New Year's Eve - 2012

Last night we celebrated New Year’s Eve by going to New Year’s by the Bay in Belfast, Maine.  I remember when I was in my early 20’s spending some New Year’s Eves alone and doing thought-provoking reading.  In preparation for the New Year, reading these things encouraged me to ponder what life was all about and how I might approach the New Year.  Many of the things I read had a spiritual slant, such as the writings of Thomas Merton.

I was reminded of this last night, as we began the evening listening to Hawk Henries play his wooden flutes.  I thought this was a great way to begin the preparation for the New Year.  Hawk Henries is a member of an Algonquin tribe called Nipmuc.  He has been making and playing flutes for over 20 years.

I appreciated being able to close my eyes, clear my mind and listen to the beautiful, mellow sounds coming from his flutes.  It was a meditative experience.  Mystics, including Merton, talk about contemplation as being open to God and experiencing the Divine presence without words.  It seems to me that music is a similar experience.  The right music, that is.  And to me, Hawk Henries’ flute music is the right music.  Here’s a sample of it.  This YouTube clip includes some pictures that complement the wonderful sound of the flute.  The shoreline pictures appeared to me to be from Mid-Coast Maine.

Enjoy the YouTube clip and have a wonderful New Year!

Putting Christ in Christmas - 2012

If you were to ask me “What was your favorite month of Epistle readings at Sunday Mass?”, I would immediately answer that it was September 2012.  During that month, the second readings at Sunday Mass were from the Epistle of St. James.  Here are some samples:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

“Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?”

“Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.  Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire.  You have stored up treasure for the last days.  Behold the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works. … If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, eat well,’ but do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?  So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

The second readings at Sunday Mass usually don’t get a lot of attention during the homilies.  Typically, the first reading (Old Testament) and the Gospel reading share a common theme and it’s easier to focus on them in preparing a cohesive homily.  But I think the readings from St. James include very important messages.

During the Christmas season, we focus on God taking on human form, in the person of Jesus.  We celebrate that the Almighty came to earth and lived among us.  But, we can also look beyond that to a key theme of Jesus’s life.  God could have chosen to come among us in glory and majesty, born into a wealthy and influential family.  But he did not.  He was born in a manger, to a carpenter and his young wife.  The Holy Family fled to Egypt, to avoid the wrath of Herod.  During his public ministry, Jesus reached out to the poor and needy, healing the sick, the blind, the lame, the lepers.  He preached about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison and said that, when we have done this for the least of his brethren, we have done it for him.  He told the wealthy young man that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  Certainly, as God and as a charismatic preacher, Jesus could have built an earthly empire and acquired much wealth, influence and power.  Instead he chose to give his life for us, dying on a cross between two common criminals.  He was a King, but his Kingdom was “not of this earth”.

At a time when the income gap between rich and poor keeps widening, when politicians argue about whether to cut social safety net programs that needy folks rely on (unemployment, Medicaid, heating assistance, the Women, Infants and Children program, etc.), let’s remember how our Savior lived his life and the things he preached about.  In thinking about how we deal with the problems of our society, let’s ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do?”.

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Voting for President in 2012

On November 6, I will cast my vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States.

There was a time when I thought I wouldn't do that.  What I'd really like to do is write in Bernie Sanders for President.  Do you know Bernie Sanders?  He is the Independent US Senator from Vermont.  He supports progressive ideas and is a great advocate for the middle class and the poor.  Both Pres. Obama and Gov. Romney say in their speeches and debate statements that they want to make the middle class stronger.  But their policies would continue to advantage the wealthy more than the middle class.  But, for Bernie Sanders, support for the middle class is more than election rhetoric.  

On December 10, 2010, Sen. Sanders spoke for 8 hours and 37 minutes on the Senate floor in opposition to a 2 year extension of the Bush tax cuts and the deal that had been agreed to by Democrats and Republicans to continue tax breaks for the wealthy.  That speech has now been released as a book, titled The Speech: A Historic Filibuster on Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class.

In my opinion, Bernie Sanders is a statesman, not just a politician.  I believe he is sincerely concerned about the best interests of the American people, not just the wealthy and powerful.  Here's a link to his appearance on Moyers and Company, which gives a small taste of what he is like:

Bernie Sanders on Moyers and Company

If you decide to keep watching after the Bernie Sanders segment, you can hear the Green Party Presidential candidate, Jill Stein, talk about the Green Party platform.  For a while, I thought of voting for her.

However, in the end I have decided to vote for Barack Obama.  I could probably get away with voting for Bernie Sanders or Jill Stein without affecting the outcome in New Jersey, which is expected to be won by Obama easily.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Pres. Obama's policies, as a whole, are horrible.  And they are certainly much better than Gov. Romney's and the Republican party's.  But, I think he has been too willing to compromise with Republicans and not willing enough to fight for the middle class and the poor.  He has gotten us out of Iraq but is not getting us out of Afghanistan quickly enough.  He is too committed to using drones and too willing to accept the civilian casualties that result.  He is too beholden to Wall St.

I read a couple columns recently that encouraged people to vote for Pres. Obama in order to register votes against Gov. Romney.  I guess that's where I am in this election.  I believe that a Romney administration would be a disaster for the country.  I believe Romney would be heavily influenced by the extreme right wing of the Republican party and I couldn't live with the results of that.  So, I think it's best to try to put as many votes in the Obama column as possible, to send a message that he is preferable to Romney.

What I would really like to see is a third (progressive) party that is not reliant on wealthy individuals for its campaign funds and that would represent the interests of the people of this country.

P.S. - Network, a Catholic lobbying group, has created an election guide that compares Pres. Obama's and Gov. Romney's positions, in relation to Network's framing of the issues according to Catholic Social Teaching.  Pres. Obama seems to be more in line with Catholic Social Teaching than Gov. Romney.  Although I think they do not include some of Obama's negatives (e.g., the drone strikes), I agree that Obama's policies are more in line with Catholic Social Teaching.

Click here to see Network's Election Guide

Individualism - Some Consequences

Last time I wrote about the extraordinary emphasis in our country on individualism.  I think this focus on the rights of the individual versus the responsibilities each of us has to promote the common good results in a number of things that do harm to the world we live in.  Here are some examples:

·      People throwing cigarette butts, empty plastic bottles and paper cups, papers that food was wrapped in on the ground or out of the car window.

·      Bumper stickers and car decals that include curse words, crude comments and pictures, e.g., a decal of Calvin peeing on the Ford logo.  I recently saw a decal on the back of a mini-van that had a father, mother and kids, with names underneath.  The family was labeled “The Ass Family” and the names underneath were “Smart Ass”, “Wise Ass”, “Stupid Ass”, etc.

·      The greed of bankers, hedge fund managers, CEOs and other corporate executives, who believe there is nothing wrong with making millions of dollars a year while others earn only minimum wage and millions of children live in poverty.

·      The belief among many Americans that taxes need to be decreased over and over again so they can pay less and less, regardless of the impact it has overall on the society.

Can you think of others?

I've Been Wondering ...

I’ve been wondering whether the shooting in the Pathmark store in Old Bridge, NJ, which killed two employees, is related to the extreme emphasis on individualism in America.  Also, the shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, CO; and the one in the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI.  Certainly, we can’t identify a direct link between the specific shootings and the individualism phenomenon.  The gunmen in these situations most likely had some sort of mental health problems that could be pointed to as being a more direct cause.  But, could the focus on each of us as an individual, with individual rights that others can’t abridge (as opposed to seeing us as part of a larger community) have played a part?

When I was growing up, people talked about the common good.  It meant that, as individuals, we should act in a way that promoted the common good of the communities we lived in – our town, our state, our country, and our world.  It meant seeing ourselves as part of a larger community.  I don’t hear many people talk about that very much these days.  It seems that, for many people, the focus is on the individual person.  Some people act as though they have made themselves everything they are.  As though they didn’t have parents who acted as models for them and taught them their basic values.  As though they weren’t influenced by the teachers they spent hours a day with for 12 or 16 or more years.  As though they weren’t affected by the friends who listened to them, argued with them, played sports or musical instruments with them, supported them and hugged them when they needed it.

Our society and many of our leaders emphasize the importance of each of us standing up for ourselves and taking care of our own needs, instead of relying on others.  George W. Bush advocated for America to become an “ownership society”, in which individual Americans would take more responsibility for themselves and depend less on government programs.  One of the keystones of this “ownership society” would be people’s investment of their money in the stock market for their retirement, instead of contributing to the government-run Social Security system.  Theoretically, it sounds good.  But it can be a risky venture, as recent years have shown.  Ayn Rand, the philosopher whose ideas Paul Ryan espouses, believes that people should act on “rational self-interest.”  She believes that each of us has to act in our own best interests, that what we achieve by our efforts is ours and that government’s role is to make sure no one takes it away from us.  Again, this puts the focus on the individual, and doesn’t acknowledge the societal supports we have throughout our lives.  The two examples I have given are of Republican politicians.  But Democrats have been all too willing to go along with emphasizing the responsibilities of the individual and cutting programs that support those who have fallen on hard times.

The message is that each of needs to be self-reliant.  That we should not depend on others and others should not depend on us.  Does a society that emphasizes this message so much encourage isolation of its citizens?  Does it make it more likely that individuals will feel they are disconnected from others?  Does it make it more likely that an individual who could benefit from the support of others will not see reaching out to others as a viable option?

How would it affect our country and our citizens if the message coming from our leaders was that we are connected to one another, that each of us is part of a community that cares about us?  If that message permeated our society and our lives, would it make our society a more supportive one and help prevent the mass violence we saw in Old Bridge and Aurora and Oak Creek?  I’ve been wondering …

Happy Retirement, Fr. Brian!

I’ve always felt that, as Catholics, we need to have both an inner spiritual life and an outward life of Christian action in the world.  We have to have be prayerful and contemplative, spending time establishing a relationship with God and making the teachings of the Bible part of our lives.  But, we also have to act on those teachings, bringing God’s love to others.  However, I have to admit, my inclination is more toward the action-in-the-world aspect of my religion.

A couple weeks ago my wife, Pat, and I attended a retirement party for a priest friend who is a great example of bringing God’s love to others.  Fr. Brian McCormick lived and worked in the Wilbur section of Trenton, NJ, for 42 years as a living sign of the love of God in this world.  Initially, the home where he lived and welcomed others into was called The Martin House.  Over the time he lived and worked there, it developed into The Martin HouseFoundation: A Community for Justice.  The programs sponsored by MHFCJ include rehabbing and building homes, Boy Scout and Girl Scout programs, an early learning center, a homeless shelter, a used clothing/thrift store, a summer camp program, and more.

A major part of the Martin House Foundation is Better Community Housing of Trenton. Over the past 42 years, BCHT has renovated or built a total of 167 homes.  Its process is similar to Habitat for Humanity, in that it relies on volunteers to help renovate and build the homes, the prospective homeowners have to put sweat equity into the home and homeowners receive a low-cost mortgage that is interest-free.  But it goes beyond that, in that it is a job-training program for young people who live in the neighborhood.  Working alongside skilled craftsmen, they learn marketable skills that will help them improve their lives and their employment prospects.

There were about 300 guests at Fr. Brian’s retirement party.  They included family, friends, BCHT home owners, people from the Wilbur section and employees  and volunteers of The Martin House family of programs.  While there were tributes and declarations from city and state politicians, the most moving words came from individuals who had been helped by the Martin House programs.  There were women who had been involved in the drill team as teenagers, who are now working as social workers.  Homeowners who talked about how home ownership had changed their lives.  And volunteers who talked about how helping renovate and build the homes had made such a big difference in their lives.  But most of all, they talked about Fr. Brian and how much they admired him for all he had done for their community.  More than one person said that he had saved their lives.

Fr. Brian’s ministry at Martin House was different from most parish priests.  Although many parishes have some ministries to focus on the poor and the needy, it frequently seems like a small slice of the pie.  For Fr. Brian, it was most of the pie, if not the whole pie.  Thinking about Fr. Brian’s work in Trenton brings to mind Jesus being criticized for spending so much time with the poor, the sick, the leprous, the sinners.  I think of Him saying that at the end of time he will welcome into his kingdom those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked, welcomed the stranger and cared for the sick.

Now, Fr. Brian is retired.  His ministry to the people of the Wilbur section is done.  But his vision lives on in the organization he founded and nurtured over the last 42 years.  Throughout those years, he created, cultivated and reinforced a culture that will continue to have a very positive influence on the Wilbur section.  And we are all better off because of it.  Thank God for Fr. Brian McCormick!

Here’s a picture of Pat and me with Fr. Brian on the day of the party.

Rituals of Comfort

Here's a picture of my slippers.  You may recall that, in an earlier post, I said that one of the things I was looking forward to in retirement is being able to spend more time wearing my slippers.  The biggest reason that I'm looking forward to that is that my feet really hurt when I'm wearing shoes.  Wearing sneakers isn't so bad, but sometimes they hurt my feet too.  When I wear shoes I get a pain across my feet just at the base of my toes.  More so on my right foot than on my left.  By the end of the day, when I get home, I just want to get out of my shoes and put on my slippers.

I got my current slippers for Christmas this past year.  I actually ordered them on-line without having seen them in person or having tried them on.  I know I was taking a risk but it seems to have worked out.  I'd been looking at slippers for a while in stores and didn't find any that called out to me.  A lot of the slippers I saw in stores seemed too stiff to me.  I like slippers that are soft and flexible.  Not just the top part but also the sole.

For a number of years, I bought my slippers from Lands End.  But, they don't seem to sell them any more.  The ones from Lands End were very soft and the soles were made from soft leather, not from rubber.  Here's a picture of an old pair of slippers from Lands End.

I still have these and keep them in the stairway that goes from the kitchen to the basement - nice and handy.  If I don't want to go up to our bedroom on the third floor to get my new slippers, I just pull these old faithfuls out and put them on.  Ahhhh!

A number of years ago, I attended a presentation where the speaker talked about rituals of comfort.   He spoke about how we all have these and how they make our lives ... well, more comfortable.  Some people might always start their day by having a cup of coffee and reading the morning newspaper.  Some might go for a run or go to the gym when they get home from work.  Some people like to watch the evening news each evening after finishing dinner.  These can be rituals of comfort.  If you like to start your day off with a cup of coffee and the newspaper, imagine how out-of-sorts you might feel if you discover that you're out of coffee or the newpaper didn't show up on your porch.  It would throw you off.  We all have ways that we organize things and we take comfort that we can find things when we want them.  Imagine if someone had moved everything in your kitchen cabinets and drawers to different locations and you had to search through all the cabinets and drawers to find something you always kept in a certain place.  How disruptive that would be!

Wearing my slippers is a ritual of comfort for me.  It's a ritual that provides comfort not only to my feet but also to my soul.  (Pun intended.)

What are your rituals of comfort?