My homily for this weekend:

The Cost of Discipleship

1 Kings 19:16-21; Psalm 16:1-11; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62

     Are you the disciple that Jesus has called you to be?

     Our readings today tell us that our commitment to follow Jesus must be radical, absolute, and wholehearted. What does this imply for us? What does discipleship require of us?

     In the first reading, Elisha was called to leave everything behind and go with Elijah. Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plows. Don’t we look for the bare minimum of what “counts” to be a disciple rather than offering our whole lives in commitment?

     In the second reading, St. Paul tells us that the entire law can be summed up in “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Do we look at that as a command to “be nice” to other people? Or do we see it as a serious call to be a disciple of the one whose total sacrifice for others we celebrate around this table?

     The gospel tells us that Jesus “turned his face toward Jerusalem” – knowing full well what was in store for him there: betrayal, torture, and death. But how easily do we turn away from our commitment as a disciple when it looks like it’s getting too hard?

     Jesus told one enthusiastic young man that he would have to give up his comfortableness to follow him. How often do we choose the “comfortable” path or the easy way instead of the difficult way of discipleship?

     When Jesus called two others, they made excuses for why they couldn't follow him right now. Don’t we also make excuses for why it is not convenient right now to proclaim the kingdom of God? 

     Jesus says that no one who looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God. Do we let our fondness for the past, or our regrets, or our hesitations, or our indecision, or our fear keep us from giving ourselves totally to following Jesus?

     Are you the disciple that Jesus has called you to be? What is keeping you from it? And what are you going to do, beginning right now, to change that?

Defending What is Right - and the Need to Think Critically

      I really feel the need to defend President Obama on his speech in Northern Ireland. Let's be clear - I am NOT a fan of President Obama. I repeat - I am NOT a fan. Got it? From his stance on abortion, to his persistent use of drones, to his inability to close Guantanamo, to...you name it. Suffice it to say I would not vote for him if he was running for reelection. But, that being said, the headlines claiming that he called for "closing Catholic schools" are outrageous and incorrect. If anyone who passed this around would have actually checked their facts and read his speech, they would never had stated this untruth.
     I have put a link to the transcript of his speech below from the Daily Kos - the only place I could find a full transcript when I Googled it. If you have the time (and it will probably take 20 minutes or so), read his speech. He actually said some very insightful and inspiring things to young people in Northern Ireland about  maintaining and amplifying the peace that was won at so great a cost 15 years ago.
     In that context, he was talking about removing barriers to understanding as a way to "wage peace". He was talking about how much work there is to do, about how much resistance there still is, how tenuous the peace is in Northern Ireland. Now, let's remember - who was at war with each other in Northern Ireland? Catholics and Protestants. And the point that he made was that segregated schools, and segregated housing - where there is no opportunity for one group to interact with and understand the other - can be barriers to peace.
     And he is right. The more that we see "the other" as different, and dangerous, and even demonic, the more likely we are to wage war, not wage peace. He was not calling for closing Catholic schools any more than he was calling for closing Protestant schools. I have included the relevant section below. Read it - in context!  - and you will see what he actually said.
     The point here is this - we are sorely lacking these days in any critical thinking. People take what they are given by whatever source they listen to and run with it. Over and over again I see unthinking statements from all corners that are obviously wrong, and illogical, and just plain bone-headed. And people pass them on without thinking.
     It seems to me that we have a responsibility to ourselves and to the common good to THINK. We owe others the respect that comes from reflection and research. We have a duty to use the gift of reason that God gave us and to infuse it with compassion and a predisposition to trust.
     The next time that you are tempted to "share" an item that is inflammatory, or to forward an email about something that a politician or a Church leader or business executive said - you owe it to those who will receive it to have verified it and be assured that it is true.
     Here is a copy of the relevant portion of President Obama's speech:

We need you to get this right.  And what’s more, you set an example for those who seek a peace of their own.  Because beyond these shores, right now, in scattered corners of the world, there are people living in the grip of conflict -- ethnic conflict, religious conflict, tribal conflicts -- and they know something better is out there.  And they’re groping to find a way to discover how to move beyond the heavy hand of history, to put aside the violence.  They’re studying what you’re doing.  And they’re wondering, perhaps if Northern Ireland can achieve peace, we can, too.  You’re their blueprint to follow.  You’re their proof of what is possible -- because hope is contagious.  They’re watching to see what you do next.

     Now, some of that is up to your leaders.  As someone who knows firsthand how politics can encourage division and discourage cooperation, I admire the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly all the more for making power-sharing work.  That’s not easy to do.  It requires compromise, and it requires absorbing some pain from your own side.  I applaud them for taking responsibility for law enforcement and for justice, and I commend their effort to “Building a United Community” -- important next steps along your transformational journey.

     Because issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity -- symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others -- these are not tangential to peace; they’re essential to it.  If towns remain divided -- if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs -- if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division.  It discourages cooperation.  

     Ultimately, peace is just not about politics.  It’s about attitudes; about a sense of empathy; about breaking down the  divisions that we create for ourselves in our own minds and our own hearts that don’t exist in any objective reality, but that we carry with us generation after generation.

Here is the link to the entire speech: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/17/1216765/-Transcript-of-town-hall-with-President-Obama-and-Michelle-Obama-in-Northern-Ireland

Father's Day Thoughts

On this Father's Day, with all of the wonderful and sincere "Happy Father's Day" wishes that I receive, I am reminded of the the three reasons why I am so thankful today.

First is that I am lucky enough to have my Dad still with me. I appreciate each day that he is still around, and I count my blessings to have had him in my life. I hope that I have, in some small way, been as good a son to him as he has been a father to me. Now that we have an adult relationship, we often relate to each other more as friends - and for that I am truly grateful.

The second cause of my gratefulness today comes in the form of the three all-grown-up "kids" that I am a father to. I couldn't be prouder of any three people in the whole world than Chris, Don, and Kathie. Each of them is unique, and each of them is so different that I wonder sometimes if they grew up in the same household. But they have this in common: they love passionately, they play joyously, and they care deeply about the things that really matter. Chris and Kathie have chosen Mike and Jim, respectively as their husbands - wonderful men who love them and who have blessed me with being a "father-in-law". Being a father to adult children is a whole different thing than being a Daddy to little ones. Where I used to have specific expectations and rules, I now have an all-embracing wish for their success and joy - not so much in the material things, but that they find real love, happiness, and peace in themselves and in those they love.

Finally, being a father has been the doorway to becoming a grandfather, and what an amazing opportunity for joy and wonder that has been. Michael has helped me understand that bumper sticker that I saw years ago: "If I knew grandchildren were this much fun, I would've had them first!". To be able to have the opportunity to once again see the world through eyes of wonder and awe, to feel the delight and the excitement that small things bring, and to be loved unconditionally brings a new perspective to me after having seem so much "reality" in the life I have had.

So, to Dad, Chris, Don, Kathie, and Michael, and to Mike and Jim as well - thank you for the blessing that each of you is to me. I can't think of a better Father's Day gift than to have each of you as a part of my life. I love you all, and hope that I continue to be blessed by your presence for years to come.

This is a copy of my June article for the WNY Catholic newspaper on "Peace on Earth" - Pope John XXIII's encyclical from 50 years ago this past spring. Comments are, as always, welcome!

The Arms Race and Peace on Earth

Justice Perspective

Deacon Don Weigel

            I remember being really scared as a young boy by the possibility that our country would be entering into nuclear war. It was October of 1962, and the U.S. and Russia were staring each other down in what was later called the “Cuban Missile Crisis”. Blessed Pope John XXIII, urged both parties to “spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict”.  A short time later, Russia withdrew the missiles from Cuba and war was averted.

          In April of 1963, Pope John XXIII issued his encyclical Peace on Earth (Pacem in terris), and this year we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of this amazing document. The topic of the encyclical is, as its title suggests, peace; but only the last chapters deal with the traditional issues of international peace. The beginning of the document is a long essay on all of the issues that support a peaceful earth: human rights, responsibilities, relations between people, and a very profound section that defines the “common good”.

         

          What is really significant is that Pope John interprets international relations based on the rights and dignity of human beings. He reasons that since all people have rights to a worthy standard of living, to food, clothing, shelter, and medical care, then whatever prevents societies from being able to provide those things to its citizens works against the common good.

          In particular, this is one of his major criticisms of the “arms race” at the time. Not only does it produce a world that lives in fear, but it increases the likelihood that war, in fact, will break out given the build-up of weapons around the world. Pope John called desperately for reducing the production of all weapons, and made an appeal that the stockpiles of weapons should be decreased, that all nuclear weapons should be banned, and nations should stop the financial outlay on armaments.

          Given this papal teaching, what are we to think about the current situation of arms and weapons in our own country? The state of affairs here in the U.S. is quite disturbing in light of this encyclical by Pope John.

          For example, here in the United States we spent over $1 trillion (yes, that’s trillion) on the military last year, including the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That number includes defense, weapons, nuclear arms, military personnel – everything related to our military operations.

          And, most startling, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, that represents over 40% of all the spending on military in the entire world. By comparison, China’s spending, which is second, is only about 8%, and Russia’s is only about 4%. With what Pope John said about reducing spending on arms, shouldn't we be uncomfortable with that amount of money going to military purposes?

          When it comes to nuclear stockpiles, it is estimated that the United States has over 7.700 nuclear weapons right now. And, we are planning to spend over $600 billion over the next ten years to increase that number. How can we reconcile that with Pope John’s teaching (and continued Catholic teaching) about reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons?

          These are very difficult questions that we must wrestle with as Catholics – both in our own consciences as well as in our parishes and our schools and in discussion with each other. What seems to be clear is that we cannot dismiss this landmark teaching of Blessed Pope John XXIII easily without risking doing damage to our Catholic conscience.