"ONE OF THE WORSE CASES WE'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME"

When a woman wants to marry a man, she should check out to see how he treats his mother.  That should give her some clue as to his character.  At least that is the theory.

If that is true, it might be divined that you might be able to tell how a country treats it’s most vulnerable citizens by how it treats its animals.  And recently a young Akron man was sentenced under a new Ohio law that makes cruelty an to an animal a felony.  A pet cat relieved himself on him and scratched him and then he threw the cat against a wall so seriously injuring the animal that it later died.  Since it was his first offense, he avoided serving six to twelve months in jail.  The judge gave him a suspended 9 month prison sentence with two years probation during which time he, “must stay away from and not possess pets . . . undergo assessments for anger management, mental illness, and drug dependency, remain drug and alcohol free, and have no contact with his former roommate.”

All this sends a clear signal that we will not tolerate cruel treatment of our animals.  The judge said that the defendant’s actions, “led to a death in one of our most vulnerable populations.”  These are lives entrusted to us, who are dependent upon us, who have no voice, no vote, few rights, and who are almost completely dependent upon the beneficence of humankind.  It is unconscionable that we should have been given such a great responsibility and then to be the agent pain and death.  So we have legislated morality to make sure that careless, thoughtless human beings will stand up to the task of caring for vulnerable animal life while at the same time having protected rights and even government assistance when needed to do away with their own children in the womb.  

BE THE ONE WHO, WHEN HE WALKS INTO A ROOM LUCK SWITCHES TO THE ONE WHO MOST NEEDS IT

When I was a young man, old enough to have a driver’s license but not yet having one, I was given permission by one of my parents to drive the family car around the block.  Back then it didn’t really strike me as any big deal.  Today I wonder if I would have let my son do that.

 

Something on the news recently made me think of that day and what would have happened if I had been pulled over and issued a ticket.  I think I know exactly what would have happened.  My parents, acting very contrite, would have guided me through the process of taking care of the infraction going with me to the courthouse.  They would have probably (in this case) covered the costs for me.  I (we) would have learned our lesson and that would have been (for the most part) the end of it.

 

So here is what is bothering me.  This was a news item on NPR.  They ran a story on some pretty serious trouble makers in a particular city.  Here is a typical story:

 

A young man gets caught driving without a license.  He is issued a ticket.  He has neither money nor the motivation to go take care of it.  Perhaps he doesn’t live the best life but at some point he decides he to straighten up.  By now the fines for the ticket he avoided have mounted.  He has no job and to get any kind of real job he needs a driver’s license – which he can’t get until he takes care of this growing debt.  So he works under the table in his neighborhood for less than completely legal work.  It continues the downward spiral from there.

 

It’s one thing for someone to fall into such a pit who has social connections (understanding and knowhow) and resources.  It is another if you don’t even know what to ask let alone who. 

 

Here is an analogy:  When I was going to Zimbabwe to work with the poor, there were some who chided me for the effort saying that there were poor in our country; poor that didn’t even have food in their refrigerator.  What they failed to realize was that the people we were going to see didn’t even have refrigerators – or kitchens – or electricity – nor were they at least in a community where SOMEBODY had electricity – where nobody has any kind of representation in government.

 

There are different kinds of poverty.

 

Throwing money at a problem is often not much help.

 

This is why in the Didache (one of the earliest Christian writings) it says, “Let your alms sweat in the palms of your hands until you know to whom you are giving them.”  It is necessary to make sure you are fixing the correct problems.

MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUSIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: A LITTLE BIT OF HUNGER GOES A LONG, LONG WAY

Today, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Sebastian (the birthday boy) and I decided to take a trip back in time.

We set the Wayback machine for Martin Luther King day in 1993 in the vicinity of Wickliffe, Ohio and ended up in one of my classes headed by a priest we will name Fr. Double P.

And so we hopped onto the seminary van and headed to the inner city from where, a couple of years previously, they moved the seminary because it was deemed too dangerous.

Fr. Double P's plan, in his efforts to teach us about inner city life, was good but flawed.

It is always good to call first.

Ironic isn't it?

But too late.  The van was gone and we were stuck in the city wandering around for hours with no place to go, no coffee shop to sit in to get out of cold, and nobody to visit.

 

So as it turned out, it became a great lesson in spite of poor planning.  Join us next time for "You're never to cold to learn" or "A hamburger in the hand is worth two in the suburbs."

MONDAY DIARY: DEER IN HEADLIGHTS

Occasionally priests are called upon to attend events to be a presence of the Church and to give benedictions or talks or whatnot. That was the case for me this past weekend. It was worthwhile event and I was seated with a number of very interesting people including a friend who was in the next chair. The program consisted of speeches and performances from various people. Then a person was called forward to speak that we were unaware was there at a second head table. When this person’s name was called my friend and I locked glances. We sat closest to the microphone and were in full view of everybody. The person is somewhat hostile to the Church in general and is, in particular, a radically devoted pro-abortion proponent with whom I have exchanged letters.

I am somewhat sure that nobody was as sensitive to the situation as my friend and I were. To us, every action meant something. To others it most likely was a pleasant evening of dinner and a program. Thoughts ran along these lines, “Would polite applause show tacit approval of this person’s position or would the refusal to clap during this completely unrelated and worthwhile event give fodder to those who are pro-abortion or who are on the borderline to say, ‘See? Do you want to be like those rude and radical people?’”

She, of course, had no idea that I was the person with whom she had exchanged letters but the sight of my collar would be a dead giveaway that we were at odds philosophically, morally, and religiously. That being said she was completely gracious it must be noted and there was no pushing of any controversial agendas.

It is interesting that we had grown up almost at the same time in the same neighborhood and had spent our youth hanging out in the same places doing the same things. Much of the memory portion of her talk could have been written by me. But now we could not be more different in our defense of life. Her focus is on a grown woman that she can see and talk to (and who can vote), my focus is also on that woman but also on the person in her womb that we cannot see, that we cannot touch, that we cannot talk to, that cannot vote, and has very little in the way of protection under our laws; a place that many persons in the history of man has held.

So we were polite; neither showing enthusiasm nor disdain. But through it I think that I am coming to a new insight into the pro-life movement. I think of all the times in history when being a churchman was unpopular such as in England during Henry the VIII or that a Church teaching caused a person to be in such direct conflict with the state such as in Communism, Nazism, or even during the Dioclesian persecution of our own St. Sebastian. Did it start with political correctness and politeness or was it flared by stubbornness and confrontation?

In any event the waters are troubled and it is difficult to navigate in these nebulous times. I would like to hear what you think you might have done given this situation.

IN UNRELATED NEWS:

I was asked the other day by a kind individual to stop referring to this parish as St. Sebastian and to refer to it as St. Sebastian’s; the argument being that St. Sebastian is a person who lived hundreds of years ago and that this is a place put in his care. So the parochial vicar and I went through some of the paperwork from the founding of the parish and looked at the Latin which side stepped the matter entirely by stating that this is the Parish of Saint Sebastian which we think could be translated either way.

Upon further reflection we came up with the idea that this parish while being placed into his intercession is not his, but named after him. If it is indeed possessive, would not also have to call a parish that is named, for example, Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart’s? or Assumption Assumption’s? or Divine Word Divine Word’s?

I am open to your input once again!

BEFORE RUNNING A RACE - DECIDE THE RACE TO BE RUN

(The following is constructed from my notes taken during the Mullen Lecture at Saint Mary Seminary, Cleveland. The presenter was Fr. Keven FitzGerald SJ)

We talk a lot about the race against disease but the question must be asked, “What kind of race to we want to run?” There are different courses that could be tackled. The predominate goal line toward which we run today seems to be that which may have the greatest monetary reward and may affect percentage wise a very small amount of people at some point in the future. But we know that hundreds of millions of people today could be saved from death and disease right now if they had access to clean water and had proper sanitation. And it would be comparatively inexpensive to achieve.

The touted theory is that there will be a trickledown effect by attacking these highly complex problems. By spending most of our dollars and time on celebrity diseases eventually what will happen is that these cures will be made accessible to the masses. Yet, without any further research, we can state categorically that hundreds of millions of people can be preserved from a profuse amount of diseases and suffering and even agonizing death if they have sanitation and clean water. And we could afford to do right now. Yet this simple solution has not trickled down.

The axiom, “What is more important than you health” has many answers. It is possible that a pill could be developed that would solve all of your problems. But what if you were the only able to afford it? What if the perfect pill for one reason or another made you the loneliest but healthiest person in the world? On the other hand, instead of a pill, what if life met you with a chronic illness but provided you with such a deep love that it made life worth living?

That is not to say that all research in diseases should be stopped. I hated that my father died of Alzheimer’s and my mother of cancer. Yet if I knew that if they endured that (and that I may have to also) that hundreds of millions of people would live far better and longer lives, it would choose it. My cure may not come in my life time – but if my cure is at the expense a X1000s of others’ cures, “no greater is there than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

These are questions worth thinking about for they will tell us what race we are going to run.

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP - UNSHAKABLE!

Today is Low Sunday, Dominicana In Albis, Quasi Modo Sunday, the Second Sunday of our Easter celebration, and of course, Divine Mercy Sunday. Here is a faith shot in the arm to help you celebrate!




IN OTHER NEWS:

R.B. has graciously begun the construction of the Adam’s Ale domain. (THANKS!) I’m excited. There is not much there yet but if you want to see it: http://www.adamsale.org/

The greatest secret the Church ever tried not to keep: it’s social justice teaching. Here is a site that I accidentally stumbled upon if this interests you.

This is too cool! Kaz from NY sent this site. It is a twenty four hour media stream of the Vatican. Wait! Is that Fr. O. I see? Shouldn’t he be studying?

http://mediastream.vatican.va/mpeg4lan.sdp

The Diocese of Cleveland E-newsletter sends this link for Catholic job hunters.

Finally:

On Friday night, a few priests, seminarians, and a bunch of friends went to go see “Into Great Silence” here in Cleveland. I recommend the following if you are going to go see it.

First, for anyone over six feet (as I am) be prepared. I went to go see the four-hour Hamlet a number of years ago. I was much better prepared. I brought pillows to be comfortable through it. Theater seats were not designed for us. Bring a pillow or two. It will make the event much more enjoyable.

We were in one of the smaller screening rooms and it was pretty much packed. When we left it was not only dark outside, the rest of the theater was dark and abandoned. We should have gone out and talked after but it was late and (some of us) were tired. But consider having time to discuss the movie afterwards. As I bump into people or hear from them by Email the big question is, "So what did you think?" It would have been great to be able to talk about what each of us took away from the experience that night.

Prepare yourself to see this film. Go intending to contemplate as if praying for it is a beautiful, contemplative film! But don’t go expecting to see “a movie” as such.

And be wary if you join this order and they hand you a blue habit.

I hope you enjoy!