Casting Stones

During the past week I have been preparing my homily for this Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent, Year C) which gives us the well-known story of the woman taken in adultery who is brought before Jesus(John 8, 1-11). Let's face it, even atheists know Jesus' response to the crowd who wanted to stone her in accordance with the Mosaic law, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone."

While we may comfort ourselves with the thought that we no longer stone people, at least not in this corner of planet earth, a closer look might offer a real challenge to our present society.

If we take a look at what is going on in Jesus' encounter with the adulterous woman and the crowds we realize that the issue is not only the "stoning", but rather the public spectacle and denunciation and condemnation of this woman. Jesus unmasks their intentions with His invitation to let the one without sin cast the first stone. He is reminding them that though their sins are not publicly known they are sins nonetheless. More importantly He is reminding them that if they repent they will receive the same mercy that He is showing to this woman.

While we don't stone people today we love the public spectacle and denunciation of the sinner, especially if the sin involves sex. (Money scandals are a distant second.) We gloat when the sins of a politician or an athlete are brought to the fore and we let it be known how shocked we are. I wonder if many are not privately thinking "I'm glad my stuff doesn't get known", or "I'm bad, but not that bad." We love to have a scapegoat, someone to blame or punish, rather than looking at our own faults and seeking the same mercy and forgiveness that Jesus showed to this adulterous woman.

I do want to give one caution with this reflection. I'm not saying that public figures and especially Church leaders involved in scandal should not be held accountable to the people they serve. In the Church especially there has been too much secrecy and cover-up in this regard. The point is to take a look at the self-righteous, morally superior smugness with which too many of us meet these situations. The call to all of us is to stop throwing stones and to seek the mercy of Jesus who is always so ready to forgive rather than condemn.

Social Justice and the Gospel

Sometimes I can't believe what I hear from the news media. On this blog i try to stay away from direct criticism of particular people on either the left or the right, but this week I make an exception. Glenn Beck of Fox News has told people who watch his program to run away from any Church that speaks of social justice. I say, Run away from Glenn Beck." Preaching social justice and taking action to correct injustice is anb obligation for those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Back in the 1970's a Vatican synod described working for justice as a "constitutive dimension of preaching the Gospel."

While the Church should generally stay away from partisan politics, saying that the Democrats, the Republicans or anyone else has the whole answer she can and must and usually has spoken out against slavery,racism violation of human rights, the environment, lack of access to health care, abortion and other life issues Why? Because Jesus did, not necessarily on the above mentioned issues, but on the abuses of His own day. Since Leo XIII in the late 1800's every Catholic Pope has made statements and issued encyclicals on issues of social justice.

There are always those who want preachers to stay in their pulpit and tell people just to say their prayers. Pray we must, but we must also work to overcome the injustices that separate people form each other and from God, injustices that lead to war and violence.

No one would deny that preachers must denounce sin. The self-righteous smile smugly when a preacher rails against the excesses of lust, greed and other personal sins. Just one question, "Is injustice a sin, especially systemic social injustice?" Well, "Dah, ought the preacher address this issue?"

By the way I understand that Mr. Beck's remarks were in response to a Catholic nun who labored courageously for women's rights in Syria and who was given an award. Should she have told the women there to be quiet, get beaten and say their prayers? Apparently Mr. Beck thinks so.

Some Recent Wanderings and a Suggested Website

I just returned from my latest mission journey to Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a wonderful two weeks for several reasons. First of all St. Edward's parish there is a model for many of the things I've written about earlier (See Oct and Nov, 2009) for multicultural parishes. This year they are celebrating 125 years as a parish, one which was founded by Germans in 1885. It remained a predominantly German parish for a long while, went into decline for a time and is coming alive again with the influx of Hispanic parishioners. What is great is the collaboration there between the old timers and the newcomers who speak a different language and have a different culture. Of course no situation is perfect and there are some tensions but by and large both groups seemed genuinely interested in each others activities and lend support to each other. The parish has young and capable leadership in their 30 year old pastor, Fr. Jason Tyler, as well as with a 28 year old school principle, and I am sure they are looking forward to at least another 125 years.

Little Rock also provided me with a reunion with some family members. The deacon there, Dan Hennessey, came to my ordination in 1971 with his parents as a 12 year old boy. I got time to spend with him and his family and also with his sister Caroline who came down from St. Louis. Parishioners at St. Edward's told me that Dan is at least as good a preacher as I am. It was good to hear that.

In my profile on this blog I mention that sports, movies and bike riding are hobbies of mine. I didn't mention that old trolley cars are also an interest and that I like to visit trolley car museums around the country. Like several cities Little Rock as invested in some retro look trolleys produced by a company in Iowa. I got to ride on it and put some pictures at the top of this entry.

And yes, as the title suggests, there is a suggestion. I have included the website to Richard Rohr, OFM's Center for action and contemplation in "Links to my World" on the right side of this page. I highly recommend that you check it out and perhaps subscrive to their mailing list for daily meditations. You can click on here Center for Action and Contemplation.Right now I have returned to Florida after my great time in Little Rock, and am looking forward to a "home game" mission at our parish in Tampa

Listening, a Lenten Penance

This Sunday's Gospel (Luke 9, 28-36) gives us an account of the Transfiguration when Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain and revealed Himself to them in His glory. At the end of this experience a voice comes from heaven and says, "This is my Son, my beloved, listen to Him." That command "to listen" is, I believe, a timely on for today, to listen to God and to listen to one another.

We live in the so-called communication age. We can be in touch with one another rapidly via cell phone, the internet and internet based social communication tools such as Facebook and Tweeter. Anyone can get their message out there, including myself with this blog. We're all talking, but are we listening.

In the halls of congress we find republicans and democrats alike yelling at one another and very few of them are really trying to listen to what the other side has to say. This is especially evident in the health care debate. Similar nonsense happens in the Church as well. On TV and radio talk shows allow callers to express their opinion, as long as they agree with the talk show host. One such host has followers who proudly call themselves "ditto heads", meaning that they don't think for themselves but just "ditto" what the host has to say.

To listen does not mean to give another some attention, a hearing, so that we can argue back and prove ourselves right. To listen means to try and we get inside the skin, inside the world of another, to try to experience life from their point of view. In the end we may still disagree but we gain a greater appreciation for the other's perspective.

Listening is a lost art not only on the grand stage of Church and politics. It is sorely needed in interpersonal relationships, especially in marriage.

How about taking on listening as a Lenten penance. Commit to listening more to you husband, wife, parents, children. Listen to someone with different political and theological opinions. Try to understand what leads them to think they way they do. What thoughts, what life experiences have shaped them. Try not to disagree, even if you do, but simply try to draw them out so that you can see where they're coming from. Make an attempt to find common ground even though you may still disagree.

Think of this. The greatest act of listening is the Incarnation where God becomes one of us to walk in our shoes, to experience life as we experience it, to be like us in all things but sin. We cannot imitate that perfectly, but we can aspire to that great act of listening. To truly listen is one of the greatest acts of love that we can perform. So listen, for Lent.

A Growing Church

It is very interesting to realize that our Church is growing in numbers in this country even though within the Church there is anger towards bishops and priests and a lot of bickering about liturgy, liturgical language, the role of women, etc. The Diocese of Atlanta has so many new members coming in on Holy Saturday that the Rite of Election will be held this Sunday at the city's Civic Center rather than at the Cathedral to accommodate the large numbers expected to be there. We are the largest single denomination in the US.

Why is this? I think that is because the faithful people who keep showing up as well as the newcomers who are drawn to us see beyond the externals to what lies deeper behind them. They see the Church to which I was referring in last week's entry entitled,the Church I Love. They experience the mystery of people of faith united in Christ.

It has been said that the greatest proof that the Church is guided by the Spirit is the ineptness and weakness of its leaders. Depending on human resources alone we would have gone down long ago. Wouldn't it be wonderful to say that the leaders help the spirit to work. Many if not most of them do but we need more on board.

Priestly Penitence

During the past week my thoughts turned to Lent, which began yesterday. The first thing that came to mind, even before preparing my Sunday homily, was that perhaps we missed an opportunity for healing. We are in the Year for Priests in the Catholic Church. Much good stuff has been said about the priesthood and people have sent me and other priests letters of support and affirmation. For this I am very grateful. Nonetheless with all the news of sex abuse still continuing, this time in Ireland and the covering up of this abuse as well, and the anger that has come from the way that Church closings and mergers have taken place it would have been wonderful to have priests and bishops dedicate the first Sunday of Lent and the week that follows it as a world time of penance by priests and bishops, penance not only for the big stuff mentioned above, but penance for the arrogance, rudeness, lack of availability that we often show to God's people. First of all we could go to the middle of the sanctuary, kneel down, and ask people's forgiveness for our failures, then we could offer acts of repentance such as giving up some free time during Lent to better serve, visiting shut-ins that have been left to the sole care of lay ministers (This is not a devaluing of lay ministers but an acknowledgment that these good people want to see a priest occasionally),having listening sessions with parishioners to really hear their concerns, and many other possibilities according to each situation.

For my part as much as I try to be kind and available there are some moments of abruptness with folks and I could be much more available to people. I am also guilty of some laziness in preparation of homilies, talks, etc. I ask forgiveness for that and for any way that I fail to reflect Christ who came to serve and not to be served and to give His life as a ransom for the many. Maybe next year there can be such a time during Lent. We priests need to do it and the good Catholic people deserve it.

The Church I Love

This past week I preached a mission at St. Isabel parish on Sanibel Island in Florida. Even after my first Mass there on Saturday I sensed a special spirit in the people there. What it came from was the fact that in August of 2004 the Church there and many of the homes of the parishioners were devastated by hurricane Charlie, the first of several to sweep across Florida that year. Parishioners, many of whom were facing severe damage to their own homes, banded together and saw to it that a new Church was built on the foundation of the old one. As I heard the story of how that happened I realized that more than a building was put up during this time. What happened is that a Church was renewed, a Church made not of stones but of living flesh and blood people.

It is easy to think of Church as institution, as buildings, as bishops, priests and the Pope. So often I hear people raising the question, “Why is the Catholic Church doing such and such?” or “I’ve had enough of the Church being out of touch, etc.” I too often raise such questions, but they need to be directed at the leaders, not at the Church, because the hierarchy, while vitally important to the life of the Church, is not the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ in the world today. It is a living, breathing community of people, united by their Christ, who suffer, struggle and also rejoice together. They come together to rebuild churches, be it in well off Sanibel Island or in extremely poor Haiti. They stand with each other in tragedy and rejoice with each other in good times.

The church is people who have faith, but whose faith is tested when an eleven year old son dies in a car accident, or a young mother dies of cancer. They are hurt by priests who are arrogant, rude and unavailable and by bishops who are more interested in protecting the institution, than in cherishing the mystery of the living Church, because they forget that the institution, though necessary, is there only to serve that mystery.
And where is that Church? It is alive and well. I have seen it over and over again in the over 330 parishes in the US and Canada where I have preached missions. These parishes are rich and poor, urban, rural and suburban. They are made up of English and Spanish speaking, as well has Haitians, Vietnamese and others. This is the Church that I love, the Church that sustains me, and to which I gladly give my life.