a voice from eden

The Holy See on the death of Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-05T11:42:00.001-07:00

“This morning, following the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, P. Federico Lombardi, issued the following statement to reporters:

Osama Bin Laden - as everyone knows - has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.

Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”

The Cambridges coming to California

2011-05-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Check this out from the newly-weds' site. They're coming to California. Now whatever did we do here in California to deserve this?

Benedict beatifies John Paul

2011-05-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

2011-04-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, I would be doing cartwheels too out of relief after taking part in a royal wedding.

from Mount Teide in Spain by Terje Sorgjerd

2011-04-19T23:19:00.000-07:00

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

on St. Thomas Aquinas

2011-01-28T10:08:00.000-08:00

The Church owes a lot to this great saint and theologian we commemorate today, St. Thomas Aquinas. In the past, whenever there was a controversy within or outside the Church, questioning a teaching or a theology of the Church, such as the Protestant Reformation, the response of the Church was to always go back to the theology and the writings of Thomas Aquinas. Such was the soundness and the clarity of his work, that the Church during controversial moments in its life, could go to Aquinas and rely on the rich work he left us as a defense and support for the faith. If you go to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and count the number of times Thomas Aquinas is mentioned, he is mentioned at least 60 times.

One of the things he taught is how God is present. In his masterpiece, the Summa Theologica, he wrote that God is present in three distinct ways. First, God is present and exists in Himself, He is the beginning and end of all things, so all creatures come from and depend upon Him. Secondly, God is present through grace in the life and activity of Christians, of the saints. Finally, God is present in a very special way in the person of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Sacraments which come from Christ’s work of redemption: the sacraments of which this, the Eucharist, is the source and summit of our prayer life.

And he taught that faith and intelligence or reason, such as that found in science, are not contradictory. Faith and reason are not at odds with each other, but rather both reflect and serve the truth, He who is the Truth and the Way and the Life.

But what distinguishes Thomas, in addition to his work, is his humility. This great mind knew that Wisdom, spoken of in the first reading, can only be attained by a heart and mind that is docile to God’s word and prompting in one’s heart, a heart and mind that is humble to God’s word, to what God want us to do and be in our life….exalting Him, not ourselves. Without that humility, there can be no wisdom. In fact humility is the door to wisdom. Humility is the door to Christ, for it is Christ who is the fullest revelation of the Wisdom of God.

In June of last year, Pope Benedict in weekly General Audiences spoke about St. Thomas. I would like to share some of his words here because talks about Thomas’ humility which lead him to seek he who is Wisdom itself:

“The last months of Thomas' earthly life remain surrounded by a particular, I would say, mysterious atmosphere. In December of the year 1273, he summoned his friend and secretary Reginald to inform him of his decision to discontinue all work because Thomas had realized, during the celebration of Mass that everything he had written until then "was worthless". This is a mysterious episode that helps us to understand not only Thomas' personal humility, but also the fact that, however lofty and pure it may be, all we manage to think and say about the faith is infinitely exceeded by God's greatness and beauty which will be fully revealed to us in Heaven….

The life and teaching of St Thomas Aquinas could be summed up in this story about him. While the Saint was praying before the Crucifix in the early morning in the chapel, the sacristan, overheard a conversation. Thomas was anxiously asking whether what he had written on the mysteries of the Christian faith was correct. And the Crucified One answered him: "You have spoken well of me, Thomas. What is your reward to be?". And the answer Thomas gave him was what we too, friends and disciples of Jesus, should always want to tell him: "Nothing but Yourself, Lord!"

Pope Benedict baptizes a baby on this Feast of the Baptism of Jesus

2011-01-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

What's he gonna do with that gavel

2011-01-05T11:36:00.001-08:00

We're not going to play politics here at Voice from Eden, but I just noticed this amusing pic of the incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner holding aloft the gavel, with the outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently making a final point. New year, new House.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T18:43:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T09:44:00.001-08:00

Diplomat Spiller's Cable

2010-12-14T22:16:00.000-08:00

[Your humble blogger received an unexpected message the other day. Apparently, someone decided to leak to us some diplomatic cables. They seem to be written by a diplomat named Spiller, who is some deputy secretary. In the interest of transparency and openness in our institutions, I will choose to share with you some of these texts.]

CONFIDENTIAL 01 OF 03 ROME 003585
VT
E.O. 45678: DECL: 19 APRIL 2005
SUBJECT: ELECTION OF A NEW POPE
Classified By: Deputy Secretary A.E. Spiller

Whoa! We totally didn’t expect that outcome. All our bets were either on a cardinal from one of the Latin American countries or on an African.

Speculation now is what is in store for the Church: Latin Masses, a pulling back from Vatican II, the return of the camauro. [What’s a camauro, anyway?] Expect a cracking down on dissenters and a continued hardline policy on condom-use, relations with other Christian denominations, female ordinations, and abortion.

Talk among our Vatican experts is that the cardinals elected an interim caretaker to the papacy, an “interregnum” between the popular John Paul II and perhaps a younger successor when this new papacy ends.

So, there should be no expectation of new and dramatic initiatives during this papacy, vis-a-vis relations with other Christian denominations such as the Anglicans, or the Eastern Orthodox. Expect nothing new coming down the pike on Catholic-Islamic relations either. Basically: expect no major waves in the Church during this new papal reign. Expect nothing earth-shattering.

The previous pontiff’s shoes would be tough to fill: here is a bookish academic succeeding in the role once filled by a photogenic superstar.

And diplomatically, expect no major changes in U.S. and Holy See relations.

Wikileak cable on Prince Charles?

2010-12-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

Is anybody else reading these Wikileak cables? They can be some of the most interesting reads you’ve had in a long time. It’s like reading the Enquirer for those working in the U.S. State Department or in any foreign diplomatic corps.

There are bits about the French President Sarkozy and the Italian President Berlusconi.

I am not going to moralize on the morality of spilling state secrets. My theory is that they wouldn’t be out there if nobody in the State Dept. hierarchy didn’t want them spilled. Know what I'm saying?

Just a sample of what these leaked cables contain:

The Commonwealth Political Director Amitav Banerji admitted to a State Department official that when Queen Elizabeth “passes” talk of who would be the next head of the Commonwealth could be on the table. Why?

According to Banerji, the “heir-apparent to the British Crown, Prince Charles, does not ‘command the same respect’ as the Queen and said the Commonwealth was trying quietly to get him more involved in Commonwealth affairs.”

Poor Prince.

News is that there are confidential cables from the U.S. Embassy in the Holy See that are also being leaked. Those apparently are forthcoming.

We Speak No Americano

2010-11-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Why is this video on this here humble blog? It's about love, Italian immigration, misreported theft, wedded bliss. Plus, this is what I heard all of Europe was dancing to this past summer. Start dancing.

Vatican comments on Pope's remarks in Peter Seewald's book-interview

2010-11-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

The spokesman for the Holy See, Fr. Frederico Lombardi, issues a statement concerning the Pope's recent remarks which appears in an upcoming book "Light of the World," which features interviews of the Holy Father by Peter Seewald. The Pope in Seewald's book comments on the use of condoms, a comment which has been making the rounds in the media these past couple of days.

Lombardi: "At the end of Chapter 10 (Chapter 11 in the English edition) in the book, 'Light of the World,' the pope responds to two questions about the struggle against AIDS and the use of the condom, questions that refer back to the discussion that followed the pope’s comments on this topic during his trip to Africa in 2009.

The pope underlines clearly that, at that time, he did not want to express a position on the problem of condoms in general, but he wanted to affirm strongly that the problem of AIDS cannot be resolved solely with the distribution of condoms, because much more must be done: prevention, education, assistance, counsel, being close to people, both so that they do not become sick, and also in cases where they are sick.

The pope observes that even in non-church circles a comparable awareness has developed, as is seen in the so-called ABC theory (Abstinence-Be Faithful-Condoms), in which the first two elements (abstinence and fidelity) are much more decisive and fundamental in the struggle against AIDS, while the condom appears as a last resort when the other two are lacking.

It should therefore be clear that the condom is not the solution to the problem.

The pope then takes a wider view and insists on the fact that concentrating only on the condom signifies the 'banalization' of sexuality, which loses its meaning as the expression of love between persons and becomes like a 'drug.' To fight against the banalization of sexuality is 'part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man’s being.'

In the light of this ample and profound vision of human sexuality and its modern challenges, the pope reaffirms that the church 'of course does not regard (condoms) as a real or moral solution' to the problem of AIDS.

In saying this, the pope is not reforming or changing the teaching of the church, but reaffirming it by putting it in the context of the value and dignity of human sexuality as an expression of love and responsibility.

At the same time, the pope takes into consideration an exceptional situation in which the exercise of sexuality may represent a real risk to the life of another person. In such a case, the pope does not morally justify the disordered exercise of sexuality, but maintains that the use of the condom to diminish the danger of infection may be 'a first assumption of responsibility', 'a first step in a movement toward a … more human sexuality', as opposed to not using the condom and exposing the other person to a fatal risk.

In this statement, the pope’s reasoning certainly cannot be defined as a revolutionary shift.

Numerous moral theologians and authoritative ecclesiastical figures have maintained and still maintain similar positions; however, it is true that until now we had not heard them expressed with such clarity from the mouth of a pope, even if it is in a colloquial, and not magisterial, form.

Benedict XVI therefore courageously gives us an important contribution that clarifies and deepens a long-debated question. It is an original contribution, because on one hand it maintains fidelity to moral principles and demonstrates lucidity in refusing an illusory path like 'faith in condoms'; on the other hand, however, it shows a sympathetic and far-sighted vision, attentive to discovering small steps — even if they are only initial and still confused — of a humanity that is often spiritually and culturally impoverished, toward a more human and responsible exercise of sexuality."

the stuff that makes for a voice from eden

2010-11-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

This is the stuff that makes for a voice from eden: a man and a woman in love. Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton have announced their engagement today, and we are happy for them. This is what we are all about here in AVE.

Just a caution to you folks in the press and in the media out there: she is not going to be "Princess Kate" or "Princess Catherine." Technically she will be "HRH Princess William."

Now, if the Queen were to decide to give him a title, most likely a ducal one, she would then become, "HRH The Duchess of Somewhere."

So, a good and safe subject to talk about (forget "How long is their marriage going to last?") is "What title might the Queen give her grandson, an heir presumptive?" Ducal titles that have been given within the UK royal family, and are currently vacant, include: Ross, Clarence, Albany, Sussex, Cambridge, Connaught, and Strathearn. Any of those would work.

sign of the times

2010-11-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Poor sister having to submit to the indignity of an enhanced TSA pat-down. I have been traveling a lot lately, and had thought that a man wearing a collar might be spared the groping if I were to opt-out of the scanner.

No one is spared it seems. I heard on the radio today that even Betty White was patted down enhancely the other day. Now that's over the top.

the station at Poroy

2010-11-13T21:12:00.000-08:00

I reach the station at Poroy an hour and a half early. Looked for a newspaper, couldn’t find any. The station is empty, but for an attendant sweeping. She is impressed by my Spanish.

“¿Por que estas en la estación antes de tiempo?”

I replied in my gringo Spanish that my host called the taxi a bit too early, thinking that I would be taking the earlier train.

At half past eight, attendants were on the move. A table was set with flowers and glasses at the platform. Champagne and a sign-in book were brought in.

I saw school-age kids trooping down through the gate and then huddled at the side of the station: the girls in red monteras and beaded polleras, and some of the boys wearing máscaras with mustaches drawn in.

I board the train first with a glass in one hand, the only passenger who has shown up so far. The cabin is as pristine and posh as any from the Orient Express.

I glance through the window and I see a van pull up the station: more passengers arrive.

The music began to play, the dancers emerge from their corner.

"Me llamo Juan Diego. Soy invidente."

2010-11-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

My name is Juan Diego. I am blind.

Always "con sinceridad"

2010-11-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

Walking along Avenida Roland in this corner of South America, I glanced at the couple across the avenue and at the sign above: “Salude con sinceridad.”

I remember her quite well: one of the many folks who walk in and out of Church on Sundays, and occasionally on weekdays. She would wear her green felt hat, sometimes her beret. At her direction I had a ready smile, at the chance she’d glance my way and say hi or shake my hand.

One day after Mass she passed me by. I saw her lips move: perhaps a faint greeting, “hello.” I smiled and nodded and whispered my salude.

Then she returned and spoke to me.

“How come when I said 'hi' moments ago you did not acknowledge me?” she accused.

“Oh, but I did. I smiled and nodded.”

“Oh ok. Well, thank you.” And she walks away.

I was just greeted by one of ours wearing her black beret, who sees me at Mass daily, without even a glance my way. “Con sinceridad,” the sign said.

I kept on walking along the dirt road to catch my train.

Chatting along Avenida Roland

2010-11-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Mire con amabilidad, salude con sinceridad, obre con generosidad: "Look kindly, greet with sincerity, work with generosity."

Once In Royal David's City

2009-12-25T01:57:00.001-08:00

Ubi Caritas (Choir of King's College)

2009-12-18T00:21:00.000-08:00

planned parenthood director leaves

2009-11-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

twin baby boys laughing at each other

2009-05-16T23:57:00.001-07:00

Now, could there be anything cuter than this?

Dolan and Paterson set to clash on same-sex marriage

2009-04-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

With N.Y. Gov. David Paterson bent on introducing legislation that will legalize same-sex marriage, the work of newly-installed Archbishop Timothy Dolan begins in haste.

One the eve of his installation yesterday the Archbishop said, "You can bet I would be active and present and, I hope, articulate in this particular position."

The folks here in the Bay Area will soon be receiving a bishop who has been articulate in the issue of same-sex marriage during the campaign on California's Proposition 8: Salvatore Cordileone, presently the auxiliary in San Diego, and slated to be installed as Oakland's new Bishop.

Sometime in the next couple of months, the California Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of the passage of Proposition 8 which outlawed same-sex marriage.

a voice from "Britain's Got Talent": Susan Boyle

2009-04-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

Remember Paul Potts who awhile back wowed the audience of "Britain's Got Talent"? Seems that four days ago another star is born from the same show.

Tuesday of Holy Week

2009-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

From today's Gospel (John 13:21-33, 36-38):

Simon Peter leaned back against Jesus' chest
and said to him, "Master, who is it?"
Jesus answered, "It is the one whom I hand the morsel
after I have dipped it."

So he dipped the morsel and took it
and handed it to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel,
Satan entered him.

So Jesus said to him,
"What you are going to do,
do quickly."

"Said Judas To Mary" by Sydney Carter for Monday of Holy Week

2009-04-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Said Judas to Mary, "Now what will you do
With your ointment rich and so rare?"

"I'll pour it all over the feet of the Lord,
And I'll wipe it away with my hair," she said.
"I will wipe it away with my hair."

"Oh Mary, O Mary, O think of the poor.
This ointment it could have been sold;
And think of the blankets and think of the bread
You could buy with the silver and gold," he said,
"You could buy with the silver and gold."

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll think of the poor;
"Tomorrow," she said, "not today;
For dearer than all of the poor in the world
Is the love who is going away," she said,
"My love who is going away."

Said Jesus to Mary, "Your love is so deep
Today, you may do as you will.
Tomorrow, you say, I am going away,
But my body I leave with you still," he said,
"My body I leave with you still."

"The poor of the world are my body," he said,
"To the end of the world they shall be.
The bread and the blankets you give to the poor
You'll know you have given to me," he said,
"You'll know you have given to me."

"My body will hang on the cross of the world
Tomorrow," he said, "not today.
And Martha and Mary will find me again
And wash all my sorrow away," he said,
"And wash all my sorrow away."

a voice from prison: "For Unto Us A Child Is Born"

2007-12-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

Guadalupe: the fitting Advent symbol

2007-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

In our parish this morning, the celebration of today's feast was a rather humble one: certainly not the festive, grand celebration in parishes with the rich presence of our brothers and sisters from Central and South America.

But for me rather than the wreath, or the deep purple of Advent, a more fitting image for this season is the image of the pregnant Virgin of Tepeyac: prayerful, reverent, and expectant of the coming of Christ.

The entirety of our life is one big, grand Advent: in this life we prepare ourselves to meet the Lord: waiting “in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ,” just as that miraculous image of Mary on the tilma waits for the birth of the Christ Child.

Here is an Advent icon for all people, not just for those whose cultures have always celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe---but for all believers. In her, we find solidarity with all who wait....with all who are in the margins…..with all who migrate to our land---as Our Lady herself once migrated to a foreign land with her Child---wanting nothing more but to live and to work.

"a voice cries out!"---from Raniero Cantalamessa's reflection on the 2nd Sunday of Advent

2007-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

[Raniero Cantalamessa is the Pontifical Household preacher.]

In the Gospel for the second Sunday of Advent Jesus does not speak directly to us but his precursor, John the Baptist. The heart of the baptist's preaching is contained in that phrase of Isaiah that he powerfully repeats to his contemporaries: "The voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight his paths!"

Isaiah, to tell the truth, said: "A voice cries out: in the desert prepare the way of the Lord" (Isaiah 40:3). It is not, therefore, a voice in the desert, but a way in the desert. The Evangelists, applying the text to the baptist who preached in the desert of Judaea, modified the punctuation, but without changing the message's meaning.

Jerusalem was a city surrounded by desert: In the East the road, as soon as it was traced out, was easily erased by the sand blown by the wind, while in the West it was lost in the rugged terrain that sloped downward to the sea. When a procession or an important person had to come to Jerusalem it was necessary to go out into the desert to make a less provisional road; brush was cut away, holes were filled, obstacles were flattened, bridges were repaired. This is what was done during Passover, for example, to receive the pilgrims from the Diaspora. This is what inspired John the Baptist. Someone who is greater than everyone is about to come, he cries, "he who must come," the desired of the nations: A road must be made for him in the desert so that he may arrive.

But here is the leap from metaphor to reality: This path is not made on land but in the heart of every man; it is not built in the desert but in one's life. To build it there is no need to engage in material labor but in conversion. "Straighten the pathways of the Lord!" -- this command presupposes a bitter reality: Man is as a city invaded by the desert; he is closed in on himself, in his egoism; he is like a castle with a moat and the drawbridges all raised.

Worse: Man has complicated his ways with sin and he remains all tied up inside as in a labyrinth. Isaiah and John the Baptist speak metaphorically of ravines, mountains, twisted roads and impervious places. We just need to call these things by their real names, which are pride, sloth, selfishness, violence, cupidity, falsehood, hypocrisy, impudence, superficiality, drunkenness of every sort. (You can be drunk not only on wine or drugs but also on your own beauty, intelligence or yourself, which is the worst drunkenness!) We immediately grasp that this discourse concerns us as well; God's salvation waits on and seeks out in this situation every man.

Straightening a path for the Lord, thus, has a very concrete meaning: It means reforming our lives, converting. In the moral sense the hills that must be made low and the obstacles that must be removed are the pride that leads us to ruthlessness and to be without love for others, the injustice that deceives our neighbor, perhaps adducing specious pretenses to mollify and compensate for silencing our conscience, to say nothing of rancor, revenge, betrayal of love. The valleys to be filled in are laziness, apathy, lack of self-control, every sin of omission.

The word of God does not burden us with duties without at the same time giving the assurance that he will do together with us what he commands us to do. God, says the prophet Baruch, "has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God" (5:7). God makes low, God fills up, God builds the road; our task is to assent to his action, remembering that, as Saint Augustine says, "he who made us without our help, will not save us without our help."

on bad press for priests and on my hope for Judgment Day

2007-12-07T22:38:00.000-08:00

I learned last night that a popular radio host personality here in the Bay Area, Bernie Ward, was indicted on possessing and distributing child pornography. Ward’s defense seems to be that this was all part of the research he did three years ago for a book he is writing.

Quite a number of folks listen to him, known for his progressive views and Catholic commentary. I can number a few folks from this parish who listens to his Sunday morning talk show “Godtalk,” as religiously as they would come to Mass and listen to the priest’s homily.

Many many years ago when I was a more regular radio-talk listener, I’d tune in to KGO Radio and listen to Ward as a guest in Lee Rodgers’ talk show…and the interaction between the two whose political views were opposites was entertaining….and, as a high school student back then, very educational for me. I can say for sure that listening to those two debate on the radio was one of the things that ignited my interest in local and national politics.

Of course, many---if not all---of the news sources here in the Bay Area make mention of the fact that Ward used to be an ordained Catholic priest. The San Jose Mercury News’ banner headline reads: “Ex-Priest faces child-porn charges:”

It’s not “Radio host faces….” or “Radio personality is indicted…”

It’s as if, “Oh, well, he used to be one of those people, so that explains that!”

That irks me.

This news, together with the one about the East Bay priest Greene several weeks ago, and then the one about an HIV-poz Catholic Navy Chaplain the other day have been dismaying. I hope and pray for the day when news associating sexual aberration with the priesthood will cease.

For a novice priest like me these news are discouraging: because I love the priesthood and I love the Church, and when people’s trust in them is hurt by news such as these, I am saddened.

It's Advent, and with last week's Gospel on the Second Coming I sometimes imagine what it would be like on Judgment Day with all of us priests standing and awaiting the verdict. I imagine words from: “Well, you folks have a lot to answer for….” to “many of you did just fine…you all had a lot of unfair bad press for things some of your brothers did, but you as a group did not do too badly at all.”

“You did not do too badly at all.” To hear that on Judgment Day!

exploring Eden and eating scorpions

2007-12-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

I’ve been watching this guy on TV survive in a desert, a forest, a jungle, a glacier, swampland, wherever. Drop this guy anywhere on the face of the earth and he’d figure out a way to survive.

His name is Bear Grylls (what a name) and he eats whatever he can find: bugs, snakes, scorpions, grubs, flowers, zebras you name it---and most of the time he eats them raw. He’d grab a grub, give it a chew, wince, and say something like, “Eww, caught a bad one today....tastes like a puss exploded in my mouth.” Lovely, eh?

Word went out a few months ago that that he may be a fake and that some of the scenes were staged and that Bear had actually spent a night in a motel. So nowadays before each episode, a disclaimer is shown stating that some situations have been presented to Grylls for him to show survival techniques.

But still, I think you can’t fake finding a dead zebra in the middle of a savannah, whose flesh has been torn by lions and vultures, and taking a slice of meat off it and eating it raw!

I see Grylls do all these survivor stunts and think to myself on a bad day in the parish, “This is ok…they’ve not made me eat scorpions yet.”

Grylls eating a crucifix spider.

on the Church's roots and on Ephraim the Syrian on women

2007-11-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

Dedicating the Pope Paul VI hall to the memory of St. Ephraim the Syriac today, Benedict called the saint "the most important representative of Syriac Christianity, and succeeded in a unique way to reconcile the vocation of the theologian with that of the poet."

The saint's writing says something about women: "To Ephrem the role of the woman is a relevant one. The way he wrote about women was always prompted by sensibility and respect: The fact that Jesus dwelt in the womb of Mary has enormously raised the woman's dignity," Benedict says.

Benedict reminded the General Audience that the Church's roots are not European. Said Benedict: "According to general opinion, Christianity is a European religion that has exported the culture of this Continent to other countries. The reality, though, is a lot more complex, as the root of the Christian religion is found in the Old Testament, and therefore in Jerusalem and the Semitic world....Its expansion during the first centuries was both westward -- toward the Greek-Latin world, where it then inspired the European culture -- and eastward to Persia and India, thus contributing to stimulate a specific culture, in Semitic languages, with its own identity."

Here is a portion from Ephraim's work. The scene is Mary, greeted by the princes of Persia bearing gifts for her infant child:

They entered and found Him as a child--
as He dwelt in the house of the lowly woman;
and they drew near and worshipped with gladness,
and brought near before Him their treasures.

Mary said, "For whom are these and for what purpose?
And what is the cause that has called you
to come from your country
to the Child with your treasures?"

They said, "Thy Son is a King and He binds crowns
and is King of all,
and great is His power over the world,
and to His Kingdom shall all be obedient."

At what time did this come to pass,
that a lowly woman should bring forth a King?"

Mary said: "I who am in need and in want,
how then could a king come forth from me?"

[The princes said]: "In thee alone
has this come to pass
that a mighty King from thee should appear;
thee in whom poverty shall be magnified,
and to thy Son shall crowns be made subject."

Ephraim the Syrian

"the Mass must go on"

2007-11-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

A gentleman seated in the first pew collapsed during Mass yesterday. I had just raised the consecrated bread and wine and was in the middle of offering the prayer of doxology when out of the corner of my eye I saw his figure drop with a thud. I caught sight of another man across the aisle rush to him.

I reach the end of the prayer: “….all glory and honor is Yours Almighty Father, forever and ever.” The pianist doesn’t play; the cantor doesn’t sing; not one soul responds “Amen.” Sensing that all were transfixed to the commotion going on in front of me, I lower the chalice and the consecrated bread and proceed to the fallen.

“Are you OK?” I ask.

“Yeah, I am,” he responds, noticing that he’s not beyond his teenage years yet.

His hand was on his forehead rubbing it, and so turning to the young man next to him I ask, “How did he hit his head?”

“My leg. He’ll be ok.”

Turning again to the fallen teen, I ask: “Would you like to rest in the sacristy for awhile?”

“Yeah,” he says without hesitation.

The young man’s brother whose leg fortunately cushioned the landing accompanies him to the sacristy. The parents were out of sight.

I return to the altar, asked the congregation to pray for the young man, and then led them in praying the Lord’s Prayer.

After Mass and after greeting the departing parishioners, I enter the sacristy. The paramedics were treating the young man. His brother and mother were present.

“He had breakfast this morning,” his mother standing in a corner tells me. “Oh he DID have breakfast, Ma’am?” a paramedic wanted to make sure.

I turn to the brother: “Do you think he had a full night’s sleep last night?” Not sure why I asked that. I’ve never collapsed or fainted in my life. But I know I’ve had all-nighters in college and the next day always left me with the feeling of wanting to just drop to the floor and sleep.

“Yeh, I think so,” his brother responds

The paramedics take him to the hospital. His mother and brother follow. The dad I was later told was also in the room, but I didn’t notice him.

Odd.

After removing my vestments, I emerge from the sacristy. A parishioner tells me, “Father, it was quite awkward. I think this is the first time someone’s collapsed at this Mass. Nobody quite knew what to do!”

I said to myself, “What makes you think I know what to do when things like this happen? This is only the fifth time someone has either collapsed or fainted at one of my Masses and every time it happens I simply don’t know what to do.”

Later in the day I told an Episcopal acquaintance about this. He tells me, “Well, you know…..when the Dean of Grace Cathedral died in his stall during the late 1970s, the Mass carried on, as if nothing happened, while paramedics dragged his body out of the stall.”

“Wow…” I exclaim.

"It’s all to keep a stiff upper lip, you know. Even when a rather deranged individual cut in front of the procession & sat with the clergy in the Bishop's stall, the service carried on, without interruption,” he adds.

“Amazing. That incident about the Dean of Grace Cathedral dying at liturgy and no one pausing seems rather heartless, don’t you think?” I ask.

“Oh I don't know. There is something to be said though for carrying on with the Mass, without pausing for death.....Death is just a part of life.”

And at the rate I'm going, collapses are becoming just a part of Mass.

Christ as the rightful King

2007-11-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

[Here is one of my favorite passages from C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" (chapter 7), fitting on this day of Solemnity of Christ the King.]

One of the things that surprised me when I first read the New Testament seriously was that it talked so much about a Dark Power in the universe--a mighty evil spirit who was held to be the Power behind death and disease, and sin.

The difference is that Christianity thinks this Dark Power was created by God, and was good when he was created, and went wrong. Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel.

Enemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery.

I know someone will ask me, 'Do you really mean, at this time of day, to re-introduce our old friend the devil-hoofs and horns and all?' Well, what the time of day has to do with it I do not know. And I am not particular about the hoofs and horns. But in other respects my answer is 'Yes, I do.' I do not claim to know anything about his personal appearance. If anybody really wants to know him better I would say to that person, 'Don't worry. If you really want to, you will. Whether you'll like it when you do is another question.'

"an honor for all Iraqis"

2007-11-24T11:52:00.000-08:00

Benedict elevates Emmanuel to the
cardinalate

From Al-Jazeera:

Pope Benedict XVI has elevated 23 prelates from around the world to the position of cardinal and delivered a pressing appeal for an end to war in Iraq.

One of the new cardinals is Emmanuel III Delly, the Baghdad-based Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans.

During a ceremony in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday, the pope said Christians in Iraq were "feeling with their own flesh the dramatic consequences of an enduring conflict".

The Chaldeans are Iraq's biggest Christian group and the Chaldean rite is one of the oldest in the Catholic Church.

Saddam protection

Many Iraqi Chaldeans have emigrated since the war started in 2003 and the Vatican has expressed concern that a country with one of the most ancient Christian traditions could be depleted of its faithful.

Protected under Saddam Hussein, there were 700,00 Christians in Iraq.

It is now thought that only half that number remain.

The pope said: "Let us together reaffirm the solidarity of the whole Church with the Christians of that beloved land and invoke from the merciful God the coming of longed-for reconciliation and peace for all the peoples involved [in the conflict]."

He said in his sermon that he had chosen the Iraqi patriarch as a cardinal to express his spiritual closeness to suffering Iraqis.

Other new cardinals came from Germany, Poland, Spain, Ireland, France, Brazil and Kenya, Senegal, India, Mexico, Italy, Argentina and the US.

'All Iraqis'

Emmanuel III, who is 80, said that the honour was for "all Iraqis".

He said: "The title of cardinal that the pope has accorded me is not for my poor self alone but for all Iraqis, both those who still live in our tortured country and those who have emigrated.

"I will continue to serve Iraq and all the ethnic and religious groups of the country who should be united. I will serve my country, Iraq, to the last drop of my blood."

He said the pope had referred to his nomination as a "sign of reconciliation... between Christians and all the Muslims, whether Sunni or Shiite".

The pope has repeatedly called for dialogue between Christians and Muslims to combat intolerance and violence.

[photo: Paul Haring/CNS]

Spiritual voice (30): Clement of Rome on what is expected of priests

2007-11-23T10:32:00.000-08:00

[On this feast of St. Clement (d. 102), the fourth bishop of Rome, I would like to share this passage from the 13th chapter of his first epistle: a passage which speaks of what is expected of priests--of those who work in the vineyard of the Lord]

Beloved brethren, that a man should build up and establish the brethren on the faith in one God, this also is manifest and well-known. This too, again, is comely, that a man should not be envious of his neighbour. And moreover, again, it is suitable and comely that all those who work the works of the Lord should work the works of the Lord in the fear of God. Thus is it required of them to conduct themselves.

That "the harvest is great, but the workmen are few," this also is well-known and manifest. Let us, therefore, "ask of the Lord of the harvest" that He would send forth workmen into the harvest: such workmen as "shall skilfully dispense the word of truth":

--workmen "who shall not be ashamed;"

--faithful workmen;

--workmen who shall be "the light of the world;
workmen who "work not for the food that perishes, but for that food which abides unto life eternal;

--workmen who shall be such as the apostles;

--workmen who imitate the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

--who are concerned for the salvation of men;

--not hireling workmen;

--not workmen to whom the fear of God and righteousness appear to be gain;

--not workmen who "serve their belly;

--not workmen who with fair speeches and pleasant words mislead the hearts of the innocent;

--not workmen who imitate the children of light, while they are not light but darkness;

--men whose end is destruction;

--not workmen who practice iniquity and wickedness and fraud;

--not crafty workmen;

--not workmen drunken and faithless;

--nor workmen who traffic in Christ;

--not misleaders;

--not "lovers of money;

--not malevolent.

Let us, therefore, contemplate and imitate the faithful who have conducted themselves well in the Lord, as is becoming and suitable to our calling and profession. Thus let us do service before God in justice and righteousness, and without blemish, "occupying ourselves with things good and comely before God and also before men." For this is comely, that God be glorified in us in all things.

Here ends the first Epistle of Clement

battling with the turkey on Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T10:57:00.000-08:00

I've seen this commercial a few times already and I still get a chuckle whenever it comes on. To all of you out there, a may you have a safe (less-disastrous) and blessed Thanksgiving Day:

a reflection on today's Lectionary readings: on the Presentation of Mary

2007-11-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

Based on 2 Maccabees 7:1,20-32
Luke 19:11-28

Two parents are presented before us today. The first is the brave mother from the first reading, whose beautiful words to her sons emboldened them to face their execution with courage. She, who from their infancy would have nurtured their faith, and she--who would have taught them their prayers and the practices of their Jewish ancestors---enabled her children to remain faithful through the example of her own valiant trust.

And the second is the figure of Mary, one of whose feasts we celebrate today. She, along with Joseph, were the first teachers of their son in the ways of faith: she who would have taught Jesus his first childhood prayers and taught him about the customs of their Jewish forefathers. She would have had a thing or two to tell him about courage and of trusting in God even when it could bring ridicule and persecution. And she most likely taught Jesus all of this pointing to her own personal experience of trusting---of trusting the words of an angel even though doing so would have meant personal embarrassment and possibly her execution.

What is interesting is that the words of the brave mother from the first reading could have been Mary’s own words to her Son: “Son, I do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which you are composed…yet God will give you the breath of life because you disregard yourself for his sake.”

We owe a lot to our parents and those who are and have been parent figures to us. On this week of thanksgiving, we remember them and lift them up to God in prayer. And we who are parents and who are parent figures are reminded that God entrusts us with an awesome task of nurturing what we’ve been given—our faith---and of handing down the faith, just as the king in today’s Gospel parable entrusts his servants with gold coins and calls them to increase what they’ve been given. For this we also give God our thanks for entrusting us with the privilege of sharing in his own mission.

Sacramento welcomes Soto

2007-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

The faithful of Sacramento have welcomed their new co-adjutor Bishop Jaime Soto, an auxiliary from the diocese of Orange, at a special Mass of welcome yesterday.

Approximately 1,300 guests packed the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento for the two-hour bilingual Mass.

"We are delighted you are young, vigorous, bright and wise -- you are just what we need. You are well prepared to lead us in ministry to our large Hispanic population and also in working toward unifying and celebrating our multicultural reality," said Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento.

And for his part Soto remarked:
"This is my prayer -- while we worship together, work together, study and pray the Scriptures together, discern and deliberate together God's call, work hand in hand to bring God's saving charity to others, strive together for a just world where peace prospers -- may we always reverence one another as brothers and sisters, saving the joy and encouragement of our communion in Christ."

priest with a past appointed as pastor

2007-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

Imagine that your pastor who has diligently served your community for over 20 years is soon to retire. In his place a priest is appointed who is known to you and your community: having served at your parish as parochial vicar a couple of years ago, initiating new ministries there, and serving effectively and with dedication at other parishes in your diocese for several years.

Then just several weeks before the new priest is to assume the pastorship, a few folks begin distributing fliers after Masses on Sunday with startling information: that the newly appointed priest was arrested 8 years ago for lewd conduct.

More information about this emerge from the local newspaper: that the priest after the arrest went to counseling for several months, that the charges against him were dropped after counseling, that no one was actually involved in the incident–no minor and no adult--except for the arresting officer, and that there has been no incident since the arrest.

Well, this is what is presently going on at a parish in the SF East Bay, at the Catholic Community of Pleasanton.

The retiring pastor as well as the Bishop have both voiced their support for the newly appointed priest. "For seven years [the new appointee, Padraig Greene] has been a most effective minister, without negative incident," writes the pastor in the parish bulletin.

And the Bishop, Allen Vigneron, writes: "Repentant and desiring to put his life back in order, Father Greene spent several months dealing with this dark moment through extensive therapy and a program of spiritual renewal....The Diocese of Oakland, as an expression of our belief in the forgiveness and redemption God offers to all people, sponsored Father Greene in this program."

Meanwhile, the folks at SNAP [Survival Network of Those Abused by Priests] continue to hand out copies of police and court records after Masses on Sunday.

No doubt this is a difficult time for their community. But perhaps there is an opportunity for folks in the parish to air their concerns, and for the pastor and the new appointee to listen and to reassure.

If this had happened at your community how would you respond?

60 years: "the ornament and lodestar of the Crown"

2007-11-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a couple would come to me saying, “Father, we’re celebrating our wedding anniversary soon. We’ve been married so many years and we’d like to ask you to bless our marriage.”

Usually I’d ask them if we could have the blessing at one of the scheduled parish Masses if possible. Not only is it suitable to commemorate such an event with the Eucharist, especially if the couple has drawn much strength from it throughout their marriage, but it is also fitting that the community celebrates something like this---a long, resilient marriage that has stood the test of time: something that’s becoming more and more an exception these days. My hope is that this also inspires the other married couples out there witnessing the blessing to carry on.

Today the British nation did exactly that, celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of their Queen and her Duke. It can't be easy to remain committed as they have with the glare of the global spotlight on them as three of their own children found out; but Elizabeth and Philip have done it. And because of this, we too celebrate it here because theirs too is an echo of that voice from Eden.

At today's service in Westminster Abbey to mark the anniversary, these words penned for the occasion by the British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion entitled "Diamond Wedding" were read:

Love found a voice and spoke two names aloud---
two private names, though breezed through public air---
and joined them in a life where duty spoke
in languages their tenderness could share.

A life remote from ours because it asked
each day, each action to be kept in view,
and yet familiar in the trust it placed
in human hearts, in hearts remaining true.

The years stacked up and as their weight increased
they pressed the stone of time to diamond,
immortal-mortal in its brilliant strength,
a jewel of earth where lightnings correspond.

Now every facet holds a picture-glimpse:
in some, the family faces and the chance
for ordinary talk and what-comes-next;
in others, shows of pomp and circumstance.

And here, today, the diamond proves itself
as something of our own yet not our own---
a blaze of trust, the oneness made of two;
the ornament and lodestar of the crown.

Elizabeth and Philip during their honeymoon
in Broadlands in Hampshire, England.

Back to Broadlands 60 years later.

from the California preservationist John Muir (1838-1914)

2007-11-19T16:29:00.001-08:00

Climb the mountains
and get their good tidings.
Nature's peace will flow into you
as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

"Sir, would you care for a motto?"

2007-11-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

I’m getting a kick out of reading some of the possible mottos that the British are coming up with for their nation. We Americans have “In God We Trust,” and the French have “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.” And so the British government is encouraging a national discussion on whether they too should have a motto of their own.

And the British, famous for their sardonic, irreverent humor that mocks anything pompous like a motto, have come up with several choice ones:

“Once Great: Britain”

“No motto please, we’re British.”

“We apologize for the inconvenience.”

“Try writing history without us.”

“Free, tolerant, free-minded, and true.”

“Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Abso, Tesco.”

“Americans who missed the boat.”

“At least we’re not French.”

“Get blotto, play the lotto, that’s our motto!”

"Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful" (from Shakespeare’s "Measure for Measure”)
"Unity in individuality."
"Mustn't grumble."

"Don't wait, emigrate."

"Smile, it could get worse."

"Once mighty empire, slightly used."

"Mind your own business."

And so why are the British having a difficult time with conjuring up a motto? According to former advisor on citizenship for the government, Sir Bernard Crick:

"When the American states gathered together, they had 'e pluribus unum' and it was there right from the beginning and it meant something," he says.

"We have no historical occasion like that. You have to take the British sense of history as a whole and I don't think it can be summed up. It would either be vague waffle or terribly contentious…You can't encompass a whole national history in a slogan…..It's ridiculous."

God Save The Queen.

Christians, Muslims erect cross in Baghdad

2007-11-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this picture on the news today. The words of the photographer, Michael Yon, are below:

"I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John's Church in Baghdad. They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome. A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from 'Chosen' Company 2-12 Cavalry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John's, an occasion all viewed as a sign of hope. The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. 'Thank you, thank you,' the people were saying. One man said, 'Thank you for peace.' Another man, a Muslim, said 'All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.' The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers."

"Before It's Too Late" by The Goo Goo Dolls

2007-10-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

I wandered through fiction to look for the truth
Burried beneath all the lies.
And I stood at a distance to feel who you are
Hiding myself in your eyes.

And hold on before it's too late.
We'll run 'til we leave this behind.
Don't fall, just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives.
And the risk that might break you
The one that would save
A life you don't live is still lost.

So stand on the edge with me.
Hold back your fear and see
Nothing is real 'til it's gone.

Hold on before it's too late.
We'll run 'til we leave this behind.

a reflection on today's Lectionary readings

2006-12-22T10:21:00.000-08:00

[Based on 1 Samuel 1:24-28 and Luke 1:46-56]

Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian theologian and Dominican priest, coined the phrase the Church's "preferential option for the poor," a phrase many of us may have previously heard. Initially, the Church repudiated this concept, but then later the Church went back to it, refined it, and is now a cornerstone of the Church's social teaching. The phrase expresses our primary concern as Church for the plight of the poor, the marginalized, those without a voice in society. It expresses the belief that what the Church is all about and who the Church serves is first and foremost the poor in our midst: and that all our liturgies, our theologizing, our prayers, our mission are oriented towards the service of the least among us.

I had the chance to hear Ronald Rolheiser in person last month speaking at a nearby seminary here in the Bay Area, and he said something along these same lines. He said that when Christ returns his question to each of us will not be, "well, how was your prayer life, how was your theology, is it orthodox? how were your devotions, your liturgies at Church." No, not these questions. Rather his first and perhaps only question to us is, "How was the poor in your midst, how was the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the immigrant in your midst, how did you help them?"

These words of Mary from the Gospel, this song of Mary, has been called the song of the poor: "he has lifted up the lowly, the has filled the hungry with good things." It has also been called the song and prayer of the Church---our song and prayer---expressing our preference in praying and in working for the poor among us: the materially as well as the spiritually poor, the orphan, the widow, the stranger, the newcomer in our midst, the undocumented alien, the unborn, those spending their final years alone, with no family or friends.

This song of Mary, our song, not only reminds us to pray and work on behalf of the least among us, but also brings us hope---that the child who was born almost 2000 years ago in a manger will come again to set things right and bring lasting justice and peace on this earth. And because of this we join Mary in proclaiming, "My soul rejoices in God our Savior."

a reflection on today's Lectionary readings

2006-11-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

Based on Rev. 15:1-4 and Luke 21:12-19

Elsewhere in this Gospel according to Luke, Jesus says, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” I think this is a key to interpreting Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel: “You are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I will give you a wisdom in speaking.” A life of faith, a life that lives out the command of God to love God and to love others—the fruits of which are goodness and the power of God and holiness in our hearts---is the only preparation we will ever need if ever we are called to give a defense for our faith. Out of our experience of living as disciples of Jesus, out of that goodness, and with the help of God, we can adequately give defense if need be for our faith.

We do not live in a society that persecutes people of faith in the same way that the first readers of this Gospel experienced, and which some of our brothers and sisters today are experiencing in other countries. But there are times when our faith is tried; events and circumstances that life throws at us. It is perhaps in those moments when somebody asks, “How do you manage, what keeps you going in spite of everything that you’ve gone through,” that we can give an explanation, an explanation that comes from within, deep from a life of living in faith and trust—-an explanation that reveals God’s help, God’s grace, God presence in our lives; an explanation that becomes praise to God.

From the 1st reading the apostle John saw a vision of countless people in heaven praising God. I can’t help but think that they spoke spontaneously, unprepared, unrehearsed perhaps, because they spoke from deep within, from the heart, from a life of undying faith and trust. May our lives of faith continue to cultivate in our hearts the goodness of God, which when expressed and proclaimed resound the words of the saints in heaven: “Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord God Almighty.”

an Iroquois prayer of thanksgiving

2006-11-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

We return thanks to our mother,
the earth, which sustains us.

We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.

We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.

We return thanks to the corn,
and to her sisters, the beans and squash,
which give us life.

We return thanks to the bushes and trees,
which provide us with fruit.

We return thanks to the wind,
which, moving the air, has banished diseases.

We return thanks to the moon and the stars,
which have given us their light when the sun was gone.

We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,
who has given to us his rain.

We return thanks to the sun,
that he has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.

Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
in whom is embodied all goodness,
and who directs all things for the good of his children.

fake priests in demand for weddings in Japan

2006-11-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Only 1% of Japanese are Christian, yet 90% of the weddings are conducted in the Western or Christian style.

And because there aren’t enough genuine Japanese Christian ministers or Catholic priests to go around, this necessitates the use of “fake” priests---guys who pretend to be priests or ministers just to give the couple and their families and guests the “atmosphere” of a Christian-style ceremony.

And apparently, this is a booming business in Japan.

According to Mark Kelly, a fake priest originally from England, “Being a fake priest is big business in Japan - I've done a TV commercial for one company.” He adds: "In Sapporo, there are five agencies employing about 20 fake priests. In a city like Tokyo, there must be hundreds."

What happens when these fake priests come across a real one? The report from the BBC quotes one Japanese Christian priest who spoke out: "It is a real problem for us. They are not genuine and they give us a bad name," he said, adding: "It is important for the bride and groom to have a proper wedding, and they are not getting it from these foreign priests. I have even heard of hotels using staff when they can't find anyone else."

One bride was surprised to find out that some of the Western priests were not genuine.

She said: "I thought the priests were all real and I think everyone in Japan thinks that."

Think again.

homily on the Solemnity of All Saints

2006-11-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity three months ago to visit the Cathedral in Los Angeles for the first time since it opened in 4 years ago. Upon entering, the first thing that struck me were the 25 large tapesties–about 21 ft by 7 ft–hanging on the north and south walls of the central nave of the cathedral. These 25 tapestries depict the over life-sized figures of 136 saints from all over the world, from different walks of life, from every period of history. Saints like the apostles, St. Joan of Arc,, St. Francis, Lorenzo Ruiz, Chalres Lwanga, and others. You know who they were because either underneath the saints or above them are their names, so you can identify them.

What was most striking were the faces of these saints. They weren’t faces we typically find in paintings of saints—many paintings of saints are stylized, and sometimes with almost life-less expressions. The faces on these tapestries were vivid, contemporary, alive.

Before he started work on the tapestries, the artist and painter, John Nava who created them, researched on each of the saints. And through his research he got insight on each of the saints’ personalities, history, and life. And after that, he searched for appropriate models. Many of the models he chose turned out to be the people he already knew—family members, friends, people on the street sometimes, his gardener, the woman who served him at the restaurant, teachers, writers, a variety of people, from different walks of life. They brought to life the figures of the saints of the past.

I think in doing this Nava conveys an important message: that the saints were these powerful figures of faith who are just like us. Like us, they experienced weakness, pain, joy, fear, love, doubt.. Like us, they also weren’t entirely perfect. Each one had his/her challenges. None of them had an easy life. Like us, the saints had personal problems, some with family members, colleagues, and political and church leaders. Yet they endured: amid the demanding challenges of their time and culture, the saints never stopped being faithful but relied on God for help and in so doing witnessed to Jesus in their lives—something we are called to do.

There is another detail in this tapestry that is noteworthy. Mixed with all those saints of the past, Nava included anonymous saints....figures in the tapestry who were not named, and all of these unnamed figures wear contemporary/modern clothes we’d wear everyday. And those figures represent us—-you and me—-the saints of today. We stand in the company of, and in communion with, all those powerful figures of faith of the past, praising God and thanking him for all the help and blessings God has showered on us. And together with them—we at our earthly liturgy here at Mass, and those saints at the heavenly liturgy which we heard about in the first reading—we proclaim and cry out with one voice: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power and might.

from "Why should I Cry For You" by Sting

2006-10-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

Under the dog star sail,
over the reefs of moonshine,
under the skies of fall,
North, north west, the stones of Faroe.

Under the Artic fire,
over the seas of silence
hauling on frozen ropes
for all my days remaining.
But would north be true?

All colors bleed to red,
asleep on the ocean's bed,
drifting in empty seas,
for all my days remaining
But would north be true?
Why should I? Why should I cry for you?

Dark angels follow me,
over a godless sea,
mountains of endless falling,
for all my days remaining,
What would be true?

Sometimes I see your face,
The stars seem to lose their place
Why must I think of you?
Why must I? Why should I?

Why should I cry for you?
Why would you want me to?
And what would it mean to say,
That "I loved you in my fashion?"

Ocean at Night by Indigo

reflection on today's Lectionary readings

2006-10-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:1-6
Psalm 24: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Luke 12:54-59

These words of Jesus in my mind speak a lot to our society today, especially the Western world: if only our expertise and knowledge of our physical world were matched by our expertise in living the spiritual and moral life how better off we will all be.

We as a society are endowed with many scientific and technological knowledge and skill. The abundance of knowledge we have on science, biology, astronomy, physics, and other subjects is tremendous. But still, living in peace and charity, eludes us. This is partly what Jesus meant when he said “You know how to interpret weather, the things on earth, then why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?”

I think if Jesus were to address our society today, he’d say something along those lines: your technological advances and knowledge are to be praised, but how come you have not found the way to peace and charity, in your homes, in your neighborhoods, between nations? How come?

I think Pope Benedict, based on previous statements his made touching on this matter, would answer that question by saying that this is so because we have excluded God from our public life.

In his homily in Munich, Germany on Sept. 10, Benedict said:

“People in Africa and Asia admire indeed the scientific and technical prowess of the West, but they are frightened by a form of rationality that totally excludes God from man’s vision as if this were the highest form of reason and one to be taught to their cultures too. They do not see the real threat to their identity in the Christian faith but in the contempt for God and the cynicism that considers mockery of the sacred to be an exercise of freedom and that holds up utility as the supreme criterion for the future of scientific research.”

If that is the explanation, then that means each one of us is the answer because each one of us has made God a part of our daily life and we have not excluded God in our lives--"the one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all," using Paul’s words from today's first reading. We are witnesses to the fact that living in peace and joy and love in this world is integral to being human, to being alive.

That is the message we help carry to people around us just by our living in faith: a massage authentically proclaimed by "the people that longs to see God’s face."

Catholic obstetricians on the decline

2006-10-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Here’s an interesting article that just came out of the Catholic News Service.

According to Dr. Robert Walley, founder and executive director of MaterCare International: “Obstetricians who oppose having to perform abortions as part of their training or in their practice at public or private health care facilities sometimes face ‘a sort of medical totalitarianism’ and feel tremendous pressure to ‘do it this way or not at all,’

And so in societies where abortion is legal, Catholic obstetricians are fast disappearing. "Like the dinosaur who was frozen out by a climatic change, that's happening to us," Walley said.

Moreover, it is tough on anyone in the field not necessarily on conscientious Catholics he said, adding: “"It doesn't matter what side of the argument you're on with the abortion issue, nobody wants to spend their life doing abortions if you're a trained surgeon, a trained gynecologist.”

Adding to the despressing task of terminating a pregnancy is the litigation involved: “"The world now expects perfection, so if you don't get it and we can't guarantee that,” he said. The report further adds: “patients often sue the obstetrician, which then discourages people from continuing or even getting into this field.”

papal cartoon

2006-10-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

The Vatican will release this week a cartoon film about the life of Pope John Paul II.

It shows the life of the man born Karol Wojtyla, from his beginnings in Poland to his death last year.

It was made by Cavin Cooper, a firm based in Barcelona, and is directed by producer Jose Luis Lopez-Guardia.

According to a report from London's Daily Mail: "It is a fascinating story that works well as a cartoon,' said Lopez-Garcia.

"The Vatican has given its 'full backing' to the film, which has been dubbed into seven languages. Last night a source said it had been felt a cartoon 'would appeal to all'."

Muslim clerics send an open letter to Pope Benedict

2006-10-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Thirty-eight leading Muslim leaders and scholars will be sending an open letter to Pope Benedict to address the Pope's remarks from Regensburg, Germany.

The letter "tackles the main issues raised by the Pope in his discussion of a debate between the medieval Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an 'educated Persian' such as compulsion in religion, reason and faith, forced conversion, the understanding of 'Jihad' or 'Holy War,' and the relationship between Christianity and Islam," according to Islamica Magazine.

Click here for a link to read the letter.

Spiritual voice (29): from Pope John Paul II's address to the General Audience on January 26, 1983 (Theology of the Body)

2006-10-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

[As the lectionary readings this Sunday all speak of marriage and its indissolubility, it is fitting that the 29th Spiritual voice come from these words by the late Pope John Paul II in which he speaks of the language of the body strengthening the marriage bond.]

1. The sign of marriage as a sacrament of the Church is constituted each time according to that dimension which is proper to it from the "beginning." At the same time it is constituted on the foundation of the spousal love of Christ and of the Church as the unique and unrepeatable expression of the covenant between "this" man and "this" woman. They are the ministers of marriage as a sacrament of their vocation and their life. In saying that the sign of marriage as a sacrament of the Church is constituted on the basis of the language of the body, we are using analogy (the analogy of attribution), which we have sought to clarify previously. It is obvious that the body as such does not "speak," but man speaks, rereading that which requires to be expressed precisely on the basis of the "body," of the masculinity and femininity of the personal subject, indeed, on the basis of what can be expressed by man only by means of the body.

In this sense man—male or female—does not merely speak with the language of the body. But in a certain sense he permits the body to speak "for him" and "on his behalf," I would say, in his name and with his personal authority. In this way even the concept of the "prophetism of the body" seems to be well founded. The prophet spoke "for" and "on behalf of"—in the name and with the authority of a person.

2. The newlywed spouses are aware of it when in contracting marriage they institute its visible sign. In the perspective of life in common and of the conjugal vocation, that initial sign, the original sign of marriage as a sacrament of the Church, will be continually completed by the "prophetism of the body." The spouses' bodies will speak "for" and "on behalf of" each of them. They will speak in the name of and with the authority of the person, of each of the persons, carrying out the conjugal dialogue proper to their vocation and based on the language of the body, reread in due course opportunely and continually—and it is necessary that it be reread in truth! The spouses are called to form their life and their living together as a communion of persons on the basis of that language. Granted that there corresponds to the language a complexus of meaning, the spouses—by means of their conduct and comportment, by means of their actions and gestures ("gestures of tenderness"—cf. Gaudium et Spes 49)—are called to become the authors of such meanings of the "language of the body." Consequently, love, fidelity, conjugal uprightness and that union which remains indissoluble until death are constructed and continually deepened.

3. The sign of marriage as a sacrament of the Church is formed precisely by those meanings which the spouses are the authors of. All these meanings are initiated and in a certain sense "programmed" in a synthetic manner in the conjugal consent for the purpose of constructing later—in a more analytical way, day by day—the same sign, identifying oneself with it in the dimension of the whole of life. There is an organic bond between rereading in truth the integral significance of the language of the body and the consequent use of that language in conjugal life. In this last sphere the human being—male and female—is the author of the meanings of the language of the body. This implies that this language which he is the author of corresponds to the truth which has been reread. On the basis of biblical tradition we speak here of the "prophetism of the body." If the human being—male and female—in marriage (and indirectly also in all the spheres of mutual life together) confers on his behavior a significance in conformity with the fundamental truth of the language of the body, then he also "is in the truth." In the contrary case he is guilty of a lie and falsifies the language of the body.

4. If we place ourselves on the perspective line of conjugal consent—which, as we have already said, offers the spouses a particular participation in the prophetic mission of the Church handed down from Christ himself—we can in this regard also use the biblical distinction between true and false prophets. By means of marriage as a sacrament of the Church, man and woman are called explicitly to bear witness—by using correctly the language of the body—to spousal and procreative love, a witness worthy of true prophets. The true significance and the grandeur of conjugal consent in the sacrament of the Church consists in this.

5. The problematic of the sacramental sign of marriage has a highly anthropological character. We construct it on the basis of theological anthropology and in particular on that which, from the beginning of the present considerations, we have defined as the theology of the body. Therefore, in continuing these analyses, we should always have before our minds the previous considerations which refer to the analysis of the key words of Christ. (We call them key words because they open up for us, like a key, the individual dimensions of theological anthropology, especially of the theology of the body.) Constructing on this basis the analysis of the sacramental sign of marriage in which the man and woman always participate, even after original sin, that is, man and woman as historical man, we must constantly bear in mind the fact that that historical man, male and female, is at the same time the man of concupiscence. As such, every man and every woman enter the history of salvation and they are involved in it through the sacrament which is the visible sign of the covenant and of grace.

Therefore, we bear this in mind in the context of the present reflections, on the sacramental structure of the sign of not only what Christ said on the unity and indissolubility of marriage by referring to the "beginning," but also (and still more) what he said in the Sermon on the Mount when he referred to the "human heart."

from Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

2006-10-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own.

If I lay here,
If I just lay here,
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told,
Before we get too old
To show me a garden that's bursting into life!

Monet's Garden in Autumn

a win for reason: Court of Appeals strikes down same-sex marriage

2006-10-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

By a 2-1 decision, the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco yesterday declared that gays and lesbians have no constitutional right to marry in California, and that any change giving them that right must come from state lawmakers or the voters rather than the legal system.

This decision reverses a lower-court ruling in San Francisco made last year which said that a 1977 state law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman violated the state Constitution by denying gays and lesbians the right to marry the partners of their choice.

As you can imagine, there are many disappointed folks here in the Bay Area---folks who got “married” in February 2004 in a “marriage spree” in San Francisco, when SF Mayor Gavin Newsome agreed to give marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

When that “marriage spree” was going on then, I remember thinking what a half-baked idea this mayor has inflicted upon these people: oblivious to the impending court challenges that will come from it: a great disservice to gays and lesbians, who now see their “unions” in real “limbo.”

Anyway, some folks are saying that the Court of Appeals has offered no rationale for the law other than a discriminatory tradition.

"If other courts had followed this line of reasoning, we would still have segregation,'' said San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera.

I have to disagree with the counselor. According to the Court of Appeals’ presiding Judge, William McGuiness, there were major differences between this case and the California Supreme Court's landmark 1948 ruling that struck down the state's ban on interracial marriage.

As a local newspaper reports: “That ruling did not purport to change the traditional definition of marriage, McGuiness said. Instead, it took aim at the law's perpetuation of racial discrimination, which -- unlike discrimination based on sexual orientation -- is condemned in the U.S. Constitution, McGuiness said.”

And in a flourish that would make any proponent of reason (rationality) in public discourse sing for joy, especially those who see the happy marriage between reason and faith—as famously enunciated by Pope Benedict in his now famous address at the University in Regensburg, Germany the presiding Judge says:

"We believe it is rational for the Legislature to preserve the opposite-sex definition of marriage, which has existed throughout history and which continues to represent the common understanding of marriage in most other countries and states of our union.”

The next step in this continuing saga is the California State Supreme Court.

homily on the feast of St. Francis

2006-10-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

Based on Job 9:1-12, 14-16
and Luke 9:57-62

Few saints have attracted more affectionate attention than St. Francis. Animal lovers are attracted by his intimacy with creatures such as wolves and bears; and the light-hearted are attracted to his reputation for humor.

But Francis is truly a figure deeper than a lighthearted animal-lover. He was a figure of enormous power and dignity. He appeared on the scene at the right time when the Church needed someone like him. He lived during the 13th century: at a time when society was changing rapidly. Things were in transition in Europe: people were moving away from the feudal countryside (where the Church was strongest and held enormous influence) and into towns and villages.

And so the Church stood in danger of losing touch with the masses who had moved away from the rural parishes and who now lived in towns and villages, oftentimes in slums. This was a scenario the Church had not seen before. And many felt a reform was needed to respond to this change in society.

And so Francis came along. And his answer is noteworthy for its simplicity and humility. His answer is to free oneself from material attachments so as to be free “to follow Christ wherever he goes,” using the phrase from the Gospel today. His answer is to go to where the poor and the sick are, those impoverished people who have moved into the towns from the countryside.

His answer basically was to go deeper into the mystery of Christ. For Francis this meant poverty and service to the poor---and to do so with focused and determined zeal until the honor of physically sharing in the wounds, the sacrifice of Christ, is manifested in one’s body---something which Francis received: the stigmata.

I am sure Francis must have found inspiration from the Gospel passage we heard today. Because here we hear the words of Jesus as he traveled from the north, from Galilee, down to Jerusalem….to his eventual sacrifice. And the words we hear from Jesus in the Gospel reflect his focused and determined zeal to do the Father’s will---something which Francis imitated.

We live at a time not unlike that experienced by Francis, when there are many calls on the Church to reform and renew itself. But I think a good response to these calls isn’t far from the one Francis gave many centuries ago, which is to enter deeper into the mystery of Christ, with a determined and focused zeal. This continues to mean renunciation of those things that hinder our journey of faith to God; and this also means continued service to the poor---not necessarily only those who are materially poor. But rather also those who are spiritually poor, and there are many such people out there: folks who search for and long for true inner peace, joy, hope, and love---and are not finding those things out there, apart from God, apart from the Church. The message of the Gospel, the message of Christ and of Francis, is what we as Church can give as answer.

The Church continues to need women and men with the determined and focused zeal of a St. Francis. And so may his prayer also continue to be our own: Lord, make me a channel of your hope and peace.

from John Keats' To Autumn

2006-09-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

reflection on today's lectionary readings: calling to new life

2006-09-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Based on Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13
Matthew 9:9-13

The great 16th century Italian artist Caravaggio used this Gospel story as a subject of one of his paintings called The Calling of Matthew. That great painting is just full of imagery and symbolism and message.

On the right corner of the painting is the figure of Jesus standing, with the light falling from Jesus right on to Matthew. And Jesus is painted with his arm extended, pointing at Matthew, who is seated, surrounded by his companions. And Matthew with a startled look, points a finger to himself as if to say, “Me?” The body of Jesus who is shown standing is actually obscured: we can only see his head and his outstretched arm. His body is blocked by the figure of Peter, who is standing next to him.

Caravaggio conveys several ideas in his painting. He paints in this way to convey the idea that God calls and speaks in and through all things, all times, and all places, especially in our everyday lives, even in the moments when we are in sin, just as Jesus calls to Matthew while he was in the midst of sin, of collaborating with the enemy, the Romans.

And Jesus continues to call us, as he called Matthew, to conversion, not just a superficial kind of change. But rather conversion is being a new creation, a new person. In the painting, Jesus points to Matthew calling him, calling him to conversion, and Caravaggio deliberately painted Jesus’ hand to look like the hand of God from the painting by Michelangelo called the Creation of Adam in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The call of Jesus, the call of God, is the call to be a new creation, a new person, changed profoundly, renewed, reinvigorated: no longer clinging to old attitudes and resentments. And Jesus calls us to a kind of resurrection, spiritual resurrection. When Jesus calls Matthew, Matthew gets up, he rises. Rising up, the standing posture, has always been a symbol for resurrection.

So Jesus, God, calls, summons in and through all things, all times, and all places, but most definitely through the Church, through the ministry of the Church. Jesus calls through the sacraments, the liturgy, the teachings of the Body of Christ, the Church. And Caravaggio, the Catholic he was, paints this. Just as Jesus’ body was obscured in the painting by the figure of Peter (a symbol for the Church), so the Church stands in the place of Jesus, calling people together, gathering them.....

Gathering them to places like this, and to occasions like this, to a banquet, a feast. The first thing that Jesus does after calling Matthew, is to have a party. They gather together for a party, a meal. That has always been the way of Jesus. Jesus continues to call us to gather and listen to him, the Liturgy of the Word, and to commune with him around the Table of the Eucharist, and to receive his body and his blood.

There is one final detail about this painting. Caravaggio included himself in the painting. He showed himself to Matthew’s right, with his arm over Matthew’s shoulder, as a friend. He also looks at Jesus, and the light that came from Jesus, which falls on Matthew also falls on Caravaggio, as if to indicate that the calling of Matthew is also a calling to him, Caravaggio, a sinner, a "tax collector." Here is a message for us: to include ourselves in this story, in this painting, and to remember that the calling of Matthew is also a calling to us, to continue to rise up to new life, and to enter into God’s banquet.

Caravaggio's The Calling of St. Matthew.

"a great Pope, with a great intelligence.”

2006-09-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

The comments of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi brings an interesting perspective to the Pope’s recent words last Tuesday at Regensburg University, in Germany, which have angered many Muslims wordwide.

In this era of terrorism, Benedict’s words--though he has denied he meant to criticize Islam--has brought to the open a question that some people especially in the West have been wondering: whether Islam itself these days is particularly prone to terrorism and violence.

The many Muslims that have come out criticizing the Pope’s quotation of a medieval Byzantine emperor have effectively distanced themselves (and Islam) from its sometimes easy association with terrorism.

And this is a good thing.

According to Berlusconi, the Pope’s words amounted to “an opening, a positive provocation.”

Benedict has inadvertently elicited from these Muslim protestors a response that condemns violence.

Berlusconi adds, “And so for this reason he is a great pope, with a great intelligence.”

reflection on today's lectionary readings: gazing upon the Cross

2006-09-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

Based on Numbers 21:4-9
Philippians 2:6-11
John 3:13-17

Oftentimes when we think of the cross what immediately comes to mind is our calling to imitate the way of the Cross, to follow Christ’s example.

The Cross as example for us is certainly true, but I think what the readings today remind us is that first and foremost, even before the imitating and the following, we are asked first to stand back, and look at the Cross, gaze at it, contemplate its meaning:

To gaze and look upon the Cross first as God’s supreme accomplishment, unrepeatable and unique...the focal point of world history.... the means with which God has saved creation....to gaze upon it and to be reminded that Jesus suffered on the Cross so that others, you and I, need not. Jesus died on the Cross so that others may not.

What comes to mind when we stand back and gaze upon the Cross is a paradox. C.S. Lewis wrote that “Christianity is a religion that humans could not have invented.” And I think it’s because of the paradox of the Cross. It’s unexpected.

Who could have invented the scenario that God would save humanity in this way? How could anyone have come up with the scenario that the instrument of death, a sign of defeat, should become the tree of life and the sign of victory? That the cause of suffering should become the source of healing? And that, as St. Paul beautifully writes in the second reading, from God’s self-emptying and humbling, God’s glory is revealed.

This is the paradox of Christianity, the paradox of the Cross. And we are called today to gaze upon it, to contemplate it, just as the people of Israel in the first reading was told to gaze upon the bronze serpent on a pole in order to be healed of their snake bites: to gaze upon that paradox—the cause of their affliction has become the source of their healing.

I think when we first gaze and look at the Cross this way, we begin to remember when in our lives we have experienced a paradox like that of the Cross....where have we experienced our self-sacrifice bearing fruit in self-fulfillment, our suffering being transformed into real joy, our dying to sin bearing fruit in our rising to new life in Christ.

I think when we first look upon the paradoxical Cross of Christ, and then recognize the Cross already traced in our lives, we can confidently continue to follow Christ on the way of the Cross, on the way to true life.

fun with pencils

2006-09-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is cute. Here's a clip of a father and son playing with pencils. A back-to-school special for you students out there.

where I was on 9/11

2006-09-11T23:39:00.000-07:00

I was still in seminary when the World Trade Center Towers fell five years ago. No other event during my years there moved my belief in God as powerfully as 9/11.

After the shock of it, what followed wasn’t doubt, but intense dismay: “Those people who went to work that morning did not deserve to die that way...Where were you??!!”

A few days later I was in my spiritual director’s office, angry: not hot anger...but an anger mixed with growing bewilderment.

I remember feeling that I did not need to hear from him what I perceived then as the “standard” answers: the meaning of the cross, suffering, God being present in the midst of that disaster.

I kept quiet as he explained and then just blurted out, “Those people died brutally! NO one deserves to die like that.”

Thank goodness he became still after that. He was correct of course, but at the immediate wake of the disaster that Tuesday, I instinctively felt that any “explanation” or “excuse” was just obscene.

In the face of such terrifying pictures from events thousands of miles away, yet seemingly so immediate and close, my impulse was to just take it all in...to just stand there, still, not to explain it all away, not to answer it......but to just look at it…..stare…..witness it.

Five years later, looking back at my reactions then, I had somehow allowed my sharing in the hopelessness of some at that moment, even the anger, and the doubt of some in God’s own existence—“If you are, why this?” And for me this was good.

During the months and years that followed, I gradually recognized how the unsolicited “pat” answers I received from my spiritual director were the very ones that framed my subsequent reflections of the event and that predictably buoyed my spirits... “answers” that I had to set aside initially.

And so five years later someone today told me, “You know Father, it’s been five years, but I sometimes still have to ask myself: where was God?"

I merely looked at her and then thought to myself, "the Cross."

Spiritual voice (28): from John Henry Newman's "The Invisible Presence of Christ" (Sermon 21)

2006-09-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

What our Lord announced came to pass. The Kingdom of God came; it filled the world; it took possession of the high places of the earth; but it came without observation.

All other kingdoms which have come, have sounded a trumpet before them, and have challenged attention. They have come out with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield. They have been the ravenous beast from the north; the swift eagle, or the swarming locusts. "A fire devoured before them, and behind them a flame burned. The appearance of them has been as the appearance of horsemen, and as horsemen, so did they run; ... and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." [Joel. ii. 3, 4. Rev. ix.]

Such has been the coming of earthly power; and a Day will be, when that also will have a fulfilment, and find its antitype in the history of heaven; for when our Lord comes again, He too will come with a shout, "with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God." This will be with observation; so will He end, but so did He not begin, His Church upon earth; for it had been foretold, "He shall not strive, nor cry, neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets; a bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory." [Matt. xii. 19, 20.]

And that noiseless, unostentatious coming was rendered still more secret, because, in spite of His own assurances, men would not believe that it would be secret. The Pharisees asked for a sign from heaven. They would not believe He could come, unless He came with a show; they looked out for a temporal prince, with a sword of earth; and thus, through the unbelief of men, He was "as a thief in the night," and He was come and in possession before they well understood that He was coming.

The kingdom of God," says the Divine Speaker, "cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for the kingdom of God is within you." He tells us why He was not observed; it was that He came, not as the world cometh, not by an influence from without, but by an inward power; not subduing the outward man through the senses, but touching the secret heart.

Kingdoms of this world spread in space and time; they begin from a point, and they travel onwards, and range around. Their course may be traced: first they secure this territory, then they compass that.

Of course the Kingdom of Christ also, as being in this world, has an outward shape like this world, though it be not of this world; and, as viewed with the eyes of this world, it has an aspect of growth and development like other kingdoms; but after all this is not the true process of its rise and establishment. It came by an inward and secret presence; by outward instruments, indeed, but with effects far higher than those instruments, and really by God's own agency.

He who is Omnipresent and Omniscient, touched many hearts at once in many places; they forthwith, one and all, spoke one language, not learning it one from the other, but taught by Him the Song of the Lamb; or if in one sense by man's teaching too, yet catching and mastering it supernaturally, almost before the words were spoken. Men broke out all at once in His praises, in the east and in the west, in the north and in the south; and the perplexed world searched about in vain whence came that concord of sweet and holy sounds. Upon the first voice of the preacher, upon a hint, upon a mere whisper in the air, a deep response came from many lips, a deep, full, and ready harmony of many voices, one and all proclaiming Christ. For the Spirit of the Lord had descended and filled the earth; and there were thrilling hearts, and tremulous pulses, and eager eyes in every place. It was a time of visitation, when the weak become strong, and the last become first. It was the triumph of faith, which saith not, "Who shall ascend into heaven? or, Who shall descend into the deep? but what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach." And thus, as Nineveh and Babylon were surprised of old by the army of the enemy, so was the world then surprised by Him who "rode upon a white horse, and was called Faithful and True;" and as it befell Egypt, that there was not a house where there was not one dead, so now, on this more gracious visitation, there was not a house where there was not one alive.

For God had come down among them, and was everywhere; the Lord of Angels was walking the earth; He was diffusing His Presence, and multiplying His Image; and in this sense, as well as that in which He spoke the words, "a man's foes were those of his own household." The despised, the hated influence, insinuated itself every where; the leaven spread, and none could stay it; and in the most unfavourable places, in the family of the haughty senator and fierce soldier, amid the superstitions of idolatry, and the debasement of slavery, the noblest and ablest and the fairest, as well as the brutish and the ignorant, one and all, by a secret charm, became the prey of the Church, and the bondsmen of Christ. And thus a great and wide-spreading kingdom came into existence all at once, like spring after winter, from within.

from September by John Updike

2006-09-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.

Tassot debunks evolution--that's macro-evolution

2006-08-31T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here is part of a fascinating interview of Dominique Tassot, the director of Centre d’Etude et de Prospectives sur la Science (“Center for Studies and Prospectives on Science”), a group of 700 European Catholic scientists and intellectuals based in France. This part of the interview conducted by John Allen of NCR deals with evolution:

Allen: Did you come to doubt evolution on scientific or religious grounds?

Tassot: When I was in school studying mathematics, my favourite book was by Teilhard de Chardin. I studied with Jesuits who were all in favor of Teilhard’s very positive approach to evolution. I was a Teilhardian. I didn’t question that at all. I saw no contradiction between my faith and what I was studying in science. But later I read a book by two French scientists written during the Second World War, in which they questioned evolution on scientific grounds. My doubts began at that time.

Allen: What convinced you?

Tassot: Originally, it was the argument from probability, meaning the extreme improbability of positive mutation in the sense that evolutionary theory suggests. Later, of course, I have also been persuaded by Berthault’s refutation of the geological chronology. At bottom, theological, philosophical, and scientific truth must be in accordance. All truth must function together. Thus if evolution does not have a sound scientific basis, it’s not necessary to waste time arguing over whether it’s compatible with Christian theology.

Allen: When you say that evolution does not have a sound scientific basis, are you talking about micro-evolution (development within species) or macro-evolution (development from one species to another)?

Tassot: I mean macro-evolution. This, by the way, is what makes the book Truth and Tolerance (2003) by then-Cardinal Ratzinger so interesting, because he’s one of the few theologians who understands this distinction. Normally people talk about ‘evolution’ but they don’t distinguish, and it’s impossible to say anything meaningful that way. You may remember that in his New York Times piece, Cardinal Schönborn said something fairly incredible about the 1996 text of John Paul II that termed evolution ‘more than a hypothesis.’ Schönborn called that text ‘rather vague and unimportant.’ Many people were surprised to hear him talk about a papal text that way, but it’s actually very easy to understand. ‘Evolution’ is never defined in that text. In philosophy, we are supposed to define everything, but that was not the case here. The phrase ‘more than a hypothesis’ was actually a reference to Humani Generis. [Note: Pius XII in that encyclical referred to evolution as a ‘hypothesis.’] But what does this formula mean? What does it mean to be ‘more than a potato’? It means nothing without further definition and distinction.

Allen: What do you mean by ‘macro-evolution’?

Tassot: I mean the appearance of an organ in the offspring which did not exist in the parent. When you put it that way, you understand immediately that it’s impossible. The continuing dominance of evolutionary theory depends upon a voluntary confusion between micro and macro-evolution. Darwin himself relies upon micro-evolution, giving many examples of it, but the he switches to making generalizations about macro-evolution. This is philosophically incorrect.

Allen: If the evidence against ‘macro-evolution’ is as compelling as you say, why do most scientists still support it?

Tassot: They live in this confusion, and in general they don’t think about it. Very few people, in reality, make these distinctions. I think they live and think inside the paradigm of evolution. As Thomas Kuhn explained [in the book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions], theories are accepted or rejected in order to defend the dominant paradigm. Information which conflicts with that paradigm is set aside, it doesn’t get published. Psychologically, this is all quite normal. It’s not just scientists who behave this way.

Allen: Do you believe scientists defend evolution because it does away with the need for God?

Tassot: In the States, people are quite conscious of the religious and political dimensions of evolutionary theory. In Europe, I have the impression that most scientists just don’t think about it. Evolution is the accepted paradigm, and that’s it. They think inside this scientific vision of the world. They’re forced to question it only when they find themselves in front of a fact that’s clearly incompatible with the paradigm.

Allen: You said Pope Benedict is one of the few theologians who distinguishes between micro and macro-evolution. What do you know about his thinking on the subject?

Tassot: For one thing, Pope Benedict became familiar with the discoveries of Professor Berthault many years ago, from the time he was a cardinal. He met Berthault at a conference center and spent several days with him, quite by accident. This is a center in the Alps that Ratzinger used as a meeting place for a theological conference, and Berthault was one of the directors of the association that owned the place. Ratzinger came several times over a period of years, and got to know Berthault. I think that has had some influence on him. It was an opportunity for him to see that even on the scientific questions surrounding evolution, debate is possible. Most people think that the findings of science are completely established and are beyond discussion. They think it’s the way it’s presented in textbooks in school. But those textbooks are the result of a long process, which in itself is not so simple. Science doesn’t give definite certainties.

Santa Rosa's Bishop Walsh's delay in reporting abuse and the only appropriate response to this

2006-08-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

As of last Thursday, the investigators looking into Santa Rosa's Bishop Daniel Walsh’s delay in reporting child sex abuse suspicions involving fugitive priest Xavier Ochoa has been concluded.

It is now up to the Sonoma County’s District Attorney’s Office to determine if charges will be filed against Walsh.

The story is that on April 28 Ochoa told Walsh and other church officials that Ochoa had inappropriate contact with children.

In a situation such as this, California law requires clergy members and other “mandatory reporters” to report abuse “immediately or as soon as practicably possible” by phone and to follow up by fax or e-mail within 36 hours.

But it took Walsh four days before he contacted the Sheriff’s Department by fax.

And prior to notifying the Sheriff’s Department, reports say that two days after Ochoa’s meeting with Bishop Walsh, Walsh had informed Ochoa that he is to be reported. This apparently gave Ochoa some time to make preparations to flee to Mexico.

According to Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis O'Leary, "We think we have a strong enough case here for charges to be filed."

The faithful of Santa Rosa have come to the Bishop’s defense. Most notably, 13 lay leaders in the diocese wrote a commentary last Saturday published in the local newspaper.

An interesting portion of their commentary/defense reads: “Not unlike the CEO of a multimillion-dollar corporation, Bishop Walsh is the hub of a significant wheel of Catholicism in our northern counties. But unlike the corporate CEO who travels to and from his responsibilities in a corporate jet, Walsh pushes his way up and down Highway 101 to his responsibilities in a 2000 Volvo.”

It also catalogues the Bishop’s many responsibilities and duties outside his diocese.

Well, all of that didn’t impress many readers of the paper.

One person wrote: “If [Walsh] had run their church into bankruptcy or embezzled funds, would they still be defending him as a ‘man of high moral rectitude’? I am appalled that these 13 gentlemen condone as an ‘unfortunate error’ the release of an alleged child molester, allowing him to escape into Mexico where he could continue his alleged pattern of preying upon children there.”

One writer commented: “They compare Walsh to a ‘CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation.’ So was Kenneth Lay, whom friends described as a godly man of high moral standards....a clergyman of Walsh’s standing should know better, particularly in view of ongoing church scandals where child abuse is concerned.”

And another wrote: “The issue is not how good an administrator he is but how good a shepherd he has been to the least of his brethren.”

It is indeed heartening to hear these lay leaders come to the defense of their Bishop. I am sure they realize, that given the scandalous news that emerged 4 years ago in the media, intense scrutiny is now invested (and rightly so) on the Church’s bishops and priests to adhere to the commitment to protect children.

In other words, we cannot afford to be excessively “cautious” in reporting matters as grave as this.

And Bishop Walsh, I am glad to hear, now realizes this. His is perhaps the only appropriate response to this whole mess: admit one's mistake and accept the consequences.

In a recent message to the Diocese, Walsh says:

“I waited from an excess of caution. In attempting to consult first with our diocesan attorney, I made a mistake. I failed to be guided by my own precepts for decisive action....The best way to renew the healing process and rebuild a spirit of understanding is to admit my own personal fault, and accept any consequences that may ensue....If I am found guilty for not taking immediate action, I will accept whatever punishment is imposed.”

nothing new about the "new technique" of extracting embryonic stem cells

2006-08-29T02:38:00.000-07:00

Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) has recently developed the so-called “new technique” of extracting stem cells from an embryo without its destruction.

This "new" technique involves extracting a single cell, called a blastomere, from a few-days-old embryo. This blastomere will then be used to generate stem cells.

Meanwhile the embryo, minus the one extracted cell, is said to be largely unaffected by this procedure---its life being preserved.

As a result ACT's Dr. Robert Lanza has declared that "For most rational people this removes the last rational objection for opposing this research.”

Well, this misses the core rationale behind the objection to embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) and specifically to this “new technique”:

This research violates the dignity and the integrity of the embryo which (logically, biologically, genetically) already possesses in itself the status of being a member of the human family.

Additionally, some have missed the Church’s position, as well as the position of those outside the Church but who are likewise scandalized by ESCR, that tinkering with the embryo in any way--no matter how seemingly noble the objective is for patients, for science, for society--eventhough the embryo’s life is preserved, still constitutes a crime.

Those may seem to be tough words for some. But in matters involving life or death, on matters as grave as this, there can be no equivocation. The universal principle that human life cannot be taken and exploited for the service of another is still being violated by this “new technique.”

Additionally, there is really nothing new about this technique. This procedure, as Dr. Lanza himself has admitted, has been used many times as part of the in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure. It's called the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis which is used to test the viability of an embryo. In other words, this technique is part of a procedure (IVF) which the Church already finds morally objectionable.

There is nothing new here. I suspect there is some "spinning" going on to make it seem as if a “breakthrough” has been found.

I feel sad for the patients who are being promised that from all of this a cure is forthcoming---a cure (if at all possible) that is most likely years away.

Admittedly there is prestige and money involved in stem sell therapies. For instance, just a few months ago the BBC reported that people with life-threatening illnesses are being swindled out of thousands of pounds by a company in the United Kingdom, offering them false hope by using stem cells.

What I would truly like to see is a good national discussion and debate on the status of the embryo, employing logic, genetics, philosophy, biology, medicine: because the question of who is a human being/a human person is ultimately a philosophical one. To this question certainly the latest data from medicine and science can only help.

When the discussion takes this route I am certain more people will begin to see why the Church teaches as she does, and why she minds the well-being of these “little ones.”

And as a result, hopefully more people will recognize how eerie and chilling are these words from a mother calling a radio program at NPR at which Dr. Lanza was recently the guest.

The caller asked:

“I went through IVF and got pregnant and I have leftover embryos…and I wondered how do I give them to somebody for stem cell research….and is it better to save one of those for me for stem cell lines or is it better to save the baby’s core blood?”

Here is a mother asking Lanza to help her figure what to do with her “leftover” children.

Forgive them for they know not what they ask.

dexterously solving the Cube and a priest fighting sinisterly

2006-08-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

This kid is amazing. He can solve the Cube not only in 20 seconds, but also with one hand, and on his left to boot!

And can you handle another video from YouTube?

Well, this one is of a priest (who looks to be righthanded) brawling with a parishioner. Shockingly funny really. Now, I've only been a priest slightly over a year now, but thankfully things haven't been as bad as this for me; and hopefully never will.

Camille Paglia on those who read the Bible

2006-08-27T12:32:00.000-07:00

The reason why the real threat is the far right is that they have the Bible. And the Bible is a masterpiece. The Bible is one of the greatest works produced in the world. The people who all they have is the Bible actually are set up for life. Not only do they have a spiritual vision given to them but artistic fulfillment.

Ratzinger on women's ordination, quoting Schüssler-Fiorenza

2006-08-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

During my month-long vacation (which sadly ended yesterday), I have been reading Cardinal Ratzinger’s interview with Peter Seewald from 1996.

The interview has been published under the title “Salt of the Earth,” and is just an amazing read.

I stumbled upon Ratzinger’s words on women’s ordination just about the same time when eight were ordained on board a boat in Pittsburg in late July.

There Ratzinger points to an intriguing insight by a German feminist exegete, and in so doing has articulated an important meaning of priestly ordination, which the exegete claims is contrary to the aims of the feminist movement.

Here’s that bit I found particularly interesting from Ratzinger’s words:

“But I would now add a further piece of information that I find very interesting. I am now referring to the diagnosis that one of the most important Catholic feminists, Elizabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza, has given in this matter. She is a German, and important exegete, who studied exegesis in Münster, where she married an Italian-American from Fiorenza, and who now teaches in America. At first she took a vehement part in the struggle for women’s ordination, but now she says that that was a wrong goal. The experience with female priests in the Anglican Church has, she says, led to the realization that ‘ordination is not a solution; it isn’t what we wanted.’ She also explains why. She says, ‘ordination is subordination, and that’s exactly what we don’t want.’ And on this point her diagnosis is completely correct.

“To enter into an ordo always also means to enter into a relationship of subordination. But in our liberation movement, says Schüssler-Fiorenza, we don’t want to enter into an ordo, into a subordo, a ‘subordination’, but to overcome the very phenomenon itself. Our struggle, she says, therefore mustn’t aim at women’s ordination; that is precisely the wrong thing to do. Rather, it must aim at the cessation of ordination altogether and at making the Church a society of equals in which there is only a ‘shifting leadership.’

"Given the motivations behind the struggle for women’s ordination, which does in fact aim at powersharing and liberation from subordination, she has seen that correctly. But then one must really say there is a whole question behind this: What is the priesthood actually? Does the sacrament exist, or should there be only a shifting leadership in which no one is allowed access to ‘power’? I think that in this sense perhaps the discussion will also change in the near future.”

The mysterious Angel of Lebanon

2006-07-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Now here’s a good story out of all that fighting and mess going on in Lebanon and Israel.

A young Lebanese-American woman, no more than 18 years of age, who has usually spent her summers in Lebanon, has helped dozens of Americans flee to safety.

According to reports, she was initially “trapped in the town of Yahoun when the fighting broke out. U.S. officials helped guide her to Beirut. She kept gathering other Americans along the way.”

According to U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, “We were able to work with her to identify routes, to identify vehicles in order to get the Americans moving. By the time she got here, she had 76 Americans with her.”

And she hasn’t been heard from since. She is known by the name "Souha Saleh" and is believed to have boarded a boat to Cyprus but no one has been able to confirm her evacuation—or even her identity.

By the way, her name, “Saleh,” is the name of a prophet in the Qu'ran.

we're melting!

2006-07-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

And it is another hot day here in the Bay Area. Yesterday I drove to the beach in San Francisco, and it was so nice and cool, with the fog rolling in. But in other parts of the Bay Area, especially inland, it was sweltering. Temperatures reached 115 degrees in several spots.

34 have died due to the heat, and it seems that the hot temperatures will remain for another few days.

The extra bite is that people are being told to conserve energy, which means cuttting down on the use of air-conditioning. Plus, there have been power outages, due to extra use of power (no doubt because of all those air-conditioners running).

"I'll be seeing you" by Irving Kahal and Sammy Fain

2006-07-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'll be seeing you
In all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.

In that small cafe;
The park across the way;
The childrens carousel;
The chestnut tree;
The wishing well.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely, summer's day;
And everything thats bright and gay
I'll always think of you that way;
I'll find you in the morning sun
And when the night is new;
I'll be looking at the moon;
But I'll be seeing you.

a picture of Mozart's wife

2006-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

Now this is fascinating.

A picture of the composer Mozart’s wife has been found. The picture of Constanze Weber was taken in 1840 in the Bavarian town of Altoetting when she was 78; she passed away two years later.

She was 29 when Mozart passed away in 1791.

In the picture, Constanze is shown with the composer Max Keller, whom she used to visit regularly.

Read about the find here.

Constanze Mozart is seated on the far left (BBC photo).

drinking Germany dry British style

2006-06-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

The English fans who have descended upon Germany for the World Cup might very well drink Germany dry.

The Mirror reports that “In Nuremberg, organisers revealed 70,000 England fans who flooded the city drank 1.2MILLION pints of beer - an average of 17 pints each.”

And in Stuttgart, “900,000 pints were sunk last weekend where 60,000 fans partied before and after our 1-0 win over Ecuador.”

According to Herrmann Murr, a bar keep in Nuremburg, in a charmingly Churchillian manner: “"Never have I seen so many drink so much in such little time."

Gooooaaaaalll!!!!!

from "Stay with You" by the Goo Goo Dolls

2006-06-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

These streets
Turn me inside out;
Everything shines
But leaves me empty still;
And I'll, burn this lonely house down
If you run with me...
If you run with me.

Fooled by my own desires:
I twist my fate
Just to feel you.
But you, turn me toward the light:
And you're one with me...
Will you run with me?

I'll stay with you!
The walls will fall before we do;
Take my hand now,
We'll run forever,
I can feel the storm inside you...
I'll stay with you.

a reflection on today's Lectionary readings: transformation bodily and spiritually

2006-06-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

Based on: 2 Timothy 2:8-15 and Mark 12:28-34

An attribute of being alive is change. Something is living because it undergoes change, transformation, development. An embryo is alive and therefore it develops and matures; a seed, after some watering, will sprout because it has life within it; and our bodies throughout the years transform, change--indicative of our biological life.

If this is so physically, this is also true spiritually. The sign of our growth and maturity in the spirit is moral and spiritual growth. And this means conversion: putting to death sin, and living in God--being transformed daily, being renewed.

Paul was a person who underwent tremendous change and transformation in his life—from a zealous man who persecuted the Church to a faithful follower of Jesus and evangelizer: And in his letter to Timothy, we hear from him an essential element in spiritual growth and spiritual transformation—and that is the Spirit: “I remind you,” Paul writes “to stir into flame the gift of God that you have.” And then he adds, “he has saved us and called us to a holy life....through Jesus who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to life.”

As we continue to allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, the Spirit of love and forgiveness and gentleness–as we continue to allow the Spirit to convert us---we continue to grow and to move spiritually. It is fitting that the Biblical images for the Spirit always involved movement and action–either as tongues of fire, or the rushing waters in a river, or the blowing wind. Because all these images evoke movement, dynamism, life.

“He is not God of the dead but of the living,” Jesus said in today’s Gospel. He is God for those who are alive. He is God for us who are alive because we share in His living Spirit and because we are being transformed spiritually.

But not only that--on the last day we will also be transformed bodily, sharing in the glorious body of Christ at our resurrection. “When they rise from the dead,” Jesus said of us ”they are like the angels in heaven.”

understanding ME

2006-06-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Yes!! And yet another book pointing out how really messed up the members of my generation truly are.

But what makes this book stand out is its insighfulness. Want to know why me and my generation are miserable, depressed, and anxious?

According to Jean Twenge’s “Generation Me : Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before,” the culprit is the “self-esteem” movement: an accentuate-the-positive trend in society that has swept through the culture, inflating young people's expectations and estimates of self-worth while erasing from the story of life the valuable prospects of criticism and failure.

Interesting, eh?

One amazon.com reviewer wrote: “I'd say she's dead on with most of her assertions. This is a great book to stir up a fervent dialogue between parents, educators, coaches, mentors, clergy, and GenMe! “

Here’s another book that will sure to find a spot in MY library.

by Bern Williams on this first day in June

2006-06-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

If a June night could talk,
it would probably boast
it invented romance.

the voice of Mona Lisa

2006-06-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

A Japanese acoustics expert has figured what the voice of da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” would sound by using the skills he normally employs solving criminal investigations.

Dr. Matsumi Suzuki measured the figure’s face and hands to estimate her height and create a model of her skull.

"Once we have that, we can create a voice very similar to that of the person concerned,” Suzuki said. "We have recreated the voices of a lot of famous people that were very close to the real thing and have been used in film dubbing."

She sounds like my aunt, if she were Italian.

Anyway, listen to how Mona Lisa would have sounded here.

touring the castle that Hearst built

2006-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

So I went sightseeing today.

I drove south on Highway 1 from the Bay Area and reached the small town of San Simeon to see the castle that newpaper magnate William Randolph Hearst built for himself.

Hearst Castle is truly one of the gems of California. Hearst commissioned architect Julia Morgan to design the entire residence, which sits atop the Santa Lucia hills. Considered as one of California’s most important architects, Morgan is doubly noteworthy for being a woman which was then (as it still is relatively speaking) a man’s profession.

Planning of the Castle began in 1919. By 1948 bits of the castle compound were still under construction, which points to the immensity of the building project.

But the result of it, as I saw today, was just impressive.

Visitors have to gather at the visitor center; and we all had to be bussed 5 miles up the hill to reach the castle.

And what struck me about the style and architecture of the castle was its blatant use of Catholic iconography, which is ironic as Hearst was never known to be devoutly Catholic. “These Catholic symbols in his castle are not necessarily a testament to his faith,” the tour guide exclaimed.

Rather, it was the “style” during the 20’s and 30’s for some of these mega millionaires to adorn their grand houses using religious art.

But on second thought, that this castle looked more like a cathedral than a millionaire’s mansion, sits well for California, the early history of which was shaped by the Catholic Franciscan missionaries, most notably Junipero Serra.

And so Hearst adorned his castle with Catholic images, statues of saints, choir stalls; even a roof from an Italian monastery was shipped in and was installed in the sumptuous dining hall.

The pool however was constructed with Roman style sculptures, complete with mermaids and mermen. Filigrees and columns dating back from ancient Rome were transported to help build the temple to Neptune. And from this pool, the view of the Pacific horizon was breathtaking.

Rather than one period dominating the decor of the place, Hearst took elements from diffferent time periods and cultures to embellish his castle: Catholic medieval art, ancient Roman busts and columns, Arabic script and tiles, California colonial art. It was a pastiche.

Going back to the pool, in addition to it, an indoor pool was built, with floor tiles of 24 carat gold.

Celebrities from the golden age of Hollywood were frequent guests in the castle---Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo, Charlie Chaplin, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, and others.

And statesmen such as Winston Churchill and Calvin Coolidge were also guests, as well as notables such as Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes.

I saw about 25% of the castle, and it was simply grand. It was like a make-believe world, high atop the hills, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday toils and travails.

To conclude the tour the guide said, “This ends our tour. I hope you enjoyed yourselves. Right there is the bus back to reality.”

from "In Flanders Fields" by Lt. Colonel John McCrae (1872-1918) on this Memorial Day

2006-05-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

surpassing The Babe

2006-05-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

OK...baseball history has been made in San Francisco today...and now that Barry Bonds has surpassed the legendary Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs, the local sports media (perhaps the world media as well) can now move on....move on, I say!

I can just imagine the relief Bonds must be feeling now that this “pressure” has been lifted.

Bonds now trails Hank Aaron’s record of 755 home runs.

And the lucky guy who caught the ball? Well, he wasn’t even watching the game. He had left his seat and went down to the concession stands to get peanuts and beer for his new wife when Bonds hit the homer.

Andrew Morbitzer heard the roar of the crowd, saw the ball coming, watched people reaching out for it, and snagged it.

“It came down, I snagged it out of the air and SFPD snagged me," said Morbitzer, referring to the San Francisco police who took him away from the crowd for his own safety.

Well, Morbitzer never got the peanuts and the beer for his bride who for some time didn’t know about his lucky catch.

"He was in line for peanuts," she said. "I was kind of wondering what was taking so long."

a sneeze from the gods

2006-05-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Spring is in full swing….and for many folks like me that means sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, the whole bit. I am usually in this state for about a month….Then miraculously I am ok for the rest of the season.

Well, speaking of miracles, a fascinating connection between sneezing and good omen was discussed at NPR this morning with Elaine Fantham, professor of classics at Princeton.

Apparently, the ancients believed that sneezing was a sign of favor from the gods. How did they know that? Well, sneezing is something that comes upon you, not manufactured by humans, is spontaneous, and unexpected…..hence they believed it must be from the gods.

**AHH-CHOO**

Listen to Fantham at NPR here.

SF ascending!

2006-05-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

So, city planners in San Francisco are proposing to change the building height restriction in the city to allow skyscrapers that would top 1,000 feet.

Presently, the tallest building in the city is the 853-foot high Transamerica Building.

Personally, I think it's rather nice to have as the city's tallest structure, a pyramid.

Also, one of charms of SF is the relatively shorter height of its buildings. I mean, SF is known after all for its mild weather, the bay, the hills, the color, and EARTHQUAKES!

I’m rather queezy about tall building being built in a city famous for its quakes, no matter how seismically sound the skyscraper may be.

Anyway, below you’ll see what the new city skyline would look like with these new towers thrusting upwards (Photo by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP).

Spiritual voice (27): from "The Inner Voice of Love" by Henri J.M. Nouwen

2006-05-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful.

It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.

The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of yourself and thus gradually build a community within you.

Those you have deeply loved become part of you. The longer you live, there will always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you. Those who are alive within you will recognize those who are alive around you.

The wider the community of your heart, the wider the community around you. Thus the pain of rejection, absence, and death can become fruitful. Yes, as you love deeply the ground of your heart will be broken more and more, but you will rejoice in the abundance of the fruit it will bear.

on Sullivanism, and empowering the laity

2006-05-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

With Andrew Sullivan’s recent opinion piece that appreared in TIME Magazine, there is chatter (particularly in his blog, and now in some others) about his notion of "Christianism.”

By "Christianism" he means the “view that religious faith is so important that it must also have a precise political agenda. It is the belief that religion dictates politics and that politics should dictate the laws for everyone, Christian and non-Christian alike.”

“It’s extremism, its enmeshment with partisan political power, its contempt for individual liberty, its certainty and arrogance and intolerance,” he adds in his blog.

Well, as you can imagine, he’s received at least two critiques (or criticisms?) about this, mainly from those whom he’d characterize as the religious (Evangelical) right, who I perceive is a main target of this new term.

But some Catholics aren’t spared.

“In all of this, the Christianists do not represent most Christians, although they have made great strides in the Vatican and in the fundamentalist leadership. I should stress: these people have every right to their views. They certainly have developed an arsenal of arguments and a body of thought to back them up. But this agenda, whatever else it is, cannot be described as mainstream Christianity,” Sullivan writes.

Well, then, what is the “mainstream” with regards to this within the Catholic Church?

This is where the Church directly speaks to the vast majority of its members: the laity. This is their turf: the temporal realm---politics, economics, education, law, science, the whole lot.

In the mind of the Church, one’s religion is not merely a private thing. The baptized, in particular the laity, are called to shape the world into the contours of Christ Himself.

Check out what Vatican II said: “The laity must take up the renewal of the temporal order as their own special obligation. Led by the light of the Gospel and the mind of the Church and motivated by Christian charity, they must act directly and in a definite way in the temporal sphere."

The fathers of the Council add: “As citizens among citizens they must bring to their cooperation with others their own special competence, and act on their own responsibility; everywhere and always they have to seek the justice of the kingdom of God.

“The temporal order is to be renewed in such a way that, while its own principles are fully respected, it is harmonized with the principles of the Christian life and adapted to the various conditions of times, places, and peoples.”

And note this: "The Council desires to see it [i.e., the social action by the laity]extended today to every sector of life, not forgeting the cultural sphere" (Apostolicam Actuositatem).

See that? "To every sector of life," including politics!

Rather than to cower from the political and the temporal, rather than not advocating policies in tune with Christian principles to which EVERYONE of goodwill can agree, the Church calls her believers to action, as “citizens among citizens,” respecting others’ view points, but at the same time leading them with gentleness and love to the Kingdom.

Sullivan and some who agree with him may disagree with how some folks from the religious right bring their faith into the temporal realm, into politics. I am inclined to think however that it is the policies of the religious right that they disagree with primarily, and not this notion that they have somehow "hijacked" Christianity.

As a person of faith, I am generally chary to criticize a fellow Christian who is moved by his faith, by the Spirit, to participate in the political, secular arena.

If the Spirit is at work in him, if the policy is in harmony with the Gospel, and if his participation respects the viewpoints others, more power to him.

And you know, Christian teachings (Catholic teachings in particular) with regards to abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, war, capital punishment, immigration and others have their basis on universal, human principles to which everyone of sound mind and goodwill can agree.

Part of the task of the laity is to inform, to shape their respective fields, whatever those may be---politics, economics, science, law, medicine, and others---to be in harmony with universal, human values, which is shared by the Church.

Sullivan writes: "The first rule for a Christian should be, to my mind, humility in the face of God. That does not square with absolute certainty about God's politics or the willingness to force others to share the same interpretation of Christ's message as you do."

Well, no. The first rule for a Christian is to love--the ONE commandment Jesus gave his followers. Moving and acting in the political realm, in whatever manner the Spirit moves one, should be seen as a way of expressing Christian love. All other motivations for taking part in the political life in our society are secondary to this.

So, to you lay folks out there, do not be cowered by this talk of “Christianism.” Go out there and bring the Good News to all people.

Miss Manners as mental diversion

2006-05-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

OKAY....

After a busy, exhausting day in the parish---answering questions from a parishioner on why the Church is so cruel not allowing IVF (in-vitro fertilization), a couple preparing for marriage wanting to know if they can compose their own vows, and a young couple with a baby inquiring if it is OK for the husband to receive communion at our Church even though he's Lutheran---it is sooo comforting to just turn to Miss Manners and read solid, clear-cut, practical advice!

I don't know....looking at past columns of hers I came across this gem. The question to her and her answer was just the mental diversion I needed.

Here it is:

Dear Miss Manners:

My daughter will graduate in May. I have had discussions with her about the benefits of homeownership and thought it would be great to start a "my future home" account for her, and have her monetary graduation gifts directed there. She likes that idea.

I spoke with my financial adviser and found that we could very easily set up a trust for that purpose. The problem is getting the word out. I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to include the trust information in the graduation announcement. She thinks it's tacky and in poor taste and believes that I should call everyone and share the information personally.

If you agree with me, please let me know how I can tastefully word the insert; if not, what would you suggest as an alternative?

And Miss Manners replies:

Dear Reader:

As an alternative, Miss Manners would suggest teaching your daughter that financial responsibility means paying your own bills, not begging from others, and that common sense says that no one, no matter how fond of your daughter, wants to buy her a house.

It is not only the magnitude of your nerve that makes it rude. Soliciting donations and presents has become so commonplace that people now believe trolling for money and goods is tasteless only when it seems especially greedy. You would get the prize for that, but those who make smaller demands are no less rude. Just less imaginative.

Vatican astronomer on creationism, what the Creation story tell us, and Benedict's homily

2006-05-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

An astronomer for the Vatican Observatory, Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, SJ, has been recently quoted as saying that believing that God created the universe in six days is a form of superstitious paganism: “Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god.”

Well... yeah...that’s all well and good: God isn’t a pagan “nature god” like the deities of ancient civilizations who had their own creation narratives.

And so, what does the Genesis Creation story tell us then?

Somehow Consolmagno’s words do not affirm the intent of the writer(s) of the creation story in Genesis-—which, ironically, is to show how God WAS NOT LIKE those pagan "nature gods."

The Genesis creation story was written in direct opposition to those pagan narratives and deities and affirmed the basic insights of Israel’s faith. And those are:

That there is one God, without gender, alone from the start, who created from his goodness and wise plan a world of order, in which matter is good and not the result of whim or magic. Rather, God’s Word decrees what is to be and establishes limits; God gave humans a place of honor, made in his own image; they were to have responsibility over what was created, and share divine gifts of pro-creating, sharing his sabbath rest and knowing God personally [from “Reading the Old Testament” by Lawrence Boadt, Paulist Press].

By affirming these things, the Genesis creation story (though not literal), actually proclaims that GOD IS NOT A NATURE DEITY.

What does the present Pope say?

Well, back 1981, the then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a series of homilies on the story of Creation. Note one of the things he said which speaks to this:

“Thus Scripture would not wish to inform us about how the different species of plant life gradually appeared or how the sun and the moon and the stars were established. Its purpose ultimately would be to say one thing: God created the world.

"The world is not, as people used to think then, a chaos of mutually opposed forces; nor is it the dwelling of demonic powers from which human beings must protect themselves. The sun and the moon are not deities that rule over them, and the sky that stretches over their heads is not full of mysterious and adversary divinities.

"Rather, all of this comes from one power, from God’s eternal Reason, which became—in the Word—the power of creation. All of this comes from the same Word of God that we meet in the act of faith.

"Thus, insofar as human beings realized that the world came from the Word, they ceased to care about the gods and demons. In addition, the world was freed so that reason might lift itself up to God and so that human beings might approach this God fearlessly.

"In this Word they experienced the true enlightenment that does away with the gods and the mysterious powers and that reveals to them that there is only one power everywhere and that we are at his hands.

"This is the living God, and this same power (which created the earth and the starts and which bears the whole universe) is the very one whom we meet in the Word of Holy Scripture.

"In his Word we come into contact with the real primordial force of the world and whith the power that is above all powers."

So, the astronomer is right: God is not a pagan "nature god." The Genesis story denies that as well.

In fact, if we divorce the Creation story from “creationism,” we come to affirm the profound truths proclaimed by the writers of Genesis.

do not cloud the real story that saves

2006-05-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

Normally I don’t think much of calls to boycott a film or a book because such calls oftentimes backfire.

But with persistent appeals to boycott the film “Da Vinci Code” and with these words by Francis Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria, I am beginning to see the merits of loudly speaking up about this film.

“[They] are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said, referring perhaps to the recent tumult in the Muslim world because of caricatures of Muhammad.

However, for me personally, the strongest argument for speaking against this film and for the boycott is because it clouds the REAL central message—the STORY—of Christ and the Church. Arinze said: “’The Da Vinci Code' presents (Christianity) wrongly ... any film produced on the basis of that book is already in error from the word go, no matter how interesting it might appear."

Why is this argument the strongest? Sadly many people out there do not know The Real Story, the Gospel. After serving in several ministries in the Church now, and having several months under my belt of priestly service, I have become aware of this sad reality.

Many folks out there have either never heard the real and beautiful Story of Christianity, or don’t care to inform themselves of it.

But compare the Grand Real Story of Jesus and His Church to the fiction being fed to the masses by Hollywood, the latter comes up hollow and empty.

Not only that, but this hollow fiction DOES NOT SAVE. Whereas the Real Story is the Message that saves you.

local Episcopal community elects a new bishop; controversy avoided

2006-05-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

The local Episcopal community here in the Bay Area has chosen a new bishop, Mark Handley Andrus, who has served as auxiliary [bishop suffragan] in the Diocese of Alabama since 2001.

The election of Andrus, a married man with two daughters, steers the Anglican Communion away this time from the kind of controversy that had met the election of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire.

Andrus received 72% of the votes out of the 261 clergy members who took part in the ballot. And he received 54.6% of the votes out of the 295 lay members who participated.

What's striking is that the three gay/lesbian candidates did not even receive more than 8 votes among themselves.

For a background post on this story, read this.

from Gerard Manley Hopkins' "May Magnificat"

2006-05-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ask of her, the mighty Mother:
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring?—
Growth in every thing—

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather,
Grass and greenworld all together;
Star-eyed strawberry-breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within;
And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

Spiritual voice (26): from N.T. Wright's "Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense"

2006-05-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

[This is the first time in this blog’s ongoing “Spiritual Voice” series that an author still with us is featured. N.T. Wright (1948- ) is the Anglican Bishop of Durham, England, is a respected Biblical scholar, and is the writer of several spiritual books. He has written three massive and outstanding volumes in his series entitled “Christian Origin and the Question of God.” The latest in the volume is on the resurrection of Jesus, the second is on Christology (“Jesus and the Victory of God”), and the first is on the New Testament and the People of God. His books have been noteworthy for their scholarly rigor and depth, for their spiritual freshness, yet for their accessibility to lay readers. Personally I enjoy his writing style. A professor of mine once described his writing to me as “florid.” He meant that in a good way. N.T. Wright’s works have always been solidly orthodox, yet wonderfully insightful. The following excerpt is the first few paragraphs from his latest book, “Simply Christian,” which Anne Rice describes: “This will become a classic.” I like this excerpt because it picks up an overarching theme of this blog: that beckoning “voice” within all of us.]

I had a dream the other night, a powerful and interesting dream. And the really frustrating thing about it is that I can’t remember what it was about. I had a flash of it as I woke up, enough to make me think how extraordinary and meaningful it was; and then it was gone. And so, to misquote T.S. Eliot, I had the meaning but missed the experience.

Our passion for justice often seems like that. We dream the dream of justice. We glimpse, for a moment, a world at one, a world put to rights, a world where things work out, where societies function fairly and efficiently, where we not only know what we ought to do but actually do it. And then we wake up and come back to reality. But what are we hearing when we’re dreaming that dream?

It’s as though we can hear, not perhaps a voice itself, but the echo of a voice: a voice speaking with calm, healing authority, speaking about justice, about things being put to rights, about peace and hope and prosperity for all. The voice continues to echo in our imagination, our subconscious. We want to go back and listen to it again, but having woken up we can’t get back into the dream. Other people sometimes tell us it was just a fantasy, and we’re half inclined to believe them, even though that condemns us to cynicism.

But the voice goes on, calling us, beckoning us, luring us to think that there might be such a thing as justice, as the world being put to rights, even though we find it so elusive. We’re like moths trying to fly to the moon. We all know there’s something called justice, but we can’t quite get to it.

You can test this out easily. Go to any school or playgroup where the children are old enough to talk to each other. Listen to what they are saying. Pretty soon one child will say to another, or perhaps to a teacher: “That’s not fair!” [emphasis his throughout]

You don’t have to teach children about fairness and unfairness. A sense of justice comes with the kit of being human. We know about it, as we say, in our bones….

So why can’t we fix injustice?

It isn’t for want of trying. We have courts of law and magistrates and judges and lawyers in plenty….

And yet we a sense that justice itself slips through our fingers. Sometimes it works; often it doesn’t. Innocent people get convicted; guilty people are let off. The bullies, and those who can bribe their way out of trouble, get away with wrongdoing---not always, but often enough for us to notice, and to wonder why. People hurt others badly and walk away laughing. Victims don’t always get compensated. Sometimes they spend the rest of their lives coping with sorry, hurt, and bitterness.

The same thing is going on in the wider world. Countries invade other countries and get away with it. The rich use the power of their money to get even richer while the poor, who can’t do anything about it, get even poorer. Most of us scratch our heads and wonder why, and then go out and busy another product whose profit goes to the rich company.

I don’t want to sound despondent. There is such a thing as justice, and sometimes it comes out on top. Brutal tyrannies are overthrown. Apartheid was dismantled. Sometimes wise and creative leaders arise and people follow them into good and just actions. Serious criminals are sometimes caught, brought to trial, convicted, and punished. Things that are seriously wrong in society are sometimes put splendidly to rights. New projects give hope to the poor. Diplomats achieve solid and lasting peace. But just when you think it’s safe to relax...it all goes wrong again.

And even though we can solve a few of the world’s problems, at least temporarily, we know perfectly well that there are others we simply can’t and won’t.

Just after Christmas of 2004 an earthquake and tidal wave killed more than three times as many people in a single day as the total number of American soldiers who died in the entire Vietnam War. There are some things in our world, on our planet, which make us say, “That’s not right!” even when there’s nobody to blame. A tectonic plate’s go to do what a tectonic plate’s got to do. The earthquake wasn’t caused by some wicked global capitalist, by a late-blossoming Marxist, or by a fundamentalist with a bomb. It just happened. And in that happening we see a world in pain, a world out of joint, a world where things occur which we seem powerless to make right.

The most telling examples are the ones closest to home. I have high moral standards, I have thought about them. I have preached about them. Good heavens, I have even written books about them. And still I break them. The line between justice and injustice, between things being right and things not being right, can’t be drawn between “us” and “them.” It runs right down through the middle of each one of us. The ancient philosophers, not least Aristotle saw this as a wrinkle in the system, a puzzle at several levels. We all know what we ought to do….but we all manage, at least some of the time, not to do it.

Isn’t this odd?....

There are three basic ways of explaining this sense of the echo of a voice, this call to justice, this dream of a world (and all of us within it) put to rights.

We can say, if we like, that it is indeed only a dream, a projection of childish fantasies, and that we have to get used to living in the world the way it is. Down that road we find Machiavelli and Nietzsche, the world of naked power and grabbing what you can get, the world where the only sin is to be caught.

Or we can say, if we like, that the dream is of a different world altogether, a world where we really belong, where everything is indeed put to rights, a world into which we can escape in our dreams in the present and hope to escape one day for good---but a world which has little purchase on the present world except that people who live in this one sometimes find themselves dreaming of that one. That approach leaves us with the thought that things will be better somewhere, sometime, even if there’s not much we can do about it here and now.

Or we can say, if we like, that the reason we have these dreams, the reason we have a sense of a memory of the echo of a voice, is that there is someone speaking to us, whispering in our inner ear---someone who cares very much about his present world and our present selves, and who has made us and the world for a purpose which will indeed involve justice, things being put to rights, ourselves being put to rights, the world rescued at last.

local Episcopal community to select a new bishop as the worldwide Anglican community watches; and getting to know a bit about the candidates

2006-05-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

As the members of the Episcopal/Anglican Diocese of California elect a new bishop this Saturday to succeed Bishop William Swing, who announced his retirement last October, many Anglicans worldwide will be watching.

The local paper here printed an article pointing out that three of the seven nominees to succeed Swing are gay/lesbian and that “the possible election of one of them Saturday threatens to split not only the 220-year-old Episcopal Church in the United States but also the centuries-old Anglican Communion.”

So, in an interview with the paper, Swing noted: "The pity and the shame of this is that we have made sex the central issue of Christ....We're not talking about the divinity of Jesus or the bodily resurrection or the Holy Spirit's mission in the church....What is being said is if you don't agree with me about one aspect of sexuality, we will destroy the whole thing."

Along these same lines, Alan Jones, the Dean of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral which is the bishop's seat, said: “With all the problems and challenges facing the world -- environmental degradation, poverty, hunger, war and injustice -- the church, with the media's encouragement, will be focused on one issue and one only -- two [three since this statement] of the candidates, so far, are gay.”

Additionally he points out the irrelevance of this whole issue: “I hope Episcopalians in the Bay Area will turn a deaf ear to those who appeal to the gay issue either positively or negatively as a reason for voting one way or the other. It is irrelevant, as was the issue of gender and/race in the past.”

To the liberal folks in the Bay Area, yes this may be irrelevant, but not to the many in the Anglican Communion in developing nations, responded one person to Jones’ words:

“The issue of sexual preference may be irrelevant for people in the bay area, but, for the Anglican Communion outside the ECUSA, rightly or wrongly, it is not.

“I heard it mentioned recently that more Anglicans go to church each Sunday in Nigeria than in Great Britain, Canada, Australia and the United States combined. It is the southern Anglican provinces - Africa and South America - that have the strongest opposition to any homosexual clergy, including bishops, priests, deacons, etc.”

What do Bay Area Episcopals think about this momentous task ahead of them? Well to enlighten myself about this, and to get to know a bit more about the seven candidates, I interviewed “John,” an acquaintance, just to get the prespective of someone inside the local Episcopal community.

Of all the seven candidates, John’s “favorite” is Mark Handley Andrus, who has served as an auxiliary bishop [bishop suffragan] in the Diocese of Alabama since 2001: “He radiates a solid presence; understands the need for the Diocese of California to engage in discussion with the rest of the country (& world); to provide a solid theological basis for its innovations; he is least likely to polarize the diocese.

"Also, I think he would be well regarded by his counterparts in other religious bodies in the SF Bay Area.... However, like Swing, he is a southern white male (though far sharper, intellectually).....Other elements in the diocese may be seeking something else.”

“Other elements?” I asked.

“Gay people, feminists, people who want to see more ethnic diversity at the top, etc . . .”

And so who are the openly gay candidates and how does he feel about them?

“I would be surprised if any of the gay candidates is elected....The Rev. Bonnie Perry from Chicago comes across as extremely energetic; her tone is painfully strident; but she has a good record on developing parts of the church oriented towards social service.”

The second openly gay candidate, Robert V. Taylor, is Dean of St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle and is originally from South Africa.

“Taylor has a good chance of succeeding because he has an excellent record of managing a parish."

And looking at Taylor's curriculum vitae [from the link above], he does exhibit adeptness in the financial aspects of running a parish: managing a parish budget growth of $102,000 to $1.1 million.

And the third gay candidate? “[Michael Barlowe who is the Officer for Congregational Development for the Diocese] is out of his league and should not be running,” he said. “Nothing he said left any impression on me.”

And what of the other four candidates?

“The Rev. Jane Gould [rector of St. Stephen´s Church, Lynn, Massachusetts] is a typical well-educated New England liberal with blue blood and with leanings towards social justice.”

“The Rev. Donald Schell [who is rector of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in San Francisco] wants to de-centralize the diocese and have ordinations take place at the parishes instead of the cathedral....He has a solid married life; his children are successful individuals - I'm not sure if his vision for the diocese is desirable - he would be a good bishop elsewhere.”

And Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton who is Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral in Washington “is a very good speaker with the Evangelical zeal of a dedicated Baptist; he comes across as too slick for some people. He is accustomed to preaching to influential congregations in the National Cathedral and is most likely to actively engage the media.”

But what does the local Diocese need right now in its bishop?

“Some would like to see the Diocese become more active in growing parishes; of developing a sense of mission.”

But what about making a statement on behalf of gay and lesbians in the Episcopal community?

“Eh - the people I know are not driven by that concern,” John tells me. “Many do not want to see the Diocese of California at the center of a storm within the Anglican Communion regarding that issue.”

from Vatican II's "Gaudium et Spes" on this May Day

2006-05-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

By his labor a man ordinarily supports himself and his family, is joined to his fellow men and serves them, and can exercise genuine charity and be a partner in the work of bringing divine creation to perfection.

Indeed, we hold that through labor offered to God, man is associated with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, Who conferred an eminent dignity on labor when at Nazareth He worked with His own hands.

From this there follows for every man the duty of working faithfully and also the right to work. It is the duty of society, moreover, according to the circumstances prevailing in it, and in keeping with its role, to help the citizens to find sufficient employment.

Finally, remuneration for labor is to be such that man may be furnished the means to cultivate worthily his own material, social, cultural, and spiritual life and that of his dependents, in view of the function and productiveness of each one, the conditions of the factory or workshop, and the common good.