WHO KNOWS?

Sunday Evening Thoughts

May 2, 2010

Dear Tommy, Thomas, and Katie,

WHO KNOWS?

God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’^* Exodus 3:14

Tonight we conclude our eleventh year of Sunday Evening Thoughts. And what an honor is has been! As always, you have challenged me to think more critically, and to love more fully. I hope that I have reciprocated.

Here are some of your thoughts throughout the year:

On the first Thought last August, a long-time Thinker had just read “Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling.” I had planned to read it. Alas, I never did. It’s on my summer list.

Another wrote, “I can't believe you've been writing this for 11 years now...thanks for including me! We're getting old!” Ouch, but true.

And another, “its funny...i have my music on serious blast right now...i turned it down....late notice..”

The second Thought was about sci-fi literature as a literary form in the bible. Someone wrote, “Tommy, please tell me you do not believe the Bible is anything other than the revealed word of God.” I wrote them back and said that I did believe that, but it is written in “various literary forms: i.e poetry, parables, and sci-fi. … Still, I do not equate God and the bible.”

This Thought also talked about Alzheimer ’s disease. Someone wrote, “Came across a great quote as I'm trying to deal in reality with the political debate on health care. I don't know where I'm at philosophically on the topic but the quote is germane to the discussion and is too good not to pass along. ‘Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.’” C.S. Lewis. (I still do not know how to solve the health care problem even now that some legislation has been passed. Nevertheless, something more still needs to be done. Since this Thought, I have had rotator cuff surgery. The bill for the outpatient room only for this procedure (note: it was not in a hospital) for 55 minutes (your mom timed it) was $27,150.)

I wrote back, “I too am confused what to think about health care. On the one hand, I think insurance companies and doctors (99% are incorporated) have an ethical obligation to make as much money as possible for their companies (which is good for my IRA stocks), and on the other the costs have skyrocketed to the point that unless you have full coverage, then they will take everything you own even for a simple treatment (Sentara will now take some assets as payment- my nephew bought an apartment building from them).”

I took this Thinker comments to heart and wrote the next week’s Thought about health care. A Thinker in the “health industry” wrote me to say they were, “a medical thinker...who is directly part of the solution but indirectly part of the problem!”

Several wrote to offer condolences to “Sherwood the Barber” the next week.

On the Thought called “Pocket Aces” about the movie A Serious Man by the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski fame), based on the Book of Job, someone wrote, “You have no choice on what hand you're dealt, only on the way you play it!” Unfortunately, I have only met person who likes this movie as much as I do. He is the Assistance Manager at the Naro Video store (an independent, electric video store).

In “Not Miller Lite,” about Dorothy Day’s diaries The Duty of Delight, a person wrote, “I'm sure you know there's a difference between labor and work. Labor is by nature and work is by artifice. We labor to grow food and we work to make money to buy food.” I answered, “Ahhh, very perceptive.”

In the Thought about nihilism, someone corrected my composition, “When using a dash to set of a side thought, one uses the "em dash" as opposed to regular dash (a.k.a, "en dash") or hyphen (a.k.a, minus sign) with no spaces. Example: "Whether existential nihilism—life is without objective meaning or value; or moral nihilism—moral values are contrived abstractions." … further proof I lack in my writing---and am flawed. Another said, “... I believe in miracles!”

In writing about the relationship of divine characteristics to egocentric beliefs, a person wrote, “Don't confuse morality and theology.”

On the Thought about not stressing out because, it all works out in the end, two of my oldest Thinkers wrote, “to use a rollercoaster metaphor, you only go around once and the ride will be too short.” And, another, “I stress too much.”

Blogging about Borg’s book, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, another correction of both grammar and lack of clarity, one of my favorite Thinkers wrote, “I'm not sure what you mean by this: "To summarize Borg, the person Jesus taught in the Gospels a revolutionary concept of a new kingdom different from the prevailing notion held by Rome, the dominant imperial power, and to a lesser extant, the local Jewish political establishment, as exemplified by Herod (s)." So where you have "Are we the 'Rome' who has expanded its military might exponentially over the decades," you should have "Are we the 'Rome' that has . . ." Also, I think you should elaborate on this a bit more: "Dorothy Day did not believe in many public entitlements, something people find surprising, but she did believe in 'economic justice.' She believed the poor deserved the “best seat in the house,” not just a straw mat. She believed in 'social justice.'"
Love,
X
Also, you only use the word "who" for people.” … I appreciate all corrections.

This person continued, “Do you think the Gospels support Communism more than any other form of government?” I answered, “... if you mean Marxist Communism, Mao Communism, or Stalin Communism, then no. If you mean a communitarian approach to goods and services, a more equitable distribution of wealth, a break-down of social classes - "no Jew or Gentile, no male or female" - then yes. If you mean a violent revolution to install a more oppressive government (i.e. Mao and Stalin), then no; if you mean a non-violent revolution where the needs of all are obtained, then yes. Are asking if Jesus a revolutionary? Then, yes, he wanted to overthrow Rome and they killed him - but his revolution was non-violent. As Gandhi said, "It's not that Christianity is wrong; it's that is has never been tried." If you are asking me as a practical matter does it work? I do not know.”

This Thought talked about reconciling Jesus’ radical message with everyday life and politics of 2010, and I said I was not sure how to do that. Another person, unbeknown to the above email, wrote, “Sometimes the best answer…the truest response, is “I do not know!” and suddenly things just seem to take their proper place, at least from personal perspective!”

Another wrote on this same topic that they had had the most controversial discussion ever in their Sunday School Class on this very topic. I wrote back, “‘Controversy’ is good!”

The following week, on “Straddlers”, I wrote I disagreed with the author that family cohesion is more important with working-class families than upper-class ones. Someone wrote, “I've heard - and I don't remember the source, so you'll have to do your own research if you care - that the divorce rate is actually higher among those of lower economic classes. I know that is counter to what we've thought - that divorce is high across the board - but I am not so sure that is true.

Interestingly, in a book we are reading on Global Poverty in my JF group, we just read a story about coffee farmers in Nicaragua and how this CRS microfinance group helps them improve their businesses. A lot of the families were able to send their kids to college because of it. However, as in the US, there is now the question - Will the kids take over the family farm, or use their education to become professionals? A good parallel.”

The author, Al Lubano, wrote to thank me for the S.E.T. … a little name dropping!

On the recent Thought about language of science and religion, a person wrote you,

“Dear Thinkers,

Novak "almost" has it in his fourth point, in my humble opinion. Science and Religion are not mutually exclusive. Neither is a "componant" in the search for truth...they are each solely and exclusively THE search for Truth. The pursuit of Truth is their ultimate function and purpose! Their function is not to allay suffering. Suffering will exist but will have an end. Truth is eternal.

Sometimes thinking too hard throws one off the path of Truth.

Yours truly,

A Lite Thinker

I wrote them back, “... I like "humble opinions" - the more the better! You and Job are very existential.” I also heard a scientist from the CDC in Atlanta wrote them in agreement. Still, I see most of all religions problems coming from not thinking enough than from thinking too much: i.e. the systemic problem of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, fundamentalism in some Protestant denominations (and in Judaism) leading to war, and radical Islamic teachings.

On this topic, a person wrote, “it's not that religion and science can't exist. It's that they really aren't even talking about the same thing. What does praying have to do with the temperature it takes for eggs to incubate sufficiently to allow development of the embryo? Nothing. Science is only concerned with results. Science has no opinion on the existence/nonexistence of God. Science is not looking for purpose - it is not concerned with "why" there is existence - it's only concerned with how it works mechanically. I know you like this guy Novak, but these descriptions aren't scientific, they're philosophical, and science is not a form of philosophy. At its core science is no more than statistical mathematics. Science only exists as falsifiable experiments that can be reduced to a series of probabilities of quantities. Actually, it must be reduced to a series of quantities. If it can't it's not science. Theology is not science because it cannot be reduced to quantities. It can be reduced to logical statements, or maybe symbols or numbers, but logical statements are not quantities...”

I responded that, “… their thought had merit, but we can, and should, still ask why.

Coincidentally, another scientist, also a Thinker, wrote me, “Nicely written. I've pretty much tried to keep it simple - for my own sanity: science answers the 'what' question and religion answers the 'why' question.”

And another, “…reading a book called The Powers that Be. I personally hate the book so far, but we nonetheless got into a good conversation last night which included the science and religion question.”

In the last Thought – “Thought and Mind,” a Thinker girl wrote to say she had had an abortion. I wrote her, “I know it was a hard decision. In the U.S., we view abortion very severely; whereas in other countries (so I've read), especially China, abortion is extremely common - almost as much as a regular type of birth control (i.e. condoms or the pill). A little off-topic, but I get very frustrated when I hear my fellow Christians condemn women who have had abortions, but only view Iraqi or Afghani women and children killed in OUR WARS as collateral damage, with little moral weight.”

I hesitate to end this year’s Sunday Evening Thoughts on such a heavy note, but really, that is life: Sometimes good, sometimes not; hopefully more good than bad. Again, thank you for the honor of reading this blog.

… have a great summer!

Love,

Dad

8th Anniversary

Dear friends,

Greetings from DC! I am finding this blog to be a joyful place of sharing and receiving =) I hope you are too! Heidi --- thank you for the lovely poem! I love the deep intimacy of it... which speaks to my personal desire for real connection with the divine and others... Jessie-- I hope your "immobility" is getting better!

I wanted to share this article with you all on the 8th anniversay of the US's occupation in Iraq. Art is a friend of mine from the DC Catholic Worker and a very peaceful, humble (and yet prominent) advocated with his community for peace and justice. This article appears on NCR online weekend edition.

As a political science major from Boston College and original of Long Island New York, I have often wrestled with the concept of "just war" theory, and words like "responsibile transition" ... heck, post-9/11, my idea of justice was "joining the military" ... Wrestled in the literal sense (figuratively, pues), of rolling around the ideas on the ground, and in the end, one pins the other down.

Reading this this morning I feel ultimately called to the message Jesus presents us in the Gospels and the Christian call to nonviolence. If we don't testify to it, who will? Especially during these days when we remember Romero and consider what message he has for our present day lives...

I pray with you and for you for the growth of peace in our world and for the end to all forms of war and violence.

Un abrazo,
Margaret


LENT IN A WARMAKING EMPIRE
by Art Laffin
March 12, 2010

We live in a warmaking empire, where war is being waged indiscriminately in order to control and acquire resources -- namely oil in Iraq, and natural gas and oil in Afghanistan and the Caspian Sea. The U.S. continues to create mass violence in Afghanistan, bringing death to countless innocent Afghan civilians and nearly 1,000 U.S. soldiers.

The United States has also increased its military intervention in Pakistan and Yemen. According to the Pakistani newspaper, The News (Feb. 2, 2010), U.S. drone attacks killed 123 civilians in January 2010.

March 19 marks the eighth year of an immoral and illegal occupation of Iraq, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and over 4,600 U.S. soldiers.

The U.S. goes on providing military and economic support to Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine. At the same time, Arab and Muslim men continue to languish at U.S. military prisons in Guantanamo, Bagram and in Iraq, where they have been grossly mistreated, tortured and denied due process.

As the world's leading nuclear superpower and arms dealer, with over 700 U.S. military bases worldwide, the United States provides a budget for its military that accounts for 48 percent, or almost half, of the world's total military spending. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, U.S. military spending totals more than the next 46 highest spending countries in the world combined. For FY 2011, the Obama Administration is proposing to spend $708 billion on the military budget, including $7 billion to upgrade the nuclear arsenal.

Meanwhile, the poor continue to be neglected, and, in many cases, treated as expendable due to corporate greed, political expediency and rampant militarism. War, economic exploitation and global warming claim countless lives daily. The victims cry out for justice. The earth groans in travail.

What would Jesus have us do? Living under the brutal occupation of the Roman empire, Jesus declared: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mk.1:15) Living in the U.S. empire, we need to heed Jesus' proclamation now more than ever. During this holy season of Lent, Christians need to ask what it means to follow Jesus in a warmaking empire. Lent is a time for personal and societal repentance, a time for radical conversion, renewal and transformation. It is a time to examine what we really believe in and how we live and act out our faith.

Would Jesus support the use of drone weapons? Would he advocate a "just war theory," now a central tenet of church teaching? Would Jesus endorse the U.S war in Afghanistan, referred to by President Obama in his Nobel Peace prize acceptance speech as a "just war"? Would Jesus support the new war budget? Would Jesus support the existence and threatened use of nuclear weapons or any weapon of mass destruction? Would Jesus support any form of military intervention, occupation, torture or killing? From my reading of the scriptures, the answer to all these questions is an emphatic and absolute No! Jesus' commands are clear: Love one another! Love your enemies! Put away the sword! Forgive and you will be forgiven! Take up the cross and follow me!

Other scriptural passages that Christians read this Lent are also instructive.

In Deuteronomy we hear: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) Isaiah the prophet declares, "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. (Isaiah 58: 6-7)

It is a tragic reality that the institutional Christian church -- Catholic and Protestant -- has strayed so far from the Gospel that it offers its support for U.S. warmaking. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the U.S. bishops'conference declared: "Our nation's military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition." In an article "Bishops Back Obama Afghanistan Strategy", (NCR, Jan. 8, 2010) Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, chairman of the U.S. Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace, stated that President Obama's goals of "responsible transition" in Afghanistan must serve as the overall ethical framework for U.S. actions there.

I ask: How can the U.S., which has committed war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, ever bring about a responsible transition in either country? And why would the church be an advocate for U.S. military intervention which has caused the deaths of so many of God's children? Martin Luther King, Jr. made this critical observation about the efficacy of the church when he said: "So often the contemporary church is ineffectual and weak, with an uncertain voice. So often it is an arch defender of the status quo. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the 2th century."

The church should also heed the example of two its martyrs: Franz Jagerstatter and Archbishop Oscar Romero. Regarding the response of the church to the crimes being committed by the Nazis, Franz Jagerstatter, executed Nazi war-resister stated: "If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church were ever opened again?" And Archbishop Romero, who was assassinated as he celebrated the Eucharist thirty years ago this March 24, declared to the Salvadoran military a day before his death: "When you hear the words of a man telling you to kill, remember instead the words of God, "Thou shall not kill." God's law must prevail. No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. It is time that you come to your senses and obey your consciences rather than follow out a sinful command...The church... cannot remain silent in the presence of such abominations."

Thus, the church should be a clear and prophetic voice proclaiming the Gospel without equivocation or compromise. Instead of accommodating a warmaking empire, the church should be calling the nation to repentance, to make reparations to all of its victims, and to embrace Jesus' way of nonviolent love. It should declare that no Christian should participate in military service, make weapons, or pay taxes for war and killing.

During the Friday's in Lent, members and friends of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Pax Christi, and other peacemakers are conducting a Lenten Witness for Peace and Justice at the White House. We vigil a spirit of repentance and humility, inviting everyone to join with us in saying Yes to life, love, justice and nonviolence, and No to violence, injustice and warmaking.

I pray this Lent that our Church will reclaim its prophetic voice and courageously speak the truth before our warmaking empire. Prophet, priest and peace prisoner, Phil Berrigan, once said: "If enough Christians followed the gospel, they could bring any state to its knees."

[Art Laffin is a member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker in Washington.]

Poetry in Lent

These are not my words, but I want to share them because she says it so well. Enjoy. 

As we continue walking the Lenten path together, I'm continuing to keep company with poets. Poetry is all about spaciousness, saying just enough and letting the rest be. What better Lenten discipline could there be? 

- Rev. Steph

Psalm 84, adapted by Stephen Mitchell, from A Book of Psalms:

Lord, how beautiful you are;

how radiant the places

you dwell in.

My soul yearns for your presence;

my whole body longs

for your light.

Even the wren finds a house

and the sparrow a nest for herself.

Take me home, my God;

guide me to the place

of perfect repose.

Let me feel you always within me;

open my eyes to your love.

Happy are those who trust you

and merge their will in your will.

They let go of all desires

and give up everything they know,

Until they finally enter

the inmost temple of the heart,

where there is no self, no other,

nothing,

but only you.

Yellow card = broken tibia

Margaret, I hope the meeting went well! Good people working towards good things. Just goodness all around.

It's been a week since I broke my leg, and I am only now finding the motivation to write about it. It shames me to admit that I have just not found myself in a very Lenten space since it happened, perhaps explaining my absence in this forum that I was so passionate about just weeks ago. After a week or so of denial, I've found it better to just own the dryness and frustration and perhaps explore it a bit.

For me, Lent has always been a time of action and comtemplation - but what I never realized was how that contemplation was so tied into the action. It was reflection about my days - about the various situations and people I came across and interacted with, and the ways in which i was trying to more concretely serve others, in this everpresent reminder of Christ that would keep me company on walks, or penetrating work, or in social situations. But try as I may, that same comtemplation and reflection is the last thing I can (or want to) think about in this immobile prison I find myself in. And who am I to complain, 'woe is me and my immobility' - such a minor cause of suffering in this world, and amazing I've never suffered a broken bone before now to be honest... But somehow I can be entirely aware of that, aware of the reality that this probably couldn't have come at a better time, and that it is such a luxery to be able to stay in bed all day with people who love me able to take care of me, and to be able to stop working and still be supported, but aware as I might be - I still hate it.

So there is a sense of guilt, which is of course imediately followed by frustration and a minute amount of self-loathing. Pretty much anything but the motivation and inspiration I desire to accept this and use this "gift" of downtime to pray (SO needed) and reflect.

I will not pretend that I have now found that inspiration, or even that I am moving in that direction. But I will at least acknowledge that that is where I am. For better or worse.

Still thinking of you all often. And sending lots of love!

Pax Christi - DC

Dear friends,

Today a group of "us" are getting together in Washington, DC to discern the formation of a local Pax Christi chapter group. There is already a metro DC group, but we are looking to form a more localized community. We will spend the day with prayer, study, and group reflection to come to a clearer sense of what this group could be and what we could do (and who knows where that will go!?). I ask that if you are reading this that you say a special prayer for this group -- that we may be guided by the holy Spirit in building a continued community of faith and justice.

Is it true Jessie Hallerman broke her leg?!!? Prayers and love to you Jessie!

Margaret

We Belong to Each Other

For many of us who have lived in community, we can remember the struggles and realities that come along with the invitation to walk together. Nobody is perfect, and no one person can solve community issues on his or her own. This has been my biggest struggle this week, and in some ways I think will be a life long struggle; to be fully and eternally intentional to the all the communities that I am a part of. Many of you on this journey are examples of that. I lost touch, and don’t share myself enough, but if I were to, I would spread myself too thin. If any of you have thoughts on how to sustain the relationships and communities you have been a part of in your past after you leave them, I would love to hear your insights.

I have been praying with the words of Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ a lot this week. That “we must stand against forgetting that we belong to each other.” As I have been reflecting on this thought, I find that I too fall into forgetting those on the margins. What I have realized is that in every community, there is someone that stands on the margins. It can be easy to miss them, and that is where my forgetting slips in.

Fr. Greg invites us to “stand against forgetting…to stand in the right place, With those on the margins, those whose dignity has been denied. To choose to stand with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. To choose to stand with the easily despised and the readily left out. To choose to stand with those whose burdens are more than they can bear. To stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. And so you stand against forgetting as you leave this place, that we belong to each other."

How can I be more committed to the community that surrounds me? To the communities that I may not be so physically close with?

In what ways have you forgotten that you belong to someone else?

Who sits on the margins of your community, and how can you reach out to them?

I ask you to pray for me, that during this Lenten time, I may grow stronger in not forgetting that I belong to those around me, especially those who I may at times forget to see, and I will do the same for you.

Peace as we continue this Lenten journey.

Marcos

I have included a link to the LMU commencement address where Fr. Greg’s quotes come from, a song from “Playing for Change” that relates with this reflection, as well as a picture on ways to help build community, thank you for being a part of my community.

Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ 2005 LMU Commencement Address

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

How to Build Community

high, low

one of the best reflection tools i took away from my time as a volunteer was "high, low" around the dinner table with my fellow volunteers. in short, a simple way to express what went well and not so well about your day. so with that, my high/low:

Wednesday High: I went to a local cyber (that's pronounced theeber for all of your Spaniards out there) to print off a few things before classes today and as I walked in there was a little girl, no older than 3-4 years-old with head phones on and dancing to whatever was playing. I sat down next to her and she just danced and danced. As I waited for my stuff to print we exchanged high fives and fist pumps and when I left she screamed "CHAOOOOOO" out the door. Really funny.

Wednesday Low: I prepared for the wrong class today and I realized that as my students walked in with a different book (to clarify, these are my two-hour classes at the bank with adults). Luckily the first half of class was the same, so I was only left scrambling for the second half. But still that kinda sucked. I left class feeling like my students felt like I wasted their time or something. First real low in a while. The hardest part about my schedule is that while I'm only teaching 20 hours a week, its 12 different classes in 8 different locations. At times I feel like all I do is teach, prepare, go to the cyber to print worksheets, repeat. But I'm sure you can all relate in some fashion. Anyway, PTL for work.

peace and love.