We are still striding along with Luke as he advises us to listen carefully what Jesus is saying as he continues his walk to Jerusalem and Calvert. For the last several Sundays these Gospel excerpts are sharp, urging us to be forgiving, as in the prodigal son – to plan our lives so as to do good and avoid evil, and warns us not to let wealth dominate our hearts or become the reason for our existence.
Actually, there is a theme through all of this as the liturgical year is trying to condition us for the final scene of Judgment Day, which will be celebrated on November 21st, the great feast of Christ the King. We accompany Jesus in his walk towards Jerusalem. Listen to him with open minds and hearts. His grace will form us into being the kind of followers that will be faithful to him right to the end.
Viva Christ the King!
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About two weeks ago I responded to a New York Times editorial that they had become conscious of a not very well known statue of Saint Joan of Arc down at the end of 93rd Street in Manhattan. From my powerful position in my blog, I chided the New York Times for bragging about “all the news that is fit to print” and then not telling us where in the world Saint Joan of Arc came from. How did she get there? Who sponsored it? Why is she almost ignored having held back the English troops from astride that horse for not quite 100 years?
“Be careful what you pray for.” We all have heard that expression and I have to give you an example here. I searched the internet for information about this mysterious Joan of Arc statue and out came nearly 50 pages of materials. I don’t think most of us want to know that much about the statute but I have to admit it was fascinating reading. It was especially meaningful for me because it was early in the First World War and France was suffering terribly. I don’t find it in the printed program but I am sure the motivation that brought the City of New York, the Catholic community and the French Embassy together was wanting to spotlight this heroic woman who made the difference in France’s agony in the 14th century.
Viva La Belle France!
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Tom Friedman is one of my favorite columnists. On a wide variety of issues, he always seems to think with clarity and then writes a column that is clear, pointed and meaningful. Last week he began with a joking introduction as to why so much of the Washington crowd is spending its time and energy debating as to whether or not the president is a Muslim or may be was born outside the United States – possibly even outer space!
Friedman goes immediately to one of the most pressing issues in American life – the quality of education. Everyone pays lip service to the importance of education. Unless we maintain highest levels of education successfully, we will not be able to compete in the world and the economy of the nation will be dragged down. Friedman gives some interesting examples but mainly he recommends to everyone that they see a documentary movie Waiting for Superman. This movie spotlights a school being run in the poorest parts of Harlem that is accomplishing wonders. Success should not surprise anyone. It is built around better trained teachers, working for the best methods under the best principals, supported by more involved parents. Let’s wish these visionaries and prophets every success as they tackle the cumbersome, lumbering public school system.
Several decades ago, Catholics were not all that interested in the public schools. A high percentage of our children were in our own schools but that day has passed. While we need to maintain our own, we have to be concerned about all the children in the whole country. Let’s work together on this.
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Two weeks ago, a new book rolled off the presses in Italy reporting on the public relations train wrecks that have burdened the pontificate, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. The authors are two Italian reporters who specialized in covering Vatican issues. They have good reputations and are respected. I don’t have a copy myself and even if I did, I don’t know Italian. However, I do have great respect for John Allen, the most respected American expert on Vatican affairs, who did a fine report on this book on the 27th of August. Allen tells us that:
“While the sexual abuse crisis has occasioned the most serious criticism of Benedict XVI, it’s hardly an isolated case. Tornielli and Rodari treat a long list of other controversies and PR debacles too, including:
- A September 2006 speech in Regensburg which triggered Muslim protest by appearing to link Muhammad with violence;
- The appointment, followed by the swift fall from grace, of a new Archbishop of Warsaw who turned out to have had an ambiguous relationship with the Soviet-era secret police;
- Reviving the old Latin Mass, including a controversial Good Friday prayer for the conversion of Jews;
- Lifting the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops, including one who has denied that the Nazis used gas chambers;
- Comments aboard the papal plane to Africa to the effect that condoms make the problem of AIDS worse;
- Criticism from the Catholic right of Benedict’s social encyclical Caritas in Veritate;
- Open conflicts among cardinals, most notably Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, Austria, and Angelo Sodano of Italy, the Secretary of State under John Paul II;
- Ecumenical tensions related to the creation of new “ordinariates” to welcome traditionalist Anglican converts.
It’s a measure of how bad things have been that this is actually far from a complete list. The authors could have included other calamitous episodes, such as Benedict’s 2007 trip to Brazil, when he seemed to suggest that indigenous persons should be grateful to their European colonizers….”
These are difficult times for the Church and its relationship to the larger world and we need that our leaders be blessed with great skill and diplomacy as they work their way through dangerous minefields. Let’s pray for them.
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Last Sunday, one of the readings was from the book of the prophet Amos in which Amos was fighting for the rights of poor workers. Amos was written over 2,000 years ago but that fight still goes on. I am very happy and proud of the fact that in Austin and in other parts of the country a new, much-needed organization is springing up and developing some strength. In Austin, it is called “The Worker’s Defense Project” which promotes fair working conditions for Austin’s low-wage earners.
Can you believe that some workers, frequently undocumented immigrants, are tricked into working 40 or 50 hours in the sun and then when it is time for their pay the contractor has simply disappeared? They have done all that work and received nothing in pay. Such people, being undocumented and frightened of the legal system, simply turn the other cheek. I am happy to say that if they contact the Worker’s Defense Project, they will get dedicated and professional help. More importantly, they will get their paycheck!
The Worker’s Defense Project will celebrate its 8th anniversary on October 20th at the Mexican American Cultural Center here in Austin. For more information, contact the Worker’s Defense Project, www.workersdefense.org.
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Last week we were considering the agony of poor Mexico with hundreds of gang lords and thousands of innocent civilians being caught in a crossfire in the drug wars that mark that beautiful country. I pointed out that it is not only death and carnage but also a tragic economic downturn that come together to make life miserable and difficult for most of Mexico’s citizens. What is the basic cause?
The ultimate cause of Mexico’s agony is obvious. That cause lies within the United States. The murder of 70 people in Temaulipas two weeks ago should be measured in terms of two powerful tractions. Drug cartels have come into existence to supply drug addiction in the United States, an addiction that generates an almost unlimited amount of cash. The second pull is the flow of desperate immigrants northward fueled by the demand for low-wage labor north of the Rio Grande.
In last week’s notes, I suggested that the Church in Mexico should try to become involved in this terrible situation and utilizing whatever influence it may have. However, could not the same be said about the Church in the United States? Should there not be a major ecumenical push to get control of drug addiction in this country? Is overcoming the menace of drug addiction in this country really the prime responsibility of the federal government, or shouldn’t the great religious families of North America make this a major issue? I think all the churches should give serious thought as to how they can contribute to a solution for a problem that is really besetting Mexico, but caused by the United States.
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In today’s excerpt, Jesus is taking a break from his ongoing walk towards Jerusalem. We see our Lord in a relaxed manner dealing with the dregs of that society – “tax collectors and sinners.” The Pharisees are scandalized and this brings forth one of the greatest of the parables – that of the prodigal son. You all know the story. Let me suggest a different direction.
In the wonderful book, “The return of the Prodigal Son; a Story of Homecoming” Henri Nouwan takes a very interesting approach. He says that the main issue in the parable is not the actions and failures of the prodigal son, but rather of the unloving, unforgiving older brother.
What is your take on that? Let’s listen to the readings today with a different focus, and see what we can learn.
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It is good to have positive thoughts about new developments in China and Israeli/Palestinian Authority area but now let’s shift our thoughts to south of the Rio Grande. We all know about the terrible gangland slaughter going on all over Mexico but especially along the border. Two weeks ago over 70 bodies were stacked in one area, poor migrants who passed through a dangerous area on their way to the United States but refused to cave in to the drug lords. Seventy civilians killed in one place at one time and their bodies stacked in piles! Many thousands have died in this way over the last seven or eight years and no one seems to be coming forward with a solution.
The problem is worse than the countless lives being lost cruelly and unnecessarily. Formerly, Mexico’s main source of income was tourism. It is a land blessed with great beauty, both natural and man made. This tragic violence has cut deeply into tourism. Even if you are not in an area not suffering from crossfire from drug wars, you are suffering from a tragic drop in the economy. Regretfully, the Church has been forced to the edge of Mexican life for almost 100 years but now there is a desperate need for the Church to use what influence it may still have to foster peace, order and safety into this beautiful but tragic country. Can the Church find a voice? Will it use it?
Viva Mexico!
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Conflict has marked life in what we call the Holy Land since 1947 and has become more severe after 1968. The Israeli State came into existence in 1947 and expanded its control over neighboring territories in 1968. Since then there has been no real peace in the area.
The Palestinian Authority was intended to be an early step towards the establishment of a separate Palestinian state. It was a beginning -but it is just a beginning. Its short history has been painful. The Authority lost control of the Gaza Strip several years ago, but how is it doing now? Very well, thank you. The Authority has a well-organized, competent and respected police force, an improving educational system and a rapidly advancing economy. Then there is Prime Minister Mohammed Abbas who has renewed peace negotiations with Israel. His second in command is Salam Fayyad and is doing an excellent job of restoring order in the Authority. These two leaders have developed a process of development “predicated upon a shift away from the violence and towards a positive agenda of state building.” Israel is cooperating with this development and has removed many internal roadblocks within the West Bank.
In an area that has seen so many setbacks, let’s celebrate this very real step forward.
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I don’t know if that quote is from Chairman Mao, China’s old dictator, or someone else who was determined to move forward but it is a quotation frequently heard and accurately describes how most progress is made in difficult situations.
I think that anyone who follows news from across the world very closely is aware of the fact that we can see some progress and we can also see setbacks. Most of us would also agree that the media tend to spotlight setbacks more than progress. For the next couple of days I am going to tilt to real progress. Trouble seems to be more interesting news.
First- a look at China. The whole world is startled by the changes that have taken place in China over the last ten years and while still a communist country in terms of who controls the government, it has moved in many Western-style directions as far as economic and social development is concerned.
Change is also taking place as far as the Catholic Church is concerned. The communist government has persecuted the Church since 1948. A measure of this changing situation occurred last spring when the Chinese government allowed four young priests appointed by the Vatican to be ordained as bishops and take over the leadership of their dioceses. This is the first time in 70 years that this has been allowed. During these seven decades, the Catholic Church has been able to stumble forward in a complex situation with some priests being validly but illicitly ordained as bishops and they headed what came to be called segments of the “patriotic church.” In this situation, the laity and the clergy, came to be divided along the same lines and has been a source of constant tension inside the day-to-day life of the Church. This new Chinese policy of not only recognizing the importance of Vatican appointments but even soliciting them from Rome may very well bring to an end two problems; inner conflicts within the Catholic Church and conflicts between the Church and the Chinese government. That is going to be good for everyone.
Tomorrow let’s give some thought to developments in the Holy Land.
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