A Regular Joe: October 2017

Sunday, October 29, 2017

TRADING PLACES

[1]According to a 2016 Forbes article precisely 42 slots on The Forbes 400 belong to naturalized citizens who immigrated to America. That's 10.5% of the list, a huge over performance considering that naturalized citizens make up only 6% of the U.S. population. For all the political bombast about immigrants being an economic drain or a security threat, the pace of economic hyper success among immigrants is increasing. The combined net worth of those 42 immigrant fortunes is $248 billion. According to the Kauffman Foundation, immigrants are nearly twice as likely to start a new business as native-born Americans. The Partnership for a New American Economy, a nonpartisan group formed by Forbes 400 members Murdoch and Michael Bloomberg, reports that immigrants started 28% of all new businesses in the U.S. in 2011, employed one out of every ten American workers at privately owned businesses and generated $775 billion in revenue. Some of these businesses are small, of course, like restaurants and auto repair shops.[2]

Yet statistics do not tell the story of immigration. People do. Since its inception, this nation has been continually infused with the energy of newcomers. The very act of immigrating is entrepreneurial, a self-selected risk taken in an effort to better one's circumstances. It's a mind-set. “You leave everything you have and get on a plane,” says Forbes 400 member Shahid Khan. “You can handle change. You can handle risk. And you want to prove yourself.” Yet their assimilation has seldom been smooth. The challenges immigrants face today are not new, only the stories are.

By and large immigrants often fall into two baskets. Some have enough privilege to live anywhere, but see America as the place of greater opportunity. Many come to escape injustices against humanity: ethnic genocide, religious persecution, war, famine, crime, and political unrest, or they are drawn by the lure of better employment opportunities, sometimes with devastating effects. Yet the goal is often the same, hope of a better life, for themselves and their families and they are willing to sacrifice an awful lot up to obtain their dream.

Now I’m not going to pretend that there are any easy answers to the long standing debate on immigration. This issue has existed throughout all of human history. What I do know is, no matter how high you build a wall, hope will scale it, burrow under it, or find some other way around it. I know, no matter how many times we develop laws that restrict or deport a person who has tasted the fruits of hope, they will find a way back. So what do we do about it? I believe the starting point for any human reform begins with each one of us as individuals and we have scripture as our starting point.

We tend to think of the escape from Egypt and the wandering in the wilderness as the content of the book of Exodus, yet the larger theme concerns the forming of a people into the people of God. Included are an explanation about the proper way to worship and revere God, civil and criminal laws, and other exhortations about how to live in right covenant relationship. Fundamental to the behaviors expected of the people of Israel is the idea that ‘as God acts toward them they are to act toward one another.’ Today’s reading singles out the treatment of the alien, the widow and the orphan, who represent the most vulnerable people & groups in society.

In our gospel reading Jesus is, once again, tested by the scholars with the question, “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest?" You know the answer, love God with everything you have and are, AND your neighbor as yourself. How do we love an unseen God? We need to love our neighbor. How do we love our sometimes inconvenient neighbor, by loving ourselves with a healthy self-love, and so we have to ask ourselves, who is my neighbor?

The book of Exodus answers this question, ALL people are our neighbors, including those most in need, the immigrant to our country, the elderly who have lost their voice and status in the community, and the orphan, especially those who find themselves aging out of foster care with nowhere to turn. We are to treat all people with dignity and respect, as God has treated us, rescued us from our modern day slavery, and forgiven us. In other words, imitate God by doing unto others what God has done for you.[3] Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation, the Joy of the Gospel states: “Being Church means being God’s people, in accordance with the great plan of his fatherly love. This means that we are to be God’s leaven in the midst of humanity. It means proclaiming and bringing God’s salvation into our world, which often goes astray and needs to be encouraged, given hope and strengthened on the way. The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.” (EG 114)

Do you want real reform? The only way is to embrace God’s plan. We know it works. St. Paul in his praise for the Thessalonians lived faith is one such example. It’s a faith that has gone forth, transmitted from one person to another, from Thessalonica to other cities and nations. Transmitted by being a living example to others, maintaining joy and hope even in the midst of suffering. I’ve heard this said so many times, “I succeeded by my hard work, by the investment of my own blood, sweat and tears. Everyone else should do the same so that they will respect and cherish what they have, just like me.” Remember the two baskets that immigrants generally fall into? I usually hear this from the folks who now fall into the basket of the some who have enough privilege to choose, from those who have either forgotten their gifted breaks in life or those who now expect more sacrifice from others than themselves, because they’ve already paid their dues.

St. Francis de Sales gives us some practical advice on how we can begin to reform our world. He says, Put others in your place and yourself in theirs, and then treat the other the way you would like to be treated. That’s how we love God, neighbor, and self.

[2] 6 Immigrant Stories That Will Make You Believe In The American Dream Again, Forbes October 25, 2016.

Sunday, October 22, 2017

WHAT CAN A SIMPLE COIN REVEAL?

[1]“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

These are the first two sentences to the Declaration of Independence (Preamble), which I felt fitting to share as we live in the current political tension. From my vantage point, it is a time of positioning for public support through twitter & facebook messages, competing agendas, and promises of its “all about you” baby. This tension springs from party alignments and distancing, as officials reveal their vision for local and national priorities. For me, and with those of whom I have had political discussions, we find ourselves increasingly frustrated in the mixed messages, while trying to maintain alignment with our Catholic Christian values. It is exactly here, where, we enter the reality of scripture.

You’d think Jesus was running for office as His opponents approach. An odd alliance representing opposite points of view yet approaching with the same agenda, get Jesus to self-incriminate himself in his response. The Pharisees, whose power is in the synagogue opposed the paying of foreign taxes, when they first approach Jesus they try to butter Jesus up and then asked the question “Is it lawful to pay the census tax…?” (Mt 22:17) In their concern for Torah practice, “Is it lawful…” equals “Is it in line with the Torah…” Jesus “knowing their malice” calls them out “you hypocrites” and without waiting for a response, asks to see the coin. What can a simple coin reveal? Jesus’ opponents are embarrassed by their possession of the unholy Roman coin, likely produced by the Herodian’s, which would immediately put them at odds with their collaborators in challenging Jesus. Followers of the Pharisees avoided all contact with such an idolatrous object.[2] By asking them to describe the coin Jesus highlights the embarrassing evidence.

The story of Jesus and paying taxes to the Emperor is sometimes used to argue that Christians should not worry about how our religious and political duties and loyalties may conflict; how one can pay to Caesar what is due Caesar without worrying how it might take away from that which is due God. Yet the division between the secular and sacred is often a blurry line.[3]

When Jesus says we should give Caesar what is coming to him, he tells us what everyone knows. Citizens owe loyalty and obedience to their country. The government provides the safety and services that make life livable, and has the right to demand that everyone contribute to the common welfare. In the realm of law, the nation is the highest authority. But in the realm of morality, it is not. In matter of conscience, the power of the state is not absolute. When we salute the flag, we pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not the other way around.[4] The Church too must be wary. During his morning Mass on October 19th, Pope Francis told a story about a priest who demanded a father not be present at his child's baptism ceremony because he had been divorced. The pope said such a priest takes away "the key of knowledge" and "closes the door" on people. Francis said God wants his disciples to live so that they can also help "open the door" to God for themselves and for others.

Often during the election seasons I’m regularly asked by faithful people, “Why doesn’t the Church just clearly tell us how or whom to vote?” I believe she does. In a way, the Church asks Jesus’ question of us, “show me the coin…” From the beginning God has commanded us, “I, the Lord, am your God… You shall not have other gods besides me.” (Ex 20:2-3) Jesus, himself, taught us the cure to anxiety telling us, “But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness …” (Mt 6:33). He clarified forever the difference between kingdoms made on earth and the one created by God stating, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” (Lk 17:21). In the gospel of the former tax collector, Matthew, Jesus shows us more than 50 times the way to this Kingdom that is not in a palace or above the sky or beneath the sea but “at hand” (Mt 4:17).

The Church calls us to vote by a fully informed conscience and scripture calls us to be discerning people concerning the possible conflicts between our political loyalties and our ultimate loyalty, which is to God. In our discernment, we need to be aware of the possibility that our political leaders may expect more from us than they rightfully should; demanding an absolute loyalty that rightly belongs to God alone.[5] We have been formed and informed in the ways of the sacred and the secular throughout all of history. Jesus did not make rules, but his principle stands. Our current homeland may be the United States of America, to whom we owe our pledge of allegiance. Yet our true homeland, the homeland we hope to gain when this life is done, is with God, to whom we owe everything.

What can a simple coin reveal? “Paying taxes? Petty change. Following Jesus? Priceless!”[6]

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

THE SKY IS FALLING!

As you may recall the classic fable, Chicken Little caused widespread panic when he mistook a falling acorn for a piece of the sky. The phrase "The sky is falling!" features prominently in the story, and is a common idiom indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.

St. John the XXIII had to respond to Chicken Little during his pontificate. At his address at the opening of the Second Vatican Council, he criticized the “prophets of doom” who “in these modern times see nothing but prevarication and ruin.” Pope John XXIII set a tone for the Council when he said, “The Church has always opposed… errors. Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.”

Today we often hear of the gloom of the shrinking church attendance, especially among millennials, a generation greatly misunderstood, especially when it comes to religion. Millennials “are not disillusioned with tradition; they are frustrated with slick or shallow expressions of religion,” argues David Kinnaman. According to Barna Group, among young people who don’t go to church, 87 percent say they see Christians as judgmental, and 85 percent see them as hypocritical. A similar study found that “only 8% say they don’t attend because church is ‘out of date’.”[1]

Upon reflecting on this it came to mind in my military experience, college campus', and even in the church a mind set has existed that say, "I had to do this or that way, this is what was expected of me, therefore that's the way it is suppose to be and I will ensure it stays that way." With a better understanding of our merciful God, which always was, is now, and ever shall be, some just get resentful and angry.

The Lord picks up twice on Jonah’s anger point, as Jonah remains uncommitted and displeased at divine mercy toward the Ninevites. God asks: “Have you reason to be angry?” The second time at a plant of all things! Yet Jonah knows his catechism, how God is “A gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in kindness, loath to punish.” (Ex 34:6; Ps 103:8) God is saying look inside first, what is your motivation?

On his deathbed, Pope John said: “It is not that the gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better. Those who have lived as long as I have…were enabled to compare different cultures and traditions, and know that the moment has come to discern the signs of the times, to seize the opportunity and to look far ahead.”[2]

Our challenge is to get back to the basics. We must walk the talk, we must look inside first, and it starts with the prayer most of us learned as a child, the Lord’s Prayer. this prayer is more than just words we are trained to recite, they require us to bring something to prayer. It is a call on God as Father/Creator who is holy; we must let go and ask that God’s will be done, not ours. We're asking for what we truly need—and not all the things we want. We must forgive, for we have been much blessed with forgiveness, and we're asking God to spare us from testing and falling into evil in this world.[3]

When we live this prayer, in its fullness, we can become contagious for a generation who is seeking an authentic practice of gospel values of love, forgiveness, mercy, and responding to a call to serve all God’s children.

Want millennials back in the pews? Stop trying to make church ‘cool.’ The Washington Post April 30, 2015.
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-xxiii/ © 2017 Franciscan Media
Weekday HomilyHelps. Published by FRANCISCAN MEDIA, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Sunday, October 8, 2017

VINEYARD TALES

[1]In the early 1990’s I received orders to Pearl Harbor, HI. For six years my family lived in the Aloha State. Our house was located on the Pearl City peninsula in base housing. For those unfamiliar with military base housing, often times it is in a secure area surrounded by natural barriers or a constructed wall with limited and sometimes guarded access, much like many of the housing developments we live in and the vineyards we hear about in scripture. Pearl City was considered an open housing area, meaning there was no guard posted at the gate. At one point, while we lived, there the tenants experienced a string of robberies and began to demand a guard be posted at the entrance to make sure only authorized tenants could enter the housing area. It was believed the locals were getting entering the area and were the culprits of the crimes.

When I listen to reports about what people do or do not have and how they respond to their life situations, I’m struck by the difference between those who are grateful and those who feel entitled. It seems that a sense of entitlement fills many people, which destroys the virtues of gratitude and responsibility. The dynamic played out in the Gospel parable today is that the tenants wanted what was not theirs and they were willing to do anything, even murdering the landowner’s servants and son, mistakenly believing they would be given the vineyard. Envy, lust, abdication of our responsibilities and blindness yield more than wild grapes. They feed on themselves until something or someone ends the vicious cycle. Paul’s letter to the Philippians offers an antidote. Seek whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious. Truth invites gratitude, fosters appreciation and helps us grow in right relationship (justice) with God, others and ourselves.[2]

Speaking through Isaiah, God asks, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” (Is 5:4) In God’s great love for his people he frees them from the bondage of Egypt, and wonders how they could have drifted so far from the Lord. He reminds us how he sent prophets, throughout history, to call his people back to right relationship with him, but the prophets were rejected and even killed. Does he give up on his people? No, he sends his only Son! Here indeed, like the Shakespearean character Othello, God has “loved not wisely, but too well.” For in one final outrage, they killed his Son, hanging him on a cross. Jesus concludes the parable with a warning to the tenants, “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” (Mt 21:43)[3]

Here’s a thought to ponder, we are the tenants of the vineyard now and there are three things that come into focus for us to consider:

First, the vineyard may actually be the zip code in which we live. The parable challenges us to ponder whether we are producing fruit in the vineyard that bears the address where we live, which is necessary for the building the Kingdom of God. We consistently hear that the Gospel has lost it taste, its freshness, and its luster in much of our culture today. The gods of secularism, consumerism, and materialism erode the truth of our faith. We are confronted with untold acts of terrorism at home and abroad. Yet in the midst of these givens, we are called to propose the Joy of the Gospel in our own neighborhood and in the ordinary, everyday moments of our day.

Second, the stones rejected by the builder may be the unwanted dimensions of our own personalities. Think about those wild and sour parts of ourselves we don’t like, those parts we want to hide, the things we keep secret. Consider Jesus’ words, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” (Mt 21:42) When we look at what we reject about ourselves, there’s the clue to something wonderful, something new, and something exciting. There is a saying the Salesian tradition, attributed to St. Francis de Sales: “Love you abjections.” In other words, everything belongs. Certainly, we do not welcome sin or unhealthy behavior, but coming face-to-face with our own faults and flaws, we can learn to love even the negative as we turn it to the positive.

Third, God does not give up too easily, even as we need to do more tending to the vines in our own gardens. Often, we are like the wild grapes spoken of in both readings. We scapegoat and cast blame on the other, forgetting the mercy God grants in our regard. Jesus asks his audience, “Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” (Mt 21:41) Imagine God is pointing his finger at us, as we tend the vineyard right now, as the current tenants—what have we got to show for it?[4]

The interesting thing about our base housing crime spree, once investigated they found out it was a couple of residents who were behind the break-ins. Tenants behind protective fences or walls can lead to a false sense of security, even complacency, as we feel in control of our surroundings, set apart from the rest of the world. We have no reason to feel complacent or superior, but we have plenty of reason to be grateful. Isaiah couldn’t imagine what more God could do for us, he didn’t know God would send his own Son. We do. When we approach the mystery of the Eucharist we know we’ve been loved far more deeply than we could ever imagine or deserve. How have we responded? As a Church and as individuals, we must each try to live in such a way that God’s love affair with us, that our labors in the vineyard, may produce and abundant harvest and give what is due to Him the owner of the vineyard.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

REBUILD MY CHURCH

Perhaps you know the story of the call of St. Francis of Assisi? Praying in a run-down chapel, he heard the Lord saying, “Francis, go and repair my house; look, it is falling into ruins.” Now, God wasn’t speaking about that particular chapel; he was speaking about the challenges facing the whole Church at the time.

Francis was never a priest, though he was later ordained a deacon under his protest. Francis was not a reformer; he preached about returning to God and obedience to the Church. Francis must have known about the decay in the Church, but he always showed the Church and its people his utmost respect.

Slowly companions came to Francis, people who wanted to follow his life of sleeping in the open, begging for garbage to eat...and loving God. With companions, Francis knew he now had to have some kind of direction to this life so he opened the Bible in three places. He read the command to the rich young man to "sell all his good and give to the poor," the order to the apostles to "take nothing on their journey", and the demand to "take up the cross daily." "Here is our rule," Francis said -- as simple, and as seemingly impossible, as that. He was going to do what no one thought possible any more -- live by the Gospel. Sound familiar? Maybe about another man named Francis? Pope Francis from the begin of his pontificate has been the example of how to live the joy of the Gospel. Yet some in the Church have characterized his actions as distorting the church they know.

Nehemiah had a similar call, to go and rebuild Jerusalem. In fact, in every age and in every generation, God has called his people to rebuild his Church. For decades society has done everything in its power to take God out of virtually everything. This week I was reading Facebook posts about the Las Vegas shooting. The discussion went to "freedom" but in the same post the person said we have to be alert and careful about "high risk venues" like the country and western concert. This is not freedom to me! When we consider what is a "high risk venue" they have become the theater, the sports arena, the subway and airways, it has become the mall and the workplace, most disheartening it has become the college campus, high schools and even elementary schools. It has even become places of worship.

You might be thinking, what in the world can I do to rebuild God's Church? A couple things come to my mind right away, one easy, one not so easy, both necessary to rebuild God’s Church (with a capital “C”). The easy thing is to do something simple, do something that makes sense. Ask yourself, what would be helpful? Where are the greatest needs? What are my gifts best suited for?

The not so easy thing, live the joy of the Gospel at all times. Like St. Francis of Assisi, like Nehemiah, Pope Francis and so many of the Church Fathers, in the midst of the messiness of the Church and the world we must live out the love Christ pours out to us in this mystery we participate in. All we need to do is take the first step. To love our neighbor as ourselves, to rejoice when we a persecuted because of our Lord, to take up our daily cross and be the loving, compassionate, and merciful image of our Lord and savior in this age and time. Let us rebuild His Church.