions. Be that as it may, the last party gasp before Ash Wednesday is upon us.

For a number of years now, I have been party and organizer of a celebration known as "Bury the Alleluia" which is a way of doing Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday - call it what you want - with a more liturgical twist. An opportunity to feast not only on great food and drink in a pot-luck setting, but to remind us that the next 40 days dispense with the great "alleluia" that is standard fare in worship from Easter through the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Throw in a bonfire of the palms from last year's Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion and we have crafted a tremendous send-off to the "alleluia" for the next six weeks.

Walking the journey of Lent is not always the easiest, but if you click on the linked title of this tome you will find a very unique way that hearkens back to the mystics and prophets of our Christian history. While the noted author Rev. Richard Rohr doesn't mention my favorite - Hildegard of Bingen - she too, is one of those who advanced the cause of Christ in the medieval period of Germany and greater Europe through the images of her "third eye" - the eye of the mystic and prophet.

While taking pointed swipes at the way we have changed the practice of the teachings of the great prophet Jesus Christ through the ages - no one is left standing - Rohr reacquaints us with the simplicity and the complexity of the contemplative life that we have all but lost in our world today. Often in gatherings of ministers in the church we ask who the prophets and mystics are currently and are hard-pressed to name them and those that we are able to name have been placed on some list of "unacceptable for public consumption." But then, the history of the Teresa of Avila's and the John of the Crosse's throughout the ages are a testament to the fact that some things never change and the very fact they approached the teachings of Christ with a different view, engaging the "third eye", led them to not being appreciated at their time and only after some sanitization by the hierarchical authorities within the Church, we they rehabilitated. I almost sounds like what happened in many of the Communist countries of the 20th century - purges led to disavowing certain people only to have them resurrected later upon the death of those who initially called for the purges in the first place.

I would offer Rohr's current book The Naked Now as a way of entering into the Lenten journey that calls for prayer, fasting and almsgiving to make a true conversion of heart so that we can better encounter our God from this Easter forward.

But first, have that last gasp! Party like you have never partied for the journey ahead could be eye-opening..."third eye" opening.

AdSense Makes No Sense

2010-02-06T20:27:00.000-06:00

You will note that with the exception of the ad at the bottom of this blog from Other World Computing (OWC), which is the tip of my hat to anything Mac (Apple), I have dropped the other advertising, deciding to negate the commercialism that is seeping through every venue we have today.

I am glad that there are no pop-up ads as well as ads that try to connect with what I write. I want to keep relatively clean of these things as we get enough advertising blasted at us during our favorite TV shows, now reduced from an hour of programing to somewhere between 45 and 50 minutes. Why don't they just add the "advertising channel" to the listing on local cable and satellite connections and call it good?

Part of this is my response to a couple of books I am currently reading and my preparations for Lent. Removing the unnecessary clutter is what it is all about and that is what we are called to do during Lent, but more about that in a about a week and a half when we all find the time to be marked with the sign of our becoming penitents - at least that is what it should mean. For a majority of the people, it is nothing more than a quick fix from God.

Sorry, it isn't that easy. Cleaning up my blog from unsightly advertising, that is a different story.

Welcome aboard!

Hope

2010-02-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

Hope is not just a political catch-phrase. Hope is something that we all have and in most cases it is for the future that we hope for. But while we hope for things in the future, we must be firmly planted in the now and do whatever it takes at this very moment to make things work.

When Christ appeared as an infant, at that very moment it was a hopeful sign of what God had always said about humanity, that it was good. Read the first chapter of Genesis and you will note that not once does God refer to humanity as lacking in anything or even evil or bad. No, humanity is accorded the same stamp of approval as the stars, the moon, the seas, and the animals of the air and earth. We are all good and in that we should find hope in the here and now.

Yet, as humans, we a mindful that we do not always play it the way God intended and we don't exactly imitate the Lord's humanity in our everyday life, yet we hold out hope that we can put our failings in the past and move on to better people.

Today, as we encounter the political posturing both in civil society and the religions of the world as well, we do not seem to understand the importance of the now and that hope of being in the now to bring us all together as one in being with our creator. We have not recognized that we are created in God's image and as current genealogical searches have shown, more and more we see our links are with everyone around us. Even President Obama is the 10th cousin of the newly elected senator from Massachusetts along with his ancestral linkage to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. We are all brothers and sisters, relatives of each other and we need to adopt the commandment of hope through the commandment of love more and more in our dealing with one another rather than a scorched earth or winner-take-all policy that benefits no one and leads to greater hopelessness in the world.

Hope is a fragile concept, but we need to work more and more for the common good that was expressed by the founding fathers of this country. But hope must transcend these borders and become the beacon of light that we can live together and not destroy the creation that we were given to take care of, not to destroy.

An Ironic Celebration

2010-01-30T19:39:00.000-06:00

January 31st marks the beginning of Catholic Schools Week in the USA. This, upon much reflection on my part over the many years I have had to deal with it, is an ironic celebration.

I have served in a number of Catholic communities with Catholic elementary schools. My wife teaches at a Catholic high school and our son graduated from the same. To the extent that the name of the school is rendered Catholic, that seems to be about it as most principals must entice the parents and their offspring who attend said institution to be present at the liturgical worship service that gives praise for all the good that Catholic schools have given over the years. To many of these families who are Catholic - in name only - their appearance is similar to the "Chr-easters" who make themselves known at Christmas and Easter - their dutiful obligation to be present, for what I don't quite know, at these major liturgical feasts.

I must confess that I am not a product of the Catholic elementary school system, having deferred my Catholic education to undergrad and grad programs at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth MN and Loyola University in Chicago IL. And yet, I probably got more religious education in my elementary days than those who were supposedly getting it on a daily basis, we in Minnesota being the benefactor of Archbishop Ireland's vision back at the turn of the 20th century to not separate the Catholic kids from the Protestant kids and offer religious instruction to every school child, no matter what religion or belief system. Each Wednesday we were bused to our parishes for "Wednesday Release Classes" - always in the morning - where we got an extra helping of the Baltimore Catechism to supplement what we got when we attended Sunday School each weekend.

My position in the parishes I have ministered in forces me to play the game, but like any good person of faith, I always ask the question as to what we are actually accomplishing with a Catholic elementary school when our Religious Education program for the public school students who call this their parish as well is almost equal to the enrollment of the Catholic School? Is the current Catholic School model broke and if so, is their a vision for something that won't break the bank of a many a parish in this country who has to find creative ways to support the building, the teachers, and the parents who whine about the cost of Catholic education, although their only input to the financial stability of the parish is in tuition payments and not to the general needs of the entire parish?

Okay, so you know where I stand on this. Why isn't anyone with any authority listening rather than burying their head in the sand and hoping that some benefactor will step forward after winning the Mega Millions or Powerball lottery!

Reality Check with Mortality

2010-01-29T18:30:00.000-06:00

What looked to be a wonderful week on Monday morning quickly turned the world around our faith community on its ear. At 51 years of age, a parishioner died of the most uncommon of circumstances and left a wife of 18 years and 2 children - a high school freshman and a 3rd grader.

It's moments like this that calls us to reassess our lives and what we are doing and the relationships we have made.

The funeral liturgy allowed for all in attendance to hear a most appropriate text from the book of Ecclesiastes, a text that many my age grew up listening to on the radio...Turn, Turn, Turn!

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
       and a season for every activity under heaven: ² a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
       a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
       a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
       a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
       a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
       a time for war and a time for peace.
⁹ What does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ¹⁴ I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
¹⁵ Whatever is has already been,
       and what will be has been before;
       and God will call the past to account. ^[a]
¹⁶ And I saw something else under the sun:
       In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
       in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
¹⁷ I thought in my heart,
       "God will bring to judgment
       both the righteous and the wicked,
       for there will be a time for every activity,
       a time for every deed."
¹⁸ I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. ¹⁹ Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ^[b] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal ^[c] goes down into the earth?"
²² So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Pope Goes High Tech and Encourages Priests to do so!

2010-01-24T23:15:00.000-06:00

I love this. Not that I am the greatest fan of B16, but embracing the technology is what is it all about in this 21st century world. Can hardly wait to see how many priests embrace the idea of a blog let alone a Facebook page.

Enjoy the pix attached. WWJD? I think this pix says it all.

Mindless Meeting

2010-01-23T17:04:00.000-06:00

Now don't take me wrong, but in the grand scheme of things a meeting that lasts from 9 am to 2 pm on a Saturday (okay, 10 minute break and half hour lunch) is just a bit much with talking heads who basically could have done the handout thing and we could all have been out of there by noon.

So goes things when you work for the Church. Handouts, handouts, handouts.

One of the representatives to this APC Meeting (Archdiocesan Pastoral Council) complained that the minutes from the last meeting were 54 pages long and couldn't the Arch print them rather than we reps printing them. Why print them unless you really need them for reference, which we didn't as the approval of the previous minutes were unanimous as usual without any discussion.

And the beat goes on!

Drawing the Battle Lines

2010-01-22T16:54:00.000-06:00

Time to get Chicago tough on the Wall Street giants, the "too large to fail" banks and the health insurance industry. We need better insurance for all and less profits for the greedy crowd in the corporate suites. Couple that with the need to get back the blue collar jobs that have been lost from the time of "W" reign as president. That's the agenda from here on and to get it will take ever ounce of energy to knock some heads so that we don't become a country ruled by corporations.

It's Teapot Dome all over again and we need to call out the cavalry that inspired President Theodore Roosevelt. But we will talk loudly and carry a bigger stick!

Whack!!!

Civics Lesson

2010-01-21T21:41:00.004-06:00

After today's decision by the US Supreme Court, President Lincoln's famous quote now reads like this:

Government of the corporate interests, by the corporate interests and for the corporate interests.

Screw the rest of us!

A Will Roger's Day

2010-01-19T21:48:00.003-06:00

It is evident at this hour that the political party I have supported for years is once again showing its true colors. The late humorist Will Rogers, when asked which organized political party he belonged to fired back that he was a Democrat. Yep, unorganized, after the debacle in Massachusetts tonight, proves.

Maybe the biggest complaint I have with my "unorganized" party is that they managed in a little over a year to squander what political capital they had and become a joke, all because they couldn't marshall the troops to get meaningful healthcare reform done. It is now resonating on Wall Street where, in anticipation of the result in the Bay State, stocks rose because they bet that healthcare would fail and insurance and pharmaceutical companies would lose their profits. Of course not, they would just dig deeper into our pockets.

An analysis shows discontent at all levels and not just at Democrats, but Republicans, too. People are taking aim at incumbents.

But these same voters who are spreading this discontent have been unrealistic in what a sitting president can do when saddled with the economic mess he inherited that culminated in 8 years of mismanagement, not one but 2 wars to fight, and a myriad of other problems. As was pointed out in a recent newspaper article, no president since FDR has faced such a challenge and then throw in the fact that the opposition party, the Republicans, have done an about face and now after 8 years of wrecking our economy, tout the fact that they are responsible and sensible when it comes to economics...as long as you aren't middle class, blue color workers. Let the rich get richer and it will all trickle down. Thank you very much Ronald Reagan. Nothing happens over night and for those who voted for change in the fall of 2008, for the most part we human beings talk a good game, but when push comes to shove, we really don't want change that affects us, only the other guy. That's not change, that is hypocrisy.

So, tonight I go to bed knowing that there are now 41 NO VOTES that will be lining up in the Senate of the United States who only know how to say NO and have no plan on how to make things better. This is not government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is government for the corporate interests and I will not have any part of it.

Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-15T19:58:00.003-06:00

Lord, at times such as this,

when we realize that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined,

we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,

we know too well how small we truly are

on this ever‐changing, ever‐moving, fragile planet we call home.

Yet you have promised never to forget us.

Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.

They wait in fear of the next tremor.

They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.

They roam the streets in shock at what they see.

And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.

Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,

and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.

Console the hearts of those who mourn, and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion, we who watch from afar,

as the poorest on this side of the earth find only misery upon misery.

Move us to act swiftly this day, to give generously every day,

to work for justice always, and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,

the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,

and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,

let us not forget that we are all your children and they, our brothers and sisters.

We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place and the hills be tossed to the ground,

your love shall never leave us, and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever. Amen.

Inappropriate Comments about Haiti

2010-01-14T10:16:00.003-06:00

While it doesn't suggest that this country has headed down the path of being an uncaring nation, it is sad to hear the remarks yesterday of the Rev. Pat Robertson and the air-bag Rush Limbaugh exploit the misery of the people of Haiti who are suffering through the after-effects of the worst earthquake to their country in over 200 years.

For Robertson to suggest that the people of Haiti brought on this retribution because of a pact they made with the devil to seek freedom back in the 18th century suggests once again that the fundamental understanding of the Good News of Jesus Christ has been highjacked by the fringe movement of the evangelical-pentecostalist cohort. We should not be surprised as this is the same person who talked of God's retribution on the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Shame on Mr. Robertson for using this type of apocalyptic rhetoric to address the pain and suffering that has happened through no fault of the people of this impoverished country.

Likewise, the venomous tirade that came from the mouth of the self-proclaimed interpreter of the world's ills, Rush Limbaugh, for politicizing this catastrophic event and framing it as an opportunity for President Obama to make points with the minority population, trying to say that this event in Haiti was similar in scope to the foiled attempt to blow up a plane in Detroit on Christmas Day. No wonder ESPN let him go years ago for his disengagement of brain from words spoken. This irrational behavior only points to the deep-seated racism that exists in the very bones of this person who has the ability of swaying so many to his personal way of seeing things. It makes me wonder how ignorant the listeners of his program really are.

If civility in our Congress can be attained at this moment of crisis in this tiny and impoverished nation of Haiti by the very same people who have been using cut-throat tactics to attack the work of the legislative branch over what healthcare should or shouldn't look like in this country, shouldn't the public discourse be the same when it comes to dealing with the loss of human life at the hands of nature?

Our God is a compassionate and loving God and doesn't seek to punish anyone. At least that is my understanding of the Good News as brought to us by the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

For Those Who Shepherd the Faithful to be like Christ

2010-01-10T18:59:00.003-06:00

As we mark the halfway point in "The Year of the Priest," let us pray for these men who have taken up the vocation of the priesthood to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all.

All honor and glory to you, Lord our God, maker of all and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In your faithfulness and love, you sent your only Son to live with us and to save us by giving his life for us.

Today we offer you thanks and praise for choosing men of faith, to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus as they lead your flock with zeal and wisdom. We ask you to give them your fullest blessing in their priestly ministry. Help them to serve others as generously as Jesus did, in times of sorrow and in times of joy.

Caring God, bless all pastors, associate pastors, and resident priests, so that they may nourish us with your Word, lead us in prayer and worship, and sustain us as a shepherd and father.

Saving God, bless these men, so that they may instruct us by Christ's teaching,inspire us by their preaching, and encourage us by word and deed to work with them for the good of all parishes.

Loving God be close to your servants, as they follow your Son. Guide them in paths that are level and smooth. May your powerful grace make them strong in faith, joyful in hope, and fervent in love, this day and every day to come. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A Resolution

2010-01-09T19:38:00.004-06:00

STOP RIGHT NOW!

I am sick and tired of all the "doom and gloom" that seems so prevalent around my place of employment. I want to look at the possibilities not the laundry list of "what ifs" and "shoulda known thats". Why the downer always?

So, here it is the 9th day of the new year and I will work towards the possibilities and the hopefuls rather than the constant whining and grousing about what others should be doing and are not.

Check back with me in a month to see how things are progressing!

Wise Words Looking Back

2010-01-03T10:28:00.002-06:00

Since moving to Chicago nearly 20 years ago, I have always enjoyed the opinion of Charles Madigan and today's Chicago Tribune provides the reason why. Direct, to the point, and none of the posturing that some of the columnists that sit on editorial boards of major newspapers use to get their point across.

We have become a nation divided over the past decade and that plays out even more as we come out of a tumultuous year that Madigan nicely describes. We have to get over it or we will become a nation in permanent gridlock fueled by racism because we have an African-White American president (we often forget to mention that part of the parental equation) who rose to this level through hard work and education - something that seems to be severely lacking from the right and far-right fringes of society who pay attention to the conspiracy theorists and their cadre of Beck, Palin, Armey, and Cheney, who continue to rewrite the history of the past decade in hopes that no one notices.

Get all the facts straight and then come to a conclusion. Sift through the political posturing and see that we are all basically striving for the same thing and get off the kick that this was a country founded on Christian values and look up Deism before you go any further.

In the end, human beings hate change because it forces us to adjust the way we approach things and others. We are content to keep things slotted - round goes into round and square goes into square - don't mess with us, we are prone to say. But change is something that we all need and if it were not for change in our country since our founding and in the world, our mindset would border on medieval and archaic at best. And that, my friends, is what is happening to the major Christian religions of the world - slow to embrace the rapid change that was brought about by a simple machine over 600 years ago that allowed for people, ordinary people, to read the Good Book, the Holy Bible, for the first time. Pardon the pun, but that "revelation" started the "revolution" of change and there is no way that we can put it back in the box.

Two Days In...

2010-01-02T23:11:00.003-06:00

This has been an uneventful start to a new year and that's a very good thing.

With predictions of "lake effect" snow in much of northern Indiana into southwestern Michigan, we took a pass on our reservations at the Kingsley House B & B in Fenville for this weekend which included a Murder Mystery Dinner (it should be over by now). Little did I realize that I would be chastised by the innkeeper when I informed him of our opting out, but we didn't want to have to deal with the blowing and drifting and the possibility of getting stuck there an extra night come Sunday. Caution seemed the better alternative. But the note back was one of reminding us that this is winter and this happens all the time in that part of Michigan and that he was now forced to find someone to play our parts in the Murder Mystery. That's when I found out my wife was the murderess! Bad casting was my call when I informed him...a curt retort was all I got.

As people of the theatre, we understand the need to have a quality cast and we were more than up for the challenge, but we both thought that it was poor judgment to put crucial roles into the hands of people who had to travel a minimum of an hour and a half to get there in the first place. These staged murder mysteries should rely on the actors and the patrons should be given parts that do not play in to the ending to find out "who dunnit!"

Aside from that glitch - and the weather from that part of the country seems to have reinforced our apprehension - we have enjoyed two very quiet days, even taking time to enjoy our annual New Year's tradition of All-You-Can-Eat Crab at King Crab on North Halsted - a block up from the Steppenwolf Theatre - with our son and some of his theatre friends. A good time was had by all yesterday afternoon.

Yes, it is cold outside, but we could be back in North Dakota (-23 without the windchill in Fargo) or Minnesota (-36 without the windchill in International Falls) dealing with far more severe weather. Chicago at Zero is just fine.

Let's hear it for day 3 of 2010 which will soon become a reality.

Judge Not...

2009-12-30T11:02:00.003-06:00

In the most recent issue of National Catholic Reporter, an interesting piece suggested that the bishops of this country have been wrongheaded when pouring out their vitriol on those candidates for political office - almost all of them being of the Democratic persuasion - by denying them the Sacrament of Holy Communion for their stance as a "pro-choice" candidate, yet have not meted out the same sentence on those - primarily of the Republican persuasion - who wholly support the idea of "preemptive war" and "the death penalty" and might I add, a sane immigration that this group of national legislators have stonewalled even when one of their own was occupying the White House.

Lest we point fingers gentlemen, this NCR piece suggests, they should look in their own backyards and deal with the crisis that many of these bishops were complicit to - the sexual abuse scandal that broke in 2002. We need only look oversees to the continuous resignations within the Catholic Church of Ireland and the number of bishops who have resigned because of the magnitude of the sexual abuse scandal that has taken place there. Do we see any of the bishops of this country "laying down on their swords" or do they just turn their heads in hopes that we, the people of God, don't pay attention? Or, better yet, use the old "hand is quicker than the eye" and deflect our attention from this major concern when trying to get fallen-away Catholics to Come Home, but voting in near unanimity for a new translation of the Roman Missal (the Sacramentary) and the prayers that we will recite once final approval is given by Rome, thus staying "true to the Latin" when in actuality it is a flawed translation that no one I know is accepting with open arms?

With the soon to be old year very close and the dawn of a new year much anticipated, maybe it is time once again for the "sense of the faithful" - sensus fidelium - to become more active and put pressure on these judgmental clerics who are our shepherds to not fix what is not broken in the eyes of the faithful they are supposed to be shepherding through the maze of life we call this world.

Judge not, brothers in Christ, for your sins are evident. The casting of stones in a specific direction is becoming more and more noticeable, much to the chagrin of those who take a more liberal or progressive stance on which direction the politics of this country should move towards.

Is It Over Yet?

2009-12-28T22:45:00.002-06:00

The clock is ticking and in a few days this year of 2009 will be history. My only question is if we have learned anything this past year?

This year has shown us how inhuman we can be and the so-called debate in the halls of Congress are a perfect example of spreading fear throughout the chambers as well as into the hearts of the citizens. Lies, half-truths and deception have played out and now we find that the opposition party considered it okay back when they were the party in control to lose control of the federal budget, but now, with it spiraling on the downward side, it is no longer prudent behavior and healthcare reform, so they say, will further lead us into crisis.

There is a truth out there that says we always fear the unknown and truthfully, what we lay down as laws we can only hope that they do what they were intended to do. But to do nothing. To stand by and stall any positive change wreaks of medieval behavior that the Grand Inquisitor himself would have been proud of.

In his most recent book, Dan Brown, yes the Dan Brown of "the DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" suggests as much, that as a human race, we a truly fearful of what could be - the bold steps to make humanity into a peaceful and productive world society. No, what we are best at is fear and questioning the motives of those who spread the Gospel of Hope. It has happened throughout all of history and is evident in all the major religions and philosophies of the world. Rather than embrace hope and the possibilities of making this a better world, we curl up in our corners of the world and spread doubt and fear - the unknown is wicked, we are told, and the hope that is being spread is nothing more than a fantasy.

I hope that some of us, at least, can see this in action today. The delaying of change to make all humanity better rather than further separating the "haves" from the "have nots", leveling the playing field for all to be fully integrated into the human society without fear of reprisal for what we believe.

Jesus Christ was such a man who preached hope and truth. He, as we all know, was hung out to dry in the scorching desert sun of the Mediterranean, nothing more than a common criminal who polluted the minds of those who had the sense to follow him and to preach and teach that a new way of life was possible by simply having faith in the truth that came from his father - God - and that we would all be able to live in a way that our ancestors would only hope for.

We say we believe in the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we only pay it lip service so that we can attain our own purely personal goals, stepping on those who get in our way, throwing them off the cliff to struggle for themselves because they are perceived as weak. If you take a good look around, the hope that we had 12 months ago has been turned, like bade wine, to vinegar, and the fear-mongers who made it possible are selling once again the snake oil potions that got them to their place in this life.

In the musical "Godspell", the music of Stephen Schwartz calls to us in a very special way, quoting the scripture that gives us truth: "turn back, O man, foreswear thy foolish ways." We have an opportunity to turn back from fear and embrace the truth and hope that God has endowed us with. Let us not wait for a new year. Let us begin this very moment to quell the fear that permeates our press with those who fear their loss of stature because it would also mean their loss of wealth, not considering that it was their lust for "earthly possessions" that pushed us to this crisis of faith - in government, in our fellow human being, and by invoking their self-righteous belief in God and Christ, our faith in Christ and God!

Where's the "Christian" in Christmas

2009-12-23T12:14:00.003-06:00

I thought I unsubscribed to the constant barrage of emails from a very conservative Catholic who found me and just added me to his list. Nope. Today I received yet another hit and with more of the rightwing, conservative agenda that stretches the truth on healthcare and the debate that they are trying to engage in. I was livid and this is what I sent off:

PLEASE TAKE THIS EMAIL ADDRESS OFF YOUR LIST. YOUR RIGHT WING VIEWS LACK ACCURATE FACTS ABOUT WHAT THIS HEALTHCARE DEBATE IS ALL ABOUT. SHOULD YOU WISH TO CONTINUE TO SIDE WITH THE REPUBLICAN "NO" MACHINE AND NOT PRESENT ANYTHING OF MERIT REGARDING OUR CURRENT HEALTHCARE SITUATION IN THIS COUNTRY - THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT DOESN'T PROTECT "ALL" OF ITS PEOPLE WITH ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE - I URGE YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BIG HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES AND DROP MEDICARE FROM YOUR PORTFOLIO - IT YOU ARE OF THAT AGE - SO THAT SOMEONE MORE DESERVING CAN USE IT.

THE HATE THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING METED OUT BY THE RIGHT WING FROM THE LIKES OF PALIN, LIMBAUGH & BECK, JUST TO NAME A FEW, IS NOTHING MORE THAN BE SPOILED SPORTS BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS TOOK A ROYAL THUMMPING IN THE FALL OF 2008. I DON'T RECALL THIS SORT OF VITRIOL LEVELED AT GEORGE W. BUSH BY THE OPPOSITION, OF WHICH I AM ONE, BECAUSE AFTER ALL HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND WE ARE TAUGHT - AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT MY CIVICS TEACHER IN NINTH GRADE TAUGHT US - THAT WE MUST ALWAYS RESPECT THE "OFFICE" NO MATTER WHO IS SITTING IN THE CHAIR.

SO CEASE THESE MAILINGS.

AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF A COMPASSIONATE AND LOVING SAVIOR, IT WOULD BE WISE FOR ALL OF US TO ASK THE QUESTION OF "WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?". UNFORTUNATELY, THOSE FROM THE CONSERVATIVE - RIGHT WING MOVEMENT THAT YOU SEEM TO BE A PART OF - ARE READY AND WILLING TO NOT IMITATE A LOVING AND COMPASSIONATE SAVIOR, BUT TO BECOME A JUDGMENTAL GOD WHO POINTS FINGERS AND DENIES ACCESSIBILITY TO A GOD WHO UNDERSTANDS OUR FAILINGS AND FAULTS AND WELCOMES US BACK IN HIS LOVING ARMS. CHRIST DENIED NO ONE ACCESS TO HIS TABLE WHEN HE DINED AND WAS WILLING TO ENGAGE IN CONSTRUCTIVE CONVERSATION. YOU, AND THAT IS A COLLECTIVE REFERENCE, HAVE ALL BECOME EXACTLY WHAT JOHN DEAN WROTE ABOUT ABOUT IN HIS BOOK A FEW YEARS BACK - CONSERVATIVES WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. OR AS AN ARCHBISHOP OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN CANADA WAS WILLING TO SAY A FEW DAYS AGO - WHAT EXISTS IN THE UNITED STATES IS NOT A "CHRISTIAN ETHIC" BUT AN ETHIC BASED MORE ON OLD TESTAMENT, MOSAIC LAW THAN ANYTHING THAT CHRIST PREACHED.

SO BE IT!

To further understand where this is coming from, use the link above to hear the retired Archbishop of the Orthodox Church in Canada put it all in perspective thanks to Chicago Public Radio's Worldview program. It is a telling interview and speaks to the truth of what we have become in this country.

Five Days Before Christmas...

2009-12-20T18:14:00.003-06:00

And depending on where you are in the metropolitan area surrounding Chicago, there is either nary a trace of the white stuff or enough to befuddle the plows and salt trucks. It was quirky day yesterday, but still at this hour, what was in our yard and on the sidewalk this morning is next to or virtually nothing. White Christmas? We shall wait and see what the forecasters bring in the next few days.

While we in the Midwest seem to have missed the brunt of winter's wrath, the poor souls on the Eastern seaboard have been pummeled and not being as accustomed to this sort of thing, are taking it all in stride. This is a good thing, particularly in the halls of Congress where they "piddle, twittle, and resolve...no one damn thing do they solve" to quote the notable lyric from the musical 1776. Appropriate to the high-jinx that is currently going on in that august body know as the Senate.

What will happen by Christmas Eve, should the time clocks work according to the game plan, we will have a Senate version of healthcare legislation that will eventually be reconciled with the House version and then, through some miracle, will find its way to the President's desk for signature. My hope is that looks more like the House bill and not the very watered down Senate version. And my prediction, at this rate, reconciliation will take all of the Lenten season, a penitential journey that should ultimately with triumph, a sort of Easter moment. It only took them a whole year to get this far! But remember, that is my prediction. No wagers to whether I will be right or wrong on this.

Is Anybody There?

2009-12-14T09:12:00.003-06:00

It's disheartening when the best plans turn out to benefit but a few people. That's how I would sum up yesterday afternoon as only a paltry 35 people showed for the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance at our parish, with about one quarter of them bailing as the confessors closed the doors on their individual rooms.

And yet, we hear of opportunities around this archdiocese where the numbers are staggering, but then again, maybe it has to do more with anonymity than the actual participation in the sacrament itself. Local confessors know their flock and in a society that professes to be socially mobile, only those who don't want to drive to somewhere else will show up to participate in this sacrament that has seen many incarnations since its first inception centuries ago.

Personally, I too take the alternate route as the confessors I work with know me too well and the anonymity of being just another person in the pew is somewhat refreshing.

Another look is needed at the value of the sacrament in the eyes of the faithful, but with an entrenched hierarchy that only sees things in the past, the discussion will never become fully open unless the dialogue includes those who are most affected.

Our need to reconcile with God and those to whom we have sinned is a necessary part of our being Christian Catholics, but there needs to be some creative way of addressing this rather than heading back to the "good ole days" when hiding behind a screen in a dark closet was the way we addressed this most public of sins.

In some ways we have replaced the privacy of "the box" to the privacy of going elsewhere where no one knows us and this nothing to enhance the spiritual vitality of the parishes where the numbers of those attending the sacrament are dwindling as "Rome" fiddles away at tinkering with new language and translations that will further alienate the faithful.

The Eternal Christ

2009-12-11T11:06:00.004-06:00

(excerpt by Richard Rohr in an article by Rich Heffern in the National Catholic Reporter, December 11, 2009)

Western Christianity has plucked Jesus

completely out of the Trinity.

The historical Jesus has become the new monotheistic God

(God the Father for all practical purposes.)

Once you no longer have a Trinitarian view,

you no longer have a dynamic view of God.

When you emphasize Jesus apart

from God the Father and the Holy Spirit,

creation is just an afterthought or a backdrop

to a limited salvation drama,

an evacuation plan to the next world.

We become preoccupied with the last three hours of Jesus’ life

when we get the blood sacrifice that gets us humans saved,

our tickets to heaven punched.

(Protestants are somewhat worse than Catholics on this.)

The real trump card of Christianity

is not just that we believe in God.

The mystery we are about is much more than that:

It’s that the material and spiritual coexist;

It’s the mystery of the Incarnation.

Once we restore the idea that the Incarnation means

God truly loves creation,

then we restore the sacred dimension to Nature.

We bring the plants and animals and all of nature

in with us.

They are windows

into the endless creativity, fruitfulness, and joy of God.

We assert that we believe

in the sweep of history, humanity, and all of creation,

that Christ includes.

Incarnation is already Redemption.

Bethlehem is more important than Calvary.

It is good to be human.

The Earth is good.

God has revealed that God has always

It's Here!

2009-12-08T16:36:00.003-06:00

Winter has finally arrived. I can't remember the last time it was actually December before the first snowfall took place, but like all first snowfalls of the season, even with only and inch or snow of the white stuff, people began acting as if they had never driven in any snow before or living out their lives in southern Florida. How quickly we forget.

The snail's pace crawl the past two mornings made me think that taking public transportation would have been more efficient and less stressful, but I persisted and endured, with the help of some prime "Bubbly Creek" coffee from the Bridgeport Coffeehouse, the hour and a half trek yesterday morning and the hour trek this morning. As for tomorrow and what the weather will bring, it's as predictable as a slot machine in the Vegas Casino. At last count, I believe I have read at least 5 different weather predictions for the next 48 hours. How do you plan? You don't. You just learn to "go with the flow."

What I don't like about these hyped storms is that they give a false sense of the whole area coming to a screeching halt. The panic can be seen in the eyes of every television reported perched atop an expressway overpass with predictions that rank up there with the dooms day prognosticators of old.

I really would welcome a big dump - lots and lots of snow that would prevent anyone from getting about. Having grown up in northern Minnesota and spending a fair portion of time in the northern tier of North Dakota, I know that a blizzard is God's way of pulling us up short and reminding us that we have no control over what happens with the weather - that doesn't mean I am against all forms of climate change proposals - it just puts me into the reality that this is God's way of tell us to slow down, relish life and not overwork ourselves. God planned vacations are much better than the ones we plan anyway because they are thrust upon and allow the creative mind to work unlike all the preplanning that goes into a normal vacation that too often leaves us at a level of frustration because what we had planned didn't turn out the way we expected.

So Winter is truly here. Enjoy it and remember, if it weren't for winter we wouldn't yearn for Spring, which means that we are that much closer to another season of baseball.

A Return to the True Spirit of Giving

2009-12-05T12:58:00.003-06:00

We seem to be a society of "getting" rather than "giving." In some cases, and I am one of those who "gets it", every time our staff gets around to this time of the year to plan the annual Christmas party, which always takes place after the beginning of the new year, we pull from the hat to whom we will give a gift.

A few years ago our household came to the conclusion that there really isn't anything more that we need, but wanting is a whole different thing. So, when I suggested no gifts, I was met with some resistance and then opted to have a donation made in my to a charitable organization rather than go through the whole process of trying to find something for someone I really don't know all that well and knows me even less.

Maybe it was the hearkening back to the Bishop of Myra, St. Nicholas, and the story of his generosity, a generosity we should all have. We are often told that it is better to give than receive and for those who don't want anything in return for their gift, that should be acknowledged as well. But, we seem to have it all backward in this society of ours, seeking affirmation for giving when it is our call to give without recognition for God knows and that should be sufficient.

Tomorrow, December 6th, marks the day of St. Nicholas and an opportunity to turn a new leaf on how we prepare for the celebration of Christmas. Before things were shrunk down to one day and then out goes the tree, the celebration of Christmas was a 12 day experience and the true gift-giving took place on the day that Christ was revealed to all humanity - Epiphany and the appearance of the wise men offering gifts. During these early days of Advent, the simple exchange of a gift honoring St. Nicholas should suffice.

Is all of this anti-economic revitalization? I think not. But we should be more in the spirit of giving from the heart than giving from the wealth to please those who we give gifts to.

Was This Really Necessary?

2009-11-29T23:05:00.003-06:00

Once again, a piece from my cyberfriend John Churchman...an interesting rejoinder from E.J. Montini's column in the November 22, 2009, issue of the Arizona Republic. And the sad thing is that Bishop Olmsted isn't the only one who helped the cause with a cash donation!

Rhyme, but no reason, for bishop's donation

A reader had a sad refrain/
But did not wish to write it plain./
And so with Seuss-like zeal did deign/
To craft a query in quatrain./

He (or she) wrote:/
“Mr. Montini, could you explain,/
“Is the Phoenix Catholic Diocese insane?/
“While poor folks here are full of pain/

“Our church sends 50 grand to Maine?/”
I respond:/

Yes, Bishop Olmsted did ordain/
That he would help his friends in Maine/
Who needed money to maintain/
Their anti-married gays campaign./

In Maine a state law did proclaim/
That any Dwight could marry Dwayne./
The church held this view in disdain/
And sought the old laws to retain./

To win that vote they had to gain/
Some riders on their money train./
Our bishop from his vast domain/
With cash did shower them like rain./

Fifty thousand dollars came/
From Phoenix all the way to Maine./
And helped the churches in their aim/
To bring the old rules back again./

Meantime, OUR state is full of pain./
The governor has made it plain./
State services we can't maintain./
The budget crisis is to blame./

While politicians play their game/
The poor are going down the drain./
They need assistance that's humane/
Their meager lifestyle to sustain./

By sending money off to Maine/
The bishop seems to make the claim/
That poor folks here eat quiche Lorraine/
And wash it down with fine champagne/

What does Phoenix have to gain/
From shipping 50 grand to Maine?/
Can one stake a moral claim/
When politics is made to reign?/

Politicians are the bane/
Of everything that's good and sane./
Do not Christians in the main/
Avoid the secular and vain?/

It seems a little inhumane,/
Less like Abel, more like Cain,/
To send money with the aim/
Of changing policy in Maine./

But bishops like old monarchs reign,/
Each one a little Charlemagne./
Parishioners cannot constrain/
Their spending habits or terrain./

A reader can to me complain/
With four lines meant to entertain./
And I can rack my little brain/
To rhyme her back in the same vein./

But rhyming doesn't change the game./
And rhymers cannot be profane./
The bishop here sent cash to Maine./
All we can say is, that's a shame./

Freedom Trumps Fear-dom

2009-11-19T21:40:00.003-06:00

We are being told that healthcare reform isn't something we need in this country and that the current system is just fine. We are being told that we can't bring to trial in NYC those terrorists who hatched the plot that etched 9/11 in our minds forever because our justice system can't handle it. We are being told that housing current terrorists from Gitmo to a highly secure facility on the Mississippi River just 150 miles west of Chicago will incite more terrorists to stream across our country and take aim at the Willis (formerly the Sears) Tower.

I remember back in school having to listen to FDR's speech before Congress after the assault on the Navy that eventually led this country to confront the enemy in the Pacific Theatre as well as the European Theatre. The quote is forever etched in my mind although this all happened years before I was born into this land of bravery and freedom. FDR reminded us that "the only thing that we have to fear is fear itself." Pretty direct if you ask me.

Today, the fear-mongers have found a convenient outlet to find a way of stamping our freedom with fear-dom. The rush after 9/11 to enact legislation that takes away our rights and defending these as necessary not realizing that they smack of a totalitarian regimes power play to play on fears of the people, a fear that is misplaced when we should utter the words of hope and how the freedoms we have were won over hard-fought battles throughout our history.

I believe in the power of the people, fully educated in the matters that confront us from the battles against terrorist actions against our country to the terrorist acts in Congress that do not listen to the will of the people to make necessary changes for the common good of the people who elected these representatives. The fear that something positive will come out of reform of healthcare is not new as it is the same fear that reared its ugly head when Social Security was proposed and Medicare as well.

Why do we willingly allow ourselves to be sucked in to the "half empty glass" scenario rather than seeing the possibilities that lay before us? The same holds true with our system of justice that works well allowing it to speak as the loudest anti-terror weapon we have, calling out these terrorists as common thugs rather than heroic images for a flawed way of life.

Freedom does reign over Fear-dom, yet too many in this country are being swayed by the negative, doom and gloom rhetoric that covers our media 24/7, not willing to separate the weeds from the wheat to find the really truth.

If the truth can really set us free then we need to all step up to the plate right now and correct our personal outlook and dig ourselves out of the morass we have been complicit to in this time of economic recession as well as mind depression and see that we are fearing only fear and nothing else. We can and must make the ship right and now is the time to unplug the naysayers and raise the flag of hope that we had in our hands a little over a year ago.

One man or woman cannot do it alone. We must all join hands and work to return common sense and truth and sweep aside those who continue to use fear to gain an advantage. Trump fear with freedom which translated is HOPE!

Sound Like Your Church?

2009-11-15T18:29:00.003-06:00

One Sunday morning an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin.

Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were very worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn out bible.

The Church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen.

The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and accessories.

As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him.

No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled at his appearance and did not attempt to hide it. The preacher gave a long sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a stern lecture on how much money the church needed to do God's work.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what He thinks would be appropriate attire for worship."

The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored.

The preacher approached the man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."

"I did," replied the old cowboy.

"If you spoke to God, what did he tell you the proper attire should be for worshiping in here?" asked the preacher.

"Well, sir, God told me that He didn't have a clue what I should wear.

He says He's never been in this church!

Health Care Reform is Needed Now

2009-11-14T16:34:00.003-06:00

Every once in a while I stumble on a new perspective to this ongoing debate. This piece is from the Minnesota State Retiree Council AFL-CIO (November 2009 issue), and NO, I'm not retired, but this newsletter comes to me because my mother suffers from Alzheimers and often does not comprehend what she is reading.

"The big bucks ad campaign is all over TV - the pitch is - hundreds of billions of dollars are going to be cut from Medicare, and those seniors with Medicare Advantage plans are going to be hit especially hard, but boy - we will all take it on the chin according to the spin of the insurance company front groups.

And the campaign is reaping rewards for the promoters. Polling shows those over 65 are least supportive of health care reform, so Congress people are undoubtedly hearing from seniors who oppose health care reform, and we need to counteract that be letting our Congressional delegation know seniors support change that will help strengthen Medicare.

But you may have have questions about whether there is a grain of truth at the base of the advertising blitz. Actually, if there is not health care reform, Medicare will go into deficit spending in 2017 based on the projected rate of medical spending increases. The largest driver of increasing costs for Medicare is not the greater number of recipients as baby boomers retire, but the rising costs of medical care for all citizens. So reforms that control medical costs are needed in order to avoid deficit spending for Medicare in the not too distant future.

This means that health care reforms like a public option, universal coverage, movement to electronic medical records and team management of those with chronic health problems that are aimed at controlling ALL medical costs are a key to helping Medicare, in addition to proposals that specifically strengthen Medicare funding. Here are some measures specifically aimed at Medicare solvency:

Allow those in the 55-64 age group who have no employer health care coverage to buy into Medicare. This helps in two ways - first, these people will put their own money into Medicare rather than government money, helping the funding base; second, this brings in a healthier group of people who will have lower usage and therefore lower overall cost.
Allow negotiation of drug prices for Medicare recipients, as is the case for the Veteran's health care programs, with resulting huge savings in costs to the VA and taxpayers.
Cut back on the "Medicare Advantage" enjoyed by private insurers who are profiting by siphoning off money that should go to Medicare. Studies show that the Medicare Advantage programs are actually "advantaging" the insurance companies at about five to six percent going to their profits rather than passing along benefits to seniors. The reforms do not eliminate Medicare Advantage, they cut back the five to six percent that has been going to profits rather an to seniors and should allow current programs to continue without changes.
Reform the regional disparities that result in lower compensation to providers in the most efficient health care providing areas of the country.

Of course, the "donut hole" should be filled in, and pharmaceutical companies have actually pledged money to ensure that correction as part of reform."

Of course, your voice is needed on this. Get in touch with your Congressional delegations and let them know where you stand.

Abortion Reform or Healthcare

2009-11-14T09:17:00.003-06:00

The more I read about the Stupack Amendment that was tacked on to the Healthcare legislation that passed through the House of Representatives a week ago, the more I am irritated, most notably with Congressman Stupack, but also with the bishops of this country who have embraced the legislation and in so doing, help to create an unhealthy environment for possible healthcare reform in this country.

Maybe, at this juncture, we need to go back a month or so and realize that sitting right before us is the best "public option" for healthcare reform: Medicare. It was noted on many of the MSNBC shows as well as in the newspapers, that a "Medicare for All" would be the easiest way of making a transition to a very reliable and popular healthcare plan.

Its too easy...but then Congress never does anything easy.

Damn the Republicans, Full Speed Ahead

2009-11-08T15:45:00.003-06:00

History in the making and because of last minute maneuvering, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops were even on board. What a coup! Now if only the Senate would see that a majority is all that is needed to pass the legislation and not hold out for the 60 votes they are always talking about. Didn't the Democrats win the 2008 election to place them in control of the Senate chamber?

The days of the bipartisan approach have long disappeared and it is the Republicans who were the cause of this, not the Democrats. During the past 8 years of the reign of "W", most legislation came through Congress with little or no support from the Democrats, but there was no talk of bipartisanship at the time. It was literally "Damn the Democrats, full speed ahead". The Democrats jumped onboard for some of the extraordinary legislation as a result of 9/11 and the unnecessary invasion of Iraq, lest they be labeled as "anti-American" and "not supporting the servicemen and women of our country."

96% of all Americans can look forward to some healthcare coverage for the first time, yet we hear the whining on the right that this is a government takeover. Apparently Medicare is not a government run insurance plan, at least from the glasses that the Republicans are using.

It's time to push this through the Senate, get it into conference, and finally on the desk of the President so that this country can move on secure in the knowledge that there will be a way for just about every American to afford healthcare.

A Memorable Week Up Until Now

2009-11-06T13:35:00.003-06:00

The last three days of October proved to be rather wonderful with an impromptu trip to the northern area of Minnesota and to sit down for nearly two hours with my mother, good health at 85 but suffering with Alzheimers, and then having an enjoyable lunch in an old haunt elsewhere on the Iron Range with a very good friend who often passes for my brother and the manager of the Minnesota Twins. While the treacherous descent last Thursday evening into Duluth via a Toyota Camry rental because of pea-soup thick fog that caused all of us to negotiate as close to the side of the highway to see the yellow line and at a snail's pace of nearly 10 mph, the remainder of the day and a half I spent there was rather relaxing allowing me to enjoy the week ahead, a scheduled staff meeting, et al.

That all changed yesterday and again today with the news of another senseless shooting in both Texas and Florida coupled with the ramping up of the naysayers who just don't see the need to have healthcare reform. My question here is probably the most simple one can make: have we become so consumed with ourselves that we have turned to completely selfish ways when dealing with the ups and downs of our lives?

The gospel message that I follow is one that calls for all of us to consider the common good, the general welfare of all people when we are called to positions of leadership. The scare tactics of the far right wing equating healthcare reform to that of the gas chambers of Nazi Germany are reprehensible at best and measured with society's abundance of guns, it is any wonder that only way we seem to be solving our distaste with what we don't like is to assassinate another human life both physically and verbally, forever damaging society and the freedoms that many men and women throughout the years have fought for and died for.

Our national anthem seems to have morphed into the Sinatra standard "My Way" rather than trying to put aside the differences and sit down in a peaceful manner to work out the things that need to be worked out. We do not live in a true democracy and until we understand that this "republic" for which the flag of this United States stands for is the entity that we have given our allegiance to, then we will have lost the vision of our founding fathers in trying to create a country that embraces every person because they are are creation of God and in that creation we are reminded that God called all of it "good."

The day before heading back to Minneapolis to hop a plane back to Chicago, many of us down on Duluth's Canal Park were ducking in and out of the many stores, avoiding the rain drops. But then, there it was, a rainbow, bright as can be at its endpoints as it arched its way into the dark thunderhead cloud above, disappearing in the middle, but ever so bright at the endpoints. It is this rainbow that should remind us of the great flood unleashed on the world many millennia ago and the promise of the rainbow that God would never destroy the his creation again.

Unfortunately, we humans seem to be doing a very good job in that category at this very moment.

The Problem is...

2009-10-26T11:00:00.003-05:00

...The Nuns are Women (from my cyberfriend John Churchman).

Nuns being Women are second-class citizens in the catholic Church40 years after feminism utterly changed America.The matter of women as priests is closed, a forbidden topic.

In 2004, Ratzinger wrote a Vatican document urging women to be submissive partners, resisting any adversarial roles with men and cultivating feminine values like listening, welcoming, humility, faithfulness, praise and waiting. God’s Rottweiler (called such for his enforcement of orthodoxy) once a conscripted member of the Hitler Youth, pardoned a schismatic bishop who claimed that there was no Nazi gas chamber and argued on a trip to Africa that distributing condoms could make the AIDS crisis worse.

The Vatican is now conducting two inquisitions into the quality of life of American nuns, a dwindling group with an average age of about 70, hoping to herd them back into their old-fashioned habits and convents and curb any speck of modernity or independence.

Nuns who took Vatican II as a mandate for reimagining their mission started to look uppity to an awful lot of bishops and priests and, of course, the Vatican.

The church enabled rampant pedophilia, but nuns who live in apartments and do social work with ailing gays: Sacrilegious!

The pope can wear Serengeti sunglasses and expensive red loafers, but shorter hems for nuns? Disgraceful! It’s a tragedy because nuns are the jewels of the system.

As the Vatican is trying to wall off the brides of Christ, it is welcoming extreme-right Anglicans into the Catholic Church the ones who are disgruntled about female priests and openly gay bishops. Il Papa is even willing to bend Rome’s most doggedly held dogma, against married priests as long as they’re clutching the Anglicans’ Book of Common Prayer.

Most of the Anglicans who want to move over to the Catholic Church under this deal are people who have scorned women as priests and have scorned gay people. The Vatican doesn’t care that these people are motivated by disdain.

The nuns are pushing back a bit, but it’s hard, since the church has decreed that women can’t be adversarial to men. A nun writing in Commonweal as Sister X protests, American women religious are being bullied. The church can be flexible, except with women.

An Illinois woman had a son with a Franciscan priest and the church agreed to child support but was stingy with money for college and for doctors, once the son got terminal cancer. The priest had never been disciplined and was a pastor in Wisconsin until he hit the front page. Even then, he was suspended only because the woman said that he had pressed her to have an abortion and that he had also had a sexual relationship with a teenager. (Maybe the church shouldn’t be so anti-condoms.)

When then-Cardinal Ratzinger was The Enforcer in Rome, he investigated and disciplined two American nuns. One, Jeannine Gramick, then of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, founded a ministry to reconcile gays with the church, which regards homosexual desires as disordered. The other, Mary Agnes Mansour of the Sisters of Mercy, headed the Michigan Department of Social Services, which, among other things, paid for abortions for poor women.

The Nuns do great work, but the problem is They’re Women!

Come Home...

2009-10-23T23:14:00.003-05:00

...Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians?

Okay, maybe that is farfetched, but with three major dioceses in this country ready to roll out the media blitz beginning in Advent - only a month away by all accounts - it seems as if the Holy See is making plans for the disaffected of at least one denomination to find a home within the original "one holy, catholic and apostolic church."

As for me, I have nothing against the Anglican Communion, having served happily over the course of nearly ten years, not counting the time I spent in high school, with two very spiritual Episcopalian - that's what we call the Anglican Communion in this country - communities. More importantly, sitting on my bookshelf in my office is the most recent Book of Common Prayer along with the 1982 Hymnal, which of course came out in 1985 as any good Episcopalian will tell you. Add to that that I also have a copy of the 1927 and the most familiar 1941 Hymnal - I just love the fact that they name their hymnals by year - which I from time to time delve into to find a hymn setting or a text which I can't find in most Catholic hymnals or songbooks.

One of my favorite hymns from these books is very appropriate for the Feast of All Saints which we will celebrate next weekend - I Sing a Song of the Saints of God. I know that it is in essence a children's song, but the catechesis is important in pointing out that their are many saints among us who do not get the official canonization of the Church Universal in Rome.

But back to the "lost sheep of the Anglican Communion" - I am anxiously awaiting the full story of how this is actually going to be done and what affect it will have on the Church Universal since it will have its own "ordinate", or so we have been told, and what ramifications that will bring. I for one would like to be able to use Eucharistic Prayer C found in the 1982 Hymnal for all its cosmological language that metaphorically places us in a more understandable relationship with God than most of the Eucharistic Prayers the Catholic Church now uses and will be changed in the next year to provide a "clearer voice" of the faithful as we celebrate around the Lord's table.

In the end, I wonder what the one of the founders of the great Oxford Movement of the Anglican Church might think were he alive today, the venerable and much published and read Cardinal John Henry Newman who himself switched during the movement from the Anglican to the Roman Catholic Church? Speaking of conversions, maybe buried in the long library of writings we could find that former Presbyterian Cardinal Avery Dulles also ruminated on such a welcoming for his former affiliation before converting to the "one true church."

Time will tell as this welcoming of the long disaffected Anglican Church's more conservative membership are welcomed at the door that we have been told they have been knocking at for some time seeking sanctuary from the left-leaning thoughts of a church gone astray. But, after looking closely at the current state of the Church Universal, like the disaffected Catholics that are being targeted, what really are they coming home to? There is probably more division here than where they are now.

Then again, the grass always looks greener on the other side of the tracks!

A Day to Enjoy

2009-10-19T18:22:00.003-05:00

It wasn't quite the full display of fall colors, but the temps edged toward the upper 50's and by afternoon were in the mid 60's, a much needed relief from the near freezing temperatures of the past few weeks.

Morton Arboretum is a joy to walk around and scattered with creative Scarecrows from neighboring elementary and middle schools, being in the midst of nature as the season's colors make themselves known was the best way to spend a morning away from the office and for my wife, from the classroom.

Unlike most schools, todays was a day off for reasons that are too long to explain, but being amongst the towers trees of various varieties and the plumage of the prairie grasses was a sight that didn't escape the camera - I leave the great shots up to my wife.

Hopefully, before the month closes out, we can make it back for the full technicolor spectacle.

Take some time and enjoy the change of seasons, something that is pure midwest and makes us better understand the very nature of God's creation in our personal journey to a better relationship with our neighbors, friends and ultimately with God.

A Wave and A Smile

2009-10-15T21:10:00.003-05:00

Heading up Martin Luther King Drive this morning around 8:15 am, with a drizzle in the air, there, off to my left, standing in his lime-green raincoat was a Chicago Public School crossing guard - waving at all with a huge grin on his face.

We all seemed to wave back and enjoy this ray of sunshine in what has been a dreary and cold week in Chicago.

Thank You, whoever you are for you sunshine in my life today!

Getting Out of Afghanistan, Now, More than Ever!

2009-10-09T12:58:00.003-05:00

In light of the stunning headlines from Norway on the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama, he should now take under consideration that the dialogue which he opened with the world to reduce the nuclear threat should be shown in action by terminating the war in Afghanistan, a nation that has conquered the greatest civilization going back to the army of Alexander the Great. Our servicemen and women would be very grateful as would their families and this nation that no more American blood will be shed in the name of a war that our previous president began, but never had a strategy for, similar to the Iraq mess that he got us in to by taking his eye off the Afghanistan problem and the need to track down the terrorists.

Terrorism will continue to exist, but the events of the last few weeks have shown that continued vigilance on the intelligence front can reap rewards and thwart another major attack. Nothing we can do in the middle east will ever solve all of the problems that have made this a powder keg of violence. Only those who will sit down and dialogue, much as is now taking place to diminish the nuclear arsenals in the world, can we find the grounds of common understanding to do away with the need for death and destruction in the name of God, Allah, whatever you refer to the creator as.

President Obama, now is the time to act decisively to bring all of our troops currently engaged in the process of war and begin rebuilding this country that needs the strength and courage of these young men and women now in harms way can provide, here on our home shores. We live in an ever-smaller world, but at this time and at this moment in history, we must take care of ourselves first and still be vigilant to the sounds of death and destruction that come from foreign and native quarters to protect the rights of all humanity to live in peace and harmony.

Undo the Inquisition

2009-10-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, the women's religious communities in the United States are now the latest to be put under the microscope, to be investigated by the patriarchal hierarchy of the Church universal and to be ultimately given instructions on how to live their lives going forward from this "inquisition." This, I feel, and many more like me feel, that this is stepping out of line as the patriarchy hasn't been able to stem the tide of decreasing numbers either and issues of sexual misconduct seem to pop up all over the world like weeds in a garden.

We need to act in solidarity with our sisters in religious life in this country and the following from my online friend "John Churchman" can go a long way in showing that solidarity.

Dear Sisters,

We greet you with love, solidarity, and respect while the Vatican is investigating your "quality of life" as active U.S. women religious. We wish you courage and peace in the midst of this intrusion. We stand with you as a community and church that celebrates diverse vocations and a
common commitment to love well and act justly.

The Vatican's Apostolic Visitation process, which you have neither sought nor invited, is a means of gathering information for a confidential report that not even the participants will be allowed to review. The alleged reasons behind it suggest that negative conclusions have already been reached. Such a dysfunctional process finds shelter in secrecy. It is neither democratic nor transparent. It has no place among mature, committed Catholics for whom collegiality and subsidiarity are hallmarks of religious life.

We represent millions of U.S. Catholics. We, like you, are lay people in a church where clergy hold disproportionate power. An investigation of you is in fact an indictment of all of us who share your values and strive to live as a "discipleship of equals." We suggest dialogue, discussion, and discernment as ways to share information and build community.

We publicly affirm your work and your commitment to social justice. We encourage you to be steadfast in maintaining the integrity of your communal lives according to your constitutions. We pledge our assistance in any ways possible as you chart the future of religious life in our shared church.

Your witness has a powerful impact. We highlight but a few of your myriad on-going accomplishments to express gratitude for your contributions to the whole church:

· You created a Catholic school system and raised the level of education among generations of Catholics.

· You built and staffed a Catholic hospital system that continues to provide health care for those who are needy.

· You have long worked with poor immigrants as they struggle to find a home in an alien land.

· You share your rich spirituality in books, through spiritual direction, retreats, counseling, and pastoral ministry, including parish administration.

· You build bridges of faith by fostering ecumenical and interreligious practices.

· You embody the heart of the Second Vatican Council by the way you live.

· Your communal decisions reflect the social justice teachings of the church.

· You live a preferential option for the poor, and several of your number have been martyred for that.

· You are at the forefront of the ecological movement among Catholics.

· You lobby Congress on behalf of the poor and to promote peace. You oppose nuclear weapons, war and torture, even risking arrest and serving time in prison.

· You reject the death penalty, champion women's rights, support rights for those who are disabled, condemn racism, and advocate for equality for the lesbian and gay community.

Pope John Paul II called religious life the prophetic dimension of the church. Your leaders like Sister Mary Luke Tobin at Vatican II and Sister Theresa Kane in her gracious welcome when the Pope visited the United States have shown the way. We follow their lead.

Throughout, and after this investigation, we urge you to:

· Maintain your commitments and your openness to the Spirit's guidance. Your history is ample proof of your goodness.

· Keep speaking the truth to power in church and the rest of society. Your witness is more important than ever.

· Reject the Vatican's unjust demands, undemocratic process and loyalty oaths. Your vows and loyalty are to God through the whole church.

· Recommit to one another and to your ministries. Your love and energy are vital to a just world.

We, your sisters and brothers, salute you and support you. We accompany you in these challenging times confident that your strength will prevail. We are among the present and future generations who shall call you blessed.

The Quixote Center, with Catholics Speak Out and Priests for Equality, and 18 other justice groups will place a signature ad in the National Catholic Reporter to celebrate the lives of American nuns.

Click here to sign the ad: http://www.quixote.org/supportoursisters

The Real Issue

2009-10-04T21:51:00.010-05:00

It is absolutely amazing, but not that surprising, that the rhetoric about the failure of Chicago to not only get wiped out in the first round of voting for the 2016 Olympic Games, but that blame has now been put at the feet of President Obama, like he really had that much to do about it. In the days since the stinging vote, it has been revealed that from the very beginning, fueled by the contentious relationship between the IOC and the USOC, Chicago didn't stand a chance and the fix was in for Rio.

While this household supported the bid to bring the 2016 games here, the loss is not that hard to swallow and pales in comparison to what needs to be done in this country regarding the direction we are headed in. The past 8 years of failed policies along with an elitist attitude have made this president and his administration the targets for something they did not do, but are now required to fix. The solutions to all of our ills, pun not intended, are far more reaching than any of us could have imagined back when we elected this youthful Senator from Illinois to the office of the president.

Almost a year later we see that greed has reigned supreme and that the very suggestion of leveling the playing field for all of us has invaded most of the Congressional delegations, Republican and Democrat alike, who are more interested in their own welfare than in the needs of the constituents who elected them. To wit, a recent letter I received from Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, a state a lived in for 11 years, that addressed my concerns over his lack of "prairie populism", a platform which he ran on successfully and which prompted me to vote for him not once, but even a second time after his "rethinking" of only being a one-term Senator. In short, the letter was canned and he probably didn't even read the address of "Chicago IL" referring to his continued hard work on behalf of the people of North Dakota as if I were still a resident of that state.

The work that is most important is to see to it that all of us receive the benefit of having affordable healthcare coverage, whether it is private or public, so that we can help solve the looming financial tsunami on the horizon if nothing is done. It seems ironic that the very naysayers on the "red" side of the aisles of Congress come from the likes of Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon who offered their own cures for our healthcare woes. In fact, a recent study regarding the legislation proposed by President Nixon suggests that if it were to have been enacted during his time in office, the cost of healthcare and the premiums associated with the insurance we currently have, would be considerably lower than we currently pay. But no, reform wasn't going to happen then and is struggling now because profit takes priority over the wellness of the average citizen of this country - this land of opportunity - and millions of dollars are taken from those profits to prop up the political fortunes of the very legislators in Washington DC who are now asked to reform the current system.

As I sit here day after day and listen to the heated debate that for the most part blurs the facts at best and have become a venue to shout hatred - and yes, former President Carter is correct - in a racist manor because our president is of mixed race and the "lilly white, pure white" citizens can't handle this rather than read and discuss in a sane manner what it is that the various pieces of proposed legislation would provide. It is near impossible to have an intelligent conversation with someone today who isn't abreast of the facts and reaches for the quick sound bite to back their position which is more often than not the furthest thing from the truth?

The real issue today is that we have become the lone ranger society emblematic of our previous president who would shoot first and ask questions later and then rationalize the behavior as a just response. We have lost the very precepts of our supposed Judeo-Christian ethic which calls for us to always have an option for the poor and the less fortunate and to learn to coexist with each other for the betterment of the whole. That's is how we got to this 21st century, but we seem hell-bent on undoing it all.

President Obama is not the first president of this country to face such division for it was President Lincoln who saw the map of this country redrawn because of an allegiance to the purity of race and the systematic use of cheap labor to line their pockets. Some things never change and if we don't learn how to live with each other and understand each other, we may never reap the peace of Christ that we strive for.

The real issue is that we need to love one another as God loves us. Pretty simple if you ask me!

And the Winner is...?

2009-09-27T22:47:00.004-05:00

The End!

Hey, we weren't even picked to finish in third place, although our winning percentage going into the last week of the season is slightly under .500, we're still in third place.

A friend of mine in Minneapolis and diehard Twins fan commented on my wife's Facebook page the other day that he was a Sox fan for the next three games - that's this past weekend's series with Detroit. Her comment back to him was to chastise him about switching his allegiance so that the Sox could knock off Detroit so the Twins could move into first - of course, they are so far out of the Wild Card race, this would be the only way to get into the playoffs - was "What, the Twins can't win this by themselves?"

Looking ahead to this last week of the baseball season we will go head-to-head with Kansas City and then finish things off with, you guessed it, Detroit in Detroit.

I'm sure that many more Twins fans will be rooting for the Sox once again and although I would like to see the Sox end on a high note and sweep the series with Detroit, the "dark side" of me says it would be nice to see Detroit take it just to spoil the Twins chances at a playoff birth. Shades of 1967 all over again!

And you thought I was going to rant about the right-wing, neo-cons and their attacks at getting meaningful healthcare reform! It's been a while and I need to get my juices going before I can head into those waters.

Ready to Respond!

2009-09-15T21:15:00.003-05:00

When I was told about the comment made by the pastor at Cook County Illinois suburban parish regarding the funeral of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, well, I had to see it for myself. Knowing that the pastor of record for this parish is also one who has gone and re-established the Tridentine Mass at this parish on a weekly basis now and knowing of his past record when it comes to resurrecting all things Latin and those wonderful old Fiddleback vestments of the dark ages of the Roman Rite, I still had misgivings as to what he would say in print.

What did he say? The following is ripped from the bulletin of said parish of September 6, 2009 where he talks about mobilizing for another Catholic encounter with the Illinois Legislature in the spring of 2010 (the Catholics to the Capitol is something I do endorse).

"Since so many of our elected representatives are Catholic and since so many of them relentlessly

fight against Catholic church teaching-- particularly in their craven and money-driven passion for the

killing of babies in the womb, it might be a good thing to meet with them. A better thing would be to excommunicate them. Deny them Holy Communion. At least until they relented and repented. But as we saw with the canonization-funeral of Senator Kennedy, we just play kissy-face with them."

Apparently, when one is ordained to the priesthood, one is endowed with the ability to be judge and jury over everyone, including someone who has atoned for his missteps in life and ask for the prayers of the Holy Father as he struggled with the brain cancer that afflicted him. This statement also flies in the face of the comments of the Archbishop of Boston who was Presider at what is considered by the priest a "canonization-funeral" and the final graveside prayers led by the retired Archbishop of Washington DC at Arlington National Cemetery. Are the comments of this local suburban pastor the way we should engage those who don't see eye-to-eye with the radical pro-life movement that only sees abortion as the only pro-life issue and not the "seamless garment" as articulated by the late Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago and practiced by the late Senator Edward Kennedy in being the voice for the poor, the homeless, the immigrant, and those other pillars of Catholic Social Teaching? It is this type of rhetoric that pushes the wacko, fringe elements within the pro-life movement to act out and kill on behalf of the movement, which is basically against one of the 10 Commandments that we have been raised with, and yet it is called justified in the eyes of these short-sighted and bigoted people.

The demands of excommunication and denial of Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who take a more moderate stance on the right-to-life issue is not new and reared its ugly head when the former Bishop of St. Louis expounded on this way of dealing with politicians during the 2004 election year and was interestingly enough not totally supported by his fellow bishops within the United States nor was this a tack that was considered desirable by the Holy See either.

We are, after all, sinners in the eyes of God and as sinners we do our best to live the Good News of Jesus Christ in this world that at this moment seems to be verging into some sort of volcanic upheaval. We are told time and time again that it was Jesus Christ himself who sat at table with sinners of his day, from the prostitutes and tax collectors to the hierarchy of the Temple as well. And yet, those who have had the hands laid upon them in the rites of ordination put themselves above Jesus Christ as judge over all. The Eucharist is a banquet of thanksgiving and Jesus Christ was the first to welcome all sinners to the banquet, not the perfect, for that would only leave Jesus Christ standing alone at the table and that is not what Christ's life, death and resurrection was all about. Christ was sent to redeem us knowing that this journey of humanity would not always accept the words and the deeds of this Son of God, but wobble from one extreme to the other before finally realizing that the path of least resistance was the wrong path and that the cross of Jesus Christ was the way.

I only comment on the actions of this parish priest, this shepherd of the souls of so many and wonder who made him God?

We, Not Me!

2009-09-04T13:55:00.003-05:00

The commentary from the radical right wing on cable news casts and even in every day life is laced with one word that is sometimes uttered, but most of the time simply implied. That word is ME!

It was my belief that we had finally jumped over that hurdle and realized that everything being about ME wasn't getting anybody anywhere.

My experiences with ME were very interesting yesterday as I ventured into work, negotiating the vehicles who demanded the right-of-way, ear glued to a cell phone and not paying attention to what was really happening on the street or the expressway. Then there were the additional moments when the oncoming traffic on a two-way street had me heading into a head-on collision with a vehicle that came barreling at me down the center of said street - a maneuver that screams of "it's all about ME" and everyone else needs to get the hell out of the way.

Couple these incidents with those who have thoroughly demonized our current president because he is giving an address to school children about staying in school and getting an education because he is going to "indoctrinate them with socialist ideas" and we see that there is no room for anything more than "my set of facts", be they right or wrong - since it was ME who made the statement, then it is ME who is correct.

Many of these "ME" people profess to be solid Christians in their belief system, but they are the same one's who point accusatory fingers at those who do not look like them, most especially those with darker skin tones (people from the middle east where Jesus Christ was born, people from Africa where many of these folk adhere to the notion that this is where President Obama was born, and those from the far east - just to name a few. They rant and rave about things that are not real and adhere to legend, hearsay and innuendo before actually looking at the facts of what they are railing against, but still persistent in their belief that they are more Christian than anyone else.

Their diatribe against socialist dogma falls flat for it seems that these ultimate Christians, these "white, god-fearing people" have missed the point of much of what Jesus Christ said when he preached on this earth and thereby formed his followers to live in a way, a communal way that is articulated in the Acts of the Apostles, that it you were to put in another word would come out as being "communist" in its intent.

While we look at disgust at the "ethnic cleansing" in places such as Serbia and Bosnia and turn our eyes from the same genocide in Rawanda and the like because of skin color, we miss the point that there is no one "ethnically pure" race in this world and that on closer inspection, as we have learned in President Obama's case, the hereditary lines point to some whom are opposite ends of the spectrum, ie. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, both who exist on the current president's family tree.

In the Declaration of Independence it should be noted that the second paragraph reads "we hold these truths to be self evident..." and that the Constitution of the United Sates begins with "We the people...". This should be noted because there is nothing mentioned like "me the person" or "I hold these truths..." and if in fact our founding fathers were basing this on their Judeo-Christian background, then it is a fact that "WE" are in this all together - to care for one another and to be there as a fellow creation of the God who has endowed us with great abundance that we find evermore creative ways of squandering for our own selfish and personal gain.

WE is how it should be.

And Now We Know the Truth...

2009-08-31T23:30:00.003-05:00

...that the Republicans never wanted to see any reform in the healthcare in this country and going so far as to say that the voice behind any reform in Congress - the late Senator Edward Kennedy - would have compromised any REAL change away, had he the opportunity.

That falls flat as is evidence in the letter that the late Senator Kennedy wrote to his Holiness Benedict XVI when he reiterated his desire that meaningful healthcare reform that gives access to coverage for every American was at the forefront of his mind during his fight with the brain cancer that would take him out of the game, a game that he had played in for 47 years with vigor in getting passed some of the most sweeping pieces of healthcare legislation in this country.

For the "friends" on the right to sully his name by inferring a different scenario - shame upon you for suggesting otherwise!

The course from here is clear...like many of the uncompromising pieces of legislation that a Republican dominated Congress passed during the previous eight years of the G. W. Bush administration, the need for a simple majority is all that is required and the words of 75 to 80 votes that they suggest would be a true sign for reform in the Senate are nothing more than that...words, words, words that veil whatever deals they are making not on behalf of the average American, but on behalf of the corporate profit.

"The torch has been passed..." to the Democratic leadership in Congress to show that the death of their leader on the healthcare front is the galvanizing piece to the puzzle and that needs of the average American far outweigh greed and arrogance on the part of the healthcare insurance providers of this country.

Time to go for the jugular as the "Lion of the Senate" would have and stand for what is right that healthcare for everyone is a right that we as Americans have!

Win One For Teddy!

2009-08-26T20:04:00.003-05:00

The Lion's roar has been silenced, but the accomplishments could fill a library. Born with the proverbial "silver spoon", he, like his older brothers who were never to see an age of retirement, worked for the common good for the common man.

I didn't know him personally, but admired his fiery oratory and his jousts with his fellow senators over legislation that would help those who were looking to live the "American Dream." A decent minimum wage and healthcare along with an education that would go a long way to fulfilling that dream.

Aaron Copland, the great American composer, wrote a most beautiful fanfare, ripe with french horns in its introduction that is appropriately titled "Fanfare for a Common Man." At the end of the first video of a series of five videos documenting the effects of the Second Vatican Council, the editors as RCL added this fanfare as the video of the body of John XXIII was brought into St. Peter's Square for the funeral liturgy - an appropriate juxtaposition of music and image for a man who espoused the values of the common man throughout the world.

I mention this because Copland's piece is currently in my head as I listen and read about this legislative icon and the concern he had for the common man and woman of this country but of the world. The funeral liturgy of "Teddy" will be like that of any baptized Catholic Christian, full of the symbolism of eternal life that Christ has promised for living a Christian life of service to others - something we are called to when those drops of water are poured over our forehead as an infant. Yet, the best fanfare that could possibly happen is that nation's legislative body, the Congress of the United States of America, will lay down their high-pitched rhetoric and honor this champion of healthcare for all by passing legislation that finally allows the common man and woman in this country to not have to face denied claims, denied access to quality care because of a pre-existing condition, or the thought of financial ruin because of a catastrophic illness.

A proper fanfare to the legacy of Teddy Kennedy should be true healthcare reform that will change this country for the future generations. President Obama has stated from the very beginning that we must win this one for Teddy and I concur.

The Lion now sleeps with the company of saints, but be sure that he keeps an eye on the legislative body he was a major part of for more than half his life.

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Sláinte

What the US Catholic Bishops Say on Healthcare

2009-08-22T14:13:00.004-05:00

As the summer winds down and the rhetoric gets heated up regarding healthcare, it may be good to consider what the US Catholic Church has to say on all of this considering that they are one of the largest healthcare providers in the nation. The short and to the point version is this:

a truly universal health policy with respect for human life and dignity
access for all with a special concern for the poor and inclusion of legal immigrants
pursuing the common good and preserving pluralism including freedom of conscience and variety of options
restraining costs and applying them equitably across the spectrum of payers

After reading just these bullet points, it seems the Bishops themselves have veered more to the Obama agenda than the stance taken by the more conservative block in Congress who espouse a more religious leaning.

Interesting, but I encourage you to read more by clicking on the headline as it is linked to the USCCB page on healthcare.

Caving In

2009-08-18T15:19:00.003-05:00

I am dismayed more and more these days by some of the members of Congress that I helped elect, not only here in Illinois, but during my 11 years in North Dakota. Two that have gotten under my skin lately are Earl Pomeroy, ND's only member in the House of Representatives (I've written about him before), and Senator Kent Conrad, who originally ran on the platform of only one term (that didn't bother me when he decided to run for re-election) and looked to be the very model of prairie populism that has been the hallmark of ND politics, both Republican and Democrat.

For Senator Conrad, its seems that he is as much in the coat pocket of the large health insurance lobby as anyone and as member of the "gang of six" has decided to compromise with an idea of an insurance co-op, which, if you listen to enough of the sources out there will tell you that there really has never been a successful insurance co-op yet in the country.

What happened over these years since I moved out of ND and landed in Chicago?

Maybe the solution to this whole healthcare debate is to do what many think is in the back of the President's mind and to open up Medicare to everyone, even those who don't think it is run by the government. Yes, that is radical change, but it's better than sitting on the fence trying to placate every naysayer who doesn't know better or hasn't done their homework that we are not better off with what we currently have.

Senator Conrad...I'm calling you out on this one!

Something to Think About Regarding Healthcare Reform

2009-08-12T23:52:00.004-05:00

We are living through an unprecedented opportunity to create a health care future that includes everyone and works well for all of us. Those of us in faith communities believe that such a future must be grounded in the sacred bonds of our common humanity and reflect faithful stewardship of our abundant health care resources. When that future moves from vision to reality, 1 in 6 children and non-elderly adults in Ohio will no longer have to live sicker and risk dying younger because they cannot get needed health care. Medical care will no longer be the cause of financial ruin for families, institutions, businesses, and governments. All people will have the health care they need regardless of their age, income, race, gender, pre-existing conditions, or place of residence.

In the United States, we are blessed with the talents, wisdom and abundant resources necessary to meet the needs of one another, including the health care needs of all. It’s not that we don’t have enough experts or enough money to make reform happen. It’s that we lack the moral vision and commitment to do the right thing for everyone who lives here, and the political will to insist that we use our resources effectively, efficiently and equitably.

Many of us in faith communities are working to change that. We know that social change happens over time as our hearts and minds are transformed and our sensitivities are moved from self-interest to the common good. When the religious community is at its best, it is at the heart of such transformation.

Toward that end, we have committed ourselves to promoting values that are important to us and to our health care reform discussions – values like community, compassion, shared responsibility, concern for those who are most vulnerable, and faithful stewardship of our abundant resources. Inspired by these shared values from our sacred texts, we will keep alive a vision where health, wholeness and human dignity are our priority. And we will measure legislative proposals by their capacity to move us toward a health care future that is:

 Inclusive, offering everyone, regardless of circumstance, access to a solid system of health care.

 Accessible, eliminating all barriers to that system, thereby enabling all of us to participate in and contribute to the life we share together.

 Affordable, ensuring that we create a modern system that uses our abundant health care resources effectively, efficiently, and equitably.

 Accountable, calling for shared responsibility across all sectors of our society, working in partnership on behalf of the common good.

As we journey into this future, we will do our part to urge our elected leaders to move beyond partisan debate toward dialogue that is inspired by a shared public conscience. When that happens, comprehensive, compassionate and sustainable health care reform will be possible.

Our members of Congress will soon return to the district offices for their August recess. Those of us who believe that reform cannot wait, that comprehensive, compassionate and sustainable reform must be passed this year, need to be at their doorsteps with a vision that affirms our commitment to one another, with a vision that will shape us as individuals and as a nation, both for now and for future generations.

(excerpted from a proposed opinion editorial from Faithful Reform for Health Care to be published in the July 18, 2009 Cleveland, Ohio Plain Dealer.)

Reflections on the Year of the Priests

2009-08-10T20:57:00.004-05:00

By Fr. Jan Larson, North Bend, WA forwarded by my cyberfriend "John Churchman."

I read the pope's letter to priests beginning the special Year, and his audience talks around the topic. He is clearly excited about St. John Vianney, whose piety and approach to pastoral ministry I won't be adopting any time soon. His "hear confessions till you drop" spirituality is an insult to anything we believe today about healthy ministry, and his famous dialogues with the Devil excludes him from my personal list of inspirational priests. Give me Oscar Romero any day.

I suggest that 'The year of the Priest' include a symposium to help priests face the problem issues of today's priesthood. Retreats and trips to France are nice ideas, but are really distractions from the critical, even life threatening, issues that confront the contemporary priesthood and healthy ministry. Ten issues, as I identify them:

1. The shortage of priests, said to be irreversible. The band-aid solutions (inviting often unequipped foreign priests to the U.S. and raising retirement age, etc.) are not the answer. We can't continue to keep mandatory celibacy unchallenged, which by every measure is doing much more harm to the church and to individuals than it is doing good. Ordination of deacons must be discussed, as well as ordination of married men, and the reality that many resigned priests are willing to exercise their priesthood for the good of the church.

2. That many priests do not perceive themselves to be the closest collaborators with their bishops that they are supposed to be. The last time a bishop sincerely asked my opinion about anything was in 1997.

3. The feeling that we priests have been betrayed by our bishops by their knee-jerk passage of the Dallas Charter. Now priests who commit even the slightest offense are treated the same as a serial rapist. Why didn't we learn from the way the religious orders handled this mess? They begin their investigation process with charity, while the bishops begin with the appearance
of presumed guilt and immediate removal from ministry. Meanwhile many accused religious order priests continue their ministry in some form. They are not automatically banished, because the gospels and charity would not allow this.

So many priests are also discouraged to see that many bishops who were responsible for silence and cover-ups are not held accountable. Why doesn't the Dallas charter apply to bishops? The Vatican remains silent, and, of course, the bishops refuse to demand accountability from their fellow bishops. Bishops owe us an apology in The Year of the Priest.

4. The growing rift between the "Vatican II priests and the "John Paul priests." We even ritually celebrate this rift at Priests' Days. When we gather for the eucharist, the "orthodox" priests are ritually set aside so they can stand out. What is not seen are the hidden resentments on both sides. Seeing this sort of division in the assembly, St. Paul could well insist that we are guilty of
abusing the eucharist, beginning with the bishop who could end this, but prefers to remain silent.

5. The problems and challenges that necessarily accompany the increasingly disproportionate gay priesthood. In particular the heterosexual candidates who feel dislocated in largely gay seminary structures, and who consequently leave. This elephant in the room, as well as some of the other elephants I list, is so well treated by Fr. Donald Cozzens in his The Changing Face of the Priesthood. It is unfortunate that his excellent book was not made the topic of Priests' Days when it was published nearly ten years ago. Another missed opportunity.

6. The return of clericalism. There is more to this than a fascination with cassocks and birettas and using antiquated rituals and vestments. The insidious side appears when it infects preaching, and when priests begin to ignore the parish consultative structures that are supposed to be in place in every parish. The "Father knows best" days are returning with a gallop.

7. The evangelization problem. Many baptized people don't bother going to church, as our last Priests' Days speakers explained, because their experiences with the institutional church are negative. I know many of these people. The baptized will continue to leave and go to church elsewhere as long as there is the nasty perception that the church treats women as second class citizens, gays as second class citizens, divorced people as second class citizens, and anyone
who dissents about any church teaching or policy is crushed with a heavy hand. Also many former practicing Catholics are convinced that the church is preoccupied with sex, which, of course, it is.

8. Resigned priests. These people, by Vatican policy, are treated like traitors. But they are an obvious answer to our prayers for more priests in our parishes. During The Year of the Priest the pope and bishops who are mean to these people should apologize and set up dialogue structures so that the ministry of these priests can be used for the good of the church.

9. Confidence in bishops. Under the last two popes the bishops have assumed the pre-Vatican II role as puppets of the Vatican. They seem to many priests to be frightened men who dare not speak out about anything other than abortion. They are the taillights of the church, instead of the headlights. And everyone else suffers the consequences. For instance, the bishops, with tails between their legs, voted to impose an even more mediocre translation of the words we use to
pray together at liturgy. They should have raised hell, and vigorously protested the power grab instigated by Vatican bureaucrats. They should have refused to be emasculated by meddling committees of largely non-Americans.

10. So many older priests are heard saying, "I can't wait for retirement." Why do they say this? Why this sense of surrender, of hopelessness?

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

He Taught With Passion

2009-08-08T12:02:00.003-05:00

Boniface J. Roflzen died on July 29th. Many have never even heard of this English teacher who spent most of his career in Hibbing, Minnesota, beginning at the famed high school and later taking on the college crowd at the local community college.

I count myself fortunate to have had BJ as a classroom teacher as many have, most notably a shy and unassuming kid back in the late 1950's by the name of Robert Zimmerman - but you would know him as Bob Dylan.

It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, 1967 to be exact, that I once again enrolled for summer school. Ever since the end of 6th grade, when I took typing on those old Underwood Manual typewriters, I was enrolled in summer school - a way to find extra art and music classes during the regular school year. After my freshman year, enrolling in sophomore English over the summer seemed the ideal thing as I had a traumatic freshman experience and just wanted to get English out of the way the next school year and also fix a possible scheduling conflict.

For the most part, those in attendance in this summer school class were the sophomores who flunked English during the past academic year and really, I don't recall anyone else like myself who was preparing to take it to get it out of the way for the next academic year. And in the process of hiring a teacher, none of the regular high school teachers were available so they reached over to the junior college/community college and asked if anyone was interested. BJ said yes. And for the first time in my life I enjoyed English class.

He made us write and he made us read and we were in class 5 days a week from 9 am to 3 pm cramming an entire year into six weeks in that summer of '67. Being it was sophomore English, the authors were the British - Brit Lit as it is fondly referred to - and that included the poetry.

Except BJ had a different idea and we weren't suppose to let anyone know. We would study one of his former pupil's poetry, more commonly known as lyrics. Yep, it was the "poetry" up to that point in Bob Dylan's short career that we would study. And I was hooked!

Most people in Hibbing, Minnesota, back in 1967 would make great facial expressions when asked about what they thought of Bob Dylan. Val Pedersen, one of the junior high music teachers, ranted about how he turned out and focused in on Bob's younger brother David as the "real musician" in the Zimmerman family. High School principal Kenneth L. Pedersen fondly recalled when they unplugged a young Bob Zimmerman's amps during a Jacket Jamboree - a pseudo homecoming at the height of hockey season, not football - talent show with great gusto.

But BJ marveled at the craft of the words that Bob had managed to put together in what became iconic lyrics and many of them anthems for our generation as we dealt with assassinations and the Vietnam War. After all, Minnesota was the home to both Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy who were at the opposite ends of the political spectrum when it came to the issue of Vietnam, but were kindred spirits when it came to "prairie populism" in their approach to government.

I knew BJ's daughter Ann, she being a year younger and an accomplished organist as well. But it was BJ whom I truly admired...his gift and his passion for the literature that was in his hand and his ability to get, even those who were repeating this class, to the heart of why we needed to know all of this and its relevance in our life.

I often wondered why it took BJ so long to come forward and speak about his relationship with Bob Dylan, a relationship that lasted, I am sure, up until the day he died. BJ recalled after Bob's dad Abe died that he had a long visit with him and those visits, while most in Hibbing didn't even know Bob was around, continued each time he showed up. Bob once told BJ that "you taught me everything I know." I'm sure BJ blushed at that thought. He was a humble heart.

God Bless you BJ Rolfzen for opening my eyes to the literature of the world that summer of 1967. What a fortunate crossing of paths it was for me.

Teachings of the Church

2009-08-04T08:19:00.002-05:00

Surely if there ever was a perfect catch-all phrase,

it is "teachings-of-the-Church".

It includes everything from defined dogmas,

items in the Apostle's Creed,

1752 Canon laws,

opinions of the Pope (like steam locomotives are the work of the devil), every one of the 2865 items in the Catechism,

to the thoughts of cranky old bishops like Burke and Molino.

It has become a universal cliché of the hierarchy to discourage dissent. Falling into the same catch-all basket of against

"The Teachings of the Church"

are those who disagree with pre-Vatican II liturgical norms and language, contraception,

mandatory celibacy for priests,

collective bargaining,

just war and torture,

women's ordination,

slavery,

same sex unions,

the resurrection of Jesus,

the nature of the Trinity,

and if God really exists.

Note that some "Teachings of the Church" are slippery,

time-bound, and culturally-colored.

At stake here is the power and authority,

originating from the community of the Church

and appropriated by unelected leaders to set the rules

for who is in and who is out.

By voting a certain way,

you could be considered "out"

according to "The Teachings of the Church".

By not behaving/believing according to the bishop's instruction,

you are obviously against the Teaching of the Church.

Some (bishops?) believe good teaching is the attempt to influence,

even coerce,

the faithful into believing what is being taught.

But the criteria for effective teaching

involves rather if the teaching makes sense

and is received by the faithful.

If you do not accept that all contraception is sinful,

or legalizing same-sex unions are wrong,

or only men can be ordained,

or contributors should have a say in how their money is spent and who should be responsible,

or the language of prayer should be strange or contorted,

or bishops should tell us how to vote,

you are dissenting against "the teachings of the Church".

Without careful and intelligent scrutiny,

accepting every "teaching of the Church"

is similar to checking the box

"I agree" to observe every privacy/usage rule

for downloading new software/ upgrades.

Study the reasoning behind Church teachings,

consult and observe how your Catholic community receives them,

and judge for yourself.

Follow your own well-formed conscience,

as fallible as it may be.

Who is going to save the church? Not the bishops, not the priest and religious. It is up to you the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save Her." Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

ARCC is a co-sponsor of THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC COUNCIL (ACC) Please consider joining this effort to bring about much-needed organizational restructuring in the Church

Feel free to reprint and distribute this article without change. Thank you for support of ARCC.. Adapted by JNC with permission.

Too Much To Comprehend

2009-08-01T20:53:00.003-05:00

The past 10 days have been filled with an abundance of information from the alleged racial profiling somewhere near "Harvard Yard" to rounds of mayhem in almost every city from gun violence to a never-ending din on the healthcare debate. At times I felt like Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse's character Little Chap..."Stop the World, I Want to Get Off!

But in the midst of all this banter was an article sent to me by my friend Frank, formerly of KARE-11 TV in the Twin Cities of Minnesota - 32 years of continuous service before pointed suggestions led him out the door in mid-January, that the Gannett Corporation - yes, that Gannett of the USA Today - has decided in this latest round of over 1400 employee cuts that they will no longer offer severance pay - luckily, Frank got that - but allow the recently terminated employees the chance to apply for extended unemployment benefits. Ah, the recession has shown once again that profit and greed trump moral and ethical behavior when it comes to dealing with the people who work for you.

The story, posted in the New York Times of last week, points us to the moral dilemma that we currently are dealing with in this country - moral bankruptcy that overshadows and amount of financial bankruptcy by large amounts. It was John Dean, yes the John Dean of the Watergate days of President Richard Nixon, who described a few years back the moral bankruptcy of this country via the "compassionate conservatives" whom he described as "conservatives without a conscience." This era of moral bankruptcy has been playing its hand since the glory days of the Reagan administration and found its way into the corporate board room, supplanting any form of ethical behavior that should be the centerpiece of every MBA school in the country, let alone the world.

"More is better and much more is much better" certainly could be the motto for the corruption that even financial institutions that are founded on the premise of protecting "our" money, lower themselves to shady practices that are truly scandalous and are only done for the accumulation of more and more money. As we are reminded over and over, "you can't take it with you"...the money and the things that we accumulate for no particular reason.

If we are, as many of the conservatives keep pounding into our heads, this country was truly founded on the Judeo-Christian ethics - something that is very debatable - then adhering to these principles puts the greed and avarice that has reared its ugly head recently at direct odds with the core beliefs of taking care of each other, something that our not-so-Christian founding fathers saw fit to write down for the world to see.

Is it too much to ask that we find a better way of treating one another? Is it too much to ask that all who seek treatment from a doctor be covered by adequate insurance? Is it too much to ask that the playing field be leveled and that unwanted bonuses that are over 6 figures in size be the exception and not the norm in the world of high finance?

Is it too much to ask for fairness?

I would like to comprehend this more than the crap that we read about and hear about daily in the news that has become so biased that even the most astute news-watcher often times finds it hard to separate the fact from the fiction.

And so on that note, I will take flight for a few days of rest to a remote place that would make for a perfect retirement for the both of us someday!

Doom and Gloom

2009-07-21T07:35:00.003-05:00

Here we are but six months into a new presidency and already the pundits are resorting to biting criticism of the new president suggesting that he is losing popularity and that the people of this country are abandoning him. While both the right and the left can read whatever they want into these numbers from a selected demographic group, the bottom line is that there has been so much mismanagement within the White House during the last presidency domestically and far too much spending on a needless war in Iraq that it will take more than 6 months to pull us out of the muck that we were sliding in to as far back as 2007.

This shows our lack of patience on one hand as well as the viciousness of our current 24/7 news cycle where journalists are replaced with talking heads that have skewed the facts for their own political and focus on the neanderthals who keep resurrecting the idea our president is not a naturally born citizen of this country - apparently Hawaii doesn't count anymore - and if it weren't for the "white men" this country wouldn't be where it is today - thank you to Pat Buchanan, a man who claims to be a Catholic, but has issued a stunning racist commentary that has gone beyond the Sotomayer nomination to the Supreme Court.

We celebrate the accomplishments 40 years ago of landing on the moon and the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, but when you look around, we the people are too impatient to get the job done correctly when it comes to righting the ship of commerce so that our economy will once again run efficiently and make the necessary changes to give fundamental health care to the vast majority of this country who have no safety net when it comes to seeking treatment for an illness. As I have pointed out before, there are those, and they are not all Republicans, who listen far too closely to the millions of dollars of campaign contributions from every lobbying group from the NRA to the heathcare insurance companies to sway the way legislation will finally go.

Our president is trying to do what needs to be done and should have been done years ago. Our lifestyles are not the lifestyles of our parents who valued a solid work ethic and saved for their retirement - not that I have done any better on the retirement account, but as far as work ethic, well, there are those who say that I concentrate too much on that part of my life. We forget to take into account history which tells us that climbing out of an economic depression takes years, not months, and that our creative approach to this mess is one of the ways this will happen.

More often these days I toy with the idea of running again for public office, something I did over 25 years ago in North Dakota. While I failed for primarily lack of money, a political pundit in the community of Minot suggested that I do it again for I ran the most creative campaign as well as one where I simply stated that I would do the very best I can possibly do and not be burdened by the constant lobbying efforts of others.

Patience in all of this is a virtue!

"And That's the Way it Is!"

2009-07-19T22:41:00.003-05:00

It has been an interesting ride reliving the momentous career of the late Walter Cronkite. Like so many out there, our family was glued to his every word each night as he reported the news on the CBS network. Those indelible moments: announcing the assassination of President Kennedy, the landing on the Moon of Apollo 11 40 years ago tomorrow, the images of Vietnam and his assessment that the war was not something this country could win, and the images of the Amphitheater in Chicago's Stockyards District - just 4 blocks from where we live now, no longer there, but a memory - that spilled out into Grant Park and Michigan Avenue where the "whole world is watching"..."that's the way it is"!

That time of innocence that was taken away from this country by the assassins bullets taking down John and Robert Kennedy as Dr. Martin Luther King along with the peace marches, the Black Panthers, and "tin soldiers in Ohio" on the campus of Kent State, were presented to us in a way that was matter of fact, no commentary unless absolutely needed. That type of journalism, sadly is what is missing in many places where commentary becomes blurred with personal bias and less than accurate facts.

The way it is today is that we have a country that is spiraling out of control because of the heavy-handed lobbyists who control our legislative leaders in Congress and who, despite all of the pronouncements to the contrary, are using every means possible to fix cracks in our economy and healthcare system for the sake of inflated profits over the needed care of the consumer who is being bankrupted out of existence. It is a dirty shame that many who were elected to help change the system are now backing the demands of the insurance industry by crying "wolf" in using the "managed care" as if it didn't exist at this very moment. Notably, is the lone Congressman from North Dakota, a person whom I voted for when he first ran for the office while we were still living there and a person whom my wife, when she was growing up in Valley City, ND, sat with on numerous occasions when his parents wanted to go out for the evening. We both had great hopes for Earl Pomeroy, but to use facts and figures issued from insurance companies to back up your vote against a "public option" which can only benefit all healthcare consumers is something we never would have imagined of a prairie populist from ND.

While there were many disgusting things happening in government back when "Uncle Walter" reigned as "the most trusted man in America" and ultimately caused President Johnson to not seek a second term because of his losing Walter Cronkite, the jockeying over the healthcare changes proposed by Congress and President Obama should be of vital interest to everyone. Note that Senator Charles Grassley pointed out to a questioner in Iowa that if he wanted the same kind of health coverage as he gets as a US Senator, the person asking the question of Senator Grassley should get a government job - if that was the easy way of doing things.

There is much that needs fixing in this country from the lack of journalistic integrity - read Bill O'Reilly, Shawn Hannity, Pat Buchanan and his racially charged rebuke of Sonia Sotomayer, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, just to name a few - to the lack of care for the constituency that our legislative leaders have been elected to represent. With nearly $1.5 million dollars a day being spent on lobbying the healthcare reforms, where is the solid journalism of an Uncle Walter beyond Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Charles Gibson, Anderson Cooper, just to name a few here too?

If anything, a call for the return to "civility" in the way we approach one another, colleagues, as well as national and world leaders. The norm should be the respect that President Obama is showing for all parties both nationally and internationally, but talking tough where tough talk is needed in all cases, not resorting to obstructionist language or bullying tactics to get the message across.

Unfortunately, the change we had hoped for is moving at a snail's pace and the call for bipartisanship is only convenient for those who didn't know what it meant when they were the political party in control these past 8 years. Sadly, that is the way it is today and the way it is needs to be changed if we are going to pull ourselves out of this financial mess and find creative solutions to our healthcare mess, our transit problems and our unemployment figures that the party of "no" got us in to over they past 8 years of leadership.

The way it is must change!

Book Review Argument: The Shack

2009-07-12T22:34:00.003-05:00

It's difficult being a pastoral minister and this morning proved to be just that.

Last fall I was handed a copy of William Young's The Shack by a parishioner and after attempting to read a couple of times, finally dug into it...to a point. As I dealt with the images portrayed, which really didn't bother me, I became increasingly disenchanted with the book and the level of preachiness that existed, deciding that I really didn't care anymore about the main character and wasn't all that curious about the ending. And that's where it all started!

No "good morning" - being that it was very early for me to be at 7:30 am Mass - but an immediate reference to a review in some Catholic publication lauding the book and the intimation that I was an "elitist" because I didn't find the book to my liking, like most of the people supposedly did as well as this Catholic publication. Click on the title of this post, you will be whisked over to a very different review, one that is not so glowing, about the book in question.

What this all leads to is that being a pastoral minister who comes at the vocation via a degree in music and theatre on a bachelors level and pastoral studies on a masters level while being a church musician for nearly 40 some years, I apparently am not supposed to have and differing opinions of texts or books that I read. There have been numerous times that my wife and I have walked out of professional theatre because at some point, we really don't care about the characters and is it all that worth it even though the actors and designers have put in a great amount of work. Well, it has to work for me or I will walk away from it and if something I do doesn't stir someway to stay and listen, well, then that's a critique I must endure and work to correct my presentation.

All in all, as I pointed out to my pastor/boss/friend for almost 20 years, this is one of those times when being in a ministerial role makes it difficult to pray with the people you are ministering to. There is constant wonderment as to why I often don't worship where it is I minister and having to always be "on" or to be "blind-sided" by some comment are two very good examples of how my prayer life is affected.

As I pointed out to this parishioner whom I do like very much, I am probably one of the few people in this country who like the 1987 movie Ishtar with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty because it put these two actors in roles that were completely out of character - a sort of Bob Hope/Bing Crosby "road" movie, but without Dorothy Lamour being replaced by a spitting camel who was very funny.

Enough said for now!

The Spiritual Struggle

2009-07-08T19:07:00.003-05:00

Over the past week I have been party to some wonderful insight into the Catholic Church in America through the eyes of noted liturgists, musicians and presbyters, most notably, the comments of our keynote speaker on Monday of this week launching the time of 2,300 musicians joined for their annual gathering of networking and refreshment of skills. The topic to begin the day together was "Spirituality and Creativity - the Struggles of the Artist."

Through newly composed pieces to bookend this talk and through a thorough presentation of the mind and spirit of the artist through various anthropological and historical sources, our presenter, who's name I will not divulge here, made a statement that rang over and over again in my head, not sure that I had really heard it or if I was understanding it and its meaning.

The statement: "God is so good that we then become hedonists."

The definition of hedonism as given my Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole of chief good in life."

My take on the statement: The reference is made within the context of the transcendental understanding of being and when I looked more carefully at the statement made, I am more than aware that I am in the midst of these "godly hedonists" who gain ultimate pleasure through those methods of devotion such as the over-indulgence in the use of The Rosary and Adoration as the only means to reach a relationship with God, not using the reality of everyday life to engage those around us in appreciating that God exists in our lives. These people only see this pleasure through these overindulging displays of piety as the way to live their lives, pulling themselves away from the society which we are called to live in and not some other parallel universe.

This statement is one that needs to be remembered as we continue to evangelize those around us to become a part of the mystical body of Christ that shows Christ, and God, in each one of us not in hedonistic terms, but through real servanthood of Christ himself.

And the Rockets...

2009-07-05T18:58:00.004-05:00

And a day later, we are still being bombarded with every variety of fireworks even though the official celebration of Independence Day has since passed. While the amount of private celebrations was considerably less than in years past and the fact that July 4th was quite a bit dreary because of the intermittent rain showers, the practitioners of the "do your own fireworks displays" seemed to concentrate more on the decibel level and the house-rattling variety than on the sheer brilliance of the spectacle.

I do understand the need to celebrate, but in a text message I received earlier in the day on July 4th, he summed up what this day means to most people..."Happy blow-up-shit and get drunk day." A sad commentary all the way around.

The Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of a foreign ruler without serious representation is a cause that we have long since forgotten. Forgotten also is the full context of the Declaration of Independence and what it is that those thirteen colonies, holed up in the sweltering heat of Philadelphia in 1776, were debating when the young statesman Thomas Jefferson drafted so eloquently a brief that detailed the arguments for breaking from the mother ship, so to speak.

But that has been relegated to the history books and is something that we need to memorize so that we may only pass some test so that we can further our education because it has been mandated by the state government. I'm sure that many in those august bodies called legislatures are equally unaware at the actual wording beyond the first few sentences of what this independence declaration really says.

As we are tossed and turned by the economic conditions that have left us falling to a lower and lower depth, we should recall the goodwill that existed for the good of those people who occupied the colonies of this land 233 years ago and also recall the sacrifices made on the battlefields both here and abroad for the protection of the truths that were "self-evident" and should be at the forefront of our very nature as we occupy this land of freedom.

These men of the Continental Congress agreed that this wasn't going to be easy and they didn't take any shortcuts like those who revere personal gain and greed above the natural law that should protect and provide for all humanity and have been the cause of our current high rate of unemployment and economic bankruptcy. The moral statements written into the Declaration of Independence say as much about those who affixed they signature to it so long ago as those who are currently morally bankrupt for the uncaring way they have done business in the name of self-interest.

As we stand and sing the National Anthem and recall "the rockets red glare" we must recall the very history of where these rockets were and for what freedoms they were used for. Yes, our celebrations of the events of July 4, 1776, should continue, but it is incumbent on those who wish to stray from the professional displays to honor the property and the privacy that was granted each of us in this country because of the work of a group of men in a steamy Philadelphia building so long ago. Liberty and freedom does not allow for the trampling of other's rights. While I enjoy the spectacle of a good fireworks display, I do not enjoy the lingering stench of them so close to my home and the garbage they spew into my property, some of which gets buried in our gardens only to be seen when the gardens are stripped and laid bare for the onslaught of winter.

Enjoy the festivities, but don't tread on my personal rights as well!

"Promote the General Welfare"

2009-07-01T15:12:00.003-05:00

As we approach this Independence Day weekend, we are at a point where a battle is raging over the kind of healthcare coverage we in this country currently get. Yet, the statistics show that nearly 45 million of the citizens of this great country are without the basic insurance to afford healthcare and should something catastrophic happen medically, they may be forced into a level of poverty that they never thought could happen.

The title of this post is also a link to the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States and should cause us to pause about its meaning in the context of healthcare for all citizens of this country. If we truly believe in what this document that is at the heart of our system of government, then the debate raging in Congress particularly should be a moot point with regard to affordable healthcare insurance for all.

Maybe we need to exact some leverage on our representatives in the hallowed halls of Congress and remind them that what they have as elected officials of the people, those called to represent our interests for the common good of this nation, have probably one of the best healthcare packages that money can buy. Ironically, their healthcare is paid by us...citizens of the US...who would very much benefit from this most generous of benefits.

So why the debate? Or do we need to remind them through whatever means is possible that they represent OUR interests and not theirs and there seems to be and overwhelming majority of people in this country who voted for the change that needs to take place in order that quality medical care is afford to everyone thereby living up to these words from the Preamble to "promote the general welfare", for without it, we are doomed as nation to exhibit the quality of life that we promote on the world's stage.

Many of those in Congress who rail against a change in how we do things with the cost of healthcare are the same that tell everyone who will hear it that they are "pro-life" and is not the quality of healthcare a pro-life issue more than being anti-abortion? The seamless garment of the pro-life agenda as put forth by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago suggests as much and we have a duty to care for all of our fellow creations of God in a way that befits God's amazing love for us. We are our brothers and sisters keepers and as such should not debate this so that it benefits the large, bloated insurance companies who have as their first priority the needs of their shareholders and play footloose and fancy free with the lives of the insured, calling into question necessary procedures for their health.

The celebration of our independence from the tyranny of an English king out of touch with his subjects should be recalled as those debating the issue of healthcare are equally out of touch with the people they represent in this time of crisis. We need to send the message that now is the time for change or we will see to it that representatives who have our best interest at stake replace the current members "in their Washington Ivory Tower".

Let the fireworks begin!

One Must Say Something

2009-06-27T00:14:00.004-05:00

Events being as they are, it is hard not to comment on the headlines this past week.

Here in Chicago, the death of legendary newscaster and interviewer John Calloway of WTTW fame was a surprise that began our week. His ability to cut through the talk and get to the crux of those he sparred with over the interview desk each night was refreshing. He gave us not only this, but a wit that was pure Chicago and ranks up there with the late Studs Terkel. He also gave us a legacy in his daughters of great talent in the theatre and cabaret circuit - Liz Calloway and Ann Hampton-Calloway. Listen to their approach to the songs they sing and you will hear dad in their smoothness and approach to the lyrics.

We became transfixed as a nation yesterday as the news spewed forth and the media circus grew so that the only thing that seemed to be happening in this country was the news of the death of Michael Jackson - the so-called "King of Pop" so as not to confuse him with the "King of Rock and Roll" the late Elvis Presley. Ironically, looking at their lives you will see some similarities and if the statements of late are any indication, abuse of prescription medication may have played a large part in the demise of Jackson at the age of 50. While his music will transcend time like that of the other, larger than life icon of Presley, I can only say that I morn for his children who have no father at this moment and are awaiting whatever court order is put forth as to where they will grow up and with whom. Yes, the world has lost a great entertainer, but please, spare me the hype on this one and let's not forget someone who also died yesterday, with much more dignity and with much faith in her god - Farrah Fawcet.

I recount Farrah Fawcet not for her accomplishments as one of Charley's Angels or for the iconic swimsuit from the late 70's, but as an actress who dared to break the mold that she was put into with her role as one of the "angels" or the famous poster that many a adolescent salivated over at night in their rooms. Through the many works that she tackled and through the rocky relationships she endured, she held fast to her God and her Roman Catholic Church and taught us about dignity in as she dealt with death at the hands of an incurable and rare cancer, making a public statement to the world only weeks before joining the great company of saints. She, like John Calloway at the beginning of this post, said much about humanity and the good that can come out of it, not exploiting one's self to the greed and excess that marked the life of Michael Jackson, but pursuing life with great dignity and respect for everyone.

Many may disagree with me in what I have just said. So be it.

The Heat Wins Out

2009-06-24T17:36:00.003-05:00

Stifling is probably the best description of the weather these past few days and it seems that summer has roared in when the calendar did actually hit June 21, leaving the cool temperatures and the torrents of rain in its wake. The sad part is that a week ago, we needed a heater to sit on our back deck, but today, well, air-conditioning would be helpful.

As we all ponder the "how high can it really get" with all of the weather forecasters, maybe we need to take some help from a wonderful play "The Rainmaker", later turned into a musical known as "110 In The Shade"...hope for a miracle that this heat will break and that rain will soak our weary bodies and the soil as well. There was a rumble this early afternoon, but nothing materialized.

Is anyone up there listening?

Are They Really Up To It?

2009-06-22T01:07:00.003-05:00

For about two weeks now I have been mulling over the ramifications of a proposed long-range strategic plan for this archdiocese, having been asked to comment on the aspects of it by the middle of July. While I think that this is an admirable step forward for this sector of the universal church, I need to address the fact that no one seems to be talking about a couple of issues that seem to be at the top of the list and that no amount of Eucharistic Adoration will change the minds of the faithful in the pew.

First and foremost, there needs to be a "coming clean" on all aspects of the priest sexual abuse events that have happened in this archdiocese - a transparency that shows that the leadership of said has effected full disclosure of the events that allowed all of this to happen. The end product of this accounting should be the resignation of those who were complicit, if they are still working in the church, to the shuffling process that took place with those priests who were identified from the very inkling of their behavior. While reconciliation and forgiveness are great virtues of the Christian tradition, no amount of "mea culpas" can replace a resignation so that the cloud of this scandal can be removed and the faithful can once again find at least a modicum of trust in the institutional church.

The second item has yet to take place, but will change the way we participate in the "work of the people" each time we gather in communion with one another. The new rites, rubrics and translations of our rituals are nearing a long and arduous completion and will be implemented in a few short years. Will this once again be the excuse of the faithful to once again open the doors and exit from their places of worship similar to the changes after Vatican II? Now, remember that I am fully in favor of those Vatican II changes and the sense of fresh air that full participation brought back to the church after being dormant for nearly a thousand years - an approach to the Lord's Table that reflected the early four centuries of the Christian community and its communal worship style.

These new changes, while admirable, leave much to be desired as to the language that is suggested forgetting that the English spoken in Great Britain and Australia is a far cry from the English spoken in Canada and as George Bernard Shaw's Henry Higgins so nicely puts it in the Lerner and Lowe musical "My Fair Lady"..."while in America, they haven't used it for years." Yet, this could be the deal breaker and is tantamount to an 800 pound gorilla in the room that no one seems to be addressing in this long-range strategic plan.

Stay tuned! There will be much more to be said about this in the coming weeks.

Late Night Thinking

2009-06-19T02:01:00.003-05:00

Another painkiller, tossing in bed and not able to find a comfortable position...and a mind racing with far too many thoughts...

I witnessed it again today, those teen members of our parish lining up to be the grunt work, once again, for the collection of our recyclables - at least that is what it looked like from my vantage point - or the delivery of yet another round of donations of food for a neighboring parish. This is all admirable, but where is the faith component in all of this and connecting the call to servanthood with the belief in Jesus Christ above and beyond the need to generate a certain number of "service hours" to satisfy some need for a high school requirement - most of them are heading off to a Catholic high school - or to rack up a number so that by the fall, the same requirements for Confirmation will be met? Don't these kids deserve more than infantile behavior from adults who say this is for their own good? Shouldn't the link between practicing the faith and doing the faith go hand-in-hand with the good works they are doing?

Again, I have issues with the way that most of this universal church I work in treats the young people, primarily the teens, as they struggle not only with their grades in school, but the changes taking place in their bodies - the puberty thing - that sends hormones racing into places they didn't even know they had and not giving them the support mechanism to deal with the emotional upheaval in their lives. And what of the benefits of the Sacraments of Initiation if they are staggered so far apart that they are virtually meaningless and nothing more than a time for extravagant partying - taking the eye of the real prize which is the closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can bet that there will be more on this...

I'm going to try the sleep thing again as I am having trouble focusing my thoughts right now, but at least I hopefully have started the conversation.

A Radical Thought

2009-06-17T14:41:00.003-05:00

Check out the link above and you should be asking many questions after reading it.

To put everything in perspective, go and see Angels and Demons and pay particular attention to the ending where the new Carmallingo looks at Professor Langdon and suggests that the Church, the Roman Catholic Church, is an imperfect institution because those in charge are human and imperfect in their own right.

I have had many more good times in working with priests from all over this country and some from more foreign places, but what has struck me most is that with the exception of a very small percentage, they view their role from a very human perspective. This is as healthy as can be considering that as we prepare to launch into a new era of change within the Roman Rite, our collective humanness will be put to the test for the things that were constant will be changed and the very model of "church" that we have become use to will change forever, as well.

As a lay "ecclesial" minister in Christ's Church on earth, I am aware of the "royal priesthood" we are all called to be, but for many, do not do their task well, leaving the work of the people in the hands of a few - the ordained, religious, and the lay ecclesial ministers. Yes, the very priesthood that we will celebrate for the next year beginning this Friday, didn't even exist back in the time that our Savior was planting the seeds of Good News, but like all things, the institutionalization of the Good News took hold so that we would benefit from the Good News for ages and ages.

What would the Church look like without the ordained ministry we have come to know? I am not adept at predicting what tomorrow will bring, but with anything that is driven by humans, the evolvement of the Church will happen because of the participation of the Holy Spirit in it and that excites me more than you can know, even if the current occupants of the Magisterium continue to put the work of these past 40 years back into the box. Our evolvement of Church may just produce a more representative picture of what Jesus meant when he called us to servanthood at those hours before his death. We will sustain ourselves and make all things sacred in Christ.

They Do Exist

2009-06-14T23:11:00.006-05:00

It's summertime and that time of year when I hopscotch around this archdiocese as a fill-in musician for colleagues who need to get time away from their duties as liturgical music ministers. Today, three liturgies under my belt with the waning effects of the medication I am taking for my wisdom tooth extraction just seven days ago, I found myself in the southwest suburbs full of life - families, young and old, and youth...yep, the teen variety were out in abundance and they were there at the liturgy, all three of them.

This is a welcome sight as I have lost faith in the fact that at the parish I minister to there aren't any young families on a regular basis and those teens that we do know about are lacking in their abundance at our liturgies where we are located at the western border - due west - of this large archdiocese. Where are they and why are they not coming?

I looked through the bulletin for the parish I was helping at today and found many more activities, mostly spiritual in nature, rather than the same old trips to malls and recreation areas that we are offering along with helping on food drives. Are we not getting the correct message out that we have something to offer these teens or is the youth ministry seen primarily as the grunt work for many of the social justice activities we have to offer? Add to that, each year our St. Vincent dePaul Society acknowledges these teens efforts in their work with honorar

y membership. What the hell is that all about?

I need some answers for I know the youth of today are out there and we are not meeting their spiritual needs at our parish.

Terrorists Among Us

2009-06-12T21:56:00.006-05:00

Almost 15 years ago I received my certification in liturgy - "the work of the people" - known to many in the Catholic faith as having to do with things related to the Mass. The common joke running around was "what is the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist?" Answer: "you can negotiate with a terrorist!"

In the years after 9/11, that has all changed, but truthfully, could we really ever negotiate with a terrorist, most precisely, those who were not foreign citizens, but those who have taken up the mantel of racial superiority, conspiracy theories about our government leaders, Holocaust denials, and the list goes on?

During my residency in North Dakota during the 80's, we were in the front pages for a group known as the "Posse Comatatus" - a very extreme right-wing group of anti-government folks who were further out there than Atilla the Hun. The shootout on a major interstate was only one part of the story, but carried with it all of those who have found a way to hurt the very citizens of this country who are trying to live their lives by the values set in The Constitution.

Although there are many more groups and individuals who have been in the press, our eyes have been focused more overseas than in our own backyard and the events of the past two weeks with the killing of a doctor who allowed late abortions and a security guard at the nation's Holocaust Museum in Washington, D. C. are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this fringe element that is a threat to our very existence and must be stopped.

Killing does not and never has lead to something good. We see that in the neighborhoods throughout our country that the easy access to guns is not so much a constitutional right, but a way of deciding a disagreement rather than sitting down and talking about it. The heat of the argument ends innocent lives because of the hot tempers and mistrust that come together in these persons minds, all sowed with the intent of creating a country that is purely white. Well folks, do your history and you will find that there ain't no such animal - pardon the bad grammar.

We have been called by our creator - a God that is pure love - to live that same love and to live in peace with our fellow human being who is our neighbor, relative, and precious child of God. Yet, we put our own personal agenda at the head of the list because we consider ourselves to be more important than the person next door or down the street. We have become disrespectful of anyone who doesn't agree with us and are aided in our personal mission by fringe elements on Talk Radio that will twist and turn the events so that we become more outraged, not even attempting to find out the true facts before acting in a way that is inhumane at its very core.

We must look absolutely disgusting in God's eyes right now - proclaiming that we abide by the Ten Commandments and requesting placement of them wherever we can have them, yet living by a set of rules that do not resemble these precepts at all. To the people who have taken innocent lives for the sake of what they perceive of as "justice" remember the command NOT TO KILL applies to everyone.

We must change our ways and learn how to coexist with one another. Let us all pray in earnest for that change in our behavior rather than just sitting back and brushing these incidents off as quickly as they make the headlines.

Outrage!

2009-06-10T22:52:00.003-05:00

As I have previously alluded to, the event of the extraction has finally taken place and the amount of medication seems to be working seeing that the amount of time between the pain medication in particular is longer than the suggested 4 hour interval.

What pains me most is that I am not the only one I know who is going through a similar situation and is also scheduled, like myself, to have a root canal after an extraction has been done. She is a colleague at work and we have been talking through not only her first extraction of a wisdom tooth - something that was not done correctly in the first place - but her second one, which because the insurance she had switched to because of her husband's insurance denied the procedure as a "pre-existing condition" though no fault of her own and had to pay the full amount for the second extraction to remove the chips of tooth that remained from the first.

Upon returning to work today, she informed me that said insurance company denied her the root canal procedure because it wasn't necessary, which of course her dentist told was necessary. My reaction to this is nothing more than outrage and shows in this very localized incident that our medical and dental insurance system is very much broke and not there is an effort in the nation's capitol to scuttle the whole idea of reform of the system.

First and foremost, we are called to be human beings who are to care for each other - a "natural law" as recognized by all religions and also the law of the land as brought to us through the hard work of our founding fathers. Yet, as with the recent economic debacle led in no small part by the voracious sin of greed, we are once again being thrown to the sharks because independent insurance companies will not make enough of a profit and one of the studies that the Republican side of the aisles in Congress is being distorted, this according to the head of the study. But no, the talking heads and talking point being issued are being used to mislead the consumer that any tampering with the current way things are is better than what is being presented and that we will have not right to choose in procedures prescribed.

Well, folks, if my colleague's dilemma is any indication, we are already at that point and if you pay close attention to other stories over the years of denial of treatment because some numbers cruncher in some corporate office with little or not knowledge of the healthcare system making decisions affecting our lives, then you need to get you heads out of the sand. We need healthcare reform and we need it now.

As people created by a being who called us to take care of one another, we are not doing too good a job when it comes down to the cost of insurance premiums per month sometimes is larger the cost of a mortgage payment. A sobering statistic is that most families who file for bankruptcy file because of medical costs and includes the cost of insurance if they are not under a plan through their employers or may be retired. Who's winning here? Certainly not the consumer.

I pray that action be directed toward Congress, these people we elected to watch over us and our concerns for the public good, to do the right thing. We must push them to see that pocketing donations from insurance companies is not going to lead to a better America unless they call the insurances companies to task and get them to clean up their act. And lest they remember, their insurance, which is very solid and a case such as is happening to my colleague, would never happen to a member of Congress, for we are paying for their premium insurance coverage, even when they are booted out of Congress or when they retire.

After more than a week away...

2009-06-06T15:45:00.004-05:00

Home never looked so good after plane flights, travel by car, quick but efficient visits with friends and relatives and understanding firsthand the pain that most all of us are in during this times of economic uncertainty. The place of lodging for us while in the Twin Cities (think Minnesota) was with friends in Minneapolis, allowing me a safe 20 minute car commute from the conference I was attending in St. Paul, which was made even more challenging by more roadwork than I have seen since they reconstructed the Dan Ryan Expressway here in Chicago.

Staying with friends is always fun and having cat companions is even better. That, however, was not the case as we stayed as close as you can get to the Aerial Lift Bridge in Duluth (think further north Minnesota - pictured above) and the "basso profundo" horn of gigantic "ore boats" communicating with a much higher pitched horn from the bridgehouse so that these monsters of the Great Lakes could move in and out of the narrow corridor, much like threading a needle.

The view was panoramic from our suite looking out onto the Duluth/Superior harbor, using binoculars to catch the name of the newest entrant or one that was lining up to leave. Along with that, the ducks found refuge in the sun along the coastline and a family of loons came out at early evening to forage for food - love those loons.

What marvels in creation we were able to see and we give great thanks that our friends and relatives, mom in particular, all have their health when uncertainty rains down around them. Yes, things could be better with each of us, but in the end, it is the very fact that we are alive and able to have time together with each other. With the exception of a few, a new meeting place in the interim between visits will be via Facebook. For me, I will continue to use my website and this blog to communicate allowing for anyone, not just those who want to be "friends" to allow to visit.

Yes, it is good to be back home!

Something I Could Never Do!

2009-05-26T22:36:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow I'm am scheduled to present awards of appreciation to a group of nine young men and women, eighth graders, who will be venturing on to high school next, for their service to the parish community as Altar Servers - all but one for four years and the one, for two years. Yet, they all deserve a hearty "thank you" for being faithful to their commitment and in some cases, being able to function at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning.

They have done something I never was allowed to do, although males my age did serve back in the 1960's, the restriction at my home parish - Blessed Sacrament in Hibbing, Minnesota - only allowed those boys who attended Assumption Elementary School, something I did not attend as good old Brooklyn Public School was only three blocks away and my mother's logic prevailed, even when a young Fr. George Schroeder - now Msgr. in Steamboat Springs, Colorado - tried to entice her. But, as Fr. George told me some years later when I lived at the Newman House on the UMD campus in Duluth, Minnesota, her logic was hard to beat because to go to Assumption School, all I would have to do was walk to Brooklyn School and get on a bus to take me to Assumption School. Yeah, you get the point. So, that's why I never was an Altar Server, but because of my being a piano student and then adding organ to the mix, from the summer between 8th and 9th grade, I could be found in the organ loft at Immaculate Conception, Blessed Sacrament, and St. James Episcopal Church and getting paid for it!

But back to the "gang of 9" those Altar Servers who have been a joy for me over the past four years: Sam, Frank, Holly, Nicole, Anthony, Lindsay (GO CUBS), Michael, Jackie, and Rossi - I am truly impressed with all of you and your commitment to the cause, for being servants for the "people of God" during the "work of the people" which we liturgists and musicians call Liturgy, but to most people is the Mass.

I am impressed in the way you have all matured, but still manage to keep things in perspective through your teenage eyes. That constant questioning will go a long way particularly when you enter high school next fall.

I wish I could be there with you tomorrow (May 27th), but when the opportunity to attend the NALM Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota presented itself last fall, I was not totally aware that I would be missing this day with you. But this is good for me and for my wife to be with friends that we miss dearly and haven't spent a lot of time with, to talk about the Twins and the Sox and the rivalry, to enjoy each other's company, and to support my dear friend Frank who is in the midst of finding new employment after having lost his job of 32 years from a major television station in that Minneapolis/St. Paul market. This will all happen around my going to the conference with other lay ecclesial ministers from around the country who, in most cases, began their work in the Church the same way you have, by serving at Mass, or like me, being a musician at a young age.

Never let the world get in your way of remembering what is important in your life - your relationship with God. I know that sounds like something you may not want to hear at this moment as you feel that you can conquer anything by yourself, but take it from one who has gotten to this place in my life that having God as a constant companion can open up possibilities that you cannot do by yourself. You all have skills and you all possess great talents. Use them and learn from them and when you fail, learn from that as well.

I am proud to have had this time with you, sometimes giving me a little heartache, but knowing that you always did your very best to be true servants to the "people of God". Each week I end my bulletin column with three Latin words - Soli Gloria Dei - which means "to the Glory of God alone. Remember these words and put them into action for they will help you as move forward through life.

What Did They Fight For?

2009-05-25T15:36:00.003-05:00

There is much to contemplate on this Memorial Day as we in this country and the world climb out of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. We remember those who have fought and lost their lives for the freedoms which we have, but do we really have them and have they been forfeited in the name of greed - that oft mentioned sin of the "seven deadly" variety?

I am sure that had the young men and women who endured Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Bull Run, Verdun, The Bulge, Korea, Vietnam, Persain Gulf I & II and Afghanistan and lost their lives would real at what their sacrifice has brought to those whom they thought they were fighting for. The veterans come home to less and less and the power of the dollar, the lustful accumulation of more and more wealth for a significant few, seems to be intertwined with a failed belief that we can fix anything anywhere - just throw some brave Americans at it and we will protect our interests - mostly financial - so that grossly overpaid executives can do with as the rest of the population struggles to make ends meet.

Over twenty years ago I was employed in the Archdiocese of Military Services and was privy to the defense budget that newspapers touted as being pro-military. They certain were pro-something like new weapons of destruction, but they were anti-personnel and family for as the budgets were raised each year during the days of the "great actor" family programs in the military were being cut to create weapons that the "great actor" may have been familiar with in the movies, but not in reality. And this, I believe, helped in its own way to undercut the very lives of decent men and women who were relegated to the use of food stamps and government aid because our defense budget wasn't paying them enough.

Oh yes, there was a bright side - the military suppliers were raking in windfall profits because of the neglect our government was doing to the soldiers and their families. And the more profits were available, the more greed set in and as corporate execs leapfrogged from one place to another, the greediness came along - until this house of cards could not stand any longer.

The men and women who gave of their lives for the "common good" of this country and for others around the world, deserve to be remembered better than this - the lip service our actions as human beings have betrayed their sacrifice so that we may all prosper. Today, we must think as those soldiers who were willing to risk it all for the sake of others - a biblical analogy to the Savior Jesus Christ - so that others may live in freedom and have everything that they need to survive and prosper...EQUALLY!

Let us always remember this and the fact that greed played no part in our attaining and maintaining our freedoms of choice, religion, the press, and life itself. To right this ship that has been put adrift we need to understand the sacrifice that our men and women in military service make each and every day of our lives for our good.

Pray for them, they who live. Pray for them, those who have died. Pray for us that we truly remember this act of sacrifice and love for the common good.

BXVI and the Call to Evangelization

2009-05-21T14:08:00.003-05:00

For the past couple of years I have carried around this image of Jesus in the 21st century. As of yesterday, I can say that I was not that far off from the official line of Rome - use the internet to spread the Good News was the call of BXVI - Benedict XVI.

The power of this medium to connect with others, from the very young to the nearly retired Baby Boomers is what I have often thought Jesus Would Do if he were here among us. So the "iJesus" photo, loaded down with an Apple MacBook Pro, iPod, iSight Camera, headphones and wired for Bluetooth and WiFi is something we should take seriously to connect with the disaffected and the seekers who are looking for a faith community to call home away from cyberspace, Facebook, MySpace and all the other blogosphere hits that we online practitioners call home - our identity masked by our online persona.

For those seeking their way into the Catholic Church, but have neither been baptized in the Catholic faith or any other Christian denomination, a cyber encounter in the RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults - will help you negotiate the questions that need to be answered, the scriptures and the meaning, or just a place to chill out with the Lord in a 3 minute or 5 minute meditation sitting in front of your computer.

One of the first Apps available for the iPhone (first generation) and the iPod Touch was the iBible, courtesy of the USCCB - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - which gives anyone the readings of the day as well as podcasts of the readings and full access to the NAB translation Bible - and it's FREE. Then there are two Liturgy of the Hour Apps - Universalis (a bit pricey at $49 per year and the most recent "Vatican Approved" iBreviary in just about any language you want. The Hours prayed on your iPhone or iPod Touch - too cool!

Finally, there are numerous sites from Collaborative Ministries at Creighton University to Catholics on Call at Catholic Theological Union that offer online retreats, Ignatian Spirituality and much, much more.

WWJD in the 21st Century to spread the Gospel?

Use the internet - of course!

Bonfire of the Vanities Continued...

2009-05-20T10:27:00.003-05:00

So the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation issue and apology, but nothing from the Alderman of the 11th Ward who ordered - maybe the word should be "forced" - the covering up of the "offending" artwork, which it now turns out, was commissioned by the owner of the building it was painted on. Maybe restitution should be paid out of Alderman Balcer's own pocket for the loss of this art.

It is ironic that throughout this city, the social commentary of the neighborhoods is flourishing in the art of the people of these neighborhoods, a testament to the melding of art and history to remind us of things past and present so that we may more mindful of how we relate to one another.

Bonfire of the Vanities - Southside Chicago Style

2009-05-18T23:01:00.003-05:00

It wasn't quite the incarnation of Girolamo Savonarola, the Dominican priest and leader of Florence, Italy, from 1494 until he was executed in 1498, but the crime of judgment on the part of the Chicago's 11th Ward Alderman was an attempt similar notoriety.

Throughout the city of Chicago you will find displayed more pieces of public art than most art museums hold, all free for the looking, commenting and photographing. The piece at the beginning of this blog entry is what was once located in the Bridgeport neighborhood of public art, a contemporary commentary that was painted on the side of private property with the express consent of the owner. However, unappreciative neighbors deemed it as offensive and graffiti - how little they know - and complained to our alderman - yes, I live in this 11th Ward not all that far from the scene of this crime. The result was the near Savonarola tactics, also attributed to the Nazis in WWII Germany of purging such images from public view. I was not aware that as an elected official that one could comment on art and then for the good of the citizenry - a handful at best - have it forever eradicated by bullying the "graffiti squad" of the Streets and Sanitation Department to remove the offending display of...okay, so he's changed his story too many times to know what the real offense is, but know this, the person who knuckled under to the Alderman at streets and sans is about to loose his job and there may be legal action as well.

Many comments about this action have appeared on various news media sites concerning this flagrant display of power even suggesting how ironic it was on the day of the removal, the Art Institute of Chicago was opening - FREE ADMISSION - it's highly anticipated Modern Art Wing. Too, bad dear Alderman Balcer wasn't present to understand what modern art is and the tradition that art has in being a reflection of society and posing social commentary - like it or not - to the way we live.

I am outraged and from this posting will send my outrage to my alderman who has deemed his judgment of art to be better than those of the artist, but then again, he merely follows in a long line of self-proclaimed defenders of decency who know nothing of what art represents. I wasn't aware that I had voted for a god when I voted in the last citywide election. I may have to look over the ballot more carefully in the future.

Finding Common Ground

2009-05-18T08:11:00.003-05:00

I read the speech last night and was impressed. Using references to Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Chicago's beloved Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, I heard loud and clear that we need to find the common ground in everything we do.

The polarization we see today is something that isn't healthy. We see it in everyday life and experience it, in of all places, the churches we worship in. Personal agendas hold sway and solid constructive dialogue does not happen.

Yesterday, during our monthly lectio divina bible study, the passage from St. Mark that was a part of our focus was the reference to finding a lonely place - a place to get away for the Lord and of course, for ourselves. And how many times does a statement such as this appear in the Gospel of St. Mark? Many more times than those gathered around the table were ever aware of. Yet, some in the room couldn't let it go and so began the praising of Eucharistic Adoration as that lonely place to go.

I countered, as the event that was referred to is a once-a-month event at best. What about the other days of each month? The reference in Mark's Gospel is compelling as it tells us to seek out a place apart from the rest of the world - the very creation of God is what I would suggest - a park, a coastline, one's backyard...somewhere where the focus is on creation and not ourselves. Finally, after a few minutes of haggling it was apparent that the only way to find a common ground was to praise those efforts offered by the Church in such devotions as Eucharistic Adoration, with my own personal caveat that yes, we must experience all of these to decide what is best for each of us and not push any one agenda.

Those were the words of Cardinal Bernardin when he launched the Common Ground initiative during the waning days of his life well over a decade ago, much to the snide remarks of those less sympathetic to this approach, this dialogue...his fellow bishops who have since been disgraced for their manipulation of the system in hiding the hideous pedophilia scandal that has rocked the foundation of this American Church, put the Rock of Peter on unsure footing.

As the President of the United States stated yesterday, we need not shirk from our responsibility to discuss the difficult issues, but we need to do it in a civil and non-combative tone so that we can exact change in the name of the common good and not just for an ideological group with a myopic agenda.

Sunday's Gospel was echoed in President Obama's use of the Golden Rule - something that is found in each world religion: : "love one another as I have loved you" or as he phrased it to be treated as you would like to be treated. Many times we go on the attack and are dumbfounded that there is a counterattack forgetting that this type of confrontation does no good for anyone. We must work out of "agape" the love of humanity to find the common ground in God's creation.

The Date with Notre Dame Approaches

2009-05-15T14:17:00.003-05:00

You might want to check out the link in the title to the National Catholic Reporter article by John Allen, Jr., regarding an interesting piece found in the official organ of the Vaticanm L'Observatore Romano regarding the lack of uproar around President Obama, his policies and his upcoming commencement address at the venerable South Bend campus.

Each day I receive little tidbits of information forwarded to my iPhone and I would have to put the upcoming Notre Dame event and the boisterous commentary from 20% of the American bishops - yes, only 20% of the American bishops have said anything publicly about this upcoming visit by the president - that our American hierarchy has been highjacked by the anti-abortion wing of the pro-life movement. I say this because pro-life issues, as I see it and as it has been presented in some of the very pamphlets published by the USCCB around their Faithful Citizenship campaign, suggest that unjust war, poverty, homelessness, the death penalty, just immigration policies, nuclear proliferation, etc., constitute a total pro-life agenda that isn't based on one issue. It's as if a cadre of the American bishops have sided with the ultra right wing of the Republican Party, not working for the common good of the country, but for their own niche issues - read into that anti-abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage...you get the picture.

Recently, and I have said this before in a previous post, I finished a most remarkable book entitled Founding Faith - How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty by Steven Waldman (2009 Random House Trade Paperback), which details the great pains that occurred as not only the Declaration of Independence was forged, but as the Constitution of the United States was also crafted allowing for this unique co-habitation of the secular and the sacred. As my spiritual director so aptly put it the other day after reading this book, "our founding fathers were very pragmatic politicians" trying to avoid the blunders of other sovereign nations throughout history.

Finally, understanding that Catholic institutions of higher learning must hold on to their Catholic identity, I tend to side with those who see this invitation on the part of Notre Dame as not them pandering and buying into the pro-choice plank, but acknowledging the history that has seen Notre Dame at the forefront of many of the social changes in this country by inviting the first African American-Caucasian President of the United States. The use of the anti-abortion litmus test should not in any way be held up to Mr. Obama as he is not a Catholic as well as remembering the great debate that allowed this country to be the model of religious freedom that it is and to remember as well that it was the push of the evangelical-congregationalists of that day that called for such a break having endured the thumb of the "papists" and the Church of England at every turn in their lives before settling in this land to avoid unnecessary religious persecution.

Life in Your Face!

2009-05-09T15:56:00.004-05:00

That's basically what I said to our son today when he called, obviously choked with tears, that a comrade, a fellow company member, and a friend had decided to end her life at that age of 21. That's life in your face and it's hard to take.

Looking at the news these days we see and hear far too much of this type of event where the despair is so overwhelming that there doesn't seem to be any solutions and so the easiest way to end it all is to quit life...end it and not have deal with the hand that was dealt to us. There is a certain amount of selfishness to this type of behavior as well as not realizing the hurt that many will feel - parents and grandparents, friends, fellow workers and even casual acquaintances will have to deal with the grief that is associated with death, but death by one's own hand is far more traumatic.

My first encounter with this form of death was back in 8th grade when my best friend Chuck Beebe decided to end it all at the end of a shotgun. His best friend and next door neighbor never fully recovered going from a straight A student to a barely passing C average student by the time we all graduated some years later from high school. Back then, we never really talked about it death truthfully. The hurts and pains that take time to heal and the need to grieve, really let it out, so that we can move on with out lives. The question is still there - Why? In Chuck's case, none of us ever really knew what the cause of it was. But, it happened and it slapped us in the face that we weren't superhuman and we wouldn't live forever.

I understand our son's behavior and even me, who works in ministry, doesn't have the answers - I am not a counselor, I am more a listener who can listen and suggest a course of action to overcome the grief, a grief that is necessary, but that's about all I can do...offer support, verbally and physically by just a simple hug.

Back in the 70's, the most popular TV show was M*A*S*H with those whacked out doctors of the 4077th - my dad hated this show - doing their best to keep humans alive in the midst of war. The theme song we all remember as we watched Hawkeye, Trapper, Hot Lips, Frank, and Radar climb the hill awaiting the arrival of another soldier for medical services. What most of us don't remember are the lyrics because they were never sung - in the movie version they were, but not on TV and yes, I did see that movie more than once. They go like this and may answer a little the thoughts of life:

Through early morning fog I see

Visions of the things to be

The things that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see

That suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

The game of life is hard to play

I'm gonna lost it anyway

The losing card I'll someday lay

So this is all I have to say

That suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

The word of time will pierce our skins

It doesn't hurt when it begins

But as it work its way on in

The pain grows stronger watch it grin

That suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

A brave man once requested me

To answer questions that are key

Is it to be or not to be

And I replied Oh why ask me

Suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

And you can do the same thing if you please

Just writing these lyrics out is very sobering and sort of probes the mind of those who find it necessary to end their lives. I pray for them. I pray for their friends, their families and all who have come into contact with them for their loss is so stunning and immediate, unexpected and hard to comprehend. I pray for wisdom that those who grieve will find the light of this person that was a part of their life, for some a short time, but for others a beam that burned brightly for over 21 years.

Suicide may be painless to the person who has acted, I don't really know, but the hurt inflicted on those who cared, who would have helped in any way, if they had just asked for help, will remain as a scar - healed, but still a visible reminder of the pain.

Now is the Month of Mary-ing!

2009-05-05T13:32:00.003-05:00

To many in this country and particularly in this city, today is Cinco de Mayo, that festival marking independence in Mexico, but also, and not going unnoticed, are the hordes of celebrations in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. After all, May and Mary have been linked since God was a baby - or so it seems.

This cultic practice of "crowning" an image of the Blessed Mother - do you really think she would've wanted this? - smacks to me of the very paganism that Christianity fought against, but truth be told, much of what we do today in religion has some basis from pagan practices, assimilated by the Christian leadership to bring more of the pagans to an understanding of Christ and his message of the Good News.

This annual event is not something that I grew up with in the northern reaches of Minnesota and when I first encountered it back some 20 years ago when moving to the Chicago area, my own Catholicity was questioned by some because I didn't know of this particular custom of the May Crowning ritual. I was in my mid 30's and had never experienced such and event and after experiencing it, I became known for my trying to find another, more respectable way of honoring the mother of the Son of God.

For many who are not of the Catholic practice, these constant devotions to Mary and the countless other saints that we have only instill in them that we have more than one god and are truly idolaters in a form that Moses would have a fit. Yet, it is not the prayers "to" but the "intercessions through" these most holy people that most of the Protestant tradition don't understand. And hopefully, with continued dialogue, we can move to a greater understanding, but when these ceremonies of pagan rites take place, particularly to the Blessed Mother, even the most practicing of Catholics need to raise their eyebrows.

Over the years I have taken to heart the words from the late 1980's directive issued by the U.S. bishops and have tweaked many a crowning ritual so that it is steeped in liturgical as well as scriptural clothing, yet, much to my consternation, the remaining sore spot, the "over-the-top" sappiness of a 19th century hymn entitled "bring flowers of the rarest" seems to be firmly embedded in these rituals. I would take a decent "Ave Maria" over this piece of lousy musical writing and drippy-sweet poetry any day. And we have other, more contemporary pieces that are much more appropriate, but then it is hard to deal with "tradition" and "we've always done it this way" mentality. Change is hard and as long as we have people who remember these events of the "good old days", we will be challenged with our understand of how our faith really works in us and how we manifest it to the world.

My favorite saint, though only recognized as such in her native Germany, Hildegard of Bingen, was very devoted to the Blessed Mother, yet, in just about everything I have ever read, I have never senses the sweet-drippy piety of poetry that we are gripped with these past two centuries as is shown in the following example of her understanding of Mary through the eyes of God's creation:

"The Word of God is verdant with greening. The greening of creation urges us to create poetry, art, song, science. God's Word descended from heaven clothed in greening, enfolding the heart of creation with moistness, with sweet, bursting abundance.

The Blessed Mother is the greenest of the green branches, the living breath of springtime, the ever-ripening fruit of divine love. She wets what has become dry and shriveled, and she rejoices as it explodes into life once again."

I do prefer this earthy sense of Mary as I prefer Shubert's Ave Maria sung in it's original language - German - for the sound of the German words on the melody add an earthiness and grit to this woman who birthed the Salvation of the World - an act of true grit.

The Sacrament Thing

2009-05-02T16:28:00.003-05:00

Now is the month of "sacramenting." Everywhere you look, droves of children are dressed in miniature tuxedos and wedding gowns - or so these seem to be - parading forward to the click and whirring of instant photography not sure what the fuss is all about. Add to this process those of an older age from about the eighth grade and in some cases ranging into adulthood, waiting expectantly for the presiding bishop to ask them some important question about their faith, the Holy Spirit, or maybe the seven signs of the eternal dove-wind-tongue of fire. And what do we make of this?

Our yearly "sacramenting" movements have taken on the same significance as our birthdays or major holidays, another check mark that tells us that we will be rewarded for going through this "dog and pony" show and unlike the birthdays or major holidays, may never grace the entrance, at least for a vast majority, of the sacred space that they now inhabit.

I am not alone when I make these comments, but for the most part, those of us who utter these "heretical" rants, they are done in a place where no one else hears them, least of all the episcopal leadership that we are bowing to. Yet, I have for some time now thought that the current way of doing our "sacramenting" should be altered to reflect what our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters have been doing since the beginning of the Christian movement - at baptism, you will also be fully initiated into the life of the Church by partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ knowing that you are fully signed by the Holy Spirit as well. Full initiation as an infant. The 3 major sacraments - Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist - given to you, the only hitch being that you will now submit to a lifelong catechesis to better understand the significance of these signs of grace in your life - an ongoing mystagogy similar to those adults who wander our way from another Christian denomination or were never even baptized in a religious denomination.

Why do we continue to parcel these "sacraments of initiation" out, dangling service projects and in some cases, threats, that could deprive us of more fully embracing the life of Christ that the very first sacrament of initiation - Baptism - plunges us into? Is it the institution that is afraid that if we change things to the "eastern way" we will no longer have any leverage over the flock and they will seek out worship in some other ways? I haven't really figured that one out, but I know that there is a resistance to such thinking, although, in some parts of this archdiocese and in other dioceses throughout the world, these sacraments of initiation are pretty much wrapped up by the ripe old age of 8. I like that approach.

As "Mother Church" has evolved over these two millennium, so too must our understanding of the significance of these sacraments that we pay so much attention to, but understand very little about. Watching little children walking as if in military formation, piously holding their hands as if posing for the painting "Grace" and being pulled to focus on their little "jobs" within the celebration rather than experiencing the very grace of the sacrament is for me much more than I can handle. We need change, but the problem is that the parents will rise up in protest and utter the most famous saying of modern day Christianity - "but we've always done it this way."

Surprise Mom and Day, Grandma and Grandpa - WE HAVEN'T ALWAYS DONE IT THIS WAY!

It's time that the Church take a stance and rediscover the joy of these sacraments of initiation and stop making them the carrot at the end of the stick to further their cause in the world. It's time that the Church seriously consider lifelong learning rather than the current sporadic education in the faith. Imagine what Jesus might say if he were to experience this type of disciple when he comes among us again?