Living the Gospel Today: Children at the Border

In today's Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples (and I think especially to us in the United States today):

He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”

Whoever receives one child in the name of Jesus receives Jesus.
It is the will of our God in heaven that not one of these children be lost.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones.

Seems pretty clear to me.

Hold on to this message from Jesus as you look at these pictures I found when I googled the current situation of unaccompanied children at our border:

There are of course contrasting images.

But ultimately, it is the children that matter. "See that you despise not one of these little ones," Jesus says.

According to this Reuter's News Report, President Obama is seeking to speed the deportation of the children at our border. Yet, a majority of Americans are not so sure this is a good idea. Perhaps our collective conscience is kicking in? Perhaps we still have some of our humanity intact?

If we take the message of Jesus seriously, if we truly believe in the value of human life and dignity, then we need to act. Now.

Learn More:

• The Jesuit Refugee Service and Ignatian Solidarity Network have created an excellent toolkit for those who wish to advocate on behalf of the unaccompanied children and families fleeing violence in Central America.
• The US Bishops Conference also has an advocacy toolkit available for download.

Contact Your Elected Officials:

• The Jesuit Conference has an easy to use action alert that allows you to send a message to President Obama and your members of congress in seconds.
• The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center also has an alert opposing the removal of protections that the Trafficking Victims Protection Act gives child refugees from Central America.
• Congress is on recess and in your neighborhood. Why not call them or even drop by to share your concern for the children?  Our friends at the Ignatian Solidarity Network have a great tip sheet for congressional visits!

Share Your Resources:

• Consider donating to the US Bishops Unaccompanied Minors Program.

Pray:

• Spend some time with today's Gospel from Matthew. How will you respond to Jesus?

Loving God, comfort your children far from home, seeking safety and shelter from their powerful neighbor. Give us the compassion, wisdom, and courage to open our doors, widen our hearts, and spread our wings to offer our protection. Inspire each of us to act in charity and for justice. Amen.

Wait for it ...

Today's first reading is one that I have long used in prayer. I also actually have it as my footer on my email template (yes, I am that much of a nerd). It is a reminder to me that our job is not to be God.  Rather, our job is to wait (and act) in hope, to hold fast to the vision, to be persistent and faithful in our pursuit of God's justice and our sharing of God's love in the present moment. The rest is not up to us, it is up to God. And God's vision will be fulfilled on time, on God's time ... it will not be late.

Conversation with Jesus

I was remembering a former spiritual director of mine the other day. She was an amazing woman, very insightful,  and an important companion on my own journey. She was also very intense and Christ focused. Often she would ask, with feeling: "Where is Jesus in this? Have you talked to Jesus?"

Today's Gospel story from John reminds me of her. It is the one where Jesus arrives at his friends' house (Mary, Martha,  and Lazarus) after Lazarus has died. In Martha's eyes, Jesus was not there when they needed him. And so she tells him:

   “Lord, if you had been here,
   my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
   God will give you.”

I love the juxtaposition of her real, human, and heartfelt frustration,  anger, and grief with her belief in and love for Jesus.

She doesn't hide behind false piety. She doesn't break the relationship.  She stays with it and talks to Jesus. She doesn't exactly know how things will work out. But she knows that it is important to bring it all to Jesus.

My spiritual director would have been proud.

Feast of Mary Magdalene

Today is the Feast of Mary Magdalene. Faithful friend of Jesus, Apostle to the Apostles. I love this icon of her from Micky McGrath, OSFS. "At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn."

This morning, praying with the Gospel story of Mary at the tomb in John, I was struck with the fact that Mary saw the Risen Christ because she stayed at the tomb weeping. It was her relationship with her friend Jesus and her emotional life that opened her up to the joy of the Resurrection. 

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put them." Was she confused? Yes. Even after she saw the Risen Christ (and mistook him for the gardener!), she was confused. 

But our Jesus can work with confusion. God does not need us to have it all figured out.  We need to show up, live with open hearts, and share the Good News.

Pray for us, St. Mary Magdalene, that through the confusion and tears we too may see the Risen Christ and be transformed through the hope of the Resurrection.

Inspiration for life

Today's first reading from Micah was one that helped inspire this blog, has accompanied my ongoing discernment in life, and guides my daily living of the vows.

As I wrote in the first post on this blog almost 10 years ago in the early days of my vocation discernment:

"The following scripture passage has been very present to me the past few months...

'You have been told, O people, what is good, and what Yahweh asks of you: Only this, to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God'. - Michah 6:8

Is it possible that it's really that simple? ... The invitation to act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God is just too good not to at least check out .... and so I am."

And so I continue each day. As it happens, my congregation's vow formula is also inspired by this Scripture passage. These are the words I said when I professed my perpetual vows:

In response to God's call to seek justice, to love tenderly, and to talk in the way of peace, I, Susan Rose Francois, in the presence of our Congregation Leader, and in the presence of the community gathered here, vow to God, poverty, celibacy, and obedience, for life, according to the Constitutions of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace.

.... each and every day.

On Mustard: the call to be pesty weeds for God

This Sunday's Gospel story includes the parable about mustard seed. The best reflection I have ever heard on this comes from Sister Pat Farrell's 2012 address at LCWR:

Joyful hope is the hallmark of genuine discipleship. We look forward to a future full of hope, in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Hope makes us attentive to signs of the inbreaking of the Reign of God. Jesus describes that coming reign in the parable of the mustard seed.

Let us consider for a moment what we know about mustard. Though it can also be cultivated, mustard is an invasive plant, essentially a weed. The image you see is a variety of mustard that grows in the Midwest. Some exegetes tell us that when Jesus talks about the tiny mustard seed growing into a tree so large that the birds of the air come and build their nest in it, he is probably joking. To imagine birds building nests in the floppy little mustard plant is laughable. It is likely that Jesus’ real meaning is something like Look, don’t imagine that in following me you’re going to look like some lofty tree. Don’t expect to be Cedars of Lebanon or anything that looks like a large and respectable empire. But even the floppy little mustard plant can support life. Mustard, more often than not, is a weed. Granted, it’s a beautiful and medicinal weed. Mustard is flavorful and has wonderful healing properties. It can be harvested for healing, and its greatest value is in that. But mustard is usually a weed. It crops up anywhere, without permission. And most notably of all, it is uncontainable. It spreads prolifically and can
take over whole fields of cultivated crops. You could even say that this little nuisance of a weed was illegal in the time of Jesus. There were laws about where to plant it in an effort to keep it under control.

Now, what does it say to us that Jesus uses this image to describe the Reign of God? Think about it. We can, indeed, live in joyful hope because there is no political or ecclesiastical herbicide that can wipe out the movement of God’s Spirit. Our hope is in the absolutely uncontainable power of God. We who pledge our lives to a radical following of Jesus can expect to be seen as pesty weeds that need to be fenced in. If the weeds of God’s Reign are stomped out in one place they will crop up in another. I can hear, in that, the words of Archbishop Oscar Romero “If I am killed, I will arise in the Salvadoran people.”

And so, we live in joyful hope, willing to be weeds one and all. We stand in the power of the dying and rising of Jesus. I hold forever in my heart an expression of that from the days of the dictatorship in Chile: “Pueden aplastar algunas flores, pero no pueden detener la primavera.” “They can crush a few flowers but they can’t hold back the springtime.” 

How/where are you called to be a pesty weed for the reign of God?

Resisting Evil ... Forging Hope

The liturgical readings for this Saturday seem tailor made for our present news cycle.

From the prophet Micah, we hear:

Woe to those who plan iniquity,and work out evil on their couches; In the morning light they accomplish it when it lies within their power. They covet fields, and seize them; houses, and they take them; They cheat an owner of his house, a man of his inheritance.

The Psalmist writes:

Why, O LORD, do you stand aloof? Why hide in times of distress? Proudly the wicked harass the afflicted,who are caught in the devices the wicked have contrived. 
For the wicked man glories in his greed, and the covetous blasphemes, sets the LORD at nought.The wicked man boasts, “He will not avenge it”;“There is no God,” sums up his thoughts. 

And then in Matthew's Gospel: 

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesusto put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known.

Our present news cycle is filled with the consequences of evil planned on couches. Peoples are plotting against other peoples or closing their hearts and doors to compassion and our common humanity. There are good news stories to be sure as well, but those do not get the air time. Instead, we are submerged in woe.

Jesus could have been submerged in woe. People were literally planning his death. And what does he do? He withdraws from the place ... he was a man of deep prayer. Yet when people followed him, he did not ignore them or push them away, but ministered to them.

At our last CSJP Congregation Chapter, we wrote these words in our Chapter Act: "We live in a society marked strongly by the violence of war, violence to people through poverty and a sense of powerlessness and alienation, violence to earth, sea, and sky--violence that is truly cosmic."  Those words would also fit our present news cycle! As a community pursuing justice and seeking God's peace, how did we respond in our Chapter Act? "In response we commit ourselves to grow more deeply toward a nonviolent way of being and acting as peacemakers." Like Jesus, our call is to withdraw (resist) and to respond in hope.

A few months ago I read something by the great liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez regarding hope. I'd like to end this Saturday morning reflection with his words:

Hope is, in the first place, a gift from God. Accepting this gift opens followers of Jesus to the future and to trust … God’s gift is not an easy hope. But as fragile as it may seem, it is capable of planting roots in the world of social insignificance, in the world of the poor, and of breaking out and remaining creative and alive even in the midst of difficult situations. Nonetheless, hope is not waiting; rather it should lead us actively to resolve to forge reasons for hope.

No matter what the news, let us resolve to forge reasons for hope.

Perspective

This month I'm attending the Summer Institute of the National Religious Vocation Conference, otherwise known as "Vocation Director School."  This is in preparation for moving into vocation ministry next year when I finish my degree.  I believe with all my heart in the future of religious life and my own community, and I suspect that God is indeed calling women to join us in our mission of peace. This course is to give me some of the nuts and bolts around how you actually promote vocations and work with candidates.

The last few days we've been focused on the application and screening process. I've had flashbacks to my own experience of completing the application for candidacy to my community, which of course is documented on this blog. My reaction from the way back machine? "Whew! Guess this would winnow out those who weren’t so serious."

Seriously. This is important stuff. You want to make sure that the people who join your community are able to live the life as a Sister fully ... for life. That requires a certain level of screening and assessment which is more than understandable. However, if I thought the process seemed daunting from the side of the applicant, looking at it from the side of the Vocation Director can be just as daunting!

Which is where today's readings come in. As I prayed with the Scripture this morning, I found myself reflecting both on the the first reading and the Gospel.

From Isaiah: 

O LORD, you mete out peace to us,for it is you who have accomplished all we have done.

From Matthew's Gospel:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am meek and humble of heart;and you will find rest for yourselves.For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The take away? Perspective. And trust. As we say in our CSJP Constitutions:

As we live our vows each daywe trust that Christ's blessing promisedto peacemakers will sustain us,knowing that God working in uswill accomplish more than we can askor imagine.

My task these weeks is to soak up as much information as I can that will help me when I move into this ministry. I will also learn from the current vocation director (who was my own awesome vocation director by the way!) as I develop my own plan for this ministry. I will work with the other Sisters on the vocation team, leadership, and the whole community. We all share in our love of community and desire to continue to release the charism. Ultimately, then, my/our role is to show up and follow Jesus, trusting that God working in us will accomplish what needs to be done, even that which we cannot yet imagine.

Harvest Time?

In today's Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus says to his disciples (and to us): "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

How fitting that this is today's reading! Because, you see, I about to embark on a new adventure. For the next two weeks I will be attending the Summer Institute of the National Religious Vocation Conference, conveniently located in Chicago. In my own head, I call this "Vocation Director School."  I joined our CSJP vocation team earlier this year and am planning to transition more fully into this ministry after graduation. I am looking forward to being immersed in many of the issues and learning skills and gaining resources for this new adventure.

In our CSJP Constitutions we say that:

Our founding spirit calls us
to further the work of peace. ...
In accord with our tradition
we commit ourselves to promote peace
in family life, in the church, and in society.
We strive to respect the dignity of all persons,
to value the gifts of creation,
and to confront oppressive situations.
We respond to God's people in need
and promote social justice
as a way to peace. ...
Confident of God's faithful love
and collaborating with others who work for
justice and peace,
we face the future with gratitude and hope.

We also quote this other Scripture passage in our Constitutions:

True justice
is the harvest
reaped by peacemakers
from seeds sown
in a spirit of peace. (James 3:18)

Given the current state of the world, it certainly seems that there is a lot of work to be done! I have a great deal of energy and excitement about our future as a community seeking peace through justice. I know in my heart that God is calling us into the future, and that others will join us on the journey as peacemakers and harvesters.  I am excited about the opportunity to be part of our vocation team which both seeks out these "brave, noble, large-minded, courageous souls." as our founder put it, and invites them to consider the wonderfully crazy life of a CSJP!

Courage, Daughter ...

Picture of woman touching the cloak of Jesus
depicted in catacombs of Rome

Today's Gospel reading (Matthew 9: 18-26) includes the story of the woman with the hemorrhage. While it is a familiar story, when I prayed with it this morning I was struck by the words Jesus speaks to her, this woman who snuck up behind him and dared to touch his cloak: "Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."

Courage.
Courage to reach out.
Courage to risk.
Courage to be vulnerable.
Courage to stand out in a crowd.
Courage to believe in the power of God.
Courage to act as a beloved daughter of God.
Courage as a woman.
Courage.

Breaking Through ... or more thoughts on Jesus as a superhero

Here's a golden oldie repost, courtesy of the way back machine that is this blog.  It comes from my canonical novitiate days.  Even if I find myself in a different space these days, it's fitting given today's Gospel reading is the same! 

Most Sunday mornings I gather with a group that shares our reflections on the readings. I didn't share anything this morning, but I was really struck per usual by the depth of people's insights. One gentleman shared that the story of Thomas in today's Gospel always speaks to him, as for him doubt is part of faith. Part of his doubts, he said, are in God's unconditional love and the ever presence of God. I must admit that this is something I've been known to struggle with as well - at those hard moments, when loved ones are suffering, when my world seems to be falling apart or I seem to be falling apart, or even when everything seems to be going along ok. For me too, I suppose, doubt is linked to faith. The doubts lead to questions, which as someone else pointed out, lead to clarity.

This same gentleman also pointed out something that I'd almost forgotten ...Jesus breaks through the locked door to bring peace to the apostles who are gathered in fear.

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

If Jesus can break through the literal locked door, Jesus can break through my internal locked doors. One thing I've been discovering this year - and it's been one of my major unbloggables - is my own persistent resistance to God, to Jesus, to love. But yet I believe, and so I ask my brother, my friend, my savior to help my unbelief. Break through those barriers.

This thought process in turn reminded me of a slightly sacriligeous post I wrote this time last year. I'll include part of it below, along with the cartoon character Jesus I created to go along with it:


Who can walk on water and into locked rooms? It's Super Jesus!He can walk on water.He can heal the sick and bring the dead back from life.He can walk through walls and into locked rooms.He can bring peace where there is none, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. ‘Cause he’s Super Jesus.


2013 ADDENDUM
I have to add two images to this post.

The first is a painting here at CTU:

The second is from our CSJP Constitutions, courtesy of our Facebook page:

(don't both look like a Jesus who could walk through walls?!)

The Transfiguration: Lost in a cloud

This morning as I was praying with the Sunday Gospel (the Transfiguration story from Luke), I was struck first by Peter's nervous attempt to take control of the situation, and then the cloud.  In case you need a refresher:

Jesus has taken Peter, John and James up to the mountain to pray.
While there, his face changed and his clothes turned dazzling white.
Meanwhile, two men appeared, Moses & Elijah, talking with him.

Peter and his buddies, who had fallen asleep, suddenly woke up.
Needless to say, they were a little freaked out by what they saw.
So Peter says to Jesus:  Good thing we're here! We'll build some tents for you and your friends.
Nervous energy anyone?

Just then, and before he could embarrass himself any further,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them.
In the darkness, they were able to own their fear.
In the darkness, they heard a voice.
"This is my chosen Son; listen to him."
They opened their eyes.  No need to build a tent.  Jesus was alone.
They fell silent and didn't talk about what they had seen.

This version of the story of course has some editorial comments by yours truly.  Yet they reflect my own experience.

I resonate with the experience of seeking to take control of a situation that is really beyond my understanding.  Rather than entering the darkness, rather than holding the tension and fear of the unknown, I have a tendency, like Peter, to try to plan my way to stability.  Jesus suddenly has two friends? Let's build them each a tent.  Good thing I'm here!

Life, of course, is not so easily "solved."  Eventually, we get lost in the cloud.  Darkness comes whether we're looking for it or not.  And sometimes that is a good thing, because in the cloud it's not so easy to plan your way out of a situation.  Instead, in the cloud we are invited to confront the messiness of life, and to awaken to the reality that God is there with us, in the mess.  If we can quiet our own voices, it is easier to hear God's.

Praying with this Scripture this morning, I was reminded of a song by indie singer songwriter Sufjan Stevens along the same theme, The Transfiguration.  He tells the Scripture story, and then ends with this refrain:

Lost in the cloud, a voice: Have no fear! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Turn your ear!
Lost in the cloud, a voice: Lamb of God! We draw near!
Lost in the cloud, a sign: Son of man! Son of God!

So I spent the morning with this Scripture, with this song, and created a little video prayer reflection.

Framing Lent: An Ash Wednesday Reflection

I began my observation of Lent this morning, Ash Wednesday, praying these words in the daily office from Jeremiah:

"Why have you struck us down beyond all hope of healing?
We have looked for peace, but no good came; we have looked for the time of healing, but trouble came instead.
We acknowledge our wickedness, and the evil done by our ancestors:
we acknowledge that we have sinned.
Do not make us a reproach, for your name’s sake,
and do not make us a disgrace before the throne of your glory.
Remember the covenant you made with us: do not bring it to an end."

It seems to me that this is what Lent is all about. It is a time to take a long loving gaze at our brokenness,  our own personal brokenness and that of the world around us. How many people are waking up today in situations of daily violence, be it a situation of civil war, the threat of unmanned drone attacks from the sky, a neighborhood facing daily gun violence, or a family plagued with domestic violence. Can we look at the violence in our own hearts and lives and cry out in solidarity,  looking for peace, looking for healing?

Lamentation is important. So to is acknowledging our own brokenness and unhelpful actions. But it does not, it cannot stop there. We must also remember God's faithful love. And we must remember too that a loving relationship is a two way street.

I am making some simple changes to my daily life this Lent so that I have more quality time (read quiet) to devote to my own relationship with God.  How about you?

Hermeneutic of Compassion

One of the great things about being at the Catholic Theological Union and involved in the Bernardin Center is that I am often invited to great events.  This morning I was invited to attend an interfaith breakfast as part of "World Interfaith Harmony Week."  Organized by the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, the speakers addressed the following theme: "We are All Connected by Compassion."

I was struck by many things the speakers shared.  Perhaps the most useful, however, was from a Rabbi who spoke about reading the Scriptures through a "hermeneutic of compassion." Now, I am by no means a scripture scholar but as I have come to understand the term, a hermeneutic is the interpretive lens of framework through which we read the scriptures.  That part was not new to me.

What was new was the suggestion and invitation to read the scriptures through the lens of compassion.  Really, you could extend that beyond the sacred texts of our world religions to the whole world and all of life.

So today, and tomorrow, and the next day, I'm going to try it out.  Putting on the eyes of compassion, how might the world look differently?  What light might this throw on the violence in our streets and between and within countries? Might it not shed light on a path forward, a path toward peace?

Those are my deep thoughts this morning.  Before I delve into them too deeply, however, I am about to spend some extended time with my favorite 2 1/2 year old while my sister and her husband celebrate their anniversary.

Who knows, that might give me a whole new insight ... the "hermeneutic of the 2 year old."

Provoking One Another to Love and Good Works

I was struck this morning by these words in today's first reading from the Letter to the Hebrews.

"Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. We must consider how to provoke one another to love and good works."

Sometimes it is so very hard to hold on to hope, particularly in the face of poverty, oppression, violence and environmental destruction. Yet we must...  and we need not only to stick together, as the old adage goes, but must also provoke one another to love and good works.

It seems to me that this is the creative work of nonviolence and social justice. In the face of violence and oppression, how do we "provoke," inspire and empower people to love one another as God first loved us?

God's covenant with the human family is one of love. Let's hold fast to that, together in hope, and do our part to build a better world through love and good works.

We are God's Beloved

Today is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which in the counter-cultural Catholic tradition marks the end of the Christmas Season. Tomorrow we dig into Ordinary Time for five weeks.

I love the wisdom of the liturgical calendar and actually really like Ordinary Time.  Perhaps what I like most especially about it is the way that we dip in and out of ordinary time in between the "extraordinary" seasons of Lent, Advent and Christmas.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting of late on our ordinary lives.  As I study Christian Ethics, it seems to me that who we are and what we do in the ordinary circumstances of our lives is just as important as what we do in the extraordinary moments.  For one thing, we spend most of our lives grounded in the ordinary.  That's where most of our little actions happen and where the big actions take root.

The Church in its wisdom of course helps us to celebrate the Ordinary through our liturgical season.  The Second Vatican Council also recognized the power and responsibility of the ordinary:

"To those, therefore, who believe in divine love, He gives assurance that the way of love lies open to humankind and that the effort to establish a universal brotherhood and sisterhood is not a hopeless one. He cautions them at the same time that this charity is not something to be reserved for important matters, but must be pursued chiefly in the ordinary circumstances of life." (Gaudium et Spes #38, emphasis added) 

We also know from the wisdom of Thomas Aquinas, and today's virtue ethicists, that who we are impacts what we do, and what we do in turn influences who we become.

So who are we?  If we listen closely to today's Gospel reading we will know ... "You are my beloved son.  You are my beloved daughter.  With you I am well pleased."

Imagine what kind of a world we could co-create together if we truly lived from that conviction, both in the extraordinary and the ordinary moments of our lives.  No, really, .... imagine it.  Take a moment or two or three.  Dream the impossible.  And then remember .... nothing is impossible for God.

Be Peace

In the first reading (1 Mi 5) for this fourth Sunday of Advent we hear:

"He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace."

In our Christian tradition of course we believe this is Jesus. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, will be our peace.

I believe that we in turn are called to be peace. We all seem to see a bit more clearly these days how much our world is in need of peace. In our families, schools,  church, society, and of course between nations. As the saying goes, peace is not merely the absence of conflict. It is so much more ... an active compassionate love, a mindful intentional presence, a positive and constructive way of being that seeks the common good.

How can you more intentionally "be peace" this Christmas season?

Justice Shall Flourish, Peace Forever

Today's Responsorial Psalm fits our day and time so perfectly:

Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous deeds. And blessed forever be his glorious name; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.

Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

I am visiting with my Dad these days, which means I am listening to nonstop news on the radio.  As you might imagine, most of it is focused on gun violence and the recent tragedy. As a person of faith, I find myself calling on God in prayer hoping that this will be a conversion moment for our society.  That our hearts broken open by unspeakable violence we are finally able to see the unspeakable violence daily in our midst. Did you know that in 2008 55 children were killed by gun violence each week in the US? How many children are abused each day? Hungry? Kilked in war. I am most surprised these days with how surprised people are by recent violent events. I think we have become numb to the violence we nurture daily.  We cherish life as Catholics, and I pray we are moving to a broader and all encompassing understanding of what that means. The message of valuing life and human dignity is so needed today. So to is action in support of life, justice and peace.

And so I pray. That we will stand with the God of Justice on the side of the lowly, poor and afflicted. That we will work for justice and peace, sharing God's love, for the Glory of God. Amen

Reflection on the Readings and Making a Stand

In the midst of preparation for my move one week from today, I'm taking a break to share a reflection on today's readings with our retired Sisters at their communion service.  Here's what I'll be sharing with them:

When 8 year old Vivienne Harr starts school this year, she will have a great tale of "What she did this summer."

Like many 2nd graders, she's been running a lemonade stand with a little help from her mom and dad.  But this isn't just any lemonade stand.  She's been at her stand everyday, with a goal of raising $150,000 for Not for Sale, an ngo that works to stop human trafficking.  She calls her lemonade "Make a Stand Lemonade: The Sweet Taste of Freedom," and she makes it from fair trade lemons.  So far, she's raised $30,000!

How did she make so much money?  First, through faithfulness.  She spent everyday of her summer vacation at the stand, rain or shine.  Second, through faith in the generosity of her neighbors.  At first she charged $2 per glass.  But then she thought, what if I leave it up to my customers what to pay?  The average price went up to $18 when she made it free.

Vivienne was inspired to make a stand when she attended an art exhibit with her family that featured photos of child slaves.  She decided to do something and started with what she knew ... lemonade.

Vivienne inspires me.  If you watch her video on You Tube, you might be inspired too.  "Gandhi was one person," she says.  "Martin Luther King was one person. Mother Theresa was one person.  Why can't you be one person who helps?"

In a way, Vivienne is the opposite of the Prince of Tyre in our first reading (Ezekiel 28: 1-10). Let's flip the words around to fit Vivienne:

By your wisdom and intelligence, you have made riches for others.

You have put gold and silver in the treasuries of enslaved people.

By your great wisdom applied to your trading, you have shared your riches.

Your heart has grown bigger from your sharing.

Vivienne seems to intuitively know what it means for the first to be last and the last to be first, like we hear in today's Gospel (Matthew 19: 23-30).  This small little girl.  By contrast, the camel is a very large animal.  When Jesus talks about the camel and the eye of the needle, he could be speaking literally.  But the "eye of the needle" could also describe the narrow and low gate of the city walls, used by travellers after dark when the main gate was locked.  Vivienne might fit through this small gate.  We would have to bend over. A camel would have to kneel, squeeze tight, and crawl through.

Through being her small self with a big heart, Vivienne in many ways embodies what Jesus is talking about.  She's discovered valuable lessons on the way.

I'd like to finish with Vivienne's own words (typed on her blog by her father) about what she's discovered this summer sitting at her lemonade stand.

"I have discovered a lot.

I have discovered that there are a lot of kids, about my age, who do not get the life I get, who are scared, who need hope.

I have discovered that my heart feels the most full when I give.

I have discovered that even though we hear a lot about the bad, the world is mostly good, most people are kind and supportive, and want what's right.

I have discovered that the more I do this, the more I make a stand, the stronger I get.

Thank you for making a stand with me."

Parables and Lamentations

I was invited to reflect on today's readings at a communion service with our retired Sisters today at groovy sister hq.  Always an honor to break open the word with these amazing women. Here's what I shared.

Today's Gospel comes towards the end of a lengthy discourse in Matthew Chapter 13. If you remember, it started with Jesus trying to find some quiet time by the sea.  Instead he was surrounded by huge crowds, and so he started to teach them in parables.  First the Parable of the Sower.  Then the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat.  Then the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  And finally the Parable of the Yeast.

In today's reading, after he shared all of these and sent the crowds away, the disciples come up to Jesus. "Can you explain that one about the weeds ... again?"  I don't know about you, but I find great comfort in the realization that the disciples sometimes just didn't get it.

It can be hard to get it.  Especially in the midst of pain, suffering, war and destruction, like in the first reading from Jeremiah.  Almost 11 years ago, after the September 11th attacks, I heard this reading fairly often.  It was used in peace prayer services because it captured the spiritual outcry of that moment so well.

"We wait for peace, to no avail,
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead."

Come to think of it, this lament from Jeremiah fits the spiritual outcry of today as well.

"If I walk out into the field, look!
those slain by the sword."

Syria, Afghanistan, Aurora, Colorado.

"If I enter the city, look!
those consumed by hunger."

925 million people will go hungry today.  1.4 billion people will try to get by on less than $1.25 for all their essential needs.

What are we to do?  Cry out to God? By all means. As Jeremiah cried out, his eyes streaming with tears day and night ...

"Remember your covenant with us."

Margaret Anna Cusack, founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, was also deeply moved by the suffering of poor and oppressed people, deeply moved to action.

"... it did matter to me a great deal, in view of our common humanity, and in view of my love of the poor, that I should do all I could for those whom He had loved so well." (The Nun of Kenmare)

As Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace today, we too are moved to actions for peace through justice. As our Constitutions say:

"The weight of suffering and oppression borne by so many people today, especially those who are economically poor, cries out to us for action." (Constitution 21).

And so it does.  And so it should.

But lest we be overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of what this calls us to do, Jesus reminds us in the Gospel that in the end, this is God's work.  In the end, God will be God.

"Christ is our peace, the source of our power. United with him we engage in the struggle against the reality of evil and continue the work of establishing God's reign of justice and peace." (Constitution 2)

We do what we can, we give freely of who we are, deeply moved by the cries of our brothers and sisters, confident in God's faithful love to sort it all out in the end.

Today is the feast day of another founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.  I'd like to end with his prayer from the end of the Spiritual Exercises.  He knew that it was up to God to be God, and us to give of ourselves to God's love and work.  No more.  No less.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
all that I have and call my own.
You have given all to me,
to you, Lord, I return it.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.