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. 

The Consistent Life Ethic – "All Life Matters"                                              

  
        This is a copy of my "Justice Perspective" article that appeared in the May issue of the Western New York Catholic, the newspaper for the Diocese of Buffalo.          

          
           Early last month three pictures came across my laptop screen on the same day. One was a picture of 11 young Afghani children who had been killed in a NATO raid on a Taliban leader’s house. The second was a photo of a Planned Parenthood executive who, while testifying to the Florida Legislature, could not bring herself to condemn killing babies who had survived a botched abortion. The third was a poster that had images of people who had died from being aborted, bombed, executed, and euthanized. The caption read, “Be Consistent: All Life Matters”.

            All life matters, indeed.  First and foremost in Catholic morality and social doctrine is this theme: respect for human life and the promotion of human dignity. No matter what aspect of Catholic Social Teaching we are discussing, this most basic of principles guides our thinking and our action. In its most popular phrasing, we say that because it is a gift from God, every human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

            This basic truth has led to a way of thinking about the life and dignity of human persons called the “consistent life ethic”. An abbreviated statement of this ethic is that “all life matters” – ALL life, no matter the circumstances, heritage, ability or disability, color, race, belief, gender, sexual orientation, history, family situation, economic status, country of origin, nationality, illness or strength, or any other aspect of social definition you can think of.

            The “consistent life ethic” was at the heart of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), in which he quotes this long but powerful excerpt from Vatican II’s Gaudium et spes: "Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed.”

            The “consistent life ethic” presents a great challenge to us: it calls us to defend life and human dignity in ways that are sometimes counter-cultural or, at least, at odds with popular, or prevalent, or political attitudes. As clear as it is to oppose abortion, we are also called to oppose capital punishment. While we speak out against euthanasia, we have to simultaneously be against the use of drones that indiscriminately kill civilians as well as combatants. If we are going to be credible when we contest embryonic stem cell research, we have to just as forcefully be in opposition to the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons that are built to wipe out millions of people at one time.

            The “consistent life ethic”, although basic to an understanding of Catholic Social Doctrine, tests the limits of our resolve to defend life. It is simply not enough for us to be pro-life on some issues; we have to be pro-life on all issues. We must be consistent in our opposition to everything that demeans or diminishes life or reduces human dignity – from abortion to poverty, from euthanasia to war. Our faith would remind us of this simple truth: “Be Consistent: All Life Matters”.

Gun Control - A Life Issue

This is a copy of my "Justice Perspective" article that appeared in the April issue of the Western New York Catholic, the newspaper for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Gun Control: A Life Issue

            In a recent entry to his blog, “The Gospel in the Digital Age”, Cardinal Timothy Dolan came out strongly in favor of gun control, both on the national level and on the State level as well. The Cardinal recounted that while he was watching President Obama’s State of the Union address, during which the President called for “common sense” reform of gun regulations, he found himself “nodding in agreement”. The Cardinal also mentioned his support for the recently-enacted gun control law in New York State.

            Cardinal Dolan rightly mentioned that supporting gun control is nothing new for the Church – the Church has long been supportive of limiting international arms trading, reducing the number of handguns on the streets and banning assault weapons.

            In 1975, the Bishops issued Handgun Violence: A Threat to Life which stressed that “the cost of this [handgun] violence in terms of human life and suffering is enormous” and proposed legislation to control handguns, hopefully leading to their eventual elimination (with exceptions, of course, for law enforcement). At the time that they wrote, there were approximately 40 million handguns in our country – there are now over 105 million.

            The Bishops made similar calls for regulation and control of all firearms in Confronting A Culture Of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action (1995), Community and Crime (1978), and Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration (2000). Clearly, the Bishops have had a long history of taking a stand in an effort to reduce the availability of weapons in order to reduce the violence that stems from that availability.

            And their calls for regulation are not only pastorally imperative, but common sense: a recent study by the Center for Disease Control found a direct correlation between tighter gun control laws and a reduction in gun-related deaths. There was no other factor that had such a direct correlation – not population density, stress, nor mental illness.

            It is puzzling to see so many Catholics who allow their thinking on this issue to be more influenced by their political leanings than Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching. The Bishops repeatedly remind us of the proper perspective, as they did in Handgun Violence: “We affirm the traditional principle that individual rights to private property are limited by the universal demands of social order and human safety as well as the common good.”

            While some may argue about the Constitutional right of owning a firearm, we need to constantly assert that while the Constitution is excellent law, it is not divine law – it is not revelation. As difficult as it may be sometimes, we are called to align our politics according to our faith, not the other way around.

            Most compelling, perhaps, in Cardinal Dolan’s observations is his correlation between gun control and other life issues. “For me, regulating and controlling guns is part of building a Culture of Life, of doing what we can to protect and defend human life. The easy access to guns, including assault weapons, that exists in our nation has contributed towards a Culture of Death, where human life and dignity are cheapened by the threat of violence.”

            The association of gun control and a “Culture of Life” moves us closer to reminding ourselves of the need to have a consistent ethic of life – opposing everything that detracts from human life and dignity. We must be consistent in our opposition to abortion, the prevalence of firearms, the use of violence to solve problems, the death penalty – everything that diminishes the value of life and human dignity. It is, simply, a requirement of our faith.

Reflection on Today's Gospel - Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Here is a reflection on today's gospel reading (John 7:40-53) that I wrote for the Daily Reflections for Lent of Catholic Charities USA.

Reflection:  Reveling in Surprise

How are you at handling surprises? Disappointments? How do you react to setbacks? Or even an abrupt turn of events in a positive way?

It seems that there is something in our makeup that causes us to be thrown off when our expectations are not met. Certainly we recover much more quickly, and probably even enjoy the happy surprise or the sudden success. But in general, we are resistant to people and events that do not conform to our expectations, that disrupt our beliefs or our world view. 

Many people who witnessed the words of Jesus were surprised by his teaching and his insight. Some reacted positively, John tells us, and declared that he must be “the Prophet” or maybe even the Messiah, the Christ. Others, though, could not imagine that any prophet could come from Galilee – and certainly not the Messiah. Their expectations were for someone in David’s line who would restore the military and political independence of the people of Israel as it was in David’s time. No doubt this Jesus who spoke of love and new wine and the mercy of Abba could not be what they were looking for.

How often it is this way with us as well. No matter how much we love those with whom we work, and especially those we serve, we, too, tend to develop expectations and assumptions about them. How often we prejudge the person who sits in front of us asking for help. How often we are convinced that we know all about this new face for whom we are providing services – after all, haven’t we seen it all before?

Each time we take someone’s story for granted, or fail to see their individuality, we deny a little bit of their dignity and their humanity. Each time we make assumptions about where people come from or how valuable they are or are not, we reduce our own ability to see them for their true self. 

We are called to be a people that revels in surprise. Our God has surprised us throughout salvation history by turning the world upside down. We, too, should be prepared to be surprised by everyone we meet.

For reflection:

1.         During this Lent, re-examine the assumptions and presuppositions you have about the people with whom you come in contact.  What are the times when you are most surprised?

3.         What expectations do you have about people, about God, or about the world that you might have to let go? 

Justice for Immigrants

            After a number of years of failed attempts at reforming our admittedly broken immigration system, there seems to be some political will to make something happen. A bipartisan group of Senators who got the ball rolling on this issue, met with fairly strong support, including from President Obama. This might be the year, at long last, that immigration reform becomes a reality.

            There will be, undoubtedly, a great deal of debate and discussion about the specifics of immigration reform. Elements of any proposal will deal with issues such as border security, amnesty (or a path to citizenship) for those already here, treatment of those who were brought here as minors, and regulations for employers. When examining all of these issues, we, as Catholics, are obligated to use our faith to inform our politics, not the other way around.

            Perhaps one of the most helpful documents of recent times is Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, a Pastoral Letter concerning migration that was issued jointly by the Bishops of Mexico and the United States in 2003. Immigration from Mexico (or across Mexico’s border), will be the focus of the debate.

            Strangers No Longer was the result of a two-year collaborative process by the bishops of both countries, and observes the common role of immigration in the history of each country as well as the role that faith in Jesus Christ has had in the life of each nation.

            It may be that the most helpful insight for us of Strangers No Longer is the listing of “five principles” (Articles #33-38) that the bishops felt emerged from “the rich tradition of Church teachings with regard to migration”.  These principles have been drawn from Church documents as well as examples and stories in Scripture, from the Israelites fleeing Egypt to the family of Jesus as refugees fleeing persecution.

            Principle #1 – “Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland”.  People should expect to find economic, political and social opportunities in their own country that will give them the ability to live in dignity, including work that provides a living wage.

            Principle #2 – “Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families”.  The goods of the earth belong to everyone, so people may need to migrate to survive, and sovereign nations should accommodate this right as a matter of justice.

            Principle #3 – “Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders”.  However, the Church rejects such control when it is exerted “merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth”. In fact, more prosperous nations have a stronger obligation to accommodate migrants who are less fortunate.

            Principle #4 – “Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection”.  People fleeing wars and persecution should be protected by the global community, and individual nations should provide an opportunity for migrants to claim refugee status without imprisonment.

            Principle #5 – “The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected”. People have a right to all basic human needs: food, shelter, clothing, work, and health care, regardless of their legal status.

              Our faith calls us to view any proposed immigration legislation by these principles, making sure that it will “transform national and international social, economic, and political structures so that they may provide the conditions required for the development for all, without exclusion and discrimination against any person in any circumstance.” (#102).

            More information and opportunities for advocacy can be found at the US Bishops’ site for immigration issues: www.justiceforimmigrants.org.