Gossip has a criminal side

Again, I'm impressed by Pope Francis' public statements.

What follows is a lengthy excerpt from the Vatican Radio site. 

The seed of Pope Francis’ homily on Friday was Jesus’s thought provoking query when he asked: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" After having spoken about humility – he said – Jesus speaks to us of its opposite: "of that hateful attitude towards one’s neighbor when one becomes a 'judge' of his brother". In this context -- the Pope points out -- Jesus uses a strong word: "hypocrite".

Those who live judging their neighbor, speaking ill of their neighbor, are hypocrites, because they lack the strength and the courage to look to their own shortcomings. The Lord does not waste many words on this concept. Further on he says that he who has hatred in his heart for his brother is a murderer. In his first letter, John the Apostle also says it clearly: anyone who has hatred for his brother is a murderer, he walks in darkness, he who judges his brother walks in darkness.

And so – Pope Francis continued – every time we judge our brothers in our hearts – or worse still when we speak ill of them with others, we are Christian murderers:

A Christian murderer…. It’s not me saying this, it’s the Lord. And there is no place for nuances. If you speak ill of your brother, you kill your brother. And every time we do this, we are imitating that gesture of Caine, the first murderer in History.

And the Pope added that in this time in history when there is much talk of war and so many pleas for peace, "a gesture of conversion on our own behalf is necessary". "Gossip -- he warned --always has a criminal side to it. There is no such thing as innocent gossip". And quoting St. James the Apostle, the Pope said the tongue is to be used to praise God, "but when we use our tongue to speak ill of our brother or sister, we are using it to kill God", "the image of God in our brother". Some may say -- the Pope commented -- that there are persons who deserve being gossiped about. But it is not so:

Go and pray for him! Go and do penance for her! And then, if it is necessary, speak to that person who may be able to seek remedy for the problem. But don't tell everyone! Paul had been a sinner, and he says of himself: I was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, a violent man. But I have been mercifully treated. Perhaps none of us are blasphemer – perhaps… But if we ever gossip we are certainly persecutors and violent. We ask for grace so that we and the entire Church may convert from the crime of gossip to love, to humility, to meekness, to docility, to the generosity of love towards our neighbor.

Classes start Sunday September 22, 2013

Classes will begin this Sunday at 9:30 in the Merton Center.

The teachers had a meeting this Sunday to prepare for the year and establish goals.

Among these:

• increasing awareness of vocations in our students, which might mean
• types of holy orders and the many charisms
• service as an outgrowth of prayer
• serving the ongoing prayer life of our families
• creating an ever stronger community around our families

Classes will be similar to last year, although some of our teaching assignments will be different.

See you on Sunday! 

A respectful invitation to a culture of dialogue

More from Pope Francis, calling for prayer on Syria: 

I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace.

May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and let themselves be led by the desire for peace.

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.

Notice the key words calling all 'of good will' to participate in whatever way they can.  A respectful invitation. 

no longer many souls, but one

Today, August 28, is the feast day of Saint Augustine. He died on this day in 430, under siege, in Hippo in present day Algeria.

Some scattered responses to the day.

Augustine was, for many years, the most prominent African read in the European and American academies. Augustine's Confessions were required in the Columbia core curriculum, so as such were familiar to most of my circle in my youth. I remember a symposium organized by my brilliant friend Mark Caponigro on an important anniversary (of birth or death, I don't recall).  Mark disliked a number of the implications of his theology.

I believe Mark's objection had to do with Augustine's construction of human nature as flawed. In his Confessions, Augustine reasons that there is never a time he can remember when he was good; even in our youth, we tend toward disobedience and willfulness.

My mother used to quote his definition of evil as the act of turning away from the good, or, as it is usually formulated, choosing a lesser good over a greater good. In the excellent biography of him by Gary Wills, he quotes the example of friendship.  

Friendship is a good; it echoes the love we share with our maker, and can be a force for making God's love real in our world.  At times, choosing friendship over something greater becomes a poor choice.Then the choice, not the idea, becomes evil.

But here's what I like: in the Confessions, Augustine wrote this beautiful description of friendship, gorgeous in its appreciation of its creative glories: 

Reciprocated love uses such semaphorings -- a smile, a glance, a thousand winning acts -- to fuse separate sparks into a single glow, no longer many souls, but one. 

From Augustine, Confessions, 4, 17, in translation in Garry Wills' excellent  Saint Augustine (Penguin Lives) 

Who am I to judge?

Driving from an awful job interview through crowded streets in a famously poor neighborhood in Brooklyn, with the radio on, I noticed the news of that hour was Pope Francis' statement about a limited inclusion for homosexuals, including priests. "Who am I to judge?" he said to the press corps on an airplane.

This question made the afternoon news. Other comments and speeches this pope has made are occasionally reported in the media news summary, but rarely as breaking news.

Why not report on longer, more essential comments about the church's continuing commitment to the poor? Or efforts to promote peace? Or responsibility? Or debt relief?

The pope's statements about homosexuality seem to be completely in line with other statements from the official church, the US Council of Catholic Bishops, and other authorities, a theology that recognizes individual conscience and its struggles, and notices that we all struggle with a flawed nature. As such the comment is most definitely not news, and a simpler vision in line with the Church's emphasis on her pilgrim nature, as an agent of forgiveness. All of us are welcome in the pilgrim Church. We make mistakes, we are pulled in directions that range from distracted to destructive, and we hurt ourselves and others.  Sometimes those choices are obvious, some are hidden, and some will never be known to others.  As a society, we spend enormous energy on sexual issues, perhaps a kind of legacy from the hysteria of a prior generation, or a kind of acknowledgment of the possible energy of this aspect of our nature.

But my experience of the Catholic Church has never been as an enforcer of sexual morals. I have experienced the Church as a source of strength, as a loving community, as a connection to others and to my maker. In church, in the Church, I feel mystically linked to God, to a universal community that includes all of time, and to others in my immediate community. 

Why does the media depict the Church as it does?

In part it might be that the Church appears to this sophisticated media audience as a strange anachronism, a pastiche of theater, political power, financial interests and moral influence, dressed up in the garb of the Renaissance. What the Church says is also received by outsiders as a pastiche of complicated language (such as the elegant statements of the Cathechism or from the documents from Vatican II), controversial popular statements (often from radical conservative or liberal ,members of the community) and various impassioned views from the faithful.

So it is hard to see the Church as a viable modern institution for the secular media, and harder to digest the often complex statements that emerge. So it is easier to jump on the simple quote, "Who am I to judge?" that to react to much more radical calls to action.

Training for Catechists

I am taking the online course “Apostles Creed” as part of the 80 hour training for cathechists. These courses are designed to ensure that all the catechists in the Archdiocese are well formed themselves, and they are extremely helpful.  I took most of these courses 10 years ago when I first took on this position, and found each one to have something valuable for me, however varying the quality; sometimes I learn material, and sometimes I confirm my previous understanding, but both are worth the time.  The online courses have a different feeling, because they force one to post and thereby participate -- and it is a wonderful window into the diversity of the Archdiocese and the amazing ways that the Spirit is expressed through people. They bring a breadth of experience and sensibility which expands my understanding of the material. 

Here's the link: http://www.nyfaithformation.org/central-offices/catechist-formation/catechist-formation-schedule-of-courses/

Another lovely First Communion celebration!

Every year First Communion is different, some of which comes from the size of the classes or the ages of the students, as well as the personalities of the students and our families.  It is always very moving for us who have participating in preparing them, and a special moment for their families. I hope it is also transporting for the congregation.

This year the readings were done by two students who were confirmed this year, and one of the acolytes was both a newly confirmed student and a sibling.  We had wonderful families this year, all of whom embraced our parish as a family (not just an institution); their engagement made the experience even more precious.

One of the advantages of such a small program is our intimacy.  I know all the children well by this time of year, and can celebrate with them in a very pure way.  

Usually on the day of the celebration, my attention is all on the details and what might go wrong.  I made a decision this year to give the details only the attention they deserve so that I could be more present during the liturgy and more available to the community. 

Notes for next year (for me, not necessarily of interest to anyone else):

By February

Verify which children will be likely candidates

Check their paperwork, and baptism certificates

Schedule First Confessions

in April or May
order ties  
check spelling of children's names
order or buy ribbon
order clear full page labels
order pins
check baptism certificates
order Bibles
meet briefly with parents – what to wear, what to expect  

One month before

Verify First Confession details

Order Bibles

Verify spelling of preferred names

Two weeks before

Verify rehearsal details

Check with priests

Let French Community know so their ceremony ends on time

Check with pastor

week of ceremony

touch base with celebrant
check with French community and make sure they make church available on time
verify time for rehearsal
Make reserved ribbons

Check with parents about details of rehearsal and ceremony

Order cake

Check on plates, cups, forks, tablecloths

Clear camera memory

The Food We Throw Away Is Stolen From the Poor!

Papal address, quoted in http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/

Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
 
Today I want to focus on the issue of the environment, which I have already spoken of on several occasions. Today we also mark World Environment Day, sponsored by the United Nations, which sends a strong reminder of the need to eliminate the waste and disposal of food.

When we talk about the environment, about creation, my thoughts turn to the first pages of the Bible, the Book of Genesis, which states that God placed man and woman on earth to cultivate and care for it (cf. 2:15). And the question comes to my mind: What does cultivating and caring for the earth mean? Are we truly cultivating and caring for creation? Or are we exploiting and neglecting it? The verb "to cultivate" reminds me of the care that the farmer has for his land so that it bear fruit, and it is shared: how much attention, passion and dedication! Cultivating and caring for creation is God’s indication given to each one of us not only at the beginning of history; it is part of His project; it means nurturing the world with responsibility and transforming it into a garden, a habitable place for everyone. Benedict XVI recalled several times that this task entrusted to us by God the Creator requires us to grasp the rhythm and logic of creation. But we are often driven by pride of domination, of possessions, manipulation, of exploitation; we do not “care” for it, we do not respect it, we do not consider it as a free gift that we must care for. We are losing the attitude of wonder, contemplation, listening to creation; thus we are no longer able to read what Benedict XVI calls "the rhythm of the love story of God and man." Why does this happen? Why do we think and live in a horizontal manner, we have moved away from God, we no longer read His signs.
 
But to "cultivate and care" encompasses not only the relationship between us and the environment, between man and creation, it also regards human relationships. The Popes have spoken of human ecology, closely linked to environmental ecology. We are living in a time of crisis: we see this in the environment, but above all we see this in mankind. The human person is in danger: this is certain, the human person is in danger today, here is the urgency of human ecology! And it is a serious danger because the cause of the problem is not superficial but profound: it is not just a matter of economics, but of ethics and anthropology. The Church has stressed this several times, and many say, yes, that's right, it's true ... but the system continues as before, because it is dominated by the dynamics of an economy and finance that lack ethics. Man is not in charge today, money is in charge, money rules. God our Father did not give the task of caring for the earth to money, but to us, to men and women: we have this task! Instead, men and women are sacrificed to the idols of profit and consumption: it is the "culture of waste." If you break a computer it is a tragedy, but poverty, the needs, the dramas of so many people end up becoming the norm. If on a winter’s night, here nearby in Via Ottaviano, for example, a person dies, that is not news. If in so many parts of the world there are children who have nothing to eat, that's not news, it seems normal. It cannot be this way! Yet these things become the norm: that some homeless people die of cold on the streets is not news. In contrast, a ten point drop on the stock markets of some cities, is a tragedy. A person dying is not news, but if the stock markets drop ten points it is a tragedy! Thus people are disposed of, as if they were trash.
 
This "culture of waste" tends to become the common mentality that infects everyone. Human life, the person is no longer perceived as a primary value to be respected and protected, especially if poor or disabled, if not yet useful - such as the unborn child - or no longer needed - such as the elderly. This culture of waste has made us insensitive even to the waste and disposal of food, which is even more despicable when all over the world, unfortunately, many individuals and families are suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Once our grandparents were very careful not to throw away any leftover food. Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value, which goes well beyond mere economic parameters. We should all remember, however, that the food we throw away is as if stolen from the table of the poor, the hungry! I encourage everyone to reflect on the problem of thrown away and wasted food to identify ways and means that, by seriously addressing this issue, are a vehicle of solidarity and sharing with the needy.

A few days ago, on the Feast of Corpus Christi, we read the story of the miracle of the loaves: Jesus feeds the crowd with five loaves and two fishes. And the conclusion of the piece is important: " They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets" (Lk 9:17). Jesus asks his disciples not to throw anything away: no waste! There is this fact of twelve baskets: Why twelve? What does this mean? Twelve is the number of the tribes of Israel, which symbolically represent all people. And this tells us that when food is shared in a fair way, with solidarity, when no one is deprived, every community can meet the needs of the poorest. Human ecology and environmental ecology walk together.
 
So I would like us all to make a serious commitment to respect and protect creation, to be attentive to every person, to counter the culture of waste and disposable, to promote a culture of solidarity and of encounter. Thank you. 

Last class! and details on First Communion

We had our last class for the year this year!  We sang, and one class went to the park, plus one student brought a visitor.  We are saying goodbye to some others who are moving and wish them wonderful growth.

Next week is First Communion, and the readings will be done by two of our confirmed last year (another will serve as acolyte) as we celebrate the four children who will make this sacrament.  The First Communion students will read the Prayers of the Faithful.

Some details: rehearsal will be on Saturday June 8, at 3:30 (time to be confirmed).  We will meet to get ready for the event at 10:30 on Sunday.

After the ceremony we will have cake and lemonade in the walkway.

See you there.