The Future is Open

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and as an American descended from Irish roots it has been a day for the wearing of the green. I began my day with Mass at our local church. I reflected that this will be Fr. Mike O’Hara’s last St. Patrick’s day at the head of the St. Philomena Parish. He’s been the shepherd here for over twenty years. Parish priests and local ministers never get the appreciation that they deserve. I’m sure he loves his vocation but it must be debilitating at times.

This weekend will be also mark the third anniversary of the Iraq War, so it will also be a sad or uncertain time for many families who have either lost a loved one or have a relative serving in the war zone. I work everyday with a young lady whose husband is a U.S. Marine serving there. Whenever I see her I marvel at her cheerful demeanor in spite of her nearly constant concern for her mate. I’m torn many ways by this war. I’m sensitive to those who have loved ones serving in the war, but I’m also frustrated at our inability to have a rational dialogue that can bring peace. It’s obvious that war only produces more hatred and hence more war.

There is a movie recently released entitled “Why We Fight”. Those on the right wing of course continue their ad hominem attacks, but there is real truth in what I’ve seen and read. We’ve become a nation that can’t survive without war. Much of our economy is dependent of defense department expenditures. Nearly every state has some piece of the pie and lawmakers are hesitant to veto military spending for fear of being seen as soft on defense or more importantly anti-American. It’s really a false debate and a false choice.
We in the richest country on this planet also have some of the best and brightest scientists and it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine that we could re-tool our defense industries for peaceful purposes and begin spreading peace and freedom in the only effective way to do it by helping our fellow inhabitants of the planet. Spreading peace and prosperity would be good for everyone and it would stimulate trade. Call me an idealist but it’s an idea whose time has come. Continuing to bomb, maim and kill our opponents is only productive for the arms manufacturers. We won’t have to post the Ten Commandments in court houses or state houses because we’ll be preaching the gospel with our lives and our policies. That would be very Franciscan. Peace.

I’ve been thinking about my previous post. Thomas Merton is one of my spiritual ancestors. I often refer to his Seven Storey Mountain and compare his journey with mine. Merton was a mystic and maybe only mystics really understand him. I came across one of his quotes from “Seeds of Destruction.” This speaks volumes about our lives today.

“Where there is a deep, simple, all-embracing love of man, of the created world of living and inanimate things, then there will be respect for life, for freedom, for truth, for justice and there will be humble love of God. But where there is no love of man, no love of life, then make all the laws you want, all the edicts and treaties, issue all the anathemas; set up all the safeguards and inspections, fill the air with spying satellites, and hang cameras on the moon. As long as you see your fellow man being essentially to be feared, mistrusted, hated, and destroyed, there cannot be peace on earth. And who knows if fear alone will suffice to prevent a war of total destruction?” – from “Seeds of Destruction”

Dona Nobis Pacem.

One of the stories in today’s news is about the FBI surveillance of the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It turns out that members of the Merton Center were distributing pamphlets that flatly declared that there were no WMD in Iraq. Through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) the ACLU discovered that these Catholic peace activists had been suspected of dangerous activities. When I was confirmed in the 1960’s, Pius Benincasa, then Archbishop of Buffalo, slapped me on the cheek, reminding me that someday I might have to suffer for my faith. Back then we all figured it would be at the hands of the godless communists. We used hear numerous stories of communist soldiers and insurgents who raped and killed Catholic missionaries. Who would have thought then that we might be subjected to that sort of thing here in this country? There was a time when Catholics died for their faith here at the hands of the KKK and other narrow minded folks. I can even remember a time when a state police officer from a southern state refused to speak to my father, my brother and I at George Washington’s tomb because we were wearing Miraculous Medals.

Recently Cardinal Mahony spoke advocating adherence to Catholic Social teaching vis a vis anticipated legislation that would make it illegal to assist aliens. Mahony’s stand is tantamount to civil disobedience. Actually if the pending legislation becomes law, Cardinal Mahony or anyone disobeying the law could face jail and a fine. We are edging ever so closely to a nation where dissent is no longer accepted or even tolerated. All of this got me to thinking about Franz Jagerstatter. He’s frequently overlooked and maybe not even well known, but he was a very courageous man who said no to serving in the Nazi war machine during World War II. He is not a saint yet, but maybe he’ll make it someday. There was no dissent tolerated in Nazi Germany. They viewed their agression a lot differently than we do today, but they used the same arguments that politicians use today. They viewed their agression as justified and they managed to find priests and other clergy who did their bidding in “blessing” this international murder and called it “just war.” Sound familiar?

May the Lord give us peace.

I’m writing about a documentary I have not seen yet. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to comment on the apparent success of a movie about contemplatives. Into Great Silence has drawn large crowds in Germany. There is no talking, no commentary only the sights and sounds of a great monastery. In a day when most of us are overloaded with sensory input. In a day and time when religion is sometimes about saying the right words, it is telling that many people are drawn to great silence.

Peace.

When I was growing up in the late 1950’s and 1960’s the Catholic Church was booming in western New York. I attended a Catholic primary school where we had eight Franciscan nuns for teachers. There was one lay person who taught kindergarten but all the rest of the instructional staff were nuns. Every week one of the diocesan priests would come to our room and teach us about our religion. It was great. We got to know all of them. They were young men fresh from the seminary. I loved every one of them. We had Mass every friday in our cafetorium at the school. In eighth grade many of us made the decision to go on to Catholic high school.

Catholic high school in nearby Olean, New York was staffed by Franciscan Friars and Allegany Franciscan nuns. There were a few layman who were teaching there but for the most part we continued our formation in both the church and as Franciscan young adults. In the nearly forty years since that time there have been tremendous changes in the church. The paucity of vocations to the religious life has become a blight that threatens the very existence of parishes in small towns in western New York and even in the nearby City of Buffalo. The diocese of Buffalo doesn’t have enough priests to fill all the parishes and each year more and more parishes are closed and local Catholics must travel elsewhere for the sacraments.

This week at St. Philomena’s Parish in Franklinville, Fr. Mike will bid his congregation good-bye as he retires. The future for Catholics in Franklinville and nearby Machias is in doubt. Where will these people go? What changes will they make to their lives? What is happening? No one really knows any of these answers, but safe to say the face of the church will change.

Today I was thinking of St. Francis as he prayed before the San Damiano Cross in the crumbling roadside chapel. “Francis, go and rebuild my church, for as you can see it is falling into ruin.” The worldwide Catholic church continues to grow and thrive. In other countries vocations to the priesthood and religious life are growing but not here in the United States. Why?

Peace.

“I will lead you into the desert and there I will speak to your heart.”-Hosea 2:14

What a wonderful passage and yet how often have I moaned and groaned about being in the desert? How often do I long to be constantly living in the land of milk and honey. Life is full of bumps and bruises and it’s during these times of trial that God often speaks to our hearts. In the past number of months I’ve been in another desert. It seems that I have a thirst to read, but every book I pick up turns dry in a few pages and I’m left wondering again. With the exception of the two books I read last month by Sue Monk Kidd, every other book has been just that. Finally today I sat down with a friend and shared my journey with him. He made some suggestions which I intend to follow. The past year has been a very rocky road at times, and yet it has also been a very enlightening period for me. I feel as though I am being led, but where I don’t know. One of the questions from Sue Monk Kidd’s book that I’m still pondering is, “who am I really?”
When all of what I am is stripped away, who am I really. I’m wrestling with that.

Now, I have a spiritual advisor. Up until now, Fr. Lou has been my confessor and a close friend. Now, we’ll spend some time each month examining where I’m going. Thank you for leading me into the desert and speaking to my heart. Peace.

If you’d like to support other monastic communities who produce a variety of goods then Monastery Greetings is a great online resource. I became aware of them about three years ago and since that time have made several orders. Their website boasts, “the website and catalog that sells only products from monasteries, religious communities and hermitages. Here you will find products from more than 50 different communities in the United States and abroad.”

Looking at their latest catalog is almost like making a retreat and as they continue to add new products I’ve become aware of more and more communities that I usually visit on the web.

Peace.

I received a note from the Buddhist community at nearby Alfred, New York that the Dalai Lama will be visiting the University at Buffalo in September of this year. I hope to attend. I have read a few of the Dalai Lama’s books and I am delighted that I will be able to see him at my alma mater. For more information about his visit follow this link. The theme of his visit will be “Promoting Peace across borders through education”.
Peace.