Catholicism, holiness and spirituality

Money isn't the problem

“Money doesn’t seem to be a problem when the problem is money.” -- Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg

I suppose I'd add to the Prime Minister's words, that money doesn't seem to be a problem when the problem is money, or war. We can come up with billions of dollars to fund wars and bail out Wall Street and US car-makers. Even our presidential candidates collectively raised and spent over a billion dollars campaigning the past couple years.

Yet, people struggle to obtain affordable healthcare, even going into bankruptcy as medical bills pile up. Or, people go without basic healthcare because they can't afford it, and end up getting sick and seeking expensive treatment in hospital emergency rooms. And all too often, people show up sick to work because they don't have any time off left, which can further erode their health and spread sickness to their colleagues.

Some people live in run-down, unsafe housing because they just can't maintain a house when working minimum wage or trying to get by on unemployment benefits. And then, once their savings and unemployment benefits run out, their house is taken back by the bank and they and their family are homeless.

It's really a shameful reality we live in here in the United States, a reality it seems we would prefer not to see or acknowledge. Maybe it's just too much of a shock to our view of America The Great, or maybe it's too painful to see that others go without when we have plenty. I suppose some people just don't care.

We can spend billions a month for several years to fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Within a matter of weeks we can create and fund a $700 billion entity to get capital flowing again, yet we can not muster the social and political will to make sure that people have basic healthcare and housing. People – fellow human beings with wants, needs, dreams and desires just like everyone else: moms, dads, kids and grandparents, neighbors, and friends. They are everywhere when you take the time to look for and know them.

Maybe once more people start to see them and know them, then money won't be so much of the problem.

It's all about connecting

As I read today's Gospel reading I had this flash of memory from when I was a young boy, singing with everyone else at Sunday Mass 'Whatsoever You Do'. Remember that song – 'whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me'? It was sung slowly and solemnly; it was almost sad.

Well, I had four brothers, but I knew the song wasn't really talking about them. It was about Jesus telling people that whatever they did to those in need, they did to him. I didn't really get it though. You see, we never really reached out and helped those in need; at least, not that I can remember. Part of that, I think, was due to our German-American farming community – people just didn't ask for help like that. It seems like we all just sucked it up, put on our stoic faces, and plodded on.

When I got married, my in-laws' tradition didn't do much to contribute to the 'whatsoever you do' idea. For them, faith saved, not works. The whole focus was on finding that faith; serving others got all tangled up with the whole 'faith vs. works' thing that it seemed so prevalent in the Pentecostal movement those days.

But still, this Gospel reading from Matthew always seemed to speak to me when I heard it, even if I didn't translate it into action:

Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”

We had a neighbor two doors down in Tulsa – Mayme. She was widowed, without children, and probably in her late seventies, but spunky and as independent as she could be. That independence was evaporating, slowly at first and then rapidly. I remember offering to mow her lawn whenever I mowed mine, because I could see she was having a tough time. She offered to pay me, but I assured her it was no problem. More than keeping the lawn mowed, I think she just enjoyed the attention and conversation.

Over the next few years Mayme became more frail, and my wife and I became her good friends. She no longer drove, so we helped her with shopping. I did small repairs on her house, and my wife helped her out in the house. Mayme was really saddened when PJ died – her beloved Cocker Spaniel. About the same time as her health took a turn for the worse, we shared with her that we were expecting our first child. That was a very bright spot in her life; our joy was reflected through her smiles. I remember opening the front door for her for one of the baby showers, and remarking how good she looked – all dressed up, and with make-up on! Soon after that, Mayme entered a nursing home – on a temporary basis, she assured us.

The day after Nicholas was born, Mayme died alone at the nursing home. She had no family or friends in town, the closest relatives were hundreds of miles away. It was quite a mix of emotions – the birth of our son and the death of a good friend all at once.

Looking back at that now, I think I can see what Jesus was getting at – 'whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me'. The smiles, laughter, struggles, pain and hope that we shared with Mayme on a literal, physical level are one thing, but there's more to it that that. Those experiences – real live, interactive human experiences – helped us get in touch with, get closer to, the source of life in us both. And that source of life is Jesus. Serving others, being in solidarity with those in need, is a way to nurture our relationship with Jesus.

You don't nurture that relationship by giving money to the poor, by voting for change, or lobbying for this or that. Those can all be good things that God calls us to do, but there's more. Connecting with and serving people in need is, I think, what Jesus is calling us to do through this Gospel story. As we do that and make those connections, we get to know Jesus.

There's more to it than that...

My Google home page led me to this announcement of a series of new 'MetroCatholic' web sites, the first of which is DFW Catholic, for Dallas/Fort Worth area Catholics. I'm not in the DFW area, but the idea of Metro Catholic web sites sounds good to me.

The home page for DFW Catholic is pretty nice, but I think their categorization in the 'Build Your Faith' section is too narrow: Pro-Life, Catechesis, Vocations, and Research are the content areas. Well, I guess I really just find 'Pro-Life' too narrow to be such a high-level category. I suppose using 'Social Justice' as the category doesn't work for them for some reason? But 'Social Justice' captures not only Pro-Life (which is really 'Anti-Abortion' the way it's used here) but also social and economic life issues, too. Maybe Social Justice wrankles some people too much?

I am a Pro Life person in all three meanings of the phrase - against abortion, capital punishment and euthanasia; I even volunteer at a pregnancy counseling center. But I also believe the Church's message about social justice is too valuable to narrow down to a focus on abortion.

An American Catholic

This morning I was reflecting on Independence Day, the state of our country, and what it means to be an American Catholic. America Magazine had a couple good articles – an editorial titled Independence Day and an article about David O'Brien titled American and Catholic. Elsewhere I read articles about the state of the union today – the war in Iraq, how other nations have a lower favorable opinion of us than they used to, how we spend so much money on the presidential race, and so on. They all make sense, and they left me with an impression that indeed our nation does have problems. But then, no one had a reasonable solution to offer, either.

Then I picked up a book that I had started reading a while ago, a book that my wife recommended: The Gift of Change, by Marianne Williamson. I had bookmarked a certain page, which I often do when I come across things that I want to revisit. So, I took a look at that particular page, and it pretty much hit home with how I am feeling about being an American Catholic. The quote is a bit long, but the context is needed:

This is an all-hands-on-deck kind of moment on earth. It's not OK to be stuck in the smallness of our narcissism when our greatness is so needed. It's time for each of us to face once and for all whatever demons have kept us chained to our neuroses and pain; to stand up for ourselves as a way of standing up for God; and to take our places in God's plan for the salvation of the world.

This is an exciting time and a critical one. It's not a time to be a lone ranger. It's a time, despite whatever our pain and heartbreak, to reach deep into ourselves and humbly towards each other. For there we will find God, and in God there is every answer we are looking for, every solution we so desperately seek, and every joy we might have come to think was gone and gone forever. This is the time, and we are the ones.

And why are we not already functioning at a higher level of mastery? What holds many of us back is not spiritual ignorance but spiritual laziness. We know many of the principles of higher consciousness; we're just too mentally and emotionally undisciplined to apply them universally. We apply forgiveness where it's easy, faith where it seems to make rational sense, and love where it's convenient. We're serious, but not really...

Now contrast that with the advocates of hate.

Do terrorists hate us just some of the time? Do they have a casual commitment to their cause? Do they take less than seriously the goal of full manifestation of their worldview? The only way we will triumph over hate is to become as deeply committed to love as some people are committed to hate, as deeply committed to expressing our love as some people are devoted to expressing their hate, as firm that love is our mission as some are that hate is theirs.

I don't believe we can separate our Catholic identity from our American identity. In fact I believe we're called to integrate them, and the starting point for that is love of God and love of neighbor. It's love that leads to liberty and justice for all. Love leads to good governance of the people, by the people and for the people. And in this crazy world of war, terrorism, immorality, crime, oppression and poverty, it is love that will make America great.

Back from Harlan

Phew! What a time we had last week on the youth group's trip to Harlan, KY. I'm still resting and catching up on sleep. And catching up on work – 400-some unread emails, a few voicemails, and a stack of mail. Work doesn't stop just because I take a week off.

Overall the trip was a good one; there were some rough spots and difficulties but that's just part of the process. Nick wants to go back next year; in fact, he wore his COAP t-shirt to Mass Sunday morning, which is quite a statement of support from a 13 year old. So Lord willing and the creek don't rise, we'll be back there next summer for a week (some Appalachia wore off on me; that's a good thing).

After being there a week, working on houses with this group of teenagers, and getting to talk with a few of the local people, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Reaching out to help those in need is definitely the right thing to do, and there are a lot of people in need there. But there are people in need within a mile of my own house in Cincinnati. Getting the kids familiar with a different part of the world is good; it can open their minds, tear down stereotypes, and build their social awareness. But again, we can find a different world just down the road a few miles – in rural Clermont county or the Over the Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati. It was good to help repair peoples' houses there because everyone deserves decent shelter. But, some – not all - of the folks there could have done it themselves.

I came away from this mission trip feeling as if we put a bunch of band-aids on situations that called for more intensive surgery. We didn't really do anything to address the systemic problems there. I'm uncertain if the local community is doing much to address those problems; it seems to me that they do have resources to get started on it if they wanted to. But change comes slowly, and many times with difficulty. Should we also put some of our efforts into helping the Harlan community with systemic change?

And then I need to reflect on the band-aids and systemic problems in our own church community, and  our youth, too. That's going to take some time and prayer. And it is essential to do that. So there's a lot of food for thought and reflection from that week in Harlan; and I suppose that's part of the fruit of that labor.

A quick update

I haven't posted much lately, and that is starting to bug me. But, life has just been very busy, and good! I have something of a post brewing right now, and maybe it will get posted before I leave Sunday for a week-long mission trip.

On Sunday I'm going with 20-some other adults and teens to Harlan county, Kentucky. We're participating in the COAP program - Christian Outreach with Appalachian People. We'll go down there for a week and fix-up peoples' houses. This is my first time doing this, and my older son Nicholas is going with us too. I'm looking forward to it! I've setup a blog for the trip - though I got it started, through the week I plan to get the kids writing about their experiences. So, feel free to check-in on us if you have the time or interest: Bellarmine Youth Group COAP Trip.

A Catholic View on Immigration Policy

I don't watch TV news or follow many issues in-depth via other sources, but it's impossible not to notice the rancor these days around immigration reform. It seems to me that the US does have a particularly large problem with illegal immigration across its southern border, and that we have, perhaps (but how does one know for sure?), millions of illegal or undocumented immigrants in the US.

The illegal immigrants are working here, raising families, going to church, being parts of communities, and dying here. Most of them are good, hard-working, honest folks, and there are some who are troublesome criminals, too. In my opinion, they are fellow members of the human race, with the same good and bad qualities as the rest of us. If any one of us was in their shoes, would we have done anything different?

So I wondered what does my church have to say about this immigration issue? I did a bit of searching and found that the US and Mexican bishops got together a few years ago to produce a document titled Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope. They also established an advocacy web site called Justice for Immigrants, which has a couple nice FAQ's and backgrounders on Catholic social teaching for immigration. Generally, their position, which came out in 2005, sounds in line with the recently proposed legislation from President Bush:

Does the Catholic Church support illegal immigration?

The Catholic Bishops do not condone unlawful entry or circumventions of our nation’s immigration laws.  The bishops believe that reforms are necessary in order for our nation’s immigration system to respond to the realities of separated families and labor demands that compel people to immigrate to the United States, whether in an authorized or unauthorized fashion.

Our nation’s economy demands foreign labor, yet there are insufficient visas to meet this demand.  Close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents face interminable separations, sometimes of twenty years or longer, due to backlogs of available visas.  U.S. immigration laws and policies need to be updated to reflect these realties.

Does the Catholic Church support “amnesty”?

The Catholic bishops are proposing an earned legalization for those in this country in an unauthorized status and who have built up equities and are otherwise admissible. “Amnesty,” as commonly understood, implies a pardon and a reward for those who did not obey immigration laws, creating inequities for those who wait for legal entry.  The bishops’ proposal is not an “amnesty.”

The Bishops’ earned legalization proposal provides a window of opportunity for undocumented immigrants who are already living in our communities and contributing to our nation to come forward, pay a fine and application fee, go through rigorous criminal background checks and security screenings, demonstrate that they have paid taxes and are learning English, and obtain a visa that could lead to permanent residency, over time. 

August 22, 2005

Their proposal and the legislation President Bush proposed makes sense to me, though I realize there's something in it for every side to dislike. Maybe we're at the point where enough people recognize the current way of handling immigration - legal and illegal - no longer fits the reality of the world we live in? The process of getting useful legislation passed will likely be messy, disjointed and acrimonious but at least, hopefully, we'll fix more than we break.

Contrasts & Human Dignity

Back from vacation now, and catching up on things. It was a nice time – we took a cruise from Miami to Cozumel, then on to Belize and back to Miami. This was our first cruise, and overall it was nice. By the last day, we were ready to come home.

We went ashore in Cozumel and Belize City. It was an interesting and, at times, disturbing contrast. We go from this luxury ship with nice restaurants, swimming pools, and all sorts of services to these ports and cities where most people seem to be barely getting by in shacks, the smell of sewage wafting by now and then. Some of the places people lived were little more than sticks with odd pieces of rusted tin for a roof. Most people there have a hard life, and here we come to drop in and see the sites in a nice safe, sterile tour, shielded from so many of the difficulties people there face every day.

On the buses to & from the tour destinations I noticed quite a few churches, some were even Catholic. I kept thinking how nice it is to have churches around, but how hollow it all seems when people everywhere are living in poverty. Even from that distant perspective it was easy for me to see how Liberation Theology found a home in Latin America, and why it makes so much sense for these people. I am all for people having churches to worship in, a place to celebrate the Eucharist, a place to pray and get saved. It may sound blasphemous, but isn't human dignity also an essential part of the picture? Aren't freedom from poverty and basic justice also part of God's plan?

Mixed Messages

On the one hand....

Archbishop Romero's sainthood cause has been under study at the Vatican for several years. Sources have said the Vatican is satisfied that the archbishop's writings, homilies and speeches were free of doctrinal error, but a remaining question is whether it was the archbishop's faith or his politics that led to his assassination.

And on the other...

When the pope, cardinals or bishops publicly comment on issues being debated by legislators they are not interfering in politics, but exercising their obligation as pastors and their rights as citizens... "That which the secularists call interference the church calls 'the right to speak about the moral problems that today trouble the consciences of all human beings, particularly legislators and jurists,'" the editorial said, quoting Pope Benedict XVI.

Romero spoke out about injustice, and that inevitably led him into politics. When leaders speak out in public, they become part of the political debate. And that's a good thing - they have a right and a duty to do so. It doesn't seem right, though, to encourage our bishops to speak out and as a result become part of the public political debate, only to hold it against them when they are gone. I wonder if that sort of mixed message is what keeps some bishops rather silent, when they are called to be prophetic?

$1,752

Preventative maintenance makes sense. We change the oil in our cars so that the engines don’t fail. We try to eat healthy food (well, many of us try to do that) so that our bodies feel better and last longer. We try to put a priority on our personal relationships so that we don’t end up losing friends, family members, children and spouses. We try to do well at work to prevent being fired or replaced.

We do all sorts of little things along the path of life to minimize the chance of a failure because failures can be traumatic, costly, life-threatening and life-changing. Strokes, heart-attacks, engine repairs, divorces, and job loss can all be traumatic and costly. So the common sense thing to do is to pay attention to the little things along the way that can prevent or minimize failures, even when they may be bothersome or annoying or boring – better that than the alternative, we say.

So what about the $1,752? That’s the annual amount, per person, the US spends on the military. The total is somewhere over $500 billion per year. It accounts for more than half of the entire world’s spending on the military, according to an article in America Magazine by Maryann Cusimano Love.  $1,752 – that’s 1,328 Euros, 2,487 NZD, 2,040 CAD, or 894 GBP – per person in the US, per year.

I know and accept that we need to fund a military, but I question the wisdom of spending so much money on addressing the failures of peace than the preventative measures that can be taken to nurture and grow peace.

The countries and the people of the world are more interconnected than ever. War and unrest on the other side of the world is likely to affect you sooner or later, one way or another. Maybe it will be an economic effect because war upsets trade; maybe the war will breed and train terrorists who set their sights on your part of the world; or perhaps a child or friend will die trying to put down the conflict. So now more than ever we have a real interest in peace throughout the world. We know what causes war – injustice, lack of freedom, poverty, etc – so why not treat those now instead of waiting for them to break out in a war?