Who Are Our Lepers Today?

When I was a child I remember one of the earliest "religious" movies that I saw was called "Father Damien, Leper Priest" with Ken Howard (from "The White Shadow" TV show) playing the lead role. I remember being moved very much by this priest who volunteered to go to a leper colony to serve the people there even though he knew he was putting his own life in danger.

What I really remember though was not this huge act of self-sacrifice, but rather how Fr Damien really embraced all aspects of the people's life there. I remember him learning their language so that he could pray with them in their own language. His early attempts would be ones in which he would make the people laugh with his mistakes which often made his sentences sound silly or even lewd. But he just rolled with it, trying his best, which is really an example for all of us in our daily lives. It was this simplicity that stuck with me and has led me to try to understand people of other cultures and has always made welcoming a large part of my ministry to all people.

In a moving scene in the newest movie, Fr Damien outstretches his arm to shake a young boy's hand, despite knowing that the young man has Hanson's Disease, better known as leprosy. While we hear about lepers in the gospel, that word was really applied to any kid of skin ailment that rendered someone "unclean" or more probably "contagious." In fact, people were required by law to remove themselves from society or to shout in the streets should they remain "unclean, unclean" so that people wouldn't touch them. Hanson's disease is what we normally associate lepers with in today's modern parlance. But the same holds true. These were contagious people that nobody would touch out of fear and furthermore, that modern society had eliminated from society and placed them on an island of their own and would conveniently forget about them. There wasn't anything that doctors could do for them and those with the disease would often feel bad about themselves and about how they longed for human contact. They were pariahs, people that nobody wanted anything to do with.

Damien, saw that need for human embracing and he did so with love, the love that God had for these people that they needed to understand. Damien awakened an entire culture to believe that God had not run afoul of them. That God had not forgotten them, exiling them to a lost continent to waste away. God was truly here with them, suffering with them and leading them to a deeper and more intimate experience of the cross than one might expect on the surface.

Damien is going to be raised to Sainthood today. And his life beckons us to consider some of the same deep questions he faced:

Who do I place on a island and conveniently forget about?
What role do I play in reconciling those who long for human contact with God and the world?
Who are our lepers? The people nobody wants anything to do with?

We have murderers and prisoners and child molesters who we all "put away and out of our sight" and conveniently remind ourselves of their guilt but never of their humanity. We have the unborn who we often think of as an inconvenience, especially for young teens who get pregnant. instead of providing care we settle for death for the child in the womb and we tell the teen that they simply can handle the pressures of parenthood and adolescence while not really offering any real assistance whatsoever. Many of us place our elderly in their own exiles, forgetting about them in nursing homes and never taking any time for a visit much less a daily one.

We don't have to go to Molokai to find our own lepers.

And by the same token, we don't have to go to Molokai to see Fr Damien either. We need to look into our own hearts and into the heart of Damien's example as well. It is there that we find God tugging at our heart and begging us not to forget all those who can be easily forgotten.

So let us pray to St Damien today that he might show us the way to our own human heart's deeper longings for others. To which "forgotten land" might you have need to visit or re-visit?

Who have you forgotten? It is only your embrace that they long for today.

Should you turn off the news?

Phil Fox Rose thinks so and says so in this article on BustedHalo.

I made the following comment:

What if the news makes you more sensitive to the plight and hardship that others face? I agree that CERTAIN people should turn off the news if it makes you more hardened of heart but what if it has the opposite effect as well?

Secondly, would you consider something like “The Daily Show” news?

Phil doesn't seem to think that this is the case. Is it irresponsible to not keep up with the news? Phil thinks so but also states that you don't have to watch the hogwash that is your local TV news.

Of course, there are times when one should pay attention to the news. When there is literally a crisis occurring, it might be helpful. When there is a national issue in which your input is possible, such as elections, or something like the current health care debate, you want to play your part. But these are specific issues for which you can tune in or visit websites at specific times. Or at least you can watch the news only while these situations are occurring.

Any thoughts? What does the evening news do to you? Or do you get all your news from Facebook and Twitter?

Busted Halo® Digital Pilgrimage

Have you seen these? This is my favorite episode of these videos. Check them all out here

Memories of Mr October's Swagger

Reggie Jackson is doing a show called October Nights on Sirius Satellite Radio these days and with the dawn of baseball's post-season, I always think back to baseball stars of the past that I can remember. Reggie is certainly one of them.

Growing up in the 70s and 80s there were two men who I remember as just having such arrogance that their swagger and confidence always made you want to hate them but they were so good that you had to respect them as well. Muhammad Ali was one and Reggie jackson was the other.

I hated him. I was a Mets fan who was surrounded by Yankee fans in my Yonkers neighborhood, a stone's throw from the House that Ruth Built. Reggie was a star, nay, THE star on a loaded Yankees squad that won the World Series in 1977 and 1978 when I was in first and second grade and just beginning my love affair with baseball.

Fast forward over 20 years and I was a radio beat reporter for WOR covering the Yankee Old Timers Day. Out of the dugout stepped Reggie. He still looked larger than life. And he still had that swagger, that arrogance. He stepped into the batter's box for batting practice and crushed a pitch into the bleachers and another and another. The old man could still swing well into his 50s. Jackson finished his batting practice regimen and then came over to talk with us reporter types.

He answered easy questions on a fun day such as what the difference is in the game today as opposed to when he played. "Money" was his one word answer (and for his time, Reggie was paid handsomely but nowhere near what guys get today!).

I had my moment to ask him a question:

"Reggie, I can still see you appreciate the fans coming out to see you. You still are trying to hit those pitches out of the park. Can you tell me what the fans mean to you today as opposed to when you were playing?"

Reggie: "I love them. And hold on? What do you mean I'm TRYING to hit some out? I hit a few! I hit more than a few!"

Me: (Nervous, thinking I've annoyed him) No, Reggie..that's not what I meant..."

Reggie: (now smiling) Nah man, I ain't mad. (Slings his arm around me and pokes me in the chest playfully) I'll tell you what..I'm gonna hit you a homer today in the Old Timer's Game. Just for you!"

Me: Yeah, OK.

Reggie: "No, I REALLY am."

Me: (Trying to stay professional) "OK, Reggie. Thanks."

We departed and I went upstairs and took my seat in the press box as the Old Timer's Game began. If you've never been to an Old Timer's Game it's hysterical. It's the equivalent of a not-so-serious softball game, although some would say that even at their age most of these guys hate to lose and some take it more seriously than others.

Reggie got up to the plate. Dug in and awaited the pitch. Fastball belt high.

Reggie swings...

CRACK.

And like a bullet the ball flew high and far into the right field bleachers. Home Run.

Reggie took his home run trot and as he rounded third base he looked up to the press box and pointed to me. I simply waved back and started laughing.

Later on I ran into Reggie as he made he way to his office which was near the press box (Reggie works for the Yankees as a special assistant now). He winked at me and said "Told ya."

Such swagger, such arrogance...but in a good way. It's something I used to hate but now wish I would see more from today's athletes who, as Reggie even admitted seem to be more about making money than winning baseball games. Derek Jeter may be the lone exception but even he lacks that kind of swagger that Reggie and Ali oozed at all times.

So tonight I hope that the Yankees can begin their quest for another World Championship with the swagger that demands respect, an arrogance that comes with being great.

If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Today's responsorial psalm gives us much to think about:

"If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?"

Against the perfection of God we will all fall short. We are all mired in sin. We all do bad things that make us feel unworthy and undeserving of the mercy that God offers.

The psalm reminds us that God doesn't mark iniquities but rather forgives our transgressions. That God made us imperfect and that God doesn't expect perfection, for God alone is perfect. Therefore, we can relax and not try to usurp God's throne. We are not God and while we strive for perfection we never will reach that until we unite with God in the beatific vision.

If God were to condemn all of us for our sinfulness, who would be able to enter heaven? We are all doomed to sin. It is our one unifying factor.

Therefore we also need to be critical of how much appreciation we have for God's forgiving nature. We know that we don't really deserve to be forgiven and many of us will repeat the same sins over and over--which is commonplace--as we all have weak parts that we have a hard time overcoming. Whether lust, pride or gluttony, sin often capitalizes on our humanity.

So today let us think about the fact that we are a forgiven people and if God indeed loves us that much, then how much should we be making an effort to love one another? Lastly, how many people DON'T think that they can be forgiven. I have a friend who is a marginal church goer and he once said to me when he was going through a crisis that he thought God didn't like him and so he didn't bother with prayer.

"God doesn't like phonies." he said.

"But (name), we're all phonies. Those of us who go to church sin just as much as others do. We're all in great need to be mindful of what we do wrong but conscious of how God forgives us anyway.

And with that we have no need to fear confession or talking with God. As I said to my friend, "God isn't fooled by any of us. Sin makes us realize that we are not God and that's the only thing that I think I really know for certain."

God alone stands sinless. We stand in the filthy mess that we all make with our lives. That mess, called sin, is what we are all stuck with but we need to realize is that God doesn't keep score but instead forgives us all of our trespasses.

May we, in turn forgive those who trespass against us.

A horrible baseball season...but we still look good

Here I am with my college buddies Victor (the dope wearing the Phillies shirt and hat) and Kevin. While the Mets had a terrible season, I rather enjoyed their new park, Citi Field, albeit it took them forever to at least make it look somewhat like the homefield for the Mets and not some homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

I grew up a Mets fan as many of you know but after covering the team as a beat reporter I stopped rooting for them because Fred Wilpon really treated us media types poorly as did most of the players at that time (Jeff Kent was by far the surliest guy I ever met). So I vowed that I would never root for them again until Wilpon sells the team.

Still waiting...

I will miss going often to major league baseball games after I move to Buffalo. But the Mets triple A affiliate is in Buffalo and I am considering getting a partial season ticket plan to those games. Toronto is not far away and so I will travel to some Blue Jays games and Cleveland is also not that far and I have not been to a game at their ballpark.

Lastly, please pray for the brother of our friend Phil Guibileo. Kevin and his wife Jen joined us for the final game at Citi Field under unfortunate circumstances. They were Phil's tickets and his brother died suddenly on Saturday night at a rather young age of an apparent aneurysm or something similar. Sad. Phil is a great guy and a broadcaster for a minor league hockey team and was just recently married. So it's tough on him during this so-called honeymoon period.

"Eternal rest grant unto him and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

The Puking Fish of God

Today's first reading is about Jonah and the large fish (not a whale) who swallows him, has him live in his belly for three days and nights only to puke him up on the shore in the end.

It's a story that we all know well and that many of us sophisticates doubt the veracity of. If you know anything about biology, you know that people generally do not survive attacks by large fish much less ones that can swallow one whole. Just turn to the Discovery Channel and you can see evidence of that.

But of course, biblical reading is not literal history but rather revelation: stories with a point to them.

What indeed might God be trying to tell us here?

The story in general is about our attempts to escape God and more importantly to escape what God has in store for us.

I know I often try to hide from God, like Adam did when he was naked and ashamed at what he had done. I try to hide when life gets too overwhelming and I know I'm really called to serve the needs of my family even when they get on my nerves or try my patience. I fear success at times knowing that God expects a lot of me and with every success comes new and different challenges and opportunities.

I often hide from God because I don't think God really wants me. That I am not good enough for God. That God couldn't possibly change lives with a person like me!

This is also Jonah's dilemma. God sends him to Nineveh to preach against the wickedness he sees there. Jonah either fearing the Ninevites, doubting his abilities or understanding his own unworthiness (or maybe all three) goes in the opposite direction from Ninevah to Tarshish--180 degrees away from where God is calling him.

But God won't have it. The sea is tossed and the crew finds out it's all because Jonah disobeyed God. So they throw him overboard at his own suggestion. Jonah's agreement to be thrown overboard shows how he really just doesn't think much of himself. "Oh, if these people would just be rid of me, their world would be a better place."

But God has much more in store for Jonah and for us. When our very lives appear to be over we often end up being puked up on new shores. We may be tired and beaten up and smelling like fish guts, but here we are. We are headed onto new adventures where God will continue to lead us. God has brought us through the storm and through the belly of the beast.

Moreover, if we read ahead, God spares Nineveh with Jonah's help--but there's an even greater lesson in Jonah's story. Jonah becomes indignant saying that he already knew that God was merciful and had been preaching that for years in his own land. God provides him comfort from the heat by giving him a large shady plant but then he kills the plant and this makes Jonah mad. God then tells him:

"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labor and which you did not raise; it came up in one night and in one night it perished. And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left, not to mention the many cattle?"

We all tend to take things for granted and we get angry at things we lose that we really didn't develop. We don't care for others. Jonah could care less about the Ninevites, caring more for the comfort of his own land and his own people and even for the accolades that he gets there.

But God calls us to places that we need to go to, so that we may bring God to others and that we might understand God's love which runs much deeper than those familiar boundaries. Try though we might, we always end up having to deal with the things that God wants us to deal with a anyway.

So today, let us ask ourselves where our Nineveh is. Where is God calling us to help people understand His love and forgiveness? Where do we need to go, accepting the difficult call from God?

For myself, I will soon move to Buffalo, an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. I will need to drive a car something I do not like doing but something that will enable me to serve others more frequently and easily. I did not expect to go to Buffalo but here I go anyway.

Today let us pray for confidence that whether Buffalo or Nineveh or wherever God calls us, we might have the confidence in ourselves and in God that great things can be accomplished. May we also know that God will always send us to people that he loves whether in prisons, on campuses, or to foreign lands. Our response is always to love and embrace God's call and God's people.

Pic; Courtesy of: Hennie Blaauw

Blessing of the Animals

My friend Sharon Perkins took these great shots of her parish's Blessing of the Animals. Since she posted these on Facebook I don't think she'd mind of I share them here:





Confession is good for the soul. I mistakenly wrote down the wrong time for my parish's animal blessing. But my pastor said he'd do a special blessing for Haze the Dog at a later date.

A Suitable Partner

As many of you know...

I love my dog, Haze! He's a good boy and I often refer to him as "my best friend."

Each time I do this, I get a dirty look from my wife as if to say, "What the hell am I? Chopped Liver?"

To which I usually reply, "If you were chopped liver, Haze would have devoured you already!"

But as great as my dog is, he is not my wife. And while he often awakens me to the unconditional love that God has for us, perhaps what he really awakens me to is the unconditional love that Marion has for me.

She is my "suitable" partner. As we note in Genesis, God first tried to give the man one of the animals for a partner but none really were "suitable" for the man until he made woman.

And today, while we celebrate the feast day of St Francis, a man we often associate with animals, we often forget how he really was a lot more than simply an animal lover. He was a radical lover of the poor and was so convinced of his calling that he stripped himself naked in the town square and offered them back to his rich father who would have preferred that he become part of the status quo.

Francis' responds: "Not Suitable."

How often we forget and relegate Francis to the garden. Sweet Francis with the birds and the animals and the prayer of peace. We forget that Francis was much more of a lover of all creation. While he loved brother dog and sister squirrel and other parts of our environment that we indeed all too oft forget--he loved humankind in all of its beauty and fragility.

Besides being Francis' feast day, it is also Respect Life Sunday. Many times we get two extremes of a message from the pulpit today. We might get a diatribe against modern society and the culture of death and sometimes we even see inconsistent messages coming from pro life groups, like when people blow up abortion clinics, stealing the headlines from those who do such great work for the unborn and their mothers.

Or we might get no message--avoiding the subject altogether because of it's hot button nature and within more progressive circles the message of pro-life gets sidelined because some don't want others to think that this is the only issue that Catholics think about.

Francis is an example for us today who tend towards those extremes. Francis was all about touching the leper as well as the birds of the air. His dedication and piety for the Eucharist mirrored his concern for the poor, in whom he would say always led him to God.

How does our work or our lack of work for the unborn lead us into closer communion with God and with each other? Or are we more concerned with political agendas? Do we draw closer not only to those unprotected in the womb but conveniently forget the needs of the one who brings them into the world?

Do I ignore my wife's needs because it's easier to love my dog who makes it pretty easy for me to love him without much of a challenge? Do I work at my marriage as much as I should? My other relationships? Or am I content with favoring an animal who loves me?

And as my dog's keeper, do I treat him with the respect he deserves as well, as a creation of our God as well? I sometimes even take him for granted and get lax in training him or walk him when it's convenient for me to take him instead of when he really should go outside for relief and exercise.

Francis calls us all to look more deeply at how we serve all of creation and not just the parts of creation that we might be most comfortable with.

Are we willing to be left standing naked in the town square for the good of the world? Or we will cling to something that prevents us from loving all creation and our God.

NCR Touts Googling God Blog

Heidi Schlumpf formerly of US Catholic and now writing for NCR has an excellent piece on progressive Catholic bloggers including Deacon Greg and yours truly amongst others in the National Catholic Reporter.

My theory is that those who feel outside the mainstream are more likely to take advantage of alternative media like blogs. And traditionalist Catholics are still outside the mainstream of American Catholicism (if you look at the entire church, not just the hierarchy). Most prominent national Catholic publications are still moderate-to-progressive and feature more liberal bloggers, including National Catholic Reporter’s own NCR Today, whose writers include NCR editors and contributors from all over the country, including yours truly. (Commercial break: If you haven’t checked out NCR Today yet, you’ll find lots of interesting news and opinion there, including a “Morning Briefing” first thing every day.)

Other progressive bloggers write for America’s In All Things, Commonweal’s Dot Commonweal and U.S. Catholic’s blogs. But there are also a number of individual bloggers who favor a post-Vatican II type of Catholicism. Here are some of my favorites:

The Deacon’s Bench (deacbench.blogspot.com), by Greg Kandra, a deacon in the Brooklyn, N.Y., diocese who used to work for CBS News, now for the diocese’s cable channel. His blog is very newsy and updated daily. If you read this blog, you’ll be up on most of the major Catholic news stories.

Googling God (googlinggod.blogspot.com), by Mike Hayes, an expert in young adult ministry who cofounded BustedHalo.com, an online Catholic site for young adults. Blogging since 2005, Hayes just took a job as campus minister at St. Joseph’s University Parish in Buffalo, N.Y. He has a nice mix of personal stories and links to other Catholic and religious material.


Ad Dominum (ad-dominum.com), by “Thom,” a secular Franciscan and reference librarian whose blog description promises “progressive theology, traditional liturgy.” I know you’re thinking, “A librarian and a liturgist?” But trust me, he’s interesting -- even if he does like to dissect every Mass (most recently Ted Kennedy’s funeral).

Catholic Anarchy (catholicanarchy.org), by Michael J. Iafrate, a singer-songwriter working on his doctorate in theology. With the tagline “vox victimarum, vox dei” (“the voice of the victim is the voice of God”), Iafrate’s blog covers politics, liberation theology and social justice movements. Anti-capitalism is a category; Dorothy Day is mentioned frequently.

The Ironic Catholic (www.ironiccatholic.com), by an anonymous professor of theology at a small Catholic university in Minnesota. The only female on this list, she is currently pregnant with her fourth child. This blog isn’t necessarily liberal, but it is funny with its fake news reports, “strange but true” notices and bad theological jokes.

Humbled and honored is all I can say to be mentioned with such prolific bloggers and by someone who is an excellent writer and reviewer of all things Catholic who I have admired for years.

Today may we all rediscover the gift of surprise, which I was indeed floored by today.

For the Love of St Francis

In case you missed this awhile back...I wrote this piece for BustedHalo® some time ago about the great Saint Francis' piece

If you’ve ever seen dog owners walking to church with their pooches in ridiculous outfits, sprayed with doggie perfume and a bow in their fur you’ve stumbled upon the annual “blessing of the animals” on the Feast Day of St Francis, October 4. In years past I witnessed one woman’s dog in a top hat and tails. Another dressed in a doggy business suit. A third looked like a clown (both dog and master).

I couldn’t help but laugh to myself when I overheard conversations in the pews about how smart their silly mutt was and how much love they received coming home to the wagging tail that greeted them at the door. Owners shared recipes about what they cook for their pets, talked about what they’ll dress them up for on Halloween and even celebrated their animal friends’ birthdays complete with party hats and a big bash.

Reveling in all of this canine eccentricity seemed odd to me until I visited a Franciscan friend of mine in upstate New York the day before last year’s blessing of the animals.

“Mike, just wait until tomorrow. You’ll see sheep, and cats, and snakes, and ferrets besides the dozens of dogs that will make their way here. I swear the second coming of Christ could be happening and if someone else did a prayer service across the street with animals, more people would show up for that!”

True enough! Read on to hear more about Francis, a man who we know mostly for his love on animals but who has a lot more to offer us than gardens and dog blessings.

And later today, check out my dog's blog for on the spot (no pun intended) reporting videos from my parish's animal blessing at hazehayes.blogspot.com.

And offer a prayer to St Francis for peace--something we all need.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Should We Experiment on Animals?

On this St Francis Day I thought this might merit some attention.

Full disclosure: I own a dog and I love apes and monkeys of all types. But this piece from Religion Dispatches caught my attention:

In this week's Nature, the scientist Dario Ringach tells the disturbing story of how, because he did research on primates, he was targeted for violent treatment by so-called ‘animal rights extremists’; how after the fire-bomb incident (the bomb was accidentally left on the wrong scientist’s doorstep), for fear of his and his family’s safety, he discontinued his animal research; how he is speaking up now, three years later, because “we’re getting awfully close to the situation where somebody may be killed. There is a general trend toward polarization in our society.”
There is a lot going on here. For now (not because they’re not important), let’s set aside (1) the obvious irony of killing one kind of primate (a person) because you’re upset he’s studying another kind and (2) the glaring analogies to some of the more radical abortion rights foes. Instead, let’s talk about animal research, ethics, and religion.
We Western humans of the Judeo-Christian tradition have come a long way in our understanding and engagement with non-human animals. Crudely put, we realize now that animals are not put here for us to use as we please. And, due in many ways to animal rights activists, research on animals is now done exponentially more carefully than at any point in the history of such work.
When I teach research ethics to the future scientists of the world—graduate students and post-doctoral fellows—we spend a lot of time talking about this. Not just the important party line of the special offices at research facilities devoted to animal care: “refine, reduce, and reuse.” But also about deeper questions: should we do research with animals at all? With certain animals and not others (much of basic research is done on yeast, worms, fruit flies, and mice)? And what kinds of research (research that might cause pain or even death, observational research, etc.)?

Read more here. My thought is that primates and animals that can be domesticated should be hands off.

Sad. Conservatives and Liberals Can't Even Talk About Sports Anymore

Chicago, which would be an awesome city to host the Olympics, in my opinion, has not been selected as a city to host the Olympics in 2016.

But can someone explain Glenn Beck's thinking here? It's not like America didn't lose here...

Glenn Beck: "Oh, it's so sweet" that Chicago's bid failed; "savor this moment." On his radio program, Beck said: "Do not go anywhere. Don't -- do not look at the screen. Don't -- don't go to any other radio stations. Nothing. You don't want to hear this news -- I mean, please, please let me break this news to you. Oh, it's so sweet." After a commercial break, Beck's producer stated that "the first round of voting is up for the Olympic games, and the first city" -- at which point Beck interrupted, saying, "Wait! Wait for it! Wait for it. Enjoy this -- savor this moment." The producer continued, "And the first city to be eliminated is Chicago." Beck later asked his producer if Chicago's elimination was proof that Obama had "failed." [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, 10/2/09]

If Chicago lost to Seattle (Beck hails from the surrounding area) or Washington DC or Chattanooga...I could see him gloating. But Paul Snatchko has said it best in this post where he notes the growing inability for civil political discourse.

I have to say that Paul and I are good examples of people who engage in dialogue despite our disagreements. I think Paul's libertarian viewpoints can be short-sighted in some areas, but I don't shut him out of the conversation. The same is true of the way he feels about my more liberal viewpoints, especially when it comes to social programs. What I think we do particularly well, is that we get to the bottom of what is really important to each other--which often has merits for the other to look at because at heart, we may share more on that level and moreover can influence others on that level more than in other avenues which tend to be good soundbytes.

Remember when Democrats and Republicans could at least drink together? I fear that's a time long gone by.

Sadly, this often spills over into the church as well. When I pointed out that Archbishop Sheehan had done a great job in keeping dialogue open with him and Bill RIchardson, the pro-choice Governor of New Mexico, a dialogue that ended the death penalty in New Mexico, I received an anonymous note from a reader:

"It's great when killers go free and the innocent get killed. Welcome to fairyland!"

It takes real skill to violate the church's teaching on capital punishment and gay bash in the same sentence...that takes skill.

Any other examples of discourse that inspires or frustrates you these days?

A h/t to my buddies Al Swingle and John McDermott for pointing out the Beck story to me this afternoon and to Paul Snatchko for the pic.

Finding Someone "Wonderfully Imperfect"

Over at a thought provoking blog "In Him We Live and Move and Have Our Being," we find some wonderful reflections on marriage all this past week. However the capstone of these posts came down the pike today. Take a look and a listen at this:



In marriage we all find out each other's flaws very quickly and part of marriage that I think a lot of people don't understand is that we need to do our best to blow off the behaviors or tendencies or quirks that someone has that really aren't that big of a deal. Somehow my wife overlooks my morning grumpiness and the fact that I'm often a slob who leaves clothes where I'm not supposed to. I know I snore sometimes and I can't count the number of times my wife has "kneed" me in the back in the middle of the night, or pulled off the covers. She once fell asleep mid-sentence late at night when I was talking to her and she was exhausted and I was troubled by something.

But God do I love her. And her me.

We've both worked hard on our more rougher edges and have really come to understand what it means to work at relationship--and it always has paid off great dividends for both of us and our relationship.

It seems to me that this is what we call commitment and it is a reflection of how God also stands by us no matter what we might do. That all we need to do is utter those two simple words "I'm sorry" and the slate is always wiped clean. And God does this perfectly, unlike me who always tends to keep just a slight bit of resentment lingering--something I'm trying to work on that is challenging and never easy.

But fortunately for me, I have a wonderful woman by my side, who often teaches me much about unconditional love.

May you find someone as "wonderfully imperfect" as I have. And may your wonderful imperfections be tolerated and loved by someone who loves you.

A Dog?... In Church?

Every once in awhile I would be running late from one appointment or another and would bring my dog to church. Some folks were OK with it while others were very uncomfortable with the idea of having a dog in church. I think that there's a huge pastoral opportunity for someone who would consider doing a Sunday afternoon "Pet Mass." People could come to mass with their pet, especially older people who have grown attached to their companions and hate to leave them alone, or people who have pets with separation anxiety and who haven't quite worked through it yet (the way my dog was for awhile).

Many people have fears about dogs making a mess in sacred space and that's a legitimate fear with an easy solution. You have all owners sign a waiver that requires them to clean up any mess that their dog or other animal might make or they lose the privilege of having a dog accompany them. Dog fighting? Same thing holds. Dog barking...well...we put up with babies crying without much huffiness. But maybe at the Pet mass they have to go to the "bark room."

I understand that not everybody is as animal friendly as I am. Dogs can be scary for some people and cats frighten people as well. Is it appropriate for people to bring an animal to mass when that's not the norm? Obviously, therapy dogs are an exception but my friend Felicity had a quiet dog that sat on her lap all through mass and never uttered a peep for years. I think if they are quiet and unassuming and don't disturb anyone else, there's no harm in it, especially for small dogs who can remain quiet and on the laps of owners. Big dogs would be a harder sell.

BustedHalo® has a great story about a therapy pet who visits nursing homes and would go to weekday mass with her pal:

“Hey, lady-with-the-dog, what’s your dog’s name again? Lily?” asks one resident. “My great-niece is Penny — do you know her? She says she knows you because she sees you and Lily in church. I said she was mistaken; who would take a dog to church? Do you know Penny?”

“I do know Penny. Small world, isn’t it?”

“Now, why would Penny see your dog at church?”

I explain how Lily enjoys going to Mass with me.

“Well, that’s a new one on me,” she exclaims. “Penny’s Catholic, you know. I’m an Independent Baptist, and we don’t do that sort of thing.” I explain the details, and with that, Penny’s great aunt Della is off and running down the hall with the story.

“Maudie Lane, come here. I’m going to tell you such a story; you won’t believe this. You know that dog that visits us? Lily is her name. She goes to church in the Catholic church. Well, that’s not something we’d do, but that dog goes to church every single day. Can you believe that? She got trained there, the lady said.”

Maudie retells this story to the nurse’s aide: “Yes, that’s right. That dog goes to church every single day at the Catholic Cathedral. Why, she was even born at the church. Yes, as just a little puppy they say, isn’t that something? I guess she must live there.”

Now she wouldn't go to mass on Sunday with her owner which probably means that she's be less unassuming during that time. Too many people and it may cause an unneccessary distraction.

This weekend is the blessing of the animals often associated with the feast of St Francis. So we have a more formal opportunity to bring our pets to church or to an outdoor venue (as my parish does) for a blessing. So as we bless all of creation including "brother dog and sister cat", as Francis would say let us be reminded of the great companions that they are for us.

"They Called Him Boobie" (and other dumb things I've heard at funerals and wakes)

I have attended many funerals of family members and friends and even served a bunch of funerals and wakes as an altar server or some other ministerial role. I think I've heard it all. People can be really awkward at funerals. They just have no words and don't know what to say when another's loved one dies because there really are no words that can remove the pain that another feels. What people really need is presence at this time. Nobody really remembers what someone says at a wake or a funeral--what they remember is that you were there! Often people try a bit too hard to say something meaningful including us ministerial types who often overdo it.

Some of the dumbest things I've heard people say at wakes or funerals and one major story:

1) (About the deceased) "She looks beautiful!" (To which her son replied, "No...she's dead!")

2) "Things happen for a reason." (Wow! I'd love to hear that one!)

3) "At least he's free of his pain now." (One I even said at a wake of my own college roommate before realizing that him being dead really didn't bring comfort to those who watched him suffer).

4) "It's God's will." (Glad to see you've got a direct pipeline to God)

5) "He's in a better place." (Well, maybe...but I still wish he was with me).

Finally, here's a great effort that just went bad...

It's got to be tough to have to do a funeral homily or to say a few words at a wake for someone you've never met. This was the case for the priest who officiated at my Godfather's funeral.

I was the lector at the mass and the priest asked me if I could tell him some things about my Uncle/Godfather.

"Well, his given name is Patrick but nobody called him that. Everyone called him "Bubby." Which we think was one of us kid's mispronunciations of "Buddy."

So during the homily the priest begins with a great interpretation of the readings and a nice comforting message and even a bit of challenge for us. And then...

"Since Patrick was so endearing to the children of his family they nicknamed him BOOBY."

And the rest of the homily continued to repeat that mistake until the entire family was nearly screaming, "BUBBY! Not BOOBY!"

Oh well, everyone makes mistakes I suppose.

Paris: Pervert Capital of the World?

And they say New Yorkers are rude...check this out from the London Telegraph

Paris may be the city of love but it is also the capital of perverts. To experience this, you simply need to be female and walk down the street. You’re almost guaranteed to get your daily dose of dirty old men and if you live on the Left Bank, you really don’t need to go far.
In the space of a few weeks, I have been propositioned by at least a dozen men. As I wait to cross the road, at Saint Michel, a man old enough to be my grandfather leans over towards me and whispers seductively in my ear: "Jolies fesses" (nice bum).
They reveal themselves in broad daylight, in public places. Strolling through the Jardin du Luxembourg on a sunny day, surrounded by pushchair-wheeling mothers and playing children, a middle-aged man standing by the open-air public pissoires, is having a quick one off the wrist.
Now you might suppose, or hope, that this is out of the ordinary behaviour yet my eyes are graced by a similar vision just a few days later. A girlfriend is in mid flow describing the "special" dance scene from Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest film, Bruno, when lo and behold, we get our own show right there on the Boulevard Saint Germain.
A respectable looking middle-aged man wearing a suit unzips himself right in front of us and pulls it out. Several similar episodes later, I start to think that maybe this is the norm here in Paris. Or is it me? Do I attract "les vieux cochons"?
I question female friends and colleagues and sure enough they all have similar stories to tell. Perhaps it’s simply that Paris is the pervert capital of the world?

Read the rest here and especially gander at one of France's male responses to this. As a man, I'm somewhat appalled and wonder how such attitudes develop? Maybe this is why the Pope likes America so much?

My Daily Reminder of God:

He's got a cold nose, a wagging tail and he loves me without hesitation...



with a h/t to the Deacon at his new address.

The next time you want to complain about an election...

just think about this...

From the BBC:

At least 87 people have been killed after troops in Guinea opened fire on a huge opposition rally in the capital Conakry, reports say.

An earlier death toll of 58 rose by nearly 30 late on Monday, according to unnamed police sources.
Some 50,000 people rallied against Capt Moussa Dadis Camara who seized power in Guinea in a bloodless coup last year.
The rally was triggered by indications he is to reverse a pledge not to run in a presidential vote set for January.

"There are 87 bodies that were collected in and around the stadium after the military came through," a police source told the AFP news agency.

Four women are among the dead.

There has been no independent confirmation of the casualty figures, and the Guinean authorities have made no public comment.

Meanwhile, France issued a statement strongly condemning the "violent repression" of opposition demonstrators in its former colony.

The BBC's Alhassan Sillah says a doctor at government hospital in Conakry said his wards looked like "a butchery".
Reports also say at least two opposition leaders have been arrested.

"They just started to shoot people directly... They tried to kill us," Sidya Toure, former prime minister and now an opposition leader, told the BBC's Focus on Africa from a hospital.

He said he had been badly injured in the head, and was speaking secretly from the hospital's toilet as the military was not allowing opposition members any contacts with the media.

Pray for those hurt and killed in Africa today not merely in Guinea but also for the bloodshed that continues to occur throughout the entire continent.

A huge h/t to Allen Ottaro who you'll remember from our World Youth Day videos for pointing us towards this story

How We Die (part 2)

I was going to write about wakes and funerals today but instead I was moved by NC Sue's response so deeply that I thought I'd give it special attention:

She writes:

I've worked as a nurse for 35+ years, and I've been at the bedside of the dying more times than I can count. I am not afraid of being dead, but after years of experience caring for the living... and the dying... I'm afraid of what I might have to go through between now and then.

There comes a time when it may be appropriate to embrace death - NOT out of depression or desperation, but out of a recognition that our earthly life IS finite, and rightly so.

There are times when the greatest gift we can give to those we love is permission to die in comfort surrounded by those we love. Read my earlier post at http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/2009/04/janice-and-matt-true-story.html to see what I mean.

"Eternal life" doesn't mean that our current bodies continue forever. It means that our souls continue after the death of our earthly bodies. I pray that the transition I make... and that YOU make... will be gentle and surrounded by love.

For those of you who didn't follow her link in the post above. Here's a brief tease snippet:

Matt was reluctant to talk about it at first, but I think he knew that Janice was dying. We all did. And there were tears shed by all of us, especially on the day that Matt brought their little baby in and laid her on the bed beside a mom she would never know.

After seeing the extent of Janice 's suffering and after numerous heart-breaking conversations with the staff, Matt decided that the time had come for us to remove the breathing tube and to allow Janice the opportunity to die if, indeed, it was her time. I was working with Janice that day.

After the decision was made, I talked with Matt about what to expect. I told him that the ventilator would be turned off, the breathing tube would be removed, and that Janice probably wouldn’t live long after that. I told him that she might have some noisy and irregular breaths and that her color would change. I told him that he could remain in the room if he wished but that I would stay with Janice and be sure she wasn't in pain. Matt decided to stay.

Go read the whole post, get a hanky but also be sure to notice how beautifully this man loved his wife.

A huge h/t to NC Sue over at her fine blog, In Him We Live And Move And Have Our Being