Good News People!

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 25, 2013

Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117:1,2(Go out to all the world and tell the good news); Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13; Luke 13:22-30

(NOTE: This homily was prepared to introduce a new parish program called "Good News People" published by JustFaith Ministries. The "infomercial" at the end of the homily reflects that.)

            Who doesn’t love getting good news?

            Think of all the instances of good news in our lives: “We’re getting married!” “I found a job”! “We’re having a baby!” “I got into college!” “I got a promotion!”

            And even some of the less obvious things that we share: “I made a new friend”; “I made up with my sister”; “I’m feeling much better now”.

            And now think about the ultimate Good News that we heard in today’s readings – that God has come to gather people from all languages to proclaim God’s glory – that people will come from the north and south and east and west to recline at the table in God’s kingdom. God has given us salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ – what better news could there be than that?

            And, for those of us who do believe that God has redeemed us in Christ Jesus, we have a mission – as our Psalm says: “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News”. Good news has to be shared!

            It is our obligation as baptized Christians to go out and spread the Good News. But – how do we do that? Certainly, we have opportunities to spread the Good News in our conversations within our family or others that we pray with or are friends with. We have opportunities to do that in the way that we live and how behave at work, and with our friends and family. But we have to do it – being a disciple means having a deep relationship with Jesus, not just a casual one. Jesus warns us in today’s Gospel that those of us who rely on just “eating and drinking” with him, or just “listening” to his teaching may find ourselves on the outside of the gates. It takes action – it takes growth – it takes what Pope Francis has said, “going outside of ourselves”.

            But here is the catch: The truth is that, as the old Latin saying goes, “Nemo dat quod non habet” – “You can’t give what you don’t have”. And so, we have to continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord in order to share the Good News with others.

            Our parish is beginning a program to help you make that kind of growth in your relationship with Jesus even deeper. It is called the Good News People program. It is a combination of Scripture reflection, small group sharing, study of Church teaching, and individual prayer and action. We are inviting you to be a part of it. You will meet for seven sessions in the fall, and seven sessions in the spring – a total of 14 times between now and next summer. We will also have a little get-together before we begin and something at the end as well.

            We will be forming groups of about 10 people to meet together for these sessions. You are welcome to form your own group with folks that you already have something going with – perhaps you are on a committee like the decorating committee or the social committee, or you are part of a group like the Knights or Holy Name, or the choir. Or, you can just choose the day and time that is most convenient for you and we will put you together in groups with similar available times! We will be having sessions in the evenings as well as during the day for those who are retired or don’t like to go out in the evening or who work another shift.

            Each group will be led by a facilitator who will be trained to lead the discussion for the group, and everyone will get a binder that will have materials for reading, journaling, and reflection.

            You can take one of the RSVP cards that we will be handing out this weekend – and you can indicate your interest without making a firm commitment. Please give us your name, phone and email and either indicate that you are ready to sign up, or maybe want to be a facilitator, or maybe you are interested but not sure. Just write that on the RSVP – or write your question on the back.

            We want to help our parish grow into a community of disciples that are Good News People. Please join us on the journey by signing up to be a part of the process and together we will go out to all the world to tell the Good News.

The Indignity of Solitary Confinement

August 2013 Justice Perspective

            Anyone who has seen the movie Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman will remember the explanation of the rules by Boss Carr: “Any man forgets his [clothes] number spends a night in the box…Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box…Any man fighting in the building spends a night in the box…Any man not in his bunk at eight spends a night in the box…” And on it goes for another six or seven rules.

            What might be a humorous scene in the movie represents a very serious situation for many men and women who are incarcerated. “The box” is commonly known as solitary confinement – sometimes called isolated confinement. The New York State prison system has developed a system of solitary confinement called “Special Housing Units” (SHUs) since the 1970s.

            In these SHUs inmates spend 23 hours a day in a single cell and are denied any programming or religious worship, and are offered only limited privileges to visitation. Current plans by the State call for long periods of confinement in cells that severely restrict access to personal hygiene, physical exercise, human contact and religious worship. Estimates are that there are 4,500 inmates across the State in SHUs on any given day – upwards of 35% higher than the average of other states.

            The New York State Catholic Conference had spoken to this issue as one of its 2012 Legislative Agenda items. The Conference recognized that managing the prisons “clearly depends in part on the ability of correction officers and administrators to discipline inmates for infractions of facility rules.” A program of discipline helps to keep officers and other inmates alike safe from violence and able to exercise their rights.

            The question is, the Conference said, whether “the conditions under which they operate, the extent of their use, and the extended length of time of their use” is such that it denies the inmates their human dignity and whether punishment overrides concerns for safety, rehabilitation or restitution.

            SHUs are but one example of the issue that crime and criminal justice pose for us as Catholics. The US Bishops addressed this moral issue in their document Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration issued in 2000. They note that “our society seems to prefer punishment to rehabilitation and retribution to restoration thereby indicating a failure to recognize prisoners as human beings.”

           

            The Bishops go on to point out that approaching “criminal justice” in a way that is inspired by our Catholic vision is a paradox. On the one hand, “we cannot and will not tolerate behavior that threatens lives and violates the rights of others. We believe in responsibility, accountability, and legitimate punishment.”

            However, a Catholic approach “does not give up on those who violate these laws. We believe that both victims and offenders are children of God…Their lives and dignity should be protected and respected. We seek justice, not vengeance.”

            Blessed Pope John Paul II said this:  “We are still a long way from the time when our conscience can be certain of having done everything possible to prevent crime and to control it effectively so that it no longer does harm and, at the same time, to offer to those who commit crimes a way of redeeming themselves and making a positive return to society. “

            Our Bishops ask us to advocate for a system that simultaneously seeks justice for the victims of crime and upholds the dignity of inmates. We are still a long way off, indeed.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Homily for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year C

(Readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138:1-8; Colossians 2:12-14: Luke 11:1-13)

         What is it you pray for? Do you have confidence that God will hear your prayer? Do you trust that when you call on God you will be answered?

          I remember that a retreat director once described the four different kinds of prayer in four simple words: "Thanks", "Wow", "Sorry", "Please". Four different kinds of prayer - but doesn’t it seem like we focus so much on the last – Please?

          And there’s nothing wrong with that – if we have a relationship with God, we are bound to ask our friend for something. It is the give and take of any relationship.

          Look at Abraham – how bold he was in bargaining with God. Each time that God agreed to lower the threshold, Abraham asked for more – and each time God agreed again.

          And we bargain with God too, sometimes, don’t we? There is the story of the man who went Christmas shopping at the mall when the parking lot was full and on perhaps the worst weather day of the year – the kind of day when the snow was blowing horizontally and the ice keeps gathering on your windshield – on the inside! And as he was looking for a parking space, he began making promises to God – “if you show me a space, I’ll start going to Church again every week, and I’ll begin giving money to the poor, and I won’t be such a grump to the people I work with…” and at that a space right by the door opened up and the man said, “Nevermind, God – I’ve got this!”

          How often do we look at prayer like that – like it’s some kind of deal that we’re making with God? Or how often do we see prayer as some sort of heavenly candy machine – as long as we put in the right amount of prayer we will get candy dropped in our lap.

          And so we ask God for all kinds of things – at least I do, don’t you? And why not; Jesus tells us in today’s gospel to ask, and seek and to knock, to ask for our daily bread - and that covers a lot of territory! Over the years, I’ve prayed to find a job, or prayed that my father-in-law be healed from cancer, or prayed that my kids arrive home safely – and you better believe that I was storming heaven with prayer when I was in the middle of my heart attack!

          But as I get older and reflect on my prayer life, I have come to realize that behind so many of the things that I have prayed for has been a gnawing fear of losing the people I love and the things I have become attached to. And then I compare that to what Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for: what we need just for today; to pray for forgiveness and to be able to forgive all the debts that others owe us; and to pray that we might be saved from the test that we would surely fail.

          Most of all, by calling God “Father”, “Abba”, “Daddy”, and recognizing God’s name as holy, and calling for the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus is instructing us to pray in a climate of trust and love. And this, I believe, is the point of why Jesus instructs us to ask, and seek, and knock.

          All of our asking, and seeking and knocking don’t make God more attentive – God already knows what we need before we even utter a word. Instead, our prayer makes us more receptive. When we ask for anything for ourselves or for another, we become mindful of how much we need and how needy we all are – and perhaps we become more compassionate and more understanding, and more willing to do something about all the needs we see around us. The effectiveness of prayer is found in the change it effects in us, not in God. Prayer may not change the situations for which we pray, but frequently we change in the praying. Prayer may not change things for you, but it sure changes you for things.

          When we ask and seek and knock, in one way or another we are opening ourselves to God’s will. When we put ourselves in God’s presence and ask and seek and knock, we acknowledge that we are not in control, that there is something greater than us, and that it is God’s will that we are seeking. And when we have the grace to discover God’s will, we then ask for the courage and the strength to do it. That is the gift of the Spirit that Jesus promises we will receive.

          During the next week, in all of your prayers, be as bold as Abraham, and as courageous as Jesus taught us to be. And then, in your conversation with God, wait with patience, and humility, and faith – and ask to be given the Spirit in order to be an instrument of God’s will to bring the kingdom to earth.

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.