It is easy to preach against materialism and consumerism – they are such easy targets. The challenge is to see how they got into our hearts. How did we get caught up in such things and not be aware of it? The worst is to ignore Christ (thus making Christ "invisible" and irrelevant) and to be ignorant of why he was "sent by the Father".

In her book Illuminated Life, Sr. Joan Chittister writes about the monastic life: "The real contemplative hears the voice of God in the voice of the other, sees the face of God in the face of the other, knows the will of God in the person of the other, serves the heart of God by addressing the wounds, answering the call of the other. ‘The most valiant monastics’, the Rule of Benedict insists, ‘are those who live in community… Let permission to live alone be seldom given.’ St. Basil, an early leader of Easter Monasticism, asks pointedly, ‘Whose feet shall the hermit wash?’ The implication is clear. It is the human community that tests the spiritual grist of the human being." (Pg. 32)

Parents and grandparents exhibit this understanding when they tell others that what they want for Christmas is for the family to be together (and, for Catholics, to go to Christmas Day Mass). That does not always come instinctively to us. Those who have served others and see the beauty of God’s work in others come to that knowledge.

When you get together for Christmas and get into "deeper" conversation ask each other "what was their best Christmas ? Why?" How excited were you to receive a gift (as a child)? How excited were you when you saw your child or grand-children open a gift? Is God in here somewhere? I would think God is excited to do things for us… to see us excited as we "open" our gifts of self-discovery, knowledge, accomplishment, survival after some trial, and in serving others. Ask the question: if Christ were never born – would it really make any difference to you (I might suggest that your first reaction or answers will not be very substantive… keep thinking.)

Now, if you are going to talk about such things you have to prepare yourself. We are 3/5ths into the Advent season: have you gone to the Bible even once to read? Have you gone to Church other than Sunday to pray (even once)? Have you meditated even 5 minutes just once during the Advent season about Christmas? (You pay me to ask these questions – I’m your pastor.) If not – what is the excuse? Don’t even think of saying that you are too busy – I’m not buying it. You can prepare by playing the Christmas carols while decorating, baking, cleaning, etc. Sing along with the carols (not in your mind – with your voice). Have a bible open to and/or marked passages from the prophet Isaiah or the nativity narratives… and let them be prominently displayed. An Advent wreath can be most helpful. Ten days left… use them well.

December 7th, 8th, 2002

Pastor’s notes: A friend of my once noted that "the problem with the Church is that it lives in the world not as it is but as it should be." That friend is both an idealist and a hard pragmatist (I don’t know how he does it but he does.)

Advent is a time for dreaming and for thinking of the ideal world… of imagining what the Kingdom of God will be like and when will it come to its fulfillment and then imagining how can we work with the Lord in bringing it about. What does the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, mean in our 21^st century?. All the dreaming makes sense when we realize that the Lord wishes the good and the salvation for all who walk upon this good earth. ("Your heavenly Father sends rain {rain seen as a blessing} on the just and the unjust alike.") All the dreaming makes sense only when one gets down to specifics

As we approach Dec. 25^th there seems to more talk of war… of course, in Iraq. Hopefully that will not come to pass. While our thoughts are about peace – so are the thoughts of the Iraqi people. Some (Iraqi people) believe that the real issue is oil, not weapons. One has expressed a wish that the oil would dry up and then perhaps people will forget about them and let them live in peace.

President Bush once stated that "America is a friend of the people of Iraq." And I believe that to be true – but because of the sanctions imposed on Iraq and the lack of food and medicines, because of the deaths of civilians in Desert Storm perhaps it is difficult for them to believe that. The Christian Science Monitor sizes up the "friendship factor" in this way: "Many (Iraqis) say they have nothing against Americans, and then bluntly state that they hate the U.S. government."

We live in fear of some sort of attack (terrorist or otherwise) from Saddam. The Iraqi people live in greater fear that the greatest military power on earth will unleash its weaponry on them… that they will be caught in the crossfire of war.

Perhaps it might benefit us to imagine ourselves in the place of the Iraqi people and think about what the future looks like to them, their children and grandchildren. In the end it will be the Iraqis who will have to live with the consequences of a war every minute of every day.

Maybe our imaginings will lead us to think of news ways of building peace and security – both for Iraq and the US.

One would be blind not to see Saddam as a despot who has inflicted terrible harm on his own people. Maybe the only real solution will have to come from the citizens of country – not from other nations. The question is: how would they do that?" (There are actually some effective ways – but the organization from within is not there.)

Maybe the president’s talk about waging war will actually stop any such war from taking place. One can only hope it to be so.

On an entirely different issue I had some difficulty in getting the resource people and an opportune time to have a parish-wide discussion about the scandal of child abuse (within the church). That may have been providential in the sense that the most recent meeting of the bishops in D.C. has given a clearer picture of where this might be going. So, on Sunday evening, Jan. 19^th a meeting will take place. I have asked two of our parishioners to participate in a presentation: William Brennen and Maggie Klune. Bill is a counselor and Maggie has extensive experience in dealing with child abuse cases and has spoken to other parishes about her work. Aware that child abuse is much more extensive than we had thought it might benefit many who experienced it or see it around them and don’t know how to react.
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November 30th, Dec 1st, 2002

November 22nd, 23rd, 2002

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November 16th, 17th, 2002

  In a seminar led by a Baptist minister, he stated that any money given to the church is given "to advance the Kingdom of God." He went on to say that as long as you have that money it is not an asset – it is a liability. It will remain a liability until you use it for the purpose it was given.

5:00 p.m. Saturday Mass: Because of a family emergency and the need for them to regroup, Greg and Meg MacDuff will not be leading our song. Greg and Meg have been part of the St. James music program for approximately twenty years and their presence and gift of music will be missed very much. As a parish and for myself we want to thank them so much for what they have given and have meant to St. James church… it is beyond measure. May God bless them and care for them.
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November 9th, 10th, 2002

Pastor’s Notes: In the next paragraph you will see quoted a passage that leads me to write this week'’ notes. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul writes: "There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman, male or female." This was a new and radical thinking about the freedom and equality of the community of those baptized in Christ. Some time later to the Christians at Galatia Paul would repeat this formula but omit the words "male or female". It’s hard to figure our if he left it out on purpose, left it out without reflecting on his early letter, or if someone "got to him" and pressured him to change his mind. In any case, I am sorry that he did not repeat his early teaching in its fullness.

From the Foundation for Global Community (July/August) comes this observation as reported in The Christian Century magazine. "Give women a chance: After the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks failed in July 2000, President Clinton said, "If we’d had women at Camp David, we’d have an agreement." Swanee Hunt and Christina Posa agree, and can cite cases in which the presence of woman (sic) helped achieve peace. The women of the New Sudan Council of Churches, for example, organized their own summit to help end the bloody hostilities between the Dinka and Nuer, negotiating shared rights to water, fishing, and grazing land. Also, the Sudanese Women’s Voice for Peace talked with military leaders of the rebel armies in order to gain access to rebel-controlled areas, which was necessary for humanitarian relief. And it was women who helped ensure that humanitarian aid got to families who needed it rather than being diverted for personal gain. "Given their roles as nurturers, women have a huge investment in the stability of their communities," says Hunt and Posa. When talks would break down in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, "the women would come and talk about their loved ones, their bereavement, their children, and their hopes for the future," one British participant observed…"

I am writing this note before the November’s elections. The news media has reported that there were more women running for governor of their state or for federal office than ever… but the number was abysmally small (if I remember correctly that number was 12). Women are the most undervalued and underutilized political resources we have. Wiser minds can perhaps tell us why that is so.

When it comes to the religious clerical state no one stands out front of the Catholic Church for male exclusivity. But on the other hand , in that same Catholic Church, it was the women religious who for centuries (long before any secular equivalent mentality or organization) had established their own religious orders and monasteries, were founders and CEO’s of hospitals, were presidents of colleges, were great reformers of the Church, and Doctors (teachers) of the Church. On a number of occasions when a bishop went to a convent or monastery to sort out the various troubles there he was often unceremoniously sent on his way ("we can handle our own problems – thank you"). The Archdiocese of NY had to send in a nun to straighten out and re-establish the good name of Covenant House. Women are being recruited for the more visible and important diocesan-wide offices throughout the USA. I am drawing no conclusions about all of this – but I thought it might interest you and provoke some thought and conversation.

St. James Parish was awarded a 2002 Pacesetter Award from the American Red Cross. It was for our work in having two blood drives a year. We are especially thankful to Chris Morgan for her long-term work in pulling it all together, getting the volunteers and all that is needed to make it work. The best thing, of course, is the fact that the blood is much needed and saves lives. Thank you to all the blood donors.

November 2nd, 3rd,  2002

Pastor’s notes: Tuesday is Election Day. You would be correct if you expect me to urge you to go out and vote – and that is what I am urging you to do, especially the youngest of you who are eligible to vote.

The month of November has long been a time for Catholics to step back and take time to remember their deceased with a little more attention. We take time to reflect on their influence in our lives and that includes people we have never even met. It is not unusual for a pastor in Ireland to have an Irish-American knock on his door and ask him to help locate the gravesite of their great grandparents. We are connected with those who have gone before us. Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel we will have a special prayer service for those who have died in the past year and/or for those whom you would like to remember in prayer. You are encouraged to be in attendance. You will be pleased to have done so.

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October 26th, 27th, 2002
Pastor’s notes: Just War Theory It seems that the Just War Theory was developed by St. Agustine (though the first idea of a just war may have a Roman background). When it came to self-defense St. A. contended that one’s own life or property was never justification for killing one’s neighbor. But nations have an obligation to maintain peace and it is this obligation that gives them the right to wage war. He went on to write: "The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such things, all these are rightly condemned in motive of war. He says "We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace." Motivation was given high priority by St. A.

The principles of a Just War Theory would be developed over the centuries – and it was in the late Middle Ages where something of a final formulation came about.

A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified.

A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate.

A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4).

Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury.

A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable.

The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought.

The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered.

The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target.

While people debate about the justness of any war it seems as though all the conditions may apply at first in some circumstances… and war is waged. While in the seminary there was a retired professor (Fr. Nevins) whose sense of morality was finely tuned and observant. He noted that when it comes down to war one can be almost certain that all reasoning "goes out the window." He summarized it by saying that in war "you’re going to do what you’re going to do." The fire bombing of Dresden in WWII served no real military objective… and it is but one example of so many instances of violent "overkill."

For more information go to your computer to the Google search engine – type in "just war theory"… but not all are from a Christian perspective.

The Festa Italiano: what a great thing that was and what a big thank you we give to you for the work. To all who prepared the sauce, the deserts, set up and tear down, waiters and waitresses, cooks and kitchen workers, our soloist and those who care out for the dinner – many thanks. (And a special note to the many young parishioners who worked so hard as well). Deacon Currie runs a very good program.

Parish mission: our sincerest appreciation to Fr. Stan Smith OSA who gave us so many stories and insights this past week - and to Pat Carr and Sue Ziegler who pulled it
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October 19th, 20th, 2002

Pacifism: For many followers of Jesus non-violence is a way of life – a difficult choice. In its simplest terms it means what it says: one will not inflict physical harm upon another no matter the circumstances. I say "choice" because so often we find our emotions going strongly in the opposite direction. This is especially true when we think we are victims of a terrible crime, when we see the defenseless being destroyed and most strongly when a loved one is attacked and/or killed.

In popular thought pacifism seems to be passive and a sure invitation to "be walked all over" by those who would do harm to you. For some this may be true – but for most pacifists nothing could be further from the truth. To be pacifist does not mean to be non-confrontative.

During WWII "…the non-violent public resistance of the Rosenstrasse wives in February-March,1943. Reacting to the internment of their Jewish husbands, hundreds of these non-Jewish wives and other civilians who supported them started daily sit-ins in front of the building at Rosenstrasse 2-4 where their husbands had been taken initially (many were soon shipped to the camps). SS soldiers shot into the air over their heads, shut down the nearest streetcar station, and tried to frighten them off, but they kept coming, their ranks swelling to a thousand. The Nazis were faced with a dilemma: To stops the protest, they could drag these women away and arrest them, or brutalize them in the streets – but the regime was concerned that that would inflame other Berliners, who would surely hear about what had happened. In a week Goebbels decided it was easier just to give them their husbands back, and he did so, transporting many back from the camps: 1700 were set free." (Sojourners Sept/Oct, 2002)

A government in the Philippines, the Soviet Union, the freedom of Hungary and Poland and others were all accomplished in confrontative and non-violent ways, i.e. without a major war or battle. Ghandi of India is perhaps the last century’s most exemplary example of a nonviolent "victory".

"The reflexive assumption that nonviolent action has structural limitations related to a regime’s character is in part the product of three generations of stereotyping this strategy as a moral preference of a form of ethical behavior. Most preachers of "nonviolence" – by insisting that nonviolent action triumphs when the opponent witnesses the suffering or hears resisters’ messages and is persuaded to relent – have unwittingly reinforced the belief that power cannot be taken from rulers who are willing to use superior military force. That isn’t the way nonviolent resistance has usually worked.

Regimes have been overthrown that that had no compunction about brutalizing their opponents and denying them the right to speak their minds. How? By first demonstrating that opposition is possible, peeling away the regime’s residual public and outside support, quashing its legitimacy, driving up the costs of maintaining control, and overextending its repressive apparatus. Strategic nonviolent action is not about being nice to your oppressor, much less having to rely on his niceness. It’s about dissolving the foundations of his power and forcing him out…" (Ibid. pg. 23)

Most people are unaware of such "victories" and continue to stereotype the pacifists as "weaklings" and dreamers. Such conclusions are not well founded.

In next week’s bulletin I will present the conditions of the just war theory.

October 12th, 13th, 2002

 USA + WAR + IRAQ. What was once a blip on the screen now occupies all the media and (presumably) a majority of citizens. What is a follower of Jesus to think?

I bring this issue to your attention. You take your faith seriously, you do not run from difficult issues and are wise enough to know that not all problems present themselves in stark contrasts so as to be easy to decide. I hope this is a beginning of important discussion. What are your thoughts?
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October 5th, 6th, 2002
Within our country and a number of years ago we Catholics found ourselves facing a number of moral issues surrounding the issues of life. We have always faced them throughout the history of the church – but it concerned the bishops of the country so much that they chose the month of October as a time to focus on various life issues. Though October is called Respect Life Month most people are more familiar with the term pro-life.

Respect life/pro-life issues emerged from the very heart of the preaching and life of Jesus. Within his own lifetime the practices of infanticide, capital punishment, slavery, etc. were rampant. Jesus’ preaching often stood in stark contrast to common "wisdom" and cultural practices. The early church, especially the Roman martyrs, strove to be a church of non-violence and common support to one another. It was the early church that gave visibility to women and children within this new "church" and sought to protect them from being treated as non-beings.

Respect life/pro-life concerns are not to be limited to one or two issues. The Church throughout the centuries was at its best when it was strongly respect life/pro-life orientated and at its worse when it was not.

The Inquisition (definitely an anti- respect life/pro-life) or at the times of the Reformation the Church was at its worse. When the Church preserved education and the classics during the times of the "Barbaric Age" or the "Dark Ages" it was at its best. When the church was at its worse some of her greatest saints arose in her midst.

In our time and to my mind it was Cardinal Bernadin who gave us a powerful image on which we could focus and understand. He spoke about the seamless garment: meaning that all the respect life/pro-life issues are tied into one another – you cannot have just one issue and not be concerned about or stand against the others.

The issues of euthanasia, abortion, old age, capital punishment, etc. are all part of the seamless garment. To uphold, to stand for, to respect one means to uphold the others. He understood that to go in opposite directions on these issues was to tear the garment and thus lose credibility on all the issues.

In practice some people choose to focus on one issue for they realize that to try to focus on them all at the same time often does not allow for giving clarity or depth to their concerns and that there is only so much time to give. To focus on one is not to deny or denigrate the others.

At St. James, our Social Justice Committee is a sort of umbrella that seeks to pull all these issues, and those who work for them, into a harmonious whole. To work for the disenfranchised, the elderly, the outcast, to an end to capital punishment (the US is the only Western industrialized nation today that uses capital punishment), to seek to end abortions, to building homes for the poor, bringing food or feeding the hungry (and more) -  all are the responsibility and the work of the People of God (the Church).

I encourage you to be become familiar with one or more of the issues that give cause for serious concern to the follower of the Christ; to talk about these with others, to understand and to instruct. Read the Scriptures and become informed – and give witness to the respect life/pro-life message of the gospels.

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September 21st, 22nd, 2002

  From Good News comes this little portion of a homily.

"We frequently hear of how difficult it can be for people who move to new parishes to become integrated and, especially if they do not have children or time, to become actively involved in parish organizations. One man in his mid-fifties who moved to a large cosmopolitan parish in the northeast tells how he had gone to Mass on a daily basis and yet after a whole year he still knew no one'’ name. He described how when in the supermarket or the street he met people whose hands he shook daily at the sign of peace they frequently looked the other way to avoid getting involved in conversation once they were outside the security of the structure of the Church environment. What he experienced, he felt, was an imagined community, not real relationships that were shaped and formed by the common experience of sharing in the Eucharist. His experience reminds us of the humorous tale of the man who went into a church one day and sat in the front seat with a hat on his head. Within minutes someone approached him asking him to remove his hat. "Oh thank God," he said, "I’m not invisible for at last someone has noticed me!" He went on to explain that he had been coming to that church for a whole year and no one even greeted him, so he was beginning to suspect that once he crossed the door of the church he became the Invisible Man."

When our church was designed it included something new (or so it seemed). Churches may have had "vestibules" (a small area between the front doors of the church building and another set of doors that led into the worship area) – but what in the world was a "gathering area?" It was a place for parishioners to gather before and after Mass to meet with each other, catch up on the news, connect with each other concerning church ministries, discuss the scriptures of that Sunday, and whatever else might come to mind. It was meant to extend the "greeting of peace" beyond the doorway of the worshipping area. The times of the Masses were scheduled so as to allow this to happen.

Observation indicates that people seem to prefer to go directly into the worshiping area before Mass (possibly for some it is a time for quiet meditation, others to get a good seat, or possibly just out of habit). When we met with and welcome new parishioners at the rectory we encourage them to "gather" before and after Mass as a way to meet new people and build community. We "give them permission" to go up to" other parishioners and introduce themselves and we reassure them that they will not be ignored. Familiar faces at worship means an awful lot to us. We meet Christ there in many forms, faces and temperaments,

Once in a while we do call you in early so we can practice and get acquainted with new hymns – but we do encourage you to use this sacred space as well. It is a special place for hospitality – a hospitality that all of us have talent to offer and to from which to benefit.

As listed in the little bulletin insert there are a number of services to commemorate 9.ll.01. The chapel will be open all the day for your own private prayer. The services will not be long in duration but big on heart. They are set for various times throughout the day so as to offer the maximum opportunity for anyone who would like to pray.

An open parish meeting will be scheduled soon to address this issue with some professional expertise brought in. As soon as the date is confirmed I will let you know.
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August 31st, September 1st, 2002

There is an element, a quality, about Christianity that at times can be terribly confusing, and at its worse, downright debilitating and destructive. For many, a message is received that one can never do "enough". Perhaps you can use all your energies to avoid evil – but the Catch 22 is that you did not do what you "should" have done. It’s hard enough to admit to the evil that we have done – but how in the world does one measure the "good that we have failed to do" as it is noted in our Act of Contrition. Speaking to the Catholic chaplain at the State Psychiatric Hospital, he noted that there are a fair number of Catholics there who somehow received the message that they can "save" the world… but they can’t measure up to the task and so they suffer terribly. We know that this is the work of Jesus – but somehow they have taken on the guilt for not being the messiah.

Why would that be so? It seems to me (you may see it another way) that the very nature of love, the heart of Jesus’ teachings, is always to demand more. Its thirst seems unquenchable. Many prayers of the saints reflect that understanding. On the other hand – it seems to be in our nature to try to measure up to those demands. We probably succeed many more times than we "fail’. It is also important to remember that it flows both ways - we demand as well as seek to satisfy.

How does one keep a balance? A sense of satisfaction and yet keeping an "edge" – knowing that our souls will only be at rest when they rest in Christ?

A little story can shed some light on this dilemma. A Jewish rabbi, Jacob, was near death. He was a wonderful rabbi, a learned man and one who was loved by his people. But on his deathbed there was a heavy sadness about him that no one was able to soothe. A good friend, another rabbi, visited him. After spending a long time with him he thought he knew what the problem was. He asked his dying friend: "Jacob, are you sorry that you are not Moses?" The rabbi responded: "No, I am sorry that I was not Jacob!"

*** *** ***

I think history students would nod their head in agreement if I were to say that one of the most challenging struggles of the late 19^th and early 20^th century was over the role and the dignity of laborers. These were times when workers who went on strike put their lives on the line. And if their lives were on the line so was the fate of their families. Big industry simply had control. This was not a unique phenom to the USA - it was worldwide (and continues to be just that in many parts of the world). It was a disregard for the laborer that led Marx and Engels to write Das Capital and opened the way to atheistic communism, especially in the Soviet Union. In our own USA, the bishops supported the right of the workers to organize – and did so in the face of strong opposition. The long hours, the terrible working conditions, child labor practices, the disregard for the health of the workers, etc. all came together and called for change within our society. And our society recognized these needs – and the government has established a national holiday in honor of the workers: Labor Day. For most it signifies the end of summer, the beginning of new school terms, and an end to an unofficial resting time.

Part of the Labor Day weekend might be well spent to read some of the history of our country in regards to labor practices, etc. I don’t think it can but help establish a new respect for this holiday we celebrate as a nation.