JuggleCat Faith & Policy

How to Allow God to Comfort Us

2011-02-18T21:04:00.003-05:00

It has been a stressful few months for me. Secular work has been all too consuming and the tough economic times have taken it's toll on me...just as it has with most of us. When I'm feeling this stressed, it is very difficult for me to find peace in prayer and allowing God to comfort me. However, it seems that my friend Cait has found the perfect image of God comforting us. Cait and her husband Joe always find a way to keep peace in their lives. Below Cait shares an experience -- an image of God in an email that I think will help me to turn to God especially when faced with life's stressors.

It's been a challenging week and a half for us here since returning from Florida. First was worst, of course, with news of Joe's sister's death. The personal stress there is obviously the most serious. We were already dealing with corroded pipes in our kitchen, so we thought that was our biggest problem to have repaired so we could once again use our kitchen sink. The sink soon became the least of our worries. Our furnace broke down on the coldest day yet. Then this week our well pump died suddenly. It's feeling like country bumkins...

Joe bought gallons of water from the grocery store for us (which riles me because our well water is better than any water I've ever had) so we have drinking and cooking water. I was in the kitchen this afternoon boiling snow in pots on the stove (to use for the pets to drink, for the toilets, etc. until the well pump is installed) when I had some unplanned prayer time thrust upon me. I had all the kitchen doors blocked to keep our new puppy, Bonita, in the kitchen with her toys. Of course Puca and Kelsi, our Shepherd, had to be there with us... The three of them were playing with squeaky toys, little puppy size tennis balls, and big beef bones. Suddenly I heard the puppy scream as Kelsi stepped on her tiny paw. No damage, no real injury...just the shock of a huge paw on a tiny paw. I reached down and picked up Bonnie, and her little body, shaking, immediately burrowed into my arms. I held her snug, while Puca, who has been making sure she is still #1, jumped to see what was up. She has been getting much more affectionate with Bonnie so I picked her up too.

Sitting there, with the two of them in my arms, I watched Puca calm down the puppy, licking and nuzzling her. Very quickly the both of them were totally relaxed and sleeping soundly in my arms, oblivious to my plans for the afternoon. So there I sat, watching them...thinking. Is this how God looks at us when we sleep, happy to see us finally relaxed and worry free? I thought how difficult it is for me so often to allow God to comfort me, to quiet my nerves when I'm frightened like Bonnie, or insecure like Puca. These little creatures just absorb affection like sponges, and allow themselves to be calmed by it, by my imperfect love. I sat there for one hour watching them breath calmly, little eyes closed, and I prayed. God let me learn from them...to trust, to rest in Your arms secure in Your perfect Love which casts out all fears regardless of what is happening around me or to me. Nothing can seperate me from Your Love. Don't let me forget. Thank You for this reminder.

This has been a very difficult week for Joe and me, and I really needed that time this afternoon. I have no doubt God gave it to me, along with the lesson in trust and love, in the manner I'd best recognized it--through these beautiful dogs.

Cáit

Celebrating Love on Valentines Day

2011-02-14T09:59:00.007-05:00

As a close-to-50-year-old single man on Valentine's Day, it's hard not to be cynical during the holiday. We are constantly bombarded in the media with messages of how we are supposed to celebrate the day and what we're supposed to buy for our partners on this alleged most important day for lovers: electronics, chocolate, new car, $1,300 dollar Pandora necklace, insurance (really? yes really), flowers, etc. -- you get the idea. It's no wonder that we falsely believe that the holiday was created by a greeting card company. And it is also no wonder why it can be difficult for those who are alone to find reason to celebrate.

With so much focus of the holiday on romance, it leaves us single folk out to pasture while the rest of the coupled world celebrates their bliss. And don't get me wrong, I love Valentine's Day. I support any day set aside to celebrate our love for one another. However, sometimes it's easy to feel left out when you are not partnered, or even worse, when you are grieving a loss of someone you love.

However, I find solace when I meditate on the legend of the holiday. It's not only about love, but staying true to your faith. Valentines day was not invented by Hallmark as many believe. There really was a St. Valentine who lived in the third century. As a matter of fact, there may have been as many as three Christian martyrs named Valentine who are honored on Valentines Day. Valentine of Rome was a priest who lived during a time when the Church was persecuted by Emperor Claudius II. Valentine of Terni was a second century Bishop (and perhaps also a physician) who was martyred by Emperor Aurelian. And there was a third Valentine who was martyred in Africa. As with many of the early saints, the details of their life stories are unknown and the stories have been blended into mostly a single legend of St. Valentine of Rome.

As the legend story of St. Valentine is told, Emperor Claudius II would not allow young couples to marry as he believed that unmarried men made better soldiers. However, the priest Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. Claudius had Valentine arrested and tortured. The Emperor tried to get Valentine to disavow his Christianity and convert to Paganism (this part of the story is likely true). It is said that while in prison, Valentine healed the daughter of one of his jailers, a blind girl who regained her sight. Valentine stayed true to his faith and was later martyred.

Could you imagine loving God so much that you are willing to give up everything -- including your own life to remain loyal to God's love and your faith? I believe THAT is the love to celebrate on Valentine's day. God's love for us is consistent and true and we can only hope to return that love by loving each other.

If you are feeling alone or unloved, check out this scripture:

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies (Psalm 36:5).

How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 36:7).

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love (Psalm 48:9).

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever (Psalm 52:8).

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (Psalm 86:15).

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:26).

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends John 15:13).

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9).

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39).

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2).

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5).

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).

Holding On To Possessions With Kung Fu Grip

2010-06-14T08:05:00.004-04:00

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” Matthew 5:38-42

This is pretty self explanatory. If someone asks for a dollar....give them two. Or do we think Jesus is just kidding? Why do we think it's okay to refuse aid to others? Why do we justify our withholding by categorizing people into two categories: the deserving and undeserving? Jesus doesn't qualify about giving to those who ask. He just says, "Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow." Plain and simple.

Yet I know...my first reaction is, "NO! It's mine. I earned it. I won't have enough for myself!" I'm a hypocrite. We need to undo those messages and loosen our "Kung Fu grip." (Yes...I had a GI Joe when I was young).

Peace.

When Christianity is Lost On Christians

2010-04-14T10:01:00.012-04:00

I am so tired. Tired of Christians who seem to have lost the meaning of what it is to be Christian. I know -- I'm opening up a can of worms here (who am I to make such judgments as to who is and who isn't Christian?), but it's getting very old to watch folks who call themselves Christians acting in a way that is so un-Christ like, AND doing it in the name of Jesus. It is simply disheartening. I've been so dismayed by others who claim to love Jesus yet have forgotten how forgiving and loving Jesus is with all of us, and that Christ calls us to behave like Him. They seem not to know how to forgive or to tolerate others. They may call themselves sinners seeking forgiveness, yet forget that their brothers and sisters are also sinners deserving forgiveness. I'm sure many of my Christian friends -- conservative and progressive alike -- have experienced this frustration.

As it happens with many of us in the Social Networking world, my list of 'friends' on Facebook has become unwieldy. I have 'run into' many friends and acquaintances from my past whom I haven't seen in 20, 30 and 40 years and I've added them to my friends list. I often forget that these friends are diverse in their faith, politics and opinion. It's funny how I expect them to be exactly like me and are surprised when they are not. Recently, one my friends from high school posted a diatribe on liberal/progressive politics that was frankly offensive because it was a mean-spirited attack based on stereotypes. Because he was my 'friend,' it posted on my Facebook page for my other friends and family to see. I responded to the post making clear that I was offended -- I did not rebut the points listed in the post, simply that I felt that it was wrong and that I was frustrated that it appeared on my Facebook wall.

In response - I was attacked. Attacked by two former school mates who are born-again Christians. These men profess their love of Jesus on an regular basis, yet acted in a way less than loving. They accused me of being a socialist -- which wouldn't be so bad if they really knew what socialism was, of being a pedophile -- referring to my profile picture of me wearing a clerical shirt, and they attacked my religion. They did not ask my opinion, nor did I offer it. They attacked me based on stereotypes without knowing my views. They do not know my political affiliation nor my values, yet they spoke as if we had long philosophical discussion on politics, religion, theology and morality. To say the least -- we never had such discussions. I still bristle thinking about the nonsense that they posted...mostly personal, baseless attacks.

What to do? I wanted to respond in anger! I wanted to attack their Christianity and their ignorance of the Gospels. I wanted to engage in a long discussion on the Beatitudes, the hypocrisy of many Christian leaders in regard to government, empire, and lack of charity that these men seem to embrace -- as indicated in the post that was originally made. It took much prayer and discussion with others to NOT respond in a way that would just be a vent of my anger rather than anything that would be helpful. I still felt the need to respond, so I wrote one of those letters that we often feel the need to write, knowing full well that it would never be sent. It was addressed to one of the posters, "Bob" who started by attacking the fact that Catholic priests use the title 'Father' and misusing the Bible to support his claim that one should only call God 'Father.' He did not know the specific New Testament reference but only: "...doesn't it say that somewhere in the Bible?"

I'll end my diatribe by sharing a bit of the letter:

Bob...that same verse in Matthew (Matthew 23:9-11) states that you should not call anyone teacher either. Being that you've taken the verse out of context and used a literal interpretation, let me know when you make your children stop calling you "daddy" and also scold them for referring to their teachers as "teacher". And you may also want to stop reading any scripture written by Paul (Saul of Tarsis) as he often referred to himself as spiritual father of the Corinthians. After all , there is no way that YOU are a hypocrite -- which is exactly what that scripture really addresses as Jesus was referring to the hypocrites who call themselves teacher and father .

Your misrepresentation of priests is disgusting. I can't believe that you are that naive to fall into the media trap that suggests that all Priests are child abusers. The scandal of course is that ANYONE would abuse a child let alone clergy, and that ANY institution would mishandle such an abomination the way that the Roman Catholic Church has mishandled it. The actual number of priests who are child abusers is not known, but most studies and estimates put the number approximately 3-5% (according a survey of studies). Even if the number were larger, that doesn't give you the ticket to systemically bash priests. Maybe you would like to read the Gospels about judging others (who should that be left up to?) and forgiveness and love, and report here what you've read.

Bob, I've seen you post on being Christian many times. You are not shy about sharing Jesus and your love for Him. However, what's been absent in your posts is Christ's love in you and any coherent knowledge of the Gospels. What you repeatedly write is anger, venom...and quite frankly something that's more reflective of the Enemy than of God. You talk about reaching out to others about joining your church like you were introducing them to Amway rather than teaching others about the Divine Message that God loves us and delights in us. You are so busy condemning others that it seems that you have forgotten that Jesus IS LOVE. Period.

Missional Church ... simple

2010-01-31T10:50:00.001-05:00

Being the Missional Church

2010-01-31T10:28:00.003-05:00

This is probably one of the best lessons on "what is missional" that I've seen. You will find it to be a gift. It's worth the hour view.

Pat Robertson Has Lost His Mind

2010-01-14T08:28:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Pat Robertson stated that the earthquake in Haiti was the result of Haiti making a pact with the devil during their revolution. It became clear long ago that Robertson does not speak for Christians, yet the media often presents him as a leader in the Church. Pat Robertson has become a source of ridicule for non-believers, and justifiably so. I believe that he is flirting with peril every time he makes such statements -- especially when he speaks in the name of Jesus Christ. I will pray for him and for those who give Pat Robertson the vehicle to be heard in such a big way.

It's time...

2009-12-27T09:35:00.008-05:00

I came to Charlotte, NC to build ministry -- I am called to bring flesh to the Word. However, it seems that I've spent most of my time contributing to empire building. I'm not sure how I got here -- yeah, yeah...I know...I got here by U-Haul truck. But how did I get so focused on earning a dollar? I give myself some credit though: my focus has not been making a dollar for wealth but rather making a dollar for survival. But I'd be lying through omission if I didn't confess that I have considered taking steps to advance in the retail business so that I could earn big dollars. But I remain sober knowing that Jesus has other plans for me.

I've spent the last six weeks working 70-85 hours a week managing an electronics retailer and wondering why it has been so easy? I'm not talking about the lazy kind of easy where one sits back with little effort and watches things fall into place. It's been quite the opposite; this job has been hard work and very consuming on so many levels. When I say "easy" I'm talking about this-isn't-rocket-science kind of easy. Before taking on this job, I never thought of myself as a salesman. I thought that I could never be the slick salesman that we often meet at the mall or the used car lot trying to sell us something that we don't want. And I was right. That's not me. "Slick" is not a word one would use to describe me. However, I AM skilled at listening and empathizing. And I'm pretty good at assisting folks in being able to figure out what they want and/or need and to help them get those things. These skills work perfectly in retail. And I find it quite disturbing that I can use these skills in this way because I acquired them to help others in need, not as a means to earn money or empire building. So I am having a crisis of conscience.

It's time for a change. It's time to test my faith.

MY EPIC TAKES OVER VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

2009-07-19T15:30:00.001-04:00

We've made friends with the band My Epic the past few months. They volunteered to take over Christ the King Chapel's summer program...and this is the end result. No doubt that Jesus was there!

Moving-On, Going Forth

2009-02-09T14:54:00.008-05:00

So my bags were packed and I was ready to go, at least as much as I was going to be ready. My friends and family helped to pack-up the truck -- Thank you! My brother Paul, and friend Theresa are packing scientists who seemed to know exactly how to fit things together to optimize the full volume of the truck while being gentle with my things and keeping my possessions safe from too much movement or damage.

My last days living on Long Island seemed surreal. After the truck was packed, I spent a couple of days with my BFF Ginger (I'm such a geek -- "Best Friend Forever") while I attended my last Mass with Prince of Peace on Sunday, and my last day of work on Monday. My friends from Prince of Peace were unbelievably gracious and loving to me. They offered a "Going Forth Mass" which included Celtic prayer and blessings. I truly felt super-charged, blessed and so loved.

The car trip (truck trip?) took 17-hours of driving; it was 11-hours the last time I drove from Long Island to Charlotte. However this time I kept it slow and easy, and also stopped along the way for meals and naps. To say the least, I was exhausted.

It was heart breaking when I left Long Island at approximately 4:30 in the morning. My best friend Ginger saw me off. I love her so much. We both were crying -- it was hard to imagine being apart. But through the tears we both knew that this was all part of God's plan. We also knew and continue to know that we will never be apart as our love stretches beyond geography. With phones, emails and travel, we will stay close. Thank you God for Ginger.

As you could tell from this post and the previous post -- I am publishing them in February...but were written while I was going through this transition. Not having much time -- I never got to post them, but thought I would now to share my experience with you.

Discernment

2008-11-02T16:30:00.003-05:00

Clearly I've been absent from my blog for quite a few weeks. It's been somewhat of a...well...I don't know how to describe this period of time. I thought I had well-laid plans and a strong sense of what my future was going to look like. And sure enough, God threw a monkey wrench into the works. I hate when God changes things just when I think I have everything worked-out.

For quite sometime I imagined that I would begin my ministry as a priest by building a Catholic Community on Long Island, New York. In addition, I thought that I would continue working for Catholic Charities -- providing services and housing for homeless folks who live with a disability. I figured that after I gained community-building experience and the community was well-established, I would consider immigrating south to Virginia Beach, VA or Charlotte, NC where there are existing United American Catholic Church ministries that could use my help. However, as the saying goes: "While I make plans, God laughs."

The anxiety started when my landlord & friend informed me that her family situation was changing and she would need the space where I live -- therefore I must move out by December. At first glance, it would seem that this change is not much of a crisis. While I am disappointed that I needed to move (I lived in a beautiful apartment on a canal with a terrific house mate), I had faith that I would find another apartment and would be fine. However, I immediately had this nagging feeling that there's an opportunity to further my ministry away from New York. It does not seem to matter that I have a wonderful job on Long Island and am currently serving as Deacon in a growing faith community -- I continued to hear the Voice of God in prayer telling me that I'm needed else where. That is where the crisis lay.

God's call is never easy, or at least it's never been for me. I heard God's gentle prodding to go into ministry for years before I took the first step on the journey toward the priesthood. And now once again, it is very hard to follow God's call for me to relocate. I love Long Island. I grew up there and left it only for a short time to attend school. I know the communities, the culture and have wonderful relationships with folks who live there. I have a strong professional network in the community-service and social work arenas. I love Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay, the wineries on the North Fork, the terrific community theatres and museums, and the fact that New York City is a short drive or train ride away. Although one can argue about some of the drawbacks to living in an area with one of this country's highest cost of living -- it was home for me and I was quite comfortable.

Yes, God's will is hard. It became apparent that I would be leaving Long Island soon when my dear friend Ginger, who knew I was discerning a big change, sang a Psalm to me over the phone and all I could do was cry -- tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of uncertainty. The decision was made. Charlotte, North Carolina would soon be my new home. It was there that I was being called to assist with a growing community of Peruvians.

As is always the case -- stay tuned, there is more to come.

Hypocrisy is All the Rage On McCain's Choice of VP

2008-09-08T01:11:00.004-04:00

I can't help but harp on John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as VP nominee. Not only is it insulting to the voters (especially to the Republican voters), but it has shined a new light on the hypocrite Republican pundits. Jon Stewart did an excellent job at illustrating their hypocrisy.

Wake Up America!

2008-08-31T12:24:00.001-04:00

This is one speech that didn't make prime time at the DNC, but worth seeing.

Peace!

McCain/Palin Are Counting on the 'Stupid Vote'

2008-08-30T12:49:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, Sen. John McCain selected Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate for this year's presidential election. There are so many worthy candidates he could have chosen to be the Republican nominee for Vice-President. And clearly there are special interest voters that he needed to consider when he made his choice: conservatives, evangelical Christians, young voters, moderates, women, environmentalists, undecideds, etc. So I imagine that he must have thought long and hard about who could produce the most votes, as well as who could fill his shoes as President of the United States if needed. So lets take a look to see which votes that John McCain is hoping to garner with this selection.

According to a number of sources (take a look here, here and here), Palin is the Governor of Alaska for only 19 months, and prior to that was a City Council Member (1992-1996) and Mayor (1996-2002) of Wasilla, Alaska (population less that 5,000). She is a staunch social conservative, against abortion rights, against gay-marriage, pro-gun rights, supported wildlife predator control efforts (hunting wolves from the air by shooting them from helicopters), promotes "gas and oil resource development in Alaska," has tried to prevent polar bears from being listed as endangered species and has tried to stop the polar bear region from being listed as protected for fear that it would interfere with oil development. She is non-denominational Christian, the wife of a small business-owner/fisherman and has five children -- including one special needs child with Downs Syndrome

So which voters would be swayed by Palin? First, let's cross-off those groups who obviously would be opposed to her positions: staunch liberals & democrats, the gay community, pro-choice folks, gun-control advocates, and environmentalists.

What about young voters? Well, traditionally, the majority of younger voters vote liberal. And it seems that polls suggest the same again this year. So clearly a staunch conservative could not be expected to attract young voters -- at least not anymore than would be already swayed by McCain. Except of course, stupid young voters who don't know that Palin is not a liberal and would vote for her because she's a lot younger than McCain.

What about conservatives? It would seem that Palin solidifies an already conservative base that McCain already has. However, Palin has limited voting history to support her conservative views. Therefore it would seem that her selection would not necessarily be a gain in the number of conservative votes; except maybe for conservatives who may not be aware of McCain's conservative credentials: i.e. stupid conservatives.

What about women? Well the pundits have speculated that the primary motivation of McCain to pick Palin is because she is a woman. The hope is that she will garner votes lost by the democrats when Sen. Hillary Clinton failed to gain the democratic nomination for President. The McCain camp believes that women who supported the liberal, pro-choice, pro-gay Clinton will switch to the conservative, pro-life, anti-gay McCain/Palin because Clinton was not nominated. This seems unlikely....unless of course, the women supporters are stupid -- who think perhaps a conservative woman is the same as a liberal woman. Sort of like what radio talk show host, Lynn Samuels suggested about men yesterday on her show: "... men think that all vaginas are the same."

What about moderates & undecided voters? Well it seems that one of the issues that has lost voters for Sen. Barack Obama to moderates and undecided voters is his perceived lack of experience. As a matter of fact, McCain has hit Obama hard on this issue. So it couldn't be that McCain was hoping to gain votes based on Palin's experience considering that she has less of it than Obama -- specifically on all national issues. This is a woman who said,

But as for that VP talk all the time, I’ll tell you, I still can’t answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?

Therefore she will NOT gain votes for McCain based on her experience, unless of course, the moderate and undecided voters are stupid and believe Republican pundits who suggested that Palin does have more experience than Obama.

So therefore, who is McCain hoping to convince to vote for the Republican ticket with the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate? Isn't it obvious? The stupid voter! Who else votes continuously against their own best interests because they can't or won't grasp the issues? Stupid voters. That's right, McCain is hoping that he can get the stupid vote to the polls this November to vote for him! The ones who will vote for him because Palin is so much younger regardless of her views or voting record (or the lack thereof). The ones who will vote for him because they think that by selecting a woman as VP, he must really care about women's issues despite his efforts to stop bills from being passed that prevent gender equity in salary, and his views on abortion. The ones who will vote for Palin as Vice-President -- one heart beat away from the presidency -- despite having the least amount of experience than any other candidate in modern times. Yes, McCain/Palin count on the stupid voter! And hopefully they will know when & where to vote!

Peace.

The Amazing Tony Melendez

2008-08-13T22:43:00.002-04:00

When a friend shared this video with me -- my first thought was, "What a wonderful gift!" Please take a look -- it will make your day. God bless!

Missional Life, Missional Church

2008-08-10T12:22:00.004-04:00

I have tried to live a missional life as long as I can remember. I think that I've tried to live a missional life longer than I've known what it means to live a missional life. Some might say that I live an alternative lifestyle. Others might say that I've made some poor decisions when choosing the direction of my life: "Don't go into the helping professions -- you'll never make any money." And one of my favorite comments: "If you got paid for half the volunteer work you've done, you'd be rich!" I see these observations as a sure sign that I'm living missionally.

When I say that I live a missional life, it means that I live as though I've been sent to proclaim the Word not only through traditional means (i.e. leading a faith community), but rather living the Gospel in my life's work by modeling Christian living in my day-to-day activities, living the Great Commission -- Missio Dei, everyday! To me, missional is not a technique or a theology or a activity; it's simply a way of life. I don't proselytize and evangelize in a traditional sense, instead I try to live a Christian life as best as I can by helping others, hoping to spread the Word through my life example. "And they'll know we are Christians by our love..." is my mantra. And by no means have I done it perfectly. Quite frankly, I am far from perfect. But again, I do the best I can.

Currently, I am struggling with how to translate missional living into missional church. In the last few weeks some 5o bloggers addressed the question, "What is missional?" in a SynchroBlog that was organized by Rick Meigs of Blind Beggar. Rick called for a SynchroBlog hoping to reclaim the word 'missional' after some discussion about the fact the this buzz word has been overused, watered-down and has lost it's meaning. I was two busy to add my two cents, but I still wanted to write about missional community as I discern my calling in community building. I encourage folks to check out the discussion through the SynchroBlog as I have found it to be quite valuable in weighing what it means to build a missional church.

As new clergy in a small but growing denomination, I am excited about the prospect of building a new community. And I find it a real challenge to visualize what a truly missional catholic community will look like. My experience is that most people only look at church as a place to go on Sunday to receive the Eucharist rather than a vessel of the Great Commission. When I speak with people about building a community, they want to know where the church will be located ("...near where I live?") or how many people am I hoping will attend, or what kind of activities and services will be offered. These are all valid questions. However when we start to think that we should go to church to have something "done to us" or that we should be serviced while we sit in the pews, it is a sure sign that we've lost track of what is church. Although I too have been a victim of that sort of thinking, I find it quite disappointing that folks seem to have lost the point that Jesus sends us to make disciples of everyone. The problem is that the idea of "church as a building" has been ingrained in us for what seems forever. Even when our pastors remind us that true church is the people not the building, it seems that they undermine that very point when they say, "keep coming to church." Really what they mean is "keep coming to the building."

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

Jesus sends us. I'm not sure when He said this He meant, "Y'all wait here and put a welcome sign on the door. When the people arrive, tell them about me." And I'm also not sure that He meant for us to visit our friends and neighbors and say, "Hey, I'm building a church in town. Come on down -- we're going to praise God, learn about Jesus, share in the Eucharist, and have a fund-raiser for the homeless shelter," and if our neighbors refuse our invitation we move-on to the next one without much more thought. I also don't think He meant that we should only 'do mission' on Sundays or to use it as a technique, i.e. servant evangelism. Being missional goes beyond servant evangelism. Mission is a way of being -- just as in life, it also must be in church.

So what does that mean? As I pray over this question, I realize that I complicate the answer. I think that most of us do. For the answer is simple: it means that the primary purpose of a church is to live and act as Jesus would. It means that we become missionaries in our own community; that we leave the confines of the four walls or our church, and the comfortability of our living rooms and go to where the people-in-need are and help them the best way that we can in the name of Christ Jesus. It's as simple as that. The word "mission" should fall from the preacher's mouth as much as the words, "prayer," "worship," "sin," "forgiveness," "love," "redemption," etc. A truly missional church is one in which its focus is on community, social justice, helping the poor, freeing those who are oppressed, and living the Word. A missional church is less concerned with what happens at church on Sunday, and more concerned with what is going on outside its walls and in its community everyday of the week. And a missional church is one of action. It should be a church of doing.

The challenge will be to re-frame the traditional view of church. How do we get our parishoners to think beyond the church service and more on service in the community? How do we teach the Word through faith in action?

What do you think it means to be a missional church? How do we make it happen? I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Peace.

Lambeth a Success?

2008-08-05T09:45:00.003-04:00

I'm a bit troubled at the conclusion of the Lambeth Conference. Some have declared the conference a success because there was no further splintering or rebellion. How could there be? 250 of the most conservative Bishops were not in attendance, nor was the Bishop who was the focus of the controversy, Bp. V. Gene Robinson. In addition, there were no motions and no church legislation to be voted on. So did anyone leave the Anglican Communion? No. However the victory is hollow considering that nothing was gained during the conference. It seems that the conference was dominated by the American contingency (21% of the Bishops in attendance were from the Episcopal Church of the US). And with alleged "white papers" being distributed by Americans throughout the conference, it seems that their agenda became the focus.

What I find most disturbing is that Archbishop Rowan Williams called that there be a moratorium on further consecrations of gay Bishops and that gay-sex is still considered a sin. How long must the Anglican Communion keep gays & lesbians in the closet? How long is the moratorium to last...forever? I suspect that Williams' mandate will be ignored.

A Church of Doers

2008-08-03T14:32:00.008-04:00

I love being Catholic. I especially love being a progressive, Independent Catholic. I'm at a synod meeting of our li'l denomination (the United American Catholic Church) and I am so proud of the work that we do.

I am reading a couple of different books that talk about what many hate about church -- specifically about the mixed message of churches who talk about mission but don't DO mission. We are a church of doers! My hope is that I can plant, build and grow a church of doers.

By the way, the picture above is (from left to right): Bishop Anthony Hash, Father Christopher Ross, myself and Father Tom Shortell.

Watching the Lambeth Conference

2008-07-26T18:54:00.005-04:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Bp. V. Gene Robinson (the first openly gay Bishop consecrated in the Episcopal Church) last month. I was amazed by his positive perspective on the future of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. Despite the fact that he was being deliberately excluded from the Lambeth Conference, it was clear that he saw his presence there (on the outskirts of the conference) as an important opportunity to get to introduce himself to other Bishops. He told us that there would be a number of foreign Bishops who will discreetly meet with him, however he had to promise not to disclose the meetings as the consequences to the visiting Bishops could be dire.

I've been trying to follow the debate at the conference regarding the issue of homosexuality -- specifically the ordination of gay men & lesbians, and same-sex marriage, however the coverage in the mainstream media has been scant.

Interestingly, Stephen Colbert addressed the issue on the Colbert Report the other night in a way that almost split my sides! Please, click on the video below and enjoy.

Peace.

Where does the time go?

2008-07-26T18:40:00.003-04:00

Too much to do and not enough time has been the story of my life. I have partial posts written and just haven't had the time to complete a thought, let alone finish a post.

I'm hoping for some breathing room soon.

Peace.

And You Thought the Price of Gas Was Determined by Supply & Demand...

2008-06-21T21:05:00.010-04:00

I have some strong feelings surrounding this upcoming US election -- there's lots of reasons to vote for Barack Obama this fall. There are even more reasons to vote against John McCain. Here's another.

One of the greatest causes of the volatility of the oil market is out-of-control oil futures speculation. And it all began with deregulation of the market due to "the Enron Loophole." John McCain recognized this loophole and railed against it until he started to have second thoughts following political connections with Phil Gramm and his wife, Wendy Gramm.

See the video below -- it's worth watching.

With all that we know about the deregulation of the oil futures market, what is McCain's solution to the problem of rising gas prices? The so-called "gas tax holiday."

By the way...you can monitor local gas prices at GasBuddy.com.

A Response to the NY Bishops Conference Statement on Same-Sex Marriage

2008-06-16T00:46:00.010-04:00

Last week Roman Catholic Bishops from New York released a statement condemning the New York State recognition of same-sex marriage. The NY Bishops' Conference statement was in response to Governor David Paterson's directive that all state agencies must revise their policies and regulations to legally recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states (Massachusetts and California), as well as Canada. The Governor's memo warns that failure to do so could result in sanctions for violations of the state human rights law (You can see an Empire State Pride Agenda video of Governor Paterson announcing the directive, as well as the text of the memo here, on the New York Observer's website).

What I find most troubling about the Bishops' statement is not that it condemns same-sex marriage. Such a condemnation is not news coming from Roman Catholic Church leaders. The Church has condemned most things homosexual for centuries. And I wish not to debate the Bishops' assertion that "numerous theological and religious arguments could be advanced as to why same-sex unions should be rejected." I strongly believe their arguments are weak at best, and that there are theological and religious arguments that could be advanced as to why same-sex marriage SHOULD BE ACCEPTED (see the work of Princeton Theology Professor William Stacy Johnson, JD, PhD here, and here and, Marvin M. Ellison of Bangor Theological Seminary here, and Eugene F. Rogers, Jr. here). In addition, the argument that same-gendered marriage is against "common sense and natural law" is old and stale, and easily debunked. No, it's not their theological arguments that trouble me, but rather their attempts at using flawed, or perhaps intellectually dishonest sociological arguments to build a case against marriage equality.

The NY Bishops' rightfully make a case for two-parent families. In their statement, they remind us that a two-parent home is often better than a one-parent home. They even invoked the name of liberal democrat Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan who fought for the family during his time in public service in making their case. However to use this argument for the two-parent family as a case against same-sex marriage is illogical and quite frankly, intellectually dishonest. It seems that the Bishops' are trying to make a connection that just doesn't make sense. Are they saying that same-sex marriages are the cause of divorce in America? Are they making an implication that two same-gendered parents are the equivalent of a single parent in regard to effective parenting? Of course, both of these premises are unfounded and absurd. The Bishops' Conference statement is "spinning" a case based on innuendo that families formed by gay/lesbian parents are somehow flawed or not as stable as families parented by heterosexuals. They even suggest that there is empirical evidence to support this contention, however they do not cite any. On the other hand, what the growing empirical evidence suggests is that "childrenwho grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as wellin emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as dochildren whose parents are heterosexual" (PEDIATRICS Vol. 109 No. 2 February 2002, pp. 341-344 as found on the AAP Policy website).

And by the way, it should be noted that Sen. Moynihan never publicly expressed opposition to same-sex marriage and voted "no" against the federal "Defense of Marriage Act" in 1996. It seems that the Bishops' have used a tactic that many against same-sex marriage have used by dishonestly suggesting through innuendo that the liberal senator was an ally in their fight against same-sex marriage (see "Gay-Marriage Opponents Distort Moynihan's Views" in The New York Oberver, July 25, 2004).

And contrary to the Bishops' statement, disallowing same-sex marriage IS an issue of discrimination because of the myriad of legal rights that are afforded married couples that are currently denied to gay couples without the same institution. Even the best lawyer can not put in place all of the legal directives and rights that a married couple is given by the simple act of marriage.

Same-gendered couples seek to get married for the same reasons as different-gendered couples. They seek an institution where they can share the love given to them by God and build a family just as any other married couple could. Their relationships are more than an expression of affection or commitment (as described by the Bishops' statement), but has the unique and sometimes indescribable qualities of love and shared values that make them wonderful spouses, parents, and grandparents. These God-given qualities are what distinguish a married couple from any other close relationship that one has with others, and they are not unique to just heterosexual couples -- they can be found in homosexual couples as well.

The Bishops fail to adequately justify disallowing same-sex couples from legally getting married in New York State. And it is disappointing that they use such a flawed premise in their statement.

Through My Eyes: Bullying on Long Island

2008-06-11T08:55:00.003-04:00

Patrick is a local middle school student here on Long Island, NY who is a victim of bullying. His family alleges that school personnel have been unresponsive to violence being committed against Patrick. Therefore, his parents are suing the school district. Patrick decided to do something more and produced this video.

His family was hoping to show the video at the school's PTA meeting, however the school wouldn't allow it because the video is "too graphic."

I was victimized by bullying for most of the 13-years that I attended public school. Except for some caring adults, most teachers and other adults turned their backs on me. I remember one adult taunted me because I was not "man enough" to stand-up against my attacker (I was 12 years old). This adult was a reflection of the ignorance of most adults at the time -- most did not understand the effects of bullying on children. It should be noted that the bully was arrested soon after for sexually assaulting a number of boys and girls. I'll never know why I was protected from that kind of violence, but I often think about the other victims and keep them in my prayers.

I'm so glad that this issue is coming to the public's attention, but it is clear that more work needs to be done. As you view this video, remember that Jesus is in the face of the victims.

God bless them...and God bless you.

Peace.

Gotta Love Them Girls...

2008-06-10T09:20:00.003-04:00

I found this amazing video from girleffect.org.

Missional Job Opportunity

2008-06-02T15:09:00.013-04:00

I have worked for Catholic Charities here on Long Island for a number of years -- developing housing for people at risk of homelessness and living with HIV/AIDS, as well as other disabilities including mental illness and substance abuse. I am proud of "my program" -- the Special Needs Housing Program, and I am proud of the good work that we do. I am especially proud of another program at Catholic Charities that I believe is truly an example of putting faith into action everyday.

The Teaching Family Home Program is a community-based, structured residential treatment program for children and adolescents age five to 17. The program provides individualized treatment and care to children who suffer from serious emotional disturbances. Currently there are five homes in operation in Nassau and Suffolk counties (Long Island, NY), and more are in development. Typically, there are four children and/or adolescents living with a specially trained married couple (teaching parents) and their own family. The children attend schools that are appropriate to their needs, and become part of the community in which they live.

The Teaching Family Home Program pairs four emotionally disturbed youth and two teaching parents, a married couple who provide support and teach skills for successful living in the community. Each child's family is extensively involved in treatment, with the goals of stabilizing the family and returning the child to his or her home. The teaching parents provide a milieu where the children can learn how to function effectively in the family and the community.

Catholic Charities is looking to hire teaching parents for an immediate opening, as well as for other Teaching Family Homes that are in development. Each parent is salaried, and their family (of not more than two children) is provided a home as part of the compensation package. Won't you and your family consider becoming a Teaching Family?

Please feel free to send a resume to Catholic Charities Teaching Family Home Program, 333 North Main Street, Freeport, New York, 11520, or fax it to: 1.516.634.0017. For more information, call the program at 516.634.0012, ext. 127

Peace.

Is the Taize Community Missional?

2008-05-09T10:17:00.006-04:00

One of the true traits of a missional community is one that reaches out to "the nations" as opposed to one that relies on attraction. What about the Taize community? Is this a missional community? Here is a link to an introductory video about Taize.

Toward a Missional Church

2008-05-06T22:28:00.005-04:00

As I study for the priesthood and discern my future ministry, I can't help but wonder: will I be able to effectively harness my calling toward building a missional church in the independent sacramental movement? I feel called to build a church who's mission is first and foremost consistent with the great commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) and seeks to bring the Gospel to all the Nations; a church that puts faith in action, not one that passively waits for the masses to enter her doors. Often the term 'missional church' is described vaguely. I like the way Mark Powell describes it in this video. Can an ISM church truly be a missional church? I think so.

Peace.

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2008-05-06T15:30:00.004-04:00

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Day of Silence

2008-04-23T00:43:00.004-04:00

Everyday gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth are bullied, bashed and discriminated against in schools across the country. This Friday, April 25th is an opportunity for students to take action with a day of silence. See the video below for details.

Peace.

Hunting the Homeless on Long Island

2008-04-07T09:53:00.005-04:00

A couple of months ago, I participated in the daunting task of counting the un-sheltered homeless here on Long Island. Every year a coalition of service-providers work together to track people who do not have housing: folks who are living "on the streets," in the woods, under bridges & over-passes, abandoned buildings, or any other location where someone could stay without being accosted. What makes this task especially difficult is that the homeless on Long Island are seemingly invisible.

Long Island is an automobile driven suburb that has a lacking public transportation system. In neighboring New York City, most of the residents depend on the subway and buses to get around -- and the homeless are clearly visible as they seek shelter in the bus terminals and subway stations. However the general population on Long Island doesn't see Long Island’s homeless from the driver's seats of their SUVs. Most of those who do not have a home live in abandoned buildings, their cars, in the woods, etc., out of view of those of us who have homes – leaving an impression that there aren’t any homeless in the suburbs. However, nothing could be farther from the truth – the problem is real (see the NY Times and Newsday).

And it seems that it’s only getting worse with the downturn in the economy. The sad news is that people are dying. Every winter it seems more homeless Long Islanders die as a direct result of their homelessness (Homeless Man in Box Crushed, Homeless Man Dies Outside in Riverhead, Homeless Man Found Dead, after Being on TV).

So every year, we try to count the homeless and make a report to HUD (US Housing and Urban Development) so that the homeless are not forgotten, and funding to assist them is renewed. It’s easy to count the folks who are in shelters and seek services. It is more difficult to count those ‘on the streets.’ They simply don’t want to be counted. They are afraid they will be deported (many are undocumented immigrants), or that they will be ‘evicted’ from whatever box, make-shift campsite or dilapidated building in which they are squatting, or their mental illness will not allow them to seek assistance. So we spend lots of time interviewing people, searching, and hunting if you will, but not much time actually counting. We see plenty of evidence of them (see pictures).

This past January, I investigated a location in Merrick (on the south shore of mid-Nassau County, LI, NY) and found another make-shift campsite, but could not find it’s residents. Less than a month later, a man would die on that site.

I guess my point is while local and national candidates talk about making housing affordable – usually they are not talking about affordable for those who are impoverished. Poverty is barely an issue addressed in politics. But it needs to be. Our sisters and brothers are dying not just somewhere else, but in OUR neighborhoods, in our backyards.

"Stay With Us"

2008-04-06T16:54:00.005-04:00

A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Gospel: Luke 24

The Easter season is an exciting time for me. Not just the Triduum, or Easter Sunday…but the whole 50-days of the season. And I think it’s because it not only honors the day of Jesus resurrection, but also the birth of the church and the whole of Christianity. The season is really about who we are as Catholics.

This Gospel story of the two disciples who walk to Emmaus is a wonderful metaphor of our faith journey together – especially as Independent Catholics.

Imagine what these two disciples were thinking and how they were feeling as they began their journey. They started their walk from Jerusalem on Easter Sunday. They were feeling discouraged and depressed for they had so much hope in Jesus. After all, he was to save Israel. However, they saw their Lord unjustly tried and put to death. And to make matters worse, now his body was missing! Their hopes were dashed. They were dejected and losing faith.

We too have traveled this part of the journey. Has there ever been a time when you felt distant from Our Savior? Have you felt discouraged and with little hope; a time when your faith was tested? We are often so slow to believe just like these two disciples.

It is very easy to feel dejected and discouraged as a faith community. We are small in numbers and it is so hard to bring new people to our church. It seems that we have such a strong love for Jesus but we can’t seem to translate that love into action – unable to share Jesus’ love with others. And in the end we feel so isolated in our journey.

But then the so-called “stranger” reminds us that there’s more to the story. He reminds us of all of the references in scripture about the Son of God. His coming was foretold in scripture. His death and resurrection was also foretold. Indeed that is where we all REALLY meet Christ, is in scripture. That is where our faith is built. “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24)

The turning point for the disciples was when they asked the stranger to “Stay with us” -- a simple act of charity and of hospitality. Isn’t that also where we build faith? Not just in scripture but in our unconditional, loving acts of kindness? Isn’t that where our love as Christians really shines when we spread Christ’s love through our charitable works; when we help the poor and those oppressed? There are over 300 references in the Bible on the poor and oppressed and on God’s call to help them.

“Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.” That’s from Proverbs 14:31.

And from Deut. 15:7: “If there is a poor one among you, one of your siblings, in any of the towns of the land which the Most High your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand to your poor sibling; but you shall freely open your hand to the one, and generously lend your sibling sufficient for the need in whatever she or he lacks.”

From Luke 12:33. "Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near, nor moth destroys."

Also from Luke 3:11. “And [John the Baptist] would answer and say to them, ‘Let the person with two tunics share with someone who has none, and let the person who has food do likewise.’ ”

So “Stay with us.” Of course, the irony of the request is that Jesus was already was with them. He is always with us. But we don’t recognize him until our faith is rebuilt. And it was because of the act of charity that they finally did recognize him – when they offered him a meal, and he broke bread – that’s when they truly saw him. And I think that is also true for us that our faith is rebuilt when we help others. We recognize Jesus when we see him in the poor and the oppressed.

Believing and loving Christ, building our faith, is not just about going to Mass on Sunday. It’s also about reading and living scripture everyday. And it’s about sharing God’s love through good works; helping the poor; advocating for Social Justice; being truly missional.

When we look at Our Walk to Emmaus we need to remember that no matter what, Jesus is always walking with us. That we will know him through the scriptures, and we will recognize him in our acts of charity.

Christ is Risen

2008-04-01T01:05:00.003-04:00

I love Easter -- not just Easter day or the Triduum, but the whole season. I love the build-up during lent -- preparing for the death and resurrection of Jesus. I love praying the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. And I especially love the Sundays of Easter following. The Easter season reminds me of the birth of the church. Jesus and the apostles were such revolutionaries of their time. I love reading the Book of Acts. I love the story of Jesus walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). As you can tell...I'm absolutely in my glory as the Easter season progresses.

Indeed CHRIST IS RISEN. May the Risen Lord be with us always!

Peace.

Lazarus Rises: A Homily

2008-03-12T08:36:00.003-04:00

5th Sunday of Lent -- Cycle A

Bishop Tony recently showed me one of his favorite books titled: 99 Annoying Attributes of God: Why God is God and You’re Not (by Ray Albrektson, Gary Stanley, and Janet Kobobel Grant). Isn’t THAT the truth! The book is exactly what it sounds like it is -- a list of ways that God annoys us and it has scriptural references to prove the point. I started looking through the book and saw myself in it in so many ways. Here’s one that is so true: “God is annoying because he allows me to struggle and fail at the very things he can accomplish in the twinkling of an eye.” Indeed there are so many examples of that!

And of course, it got me thinking about other ways God annoys ME. Here’s one that I came up with: “God is annoying because just when you think you know what God is going to do – God does something totally different.”

Today’s Gospel is a perfect example of that. Jesus is away from Judea with the apostles – presumably preaching the Word; perhaps preparing his disciples for what was about to come. It is there that he receives word that the brother of Mary and Martha – Lazurus – is gravely ill. Of course, I would expect that Jesus – who has healed the blind and the sick before – would rush on back to Bethany and heal Lazurus whom he loves so dearly. No, instead he says: “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the Glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” And he stayed where he was for two days. Okay – so that’s a little unexpected. So Jesus…being God…had a plan. It was clear he was going to use this. But here’s the rub: if we look at scripture and the timing – by the time Jesus received word that Lazarus was ill – Lazarus had already died. Remember, after two days, when Jesus returned to Bethany – Lazarus was in the tomb for at least four days.

Imagine what that messenger was thinking after giving Jesus the bad news about Lazurus’ illness, being told by Jesus that Lazurus was not going to die, but then the messenger returned to Bethany only to find that Lazarus was already dead. Talk about a test of faith.

So two days later Jesus tells the apostles that it is time to return to Judea and the apostles wonder out loud if it’s a good idea to do that because Jesus’ life was threatened by the Jews. And Jesus challenges them to have faith. It’s easy to walk during the day when it’s light out – but we need to use our faith to guide us in the dark so that we don’t stumble. And he tells them – “I have a job to do. I have to awaken Lazurus.” But the disciples don’t get it – maybe Lazurus is better-off sleeping. “No, no” Jesus says, “Lazarus is dead.” And here’s something you wouldn’t think Jesus would say: “And I’m glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe.” In other words he is saying that he’s glad that he didn’t go back to Judea to intervene; he’s saying he’s glad that Lazurus had died. HUH?

Obviously the message here in the Gospel is about resurrection theology. But it is more than that. It is about having a real faith in Jesus – the Son of God – that He is the Life and the resurrection. That through him all things… all things are possible; Through Him is eternal life.

Now if you are like me, you are a slow learner. To really hear and understand something, I have to be told something….then read about it…and then be told about it again and again, then be shown an example of it, and then it still doesn’t really sink-in until somehow I live it. If that doesn’t happen, it’s soon forgotten about.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 11 is not the first time that Jesus spoke of the resurrection and eternal life. Jesus knew that his time in the flesh was soon coming to an end. And he wanted to make sure that the disciples – that all of us – especially us slow learners really understand what it means to believe in Him…to believe in the promise of eternal life.

So when Jesus returned, Martha met him saying, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And later Mary restated the same thing. Some might look at this as an accusatory statement, “Where have you been?! Why didn’t you save my brother?” But remember, Martha and Mary both knew that Lazarus had already died before Jesus was told. Rather they were making statements of regret – like “I wish you were here.” And how does Jesus respond: with a promise that Lazarus will rise. Mary and Martha have heard Jesus time and time again. They thought they knew he was talking about the resurrection – that Lazarus had risen and was given eternal life. But they forgot – in Jesus all things are possible: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.”

And when Jesus was shown the tomb where Lazarus was laid, he did the most amazing thing. He wept.

I often wondered why he wept. He knew Lazarus was going to die before anyone. He also knew that Lazarus was going to be raised-up in the flesh and again later into eternal life. There was no reason to weep, so it seemed. I thought that maybe this was part of the mystery of Jesus – the Son of God: God in flesh on earth -- the dichotomy of God and humanity in one. And perhaps the expression of human emotion was the manifestation of weakness from the human part of him that was grieving the loss of someone he loved.

But now I don’t think that’s it. No doubt, Jesus loves Lazarus. Jesus loves Martha. Jesus loves Mary. Jesus loves all who believe in him and those who don’t believe. Jesus loves us so much that when we grieve, he grieves with us. He wept because so many were suffering. He wept in empathy.

Paul wrote in Romans 12, “…weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.” Jesus weeping was a true expression of His love for us.

So when he raised Lazarus from the dead he was giving us a gift. Not just the small gift of providing respite from bereaving a loss; but with the much greater gift of faith that our love for Jesus will indeed create a home for us in the Kingdom of God. “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”

We should never give up that faith.

By the way, another reason why God is annoying: “God is annoying because God doesn’t want me to give up either.”

From Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Peace.

Vatican Fundamentalism

2008-03-06T15:56:00.005-05:00

Last week the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith released a pronouncement that those who were baptized with the celebrant using a phrase other than the words: "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" must be re-baptized. This pronouncement was in response to questions about the use of other phraseology by protestant & feminist ministers such as "Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier." According to the pronouncement, those who have been baptized by a minister or priest who used such phraseology should be considered unbaptized in the Christian faith.

According to the statement that was approved by Pope Benedict XVI (another example of what my friend Ginger calls "creeping infallibility"), Jesus ordered his apostles to baptize Christians "in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," that any other language does not adequately express the Trinitarian nature of God. I find it disappointing that the Vatican has chosen to take a fundamentalist position when referring to God. We know that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have many names. And there is no mistaking who we mean when we refer to Lord, Creator or Our Maker; Savior, Redeemer or Good Shepherd; Living Water, Sanctifier or even Sophia. Certainly God knows.

What I find most troubling is that this pronouncement sabotages an ecumenical principal that has been adopted by most Christian denominations -- that the sacrament of baptism should be universally accepted by all Christian churches. Once again, the Roman Catholic Church tries to set itself apart falsely as the "one true church" by making such a pronouncement. God knows the heart and intent of one of God's ministers when s/he celebrates the sacrament of baptism in the name of the Trinity -- regardless of the how the minister refers to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

It should be noted that the Vatican has made it clear that this pronouncement should be applied to other sacraments. In other words, if you are married in the name of "Yahweh, Joshua and Sophia" -- you're living in sin. If you've been married in the name of "the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" -- you're good. Unless of course you're in a same-sex marriage.

Peace.

The Beatitudes

2008-02-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

February 3, 2008 – Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Zep 2:3, 3:12-13

Ps 146

1 Cor 26-31

Mt 5:1-12

According to the Gospel of Matthew, there were huge crowds listening to Jesus when he gave the Sermon on the Mount. But that hardly accounts for the millions and millions of people who have read the Beatitudes and are familiar with this famous Gospel reading – in some form or another.

What I find most interesting about this scripture is that when Jesus was facing the crowds there is so much that he could have said and done during this sermon. Think about it: he had a captive audience. He could have very easily “wowed” us by pulling people from the crowds and healing them. He could have demanded that we worship and venerate him. He could have asked for donations. He could have announced that he was going to die for our sins. He didn’t though. Instead he humbly and quietly shared God’s Word. He was a teacher. And he started with how we are already blessed.

For the past couple of weeks the Gospel has described the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and we’ve spoken about our call to discipleship. Jesus beckons us to come after Him and He will make us fishers of women and men. And in today’s second reading, Paul the evangelist writes that we are chosen by Christ – not because we’re particularly smart or powerful or entitled by nobility or beautiful (oh… okay…*I* was chosen because I’m beautiful….or maybe not). We’re chosen simply because God loves us and delights in us. Therefore it is not for us to boast how smart or beautiful we are, only that what we have comes from God. Our discipleship needs to be one of humility.

So let’s talk more about our discipleship.

I was reminded of the Beatitudes when I first got sober from alcoholism. At the time, I hadn’t been to church for a while and felt distant from Christ. At one of my first meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous I heard a speaker talk about her struggles with drinking. Just like many who suffer from this disease: she lost her job; was facing a divorce; and was at the verge of homelessness. She said that somewhere in her disease she lost her moral compass. She said that she didn’t know how to live as a wife, a mother, a daughter, or a human being for that matter. Then she read this same scripture that we just read today. She read it out loud to the group – slowly – reading each Beatitude one at a time. And then she spoke about how she uses the Beatitudes as a roadmap to living. She uses them as her moral compass.

All of us could probably relate to this woman; maybe not to her life crisis or her drinking. But perhaps we can think of a time when we felt lost and the Word of God helped us to get back on track. And I can’t think of a more perfect scriptural tool to use – among many from the Gospel – as a guide for living or a guide for our discipleship than the Beatitudes.

For example: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

This Beatitude is about forgiveness and kindness and hospitality. Whenever we find ourselves holding resentment against another – this Beatitude reminds us that by showing mercy towards another – by forgiving regardless of the resentment – we are clearing a path for ourselves to the Kingdom of God.

The Sermon on the Mount is the perfect lead into the Lenten Season. This Holiest of seasons is a period of time for preparation for the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s a time when we take inventory of our lives, repent and remove all hurdles that may keep us from staying close to God. Using prayer and the Beatitudes can help us to do that.

Let us pray that we are guided and cleansed during this season of hope.

A Sobering Twist to the Beatitudes

2008-01-24T06:24:00.000-05:00

In the Catholic world, we will be talking about the Beatitudes in a couple of weeks (4th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A, 2/3/2008) and I found this profound blog post, American Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Part 1 from the Justice & Compassion blog. It's a vivid illustration how we Americans have distorted Jesus' message in His name.

Please take a look at it and comment.

Peace.

Unity in the Independent Sacramental Movement

2008-01-22T01:05:00.000-05:00

Many of the Independent Sacramental Movement (ISM) email groups & blogs have been pretty quiet. I was thinking the other day how it’s been a long time since there has been any talk of unity. But sure enough, it seems that the talk has restarted again. For those of you who are new to the ISM, you may not know that the Independent Sacramental Movement (a.k.a. Old Catholicism, Autocephalous Church Movement, Independent Catholicism, Independent Orthodoxy, etc.) in North America is not a church denomination, but rather a group of small churches that are loosely linked by apostolic succession and sacramental theology. While the churches are diverse and indeed independent of each other, most of its clergy have longed for some form of unity with their catholic sisters and brothers. Many have tried to ‘legislate’ unity by forming associations and councils but have failed miserably. It is usually early in the process of forming these associations that theological and ideological differences get in the way of mutual agreement. And in my humble opinion, egos appear to be at the core of these seemingly insurmountable problems that create division (that’s a topic for another day).

There’s a part of me that is relieved that we haven’t spent a lot of energy talking about unity in recent months. Frankly, I’m not surprised that the movement has been quiet on this front simply because I believe that we’ve absolutely exhausted ourselves, spinning our wheels in misguided talk and planning of building an institution that is supposed to create unity, but ironically, these efforts seem to foster disunity instead. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that it is in our Christian nature to seek a concord with each other as I believe that is what Jesus wants for us. I have hope that there will be a day when we will join in a unified charge of supporting Christ’s Great Commission. However, now is not the time for such labors, at least not in any formal way.

There are a number of reasons why seeking unity through a formal process or institution doesn’t work. It’s hard to unify parts of a whole when the parts themselves are weak and fragile. One of the issues that the ISM is confronted with and quite frankly, has a hard time honestly recognizing, is the fact that it is small, disorganized and many of its members do not have a clear mission. There are only a few strong parishes and ministries – most of the other ISM communities are scattered, have more clergy than constituents, are distracted by what the Roman Catholic Church is doing, or they are ministries by website only. It seems that we are universally weak in our ability to build communities. I know that for this clergy member it takes a lot of energy and focus to build a new faith community. Indeed that is where my priority is; I need to work hard and keep my center of attention on building a new church before I can talk about helping to build an interdenominational council for unity.

In addition, I believe that trying to use an institution (council, association, or synod) to create unity is putting the “cart before the horse.” Councils and associations are formed from unity – unity is not formed by these associations. Bishop Brian Brown of the Ecumenical Free Catholic Communion states it best in the Yahoo e-list, The Old Catholic Churches on 1/17/2008:

Chasing unity is like chasing love, or chasing peace, or chasing God...

It's not something that can be chased. It's not something that will be formed by a meeting of bishops, councils, or synods. Unity is a state of being. Unity exists when it exists and it can't be forced to exist just like love can't be forced to exist. It can only be discovered.

So what can we do to foster unity in the ISM? First and foremost we need to work diligently in building our communities and ministries in support of Jesus’ Great Commission:

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:18-20, NAB]

Build His Churches is a great source regarding growing the independent sacramental church. Build His Churches is a ministry of Bishop Senia Fix that offers workshops and resources in growing the church. This is a not-for-profit effort that I’ve found to be quite valuable.

We also need to use each other as a resource in building ministry; and we can do this by creating relationships with each other. Here in the New York City Metro area, many of the area independent sacramental clergy meet for dinner on a regular basis. This event was originally put together by Bishop Timothy Cravens of the Independent Catholic Christian Church. Clergy from the area just met this past Friday (unfortunately I was ill and could not attend). The dinner is informal with no agenda, except for friendship. From these social gatherings have come some wonderful relationships between clergy of different denominations in the ISM; and from these relationships have come unity.

In the meantime, we need to work hard. Not at forming yet another World Council of Independent Catholic Bishops; but rather spreading the Word, baptizing Christians and building communities of disciples.

Pax.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968)

2008-01-21T11:10:00.001-05:00

An address at the march on Washington, DC for jobs and freedom (Aug 1963):

Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning "My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!"

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Top Bushisms for 2007

2007-12-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

One of my least favorite things about the end of the year are the number of year-end retrospectives that pop-up all over the media. Most of it is centered around celebrities of which I could care less. But this one from http://politicalhumor.about.com tickles my funny bone. Enjoy.

Top 10 Bushisms of 2007

The Dumbest Things President Bush Said in 2007

10. "And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

9. "I fully understand those who say you can't win this thing militarily. That's exactly what the United States military says, that you can't win this military." --on the need for political progress in Iraq, Washington, D.C., Oct. 17, 2007

8. "One of my concerns is that the health care not be as good as it can possibly be." --on military benefits, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

7. "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." --addressing Australian Prime Minister John Howard at the APEC Summit. Later, in the same speech: "As John Howard accurately noted when he went to thank the Austrian troops there last year..." --referring to Australian troops as "Austrian troops," Sept. 7, 2007

6. "My relationship with this good man is where I've been focused, and that's where my concentration is. And I don't regret any other aspect of it. And so I -- we filled a lot of space together." --on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., May 17, 2007

5. "You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 -- 1976." --to Queen Elizabeth, Washington, D.C., May 7, 2007 ( Watch video clip)

4. "The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm a Commander Guy." --deciding he is no longer just " The Decider," Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007 ( Watch video clip)

3. "Information is moving -- you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." --Washington, D.C., May 2, 2007

2. "There are some similarities, of course (between Iraq and Vietnam). Death is terrible." --Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

1. "As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." --on the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2007 (Watch video clip)

~Compiled by Daniel Kurtzman

Merry Consumerism!

2007-12-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

Ugh! That's the only word to describe the attitude of those who are scurrying around to find the "latest thing" to buy each other for Christmas. It seems that negativity is a prerequisite feeling for shoppers who think that the importance of the holiday is not that guy....you know...that famous guy...whatsHisname...oh yeah....JESUS, but rather buying stuff for people..

I generally am not a big retail store shopper. Which is ironic being that I work in retail part-time. I prefer casually meandering through small shops and patiently finding things that mean a lot to friends and family for the holidays. If I can't find that 'special something,' well then...that special something was not meant to be found and a gift card will have to do.

Presents are nice. But clearly...that's not the point. And the point definitely isn't to make sure one says, "Merry Christmas!" instead of "Happy Holidays"...because if I don't say "Merry Christmas" then it's clear I'm a rabid secularist who is a foot soldier in the war against Christmas. The point IS to remind ourselves that it's ALL ABOUT LOVE. Jesus came into this world because HE LOVES US. And he said it pretty clearly that what He wants for us to love each other just like he loves us. So when someone is hollering at me that I'm something other than who I am because there is no more of that GPS in stock -- well that someone lost the point. Just as so many of us have.

Love each other. That's the best present ever. Especially on Jesus' day.

Peace.

Christian vs. Christian: Time for Forgiveness

2007-12-05T23:49:00.001-05:00

Recently, I was speaking to my dear friend Virginia Walsh about how disturbing it is that Christians go after each other in the name of Jesus. The irony is that His greatest commandment is to love each other, yet we act as if Jesus' words have no meaning.

I asked Virginia to write for my blog about an idea that she has to address the anger and disdain that opposing Christian camps have for one another.

She sent an email introducing the post and I thought the email was as powerful as the post itself so I'm sharing it here:

I'm deeply troubled, as I'm sure we all are, by the hurtful, sniping, name-calling, and generally disrespectful "dialogue" in civil society. In many ways, I believe that those behaviors have infected the Church.

Does the following paragraph sound familiar?

They're out to undermine our nation. They call themselves Christians, but they have no real understanding of God or morality. They pray, but they don't actually have a living relationship with Jesus. I know that for a fact, because if they did, then the Holy Spirit would guide them out of the terrible moral and intellectual darkness that envelops them. They are misinformed, misdirected, and misled. And to top it all off, they're smugly self-righteous. When I hear one of them talking, I think, "Listen to that arrogant know-it-all! How un-self-aware can a person be?"

Of course, I'm half-joking above. But to be honest, I've secretly held such thoughts in my own heart, even as I berate others for speaking that way.

Feelings are running high, and rightly so! We're talking about issues that affect the nature of who we are as a nation and as a church. As we seek answers, have we reasoned together in a way that inspires others to say "Look at how those Christians love one another"? Or have we judged one another, even accusing one another of not truly being Christian at all?

I have so much to repent of and so much to forgive that I find myself feeling afraid of some of my own brothers and sisters. And my heart aches whenever Christian politicians or pundits take a stand that is morally repugnant to me.

I'm wondering if God is calling us Christians to a season of repentance and healing and intercession as America enters another election year.

I believe Virginia is right. We need to find a way to make even small steps toward loving each other as sisters and brothers in Christ regardless of our views on morality, church, politics, and Christianity itself. This is what she came up with:

Here it comes: another election year, another opportunity for controversy-loving media to spotlight Christian leaders with inflammatory views, another chance for each of us to polish hardened opinions as if they were precious gems.

The election year also brings an opportunity for a demonstration of Christ's power: Christians can love one another while disagreeing with one another, even over the hottest of hot-button issues.

I suggest that Christians of differing political persuasions make it a point to gather together during election season to intercede for America and to ask God's forgiveness for the ways in which we have not loved one another. And while we're at it, we could ask one another for forgiveness too.

The Lenten season is a good time to start, since many Christians are fasting and examining their consciences in a special way at that time. The meetings could be organized by committees of Christians who represent differing views. In that way, the planning process becomes an opportunity for the leaders to grow in mutual respect and affection.

The meetings could be tightly organized in order avoid participants inadvertantly offending one another and to prevent outbursts from brothers and sisters who are struggling with frustration and anger. Especially during the first few gatherings, participants would be encouraged to not discuss hot-button issues, but to concentrate instead on building relationships and healing old hurts.

The immediate goal is not to win people over to a specific point of view, but to restore community and to build the trust needed for fruitful dialogue in the future. We would pray to make space for the Holy Spirit to build consensus among us as we hear our Shepherd's voice, each one of us by name and also together as a flock.

So I suggest an hour or so of songs and prayers of repentance, forgiveness, and intercession for the Church and for our beloved nation. Perhaps annointing with oil and/or healing prayer could be offered, especially to facilitate the healing of hurts that we Christians have inflicted upon one another.

The prayer time could be followed by a "coffee hour", where participants are encouraged to simply enjoy one another's company.

The Greek word ekklesia in the New Testament is often translated as "church", but it literally means "the assembly". Luke uses the same word in Acts to describe an angry mob! Let's be willing to assemble together, Christians of all stripes. If we can't gather and dialogue with love and mutual respect, then are we really Church at all?

Thank you Virginia.

Peace.

World AIDS Day 2007

2007-11-29T23:27:00.001-05:00

The pandemic still lingers. On the eve of World AIDS Day (December 1st), there are 33.2 million people around the world living with HIV -- including 2.5 million children. More than a million people in the United States are living with the virus.

The good news is that there have been tremendous strides made with the development of new treatments to stem the virus. Over 29 medications have been approved in the U. S. to fight the virus, and many more are in development. People with AIDS are living longer, and with better quality lives in the western world. However, that's not true in the developing nations. And not all AIDS patients respond to the treatments. People are still dying!

More needs to be done! The World AIDS Campaign's (WAC) slogan for 2007 World AIDS Day is "Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise." It's a call to government leadership, policy makers, and health planners to do all they can to meet goals that were set to stop AIDS. The 2007 theme of "Leadership" is a reminder of the need for innovation, creativity, and drive to address the AIDS challenge.

We mustn't forget, that in all of our communities there are people who struggle everyday living with HIV. World AIDS Day is an opportunity for all of us to explore what more WE can do to help. It is also a day to honor those living with the virus, and to remember those who lost the battle.

Peace.

Is There No Love Left in the World?

2007-11-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

Jen Lemen was presented that question in a statement last year around Thanksgiving and this is how she answered it.

Peace.

Dying to Tell You About This

2007-11-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

Dixon Kinser of its so indie it's embarrassing has a terrific post about death and dying. He had a 'death retreat' for his youth ministry. He said:

Over the course of the weekend we practiced prayer mediations in hospitals, visited funeral homes and had four different conversations; 1.) Why We Are Afraid to Die in America? 2.) Living With Death: Why Almost every Christian Symbol connected to Death and Dying. 3.) The Afterlife Part 1: What’s the Deal with Hell? (Hint - It’s not what you think.) 4.) The Afterlife Part 2: Nobody Goes to Heaven After They Die.

It sounds like a great idea for kids -- heck, for adults too. I'm an advocate for providing frank, but age appropriate information about death for young people.

He also writes about some ideas with links for 'green funerals.'

Definitely worth checking out!

Peace.

Prayers for Bangladesh

2007-11-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

What horrible news! Over 3,100 are dead. Millions are homeless and have lost everything! A country already fraught with hunger and poverty, Bangladesh needs our prayers and our help with resources.

Sometimes it's hard to understand how & why such tragedies happen. Jesus, please protect those who've lost their homes and are vulnerable to the elements and to disease. Comfort them as they suffer so much loss. Give them relief from their troubles. Please give them strength that they may rebuild their lives. And give us strength that we may be able to help them the best way that we can.

Peace.

Cash contributions can be mailed to:

American Red Cross (Bangladesh Relief & Development)
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, DC 20013

Consulate General of Bangladesh
Chief Advisor's Relief and Welfare Fund
211 East 43rd St.
Suite 502
New York, N.Y. 10017

God Delights in the GLBT Community

2007-11-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

Jason Wallace recently posted on his blog Hopelessly Blind Tangents an entry entitled "Love the Sinner, Not the Sin." For those of us who have advocated for the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) communities -- you could easily surmise where his post was headed. He quoted verses from Leviticus (18:22 & 20:13) and he expressed frustration that today's society attempts to dictate what he should believe -- especially on TV. He asserts that "God...says [homosexuality] is wrong" and that's what his faith tells him.

He continued,

"Whether you like it or not that’s the way it is. Those that can’t accept that need to shut their pie holes and understand that it is my right to believe that and not their right to tell me not to."

I left him a comment that I believe that homosexuality is NOT a sin, in which he responded with "Don Pratt is clueless."

If you recall, Leviticus states that gay sex is detestable [or in my version of the Old Testament (NAB) it's an "abomination"] and that those who engage in it should be "put to death." Jason aptly points out that the phrase "put to death" should probably NOT be taken literally, but rather it means that those 'sinners' should be denied eternal life in the Kingdom (i.e. burn in hell). He said that judgment should be left up to God. After all, he later points out that he's not one of those "God hates fags wingnuts."

I wonder if Jason feels as strongly about the rest of the verses in Leviticus? As the word "abomination" was used for anything that was considered religiously unclean or idol worship. Therefore, I wonder if we'll see him post that he's tired of the TV trying to dictate what he should eat as that must be against his faith too. Leviticus clearly states that unclean animals are forbidden food, specifically rabbits, pigs and shellfish -- shrimp, crab, lobster, etc. I wonder if he is as frustrated with those Red Lobster &/or Oscar Mayer Weiner commercials; companies that are pedaling their "unclean" foods. Clearly, there's no room in the Kingdom for them pork eaters!

I certainly hope that Jason hasn't eaten shellfish recently. I also hope that he hasn't touched a woman while she was menstruating, or I hope he hasn't sat in a chair after a menstruating woman has sat in it. If he has and hasn't atoned for it, he's as good as dead (not literally -- but destined for the fires of hell). It says so right there in Leviticus. Oh...not to worry though...if he's a priest and he slaughters a bull -- offering it to God, he should be saved (also from Leviticus).

Obviously, I'm being sarcastic. My point is that most people aren't even aware what the Leviticus clean laws are, let alone practice them. Yet some seem to remember one law regarding 'men laying with men' and use that to defend their belief that homosexuality is wrong. There's a hypocrisy with this inconsistency in choosing what to believe or not to believe from Leviticus.

Jesus never addressed homosexuality or sexual orientation directly. As a matter of fact, he discounts the clean laws (Mark 7:18-24). Paul the Evangelist also rejected the absolute commands in Leviticus (see his Letter to the Colossians 2:9-24). Jesus refers directly to Leviticus ONLY once in the Book of Mark, "You should love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) -- which Jason cited. In other words, Jesus used Leviticus to teach love.

I like Jason. I like him not only because he is my Christian brother -- but also because he DOES allow for the fact that he (or I for that matter) could be wrong about our beliefs. And to be fair with Jason -- he sent me an email warning me that he used the "clueless" remark to get my attention.

In the "Don Pratt is Clueless" post he states:

If more people were to talk about things and look at them from the other person’s perspective more likely than not they will find there is middle ground. Between the two is the truth.

Though Don and I disagree on some of these issues. I think we both can agree that If you have accepted Christ as your personal savior, and live for him, you are saved. You will walk with him in heaven and all things will be made known to you. Until then. I pray that God will send a message to all of us, not just Don and I, that will expose the truth of these things before we leave this earth. So that we can better teach the love that is Christ our Lord.

I don't think that there is a middle ground here; homosexuality is NOT a sin, nor a disorder. However, I do share in Jason's prayer that the truth be revealed.

Peace.

No Money, No Ministry

2007-11-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

Recently a number of bloggers wrote about "Church & Money" -- a SynchroBlog for November (perhaps I will join next month). As I write this, I am about to head off to work for the day -- a 'secular' job with Catholic Charities. When I finish my day developing housing for homeless people living with disabilities, I will have about an hour and a half to have some supper and to commute to my second job selling electronics at a popular retailer. As I prepare to enter ministry, I wonder how I will be able to answer God's call while keeping my rent paid and dinner on the table.

Developing a new church is no doubt a challenge. I know that it will require a tremendous amount of work and faith on my part. I also know that I can not do it alone. I will need to start by helping others to build their faith and then harness that faith to do the things that need to be done to build a community. I know that building a church (I'm not necessarily talking about a building) will require resources -- the creativity and labor of the community, but also cold, hard cash!

Rev. Lainie (the bourgeois elephant in the emergent/missional living room) is right on target with the fact that we just don't seem to value the work of ministry as we do any other industry or profession that produces a tangible product or service. And clergy/missionaries/religious have a difficult time asking for money -- although there are exceptions (Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn and the like). However the exceptions seem to get all the attention. Everyone seems to know a horror story of church financial scandal by clergy (see Bling Bling in the Holy of Holies, Reba's World).

Most clergy struggle financially and it shows in their ministries. A study found that "low clergy salaries make it difficult for pastors to be true to their calling... and this lack of income is causing many talented seminary graduates to enter other professions or other forms of ministry." The study also found that it directly affected clergy's ability to provide effective leadership that "challenges and transforms congregations." And not surprisingly, it stated that most clergy do not earn a salary commensurate of other professions.

It should be noted that there is a direct link between church income and clergy compensation -- the larger the church income, the higher the clergy compensation. And churches that are part of a larger denomination have a more solid fiscal base than independent churches. Therefore, that doesn't show much promise for those of us in the Independent Sacramental Movement.

But we can't be shy about advocating for ourselves regarding what is due. We know that there is plenty of biblical support that encourages that we support God through our financial giving. And we know we can not do the work of God without proper personal financial support.

"Every Israelite man and woman brought to the [Most High] such voluntary offerings as they thought best, for the various kinds of work which the [Most High] commanded them to do." -- Exodus 36:29 (NAB)

"Honor [God] with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce." -- Proverbs 3:9 (NAB)

"Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap." -- Luke 6:38 (NAB)

Peace.

Prayers for Peace

2007-11-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

This was forwarded to me from the Long Island Council of Churches :

National Interreligious Leadership Initiative
for Peace in the Middle East
Tel/Fax: (360) 652-4285
E-Mail: usicpme@aol.com

Memo To: Key Local Jewish, Christian and Muslim Leaders - Nationwide
From: Ron Young, NILI

Prayers for Peace: Pre-Annapolis Peace Conference

At a meeting of NILI Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders on Friday, just before our meeting at the State Department, we decided to encourage nationwide prayers for peace in the Middle East at worship services on the weekend before the Annapolis Peace conference convenes. While the date is not yet announced, since the conference is expected to take place in late November or December, including prayers for peace in community Thanksgiving Services would also be timely.

Attached are six "Prayers for Peace in the Middle East" by Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders in a format for easy duplication and distribution (copy back to back and cut in half) - for use in Thanksgiving Services and/or in mosques, synagogues and churches on the weekend before the Annapolis Conference convenes. It is suggested that the prayers be sent with letters to Secretary of State Rice, members of Congress and that there be a News Release to the media.

Please let me know what you do. Reaching out to the media about what your community is doing with these Prayers for Peace is especially important since groups opposing any negotiations for peace involving Jerusalem are planning public protest activities during this same period.

Prayers for Peace in the Middle East
For Use Before the Annapolis Peace Conference
From the National Interreligious Leadership Initiative
For Peace in the Middle East
usicpme@aol.com

Sustain together in undiminished hope, O God of hope,
those who continue to
labor with undiminished determination
to build peace in the land from which,
of old,
out of brokenness, violence and destruction,
nevertheless hope
emerged for so many of faith. . . .
Bless all the spiritual seed of Abraham
together
with the light of your Presence.
For in the light of your
Presence
we have found a way of justice and mercy
and a vision of
Peace.
We praise you O God, Giver of Peace,
who commands us to
Peace.
Amen

From:

Rabbi
Herbert Bronstein,
Emeritus

Northshore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, IL

God of mercy and
compassion,
of grace and reconciliation,
pour your power upon all your
children in the Middle East:
Jews, Muslims and Christians,
Palestinians
and Israelis.
Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to
hope,
oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation,
that violent
encounters may be replaced by loving embraces,
and peace and justice could be
experienced by all.
Amen.

From:

The Reverend Said Ailabouni, Senior
Pastor

Grace Lutheran Church, La Grange, IL

In the Name of God,
The Everlasting Merciful, The Cherisher
Of the Worlds and Worthy of all Praise,
Our Lord: You have created us from a single (pair) of a male
And a female and made us into Nations and Tribes that we may
Know one another (not that we may despise each other) so
Help us to love each other and take the hatred and anger from our
Hearts so that People of The Book (Jews, Christians and Muslims)
In the Middle East may live in Peace and Justice.
Amen

From:

Dawud
Ahmad Assad
Council
of Mosques, USA, New York, NY

O God Source of
Life, Creator of Peace. . .
Help Your children, anguished and confused,
To understand the futility of hatred and violence
And grant them the ability to stretch across
Political, religious and national boundaries
So they may confront horror and fear
By continuing together
In the search for justice, peace and truth. . . .
With every fiber of our being, we beg You, O God,
To help us not to fail nor falter.
Amen

From:

Rabbi H. Rolando
Matalon

Congregation B'nai Jeshurun, New York, NY

Lord God,
we turn to you in these trying hours when
conflict is a daily reality for our sisters and
brothers in Israel and Palestine.
We promise you to work to our utmost for
peace and reconciliation in the region. But we
know we cannot do it alone. We very much need the strength
of your presence in our midst if we are to overcome the
obstacles before us. So our prayer at this moment is that
you add your support to our efforts, that you show yourself
as a tower of strength in those moments when the
barriers seem impassable. Together we can become beacons of hope
for just and peaceful societies in the land so very dear
to the peoples of your covenant.
Amen.

From:

Reverend John T. Pawlikowski, OSM

Catholic Theological Union, Chicago,
IL

Almighty God!
After almost a century of mistrust and fratricide,
you inspired Jews, Christians and Muslims to take the path of
reconciliation in the Middle East. . . .
We ask for your forgiveness, O God,
yet we find it hard to forgive our past enemies.
May Your Words touch those who still stray
in the wilderness of vengeful violence,
forgetting your command to "forgive and overlook,
till God accomplishs His Purpose;
for God hath power over all things."
Amen

From:

Abdelwahab
Hechiche

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

(For more information and/or to become involved in the
Interreligious Intiative for Peace contact: usicpme@aol.com)

Meanwhile...Back at the Ranch...

2007-11-16T08:15:00.000-05:00

While the war rages in Iraq, the candidates debate whether or not undocumented immigrants should get drivers licenses, and Barry Bonds is accused of using steroids, on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that more than 35.5 million Americans -- 12% of the population went hungry last year! The sad news is this is about the same number from year before. Why is this fact not in the news?

Please click the 'Hunger Site' link to the right -- it's free and it helps feed the hungry...

And feel free to blog amongst yourselves.

Ordination Announcement

2007-11-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

Finally! I’m so humbled at the prospect of this next step on my path to the priesthood. Please pray for me on December 1st that God bless me in my new ministry.

Peace.

In the name of

+God the Creator, +God the Son, and +God the Holy Spirit. Amen.

With praise, glory and thanksgiving to Almighty God
the United American Catholic Church

joyfully announces the ordination of

Donald Ernest Francis Pratt

&

Antoinette Neally

to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate
through the laying on of hands
and the invocation of the Holy Spirit
by His Excellency Anthony Francis Wayne Hash
Archbishop of the United American Catholic Church

Saturday, December 1, 2007

At 2:00

St. Joan of Arc United American Catholic Church

2520 Holland Rd, Virginia Beach, VA
(Christ Episcopal Church)

Reception to follow

The Real Jesus

2007-11-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

A flow of pictures from many missional areas set to Leeland's Tears of the Saints.

A Promise of Eternal Life

2007-11-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

A Homily By Don Pratt

Sunday, November 11, 2007 – 32^nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

Readings:

First Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14

Psalm 17

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

Gospel: Luke 20:27-38

The first reading is such a disturbing story! Imagine being persecuted because of your faith and being tested in the same way that these seven brothers and their mother were forced to watch as each of them was tortured and brutally killed. And each of them responded bravely, having faith in God that they would be given everlasting life. They were challenged to abandon their faith, but none of them ceded. One at a time, they defied their captors by proclaiming their confidence that God would raise them up. How remarkable that after seeing his brother’s tongue cut out and hands cut-off that the third brother offered his tongue and hands as if to proclaim: “God gave these to me. Here take them. I have faith that God will give them back to me again.”

Don’t let anyone tell you that there isn’t edge-of-your-seat drama in the Bible!

The First & Second Books of Maccabees describes a Jewish revolt in response to an attempt by the ruler of Palestine to impose Greek culture and religion on them. The first reading is an example of the atrocities that were committed against the Hebrews. Again, could you imagine being persecuted in such a way? It begs the questions: Do we have as strong a faith as this family? Are we willing to defend our faith so profoundly?

My hope is that none of us ever sees the day that we or anyone we know is tested so violently by secular government. However, our faith and our belief systems are indeed tested almost on a daily basis by public policy. God calls us to defend our faith just as this family did. I’m not going to debate issues today, but just for a moment let me name some contemporary issues that U.S. laws & policy test our faith and beliefs. And while I list them, think about how much you are willing to defend your faith in regard to these issues [read slowly]:

U.S. Invasion of Iraq
Public Health Care
Abortion
Gay Marriage
Capital Punishment
Discrimination in the Work place
Affordable Housing
Immigration
Separation of Church & State
Poverty & Hunger
Global Climate Change

I’m sure that we could think of other issues that test us in the same way. Do you think that you could answer God’s call in regard to these issues? No matter how we are tested, the good news is that God promises to protect and support us – no matter what happens here in the mortal world. That’s what St. Paul was writing about in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Jesus loves us so much and will always strengthen us and guard us from evil. When we confront any hardship, we should glean hope from the fact that God provides us everlasting encouragement. That even if things don’t go well here, that if we “do the right thing” we are promised eternal life. And indeed that is a true promise. The Sadducees tried to test Jesus on that promise in the Gospel reading.

Have you ever had an experience where you were trying to make a point to a group of people and there was one cynic in the crowd who would try to “throw you off” by challenging you with some hypothetical situations that are long and convoluted? And the bottom line always was that no matter the situation that the cynic was describing, it really had nothing to do with the point that you were trying to make. That’s exactly what was going on in the Gospel reading. Jesus was preaching about the Good News and the Sadducees, who don’t believe in life after death, tried distracting him with a hypothetical situation.

The Sadducees only accept the first five books of the Bible as the Word of God through Moses, and they contend that the resurrection is not mentioned in those five books. They attempted to trap Jesus by using the “levirate law” from Deuteronomy 25 that required a widow to marry her brother-in-law to assure the continuation of the ancestral line of her dead husband. They tried to use this scriptural law in a hypothetical situation to show that resurrection theology is untrue. Jesus points out to them that they don’t know the scriptures of the five books that they do accept as well as they think they do. He did not allow them to distract Him from the real issue at hand: whether there is indeed a resurrection after death. He reminded them that God identifies himself to Moses in Exodus 3 as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God made it clear: “I am their God,” not “I was their God” – thereby indicating that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were raised: they were still living, not dead.

Jesus also makes the point that marriage relationships in heaven are moot because we will all be living forever joyfully as children of God.

Belief in life after death is an intrinsic part of our Christian Faith. It is a part of our prayer life, liturgy and practice. It is our hope that those who have gone before us are in heaven, living with God. While we may not know the details of what God’s Kingdom is like, it is God’s promise of eternal life that carries us and brings us through life’s trials and tribulations.

May God give us strength to defend our faith so that we may live in everlasting life.

COMPREHENSIVE Sex Education Works

2007-11-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Once again there has been a spat of news coverage in the mainstream media regarding birth control & sex education in the schools. It's been triggered by a recent news story about a Portland, Maine school that has decided to make available birth control to its students (11-13 years of age) in response to a number of incidents of teen pregnancy in their school district. The King Middle School is the first middle school in Maine to offer birth control through its health center. The services offered by the school health center are confidential, however parents must give permission for the students to have access to the health center services. A recent AP poll has shown that most parents (67%) support giving birth control to children to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The truth is that since the inception of comprehensive sex education programs, the number of teen pregnancies have declined. However, in the past decade there has been a campaign by some of our Christian brothers and sisters to stop effective programs and replace it with their own abstinence-only programs. President Bush, as well as conservative legislators have rewarded abstinence-until-marriage-only sex education programs with hefty federal funding ($250 million). However, there have been studies that show that these programs are simply ineffective; and at worse it is speculated that these programs may actually INCREASE risk of teen pregnancy and the spread of STIs. The studies have shown that while the programs have had no effect on the likelihood that the teens will engage in sexual activity, the students who've participated in these programs are less likely to use contraception.

I believe that the problem is that many conservative Christians have a general distrust of progressive Christians and secular scientists who generally support comprehensive sex education in the schools (including birth control). And conservative Christians seem to have a strong influence on sexual health policy in this country. The truth is that most people -- no matter the politics, religious and/or moral belief system recognize the problem of children becoming sexually active at younger and younger ages. We all recognize that the U.S. has the highest teen birth rate in the developed world and no one can debate the negative moral, health and economic effects of sexually active teenagers, teen pregnancy, and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. We all need to support programs that work.

So what works in helping teens make healthy choices? The consensus among social scientists is that there are a number of programs that are effective. The answer is not found in one program, but a number of diverse programs. A review of the research funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have found that the most effective programs seem to have specific characteristics in common (see below).

10 Common Characteristics of Effective Curricula¹
Following is a list of the 10 common and necessary characteristics of effective sexual education curricula. The absence of even one of these characteristics appears to make a program appreciably less likely to be effective:
Effective programs focus on reducing one or more sexual behaviors that lead to unintended pregnancy or HIV/STD infection. They focus on reducing specific sexual behaviors.
Effective programs are based upon theoretical approaches demonstrated effective in influencing other health-related risky behaviors; theoretical approaches that modify other social behaviors carry over to sexual behaviors.
Effective programs give a clear message, and continually reinforce that message.
Effective programs provide basic, accurate information about the risks of unprotected intercourse and methods of avoiding unprotected intercourse.
Effective programs include activities that address social pressures on sexual behaviors.
Effective programs provide modeling and opportunities to practice communication, negotiation, and refusal skills.
Effective programs employ a variety of teaching methods, designed to involve participants and personalize the information.
Effective programs incorporate behavioral goals, teaching methods, and materials that are appropriate to the students' age, sexual experience, and culture.
Effective programs last a sufficient length of time to adequately complete important activities.
Effective programs select teachers or peer educators who believe in the program and provide training for those individuals.
¹ Kirby, D. (2001). Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

May Jesus protect our children and grant us wisdom in supporting them to make healthy choices.

Peace.

Visit From a Friend

2007-11-06T08:21:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post this for a few days now -- I just got the pictures off my camera. I had off from work for All Souls Day and was laying on my bed doing some reading -- seminary work -- when I noticed in the corner of my eye some "big movement" outside my window. To my surprise, an Osprey landed in a tree just 20-30 feet from my bedroom window. I couldn't help but wonder which of my friends & family who've gone to be with Jesus sent this beautiful bird of prey to visit me?

Peace.

Don

The Reformation Polka

2007-11-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

A lovely little polka about the Reformation. Very funny.

A New Directory for the ISM

2007-10-29T22:20:00.001-04:00

It's so hard to keep track of all the denominations and dioceses of the independent sacramental movement. It's good to see that Saint Columba Press is looking to update and publish a directory that's supposed to come out sometime early next year.

You can get information about the directory or let them know about your denomination at:

http://www.autocephalous.net/

Peace.

Top Ten Missional Bee-Attitudes

2007-10-28T23:33:00.000-04:00

I think that Rev. Lainie has become one of my favorite bloggers! This was originally posted on her blog.

Top Ten Missional Bee-Attitudes

10. Be Grateful: The opportunity to participate in God’s story is an awesome privilege. Be grateful for all that he calls you to do for the sake of the Kingdom.

9. Be Useful: People who channel their skills and abilities into something productive are appreciated and welcomed by others. This is true in almost all contexts, no matter what personal foibles you have. Trust me on this.

8. Be Trustworthy: Keep confidences and commitments. Let your “yes mean yes” and “no mean no”. (James 5:12)

7. Be Observant: Look for opportunities to be of service. Look for opportunities for missional interactions. Look for needs to be met. Examine cultural contexts closely to discover ways in which the gospel can be presented.

6. Be Real: People can spot a poser from a mile away. You can and should be yourself even as you work to learn and understand and interact with different cultures and subcultures.

5. Be Daring: Have more faith in your abilities than your limitations. (In fact, have more faith in God’s abilities than your limitations!)

4. Be Respectful: Learn and practice appropriate cultural etiquette. Take the time to listen before speaking. Learn to assume that people are well-intentioned until proven otherwise.

3. Be Generous: With your time, your talents, your resources, and your love. God loves a cheerful giver, and so do most people.

2. Be Humble: I think that Luke 10:20 “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”, pretty much says it all.

1. Be Holy: We have been created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10), and to be salt and light to the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Don’t lose your savor or hide your light: Let others see God’s grace working in you so that they may know, and have it, too.

Lonely Man

2007-10-27T23:23:00.000-04:00

Rev. Lainie shared an experience in a recent post of a lonely man who randomly asked her for dinner outside a restaurant. Her empathy for this man and insight into the issue of male loneliness is admirable. I believe that she is on to something when she suggested that there may be an opportunity for a missional approach in assisting men who face loneliness.

There's no doubt that men have a difficult time with social and emotional loneliness. Men tend to deal with many emotional issues in an unhealthy way -- either by ignoring or avoiding the problem, or acting out in an inappropriate manner. John Mark Ministries shares a story of a pastor who took a wrong turn in his journey of dealing with loneliness. His story is not uncommon.

The real problem is not a new one. Men tend not to seek help. Men avoid sharing problems on an emotional level especially with other men. Men usually invest most, if not all of their emotional energy into one significant relationship and if that relationship fails or is lost, they feel lost. And the number of resources for men are quite limited.

One man, Andrew, sent an email to CyberParent.com looking for information on the internet about men & loneliness but could only find websites dealing with women and loneliness. Andrew expressed frustration at the lack of help. CyberParent.com did a good job explaining the dilemma, but could not offer solutions or support. As a matter of fact, the website falsely assured that men deal with loneliness through a "buddy system" -- using their network of "buddies" to deal with emotional isolation. While in theory true, reality suggests that men struggle with building such a network.

Loneliness has proven to be a health risk for men -- especially older men. Studies (webMD, CyberParent,) have shown that men who have tenuous links to friends and family have weak immune systems, are at risk for heart disease as well as other health problems. And male loneliness often goes unnoticed (ESRC).

I must admit that on a personal note, I am dealing with the loneliness described above. I have just come out of a long-term relationship and find that I do not have a large social network. Even though I keep busy with two jobs and studying for the diaconate, I often feel pangs of loneliness during 'down-time' and prayer. And despite my feelings -- I tend to isolate myself and not seek out others.

So what are we to do? Many of us look toward women for support. Building a friend-relationship with women can be a problem for heterosexual men as we often have difficulty separating romantic love from our friendships with women. Heterosexual & homosexual men alike place a large emotional weight into our romantic relationships which often precludes us from building other friendships. The answer is that men need to build emotional friendships with other men.

Every man needs to bond with other men from the heart. He needs to fulfill his needs for intimacy with someone other than his lover, so she [or he] isn't his only outlet for feeling. He needs mirrors of his own quest to understand his masculinity; soul buddies who can validate his journey like no woman ever can. Find a friend. Take off your mask. Show him who you really are.

-- Barbara DeAngelis, Author, Real Moments

In January, I plan on beginning a small faith group -- I think that I've found the focus of that group -- making it a men's group. I did a brief search in my community for men's groups and support services and found very little. It just reminds me of the challenge I will have to find a format and program that will attract men (or a program that I can bring to them) and that will help us to build relationships with each other and with Christ. I'm intrigued by Church for Men. I do have some reservations about such groups as many foster traditional sex-roles for men that simply don't stand-up in today's society (i.e. Promise Keepers which reinforces the male role as head of household and provider). However, I intend to keep my mind and heart open to all possibilities.

Speaking of Promise Keepers -- I checked-out their website and they had a piece about how to get men back in church -- what are your thoughts about it?

Peace.

"Have you been mistreated at your job? Call Don Pratt!"

2007-10-23T22:21:00.000-04:00

This is a funny bit from "Mr. Show" that has a lead character with an interesting name. Let me apologize in advance for the obscene gesture in the first frame of the clip. The obscene gesture and a bit of strong language disappears after the first 15 seconds or so.

Have You Been Mistreated At Your Job, Call Don Pratt!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Enjoy!

Don

Top Ten Ways to Fail at Being Missional

2007-10-21T17:51:00.000-04:00

10. Be very annoyed that some people belong to religions other than your own. Express this annoyance freely.

9. Don’t bother becoming a “regular” at local businesses. Just shop/dine/get- your-clothes-drycleaned at whatever place has the best sales that week. If, by some unfortunate coincidence, you do become a regular at a local business, don’t get to know the owner, employees, or other patrons.

8. Fixate on the quality of your missional targets: Focus on the local Unitarian Universalist minister, Mormon bishop, and Wiccan high priestess (who also owns your town’s only occult bookstore). Don’t give a second thought to that rather ordinary looking lady who you see every morning on the train. She doesn’t have a large enough sphere of influence.

7. If you see a problem in your community, don’t bother to check out what other organizations or individuals are doing about it. Just start your own project: You’ll get a lot more accomplished if you are in charge!

6. Don’t waste your time reading the blogs of other missional folk. So what if they share their own struggles, hurts, joys, and ideas freely? You take all your instruction from God, directly.

5. Never, ever, check out primary source materials produced by representatives of other cultures, subcultures, and religions. Christians have already written all you need to know about those unbelievers, and besides, cult members will have a bias that you want to avoid.

4. Avoid being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers by not engaging them in conversation, learning about their families, having lunch with them, inviting them to your home (or accepting a similar invitation), or working together to address community issues of common interest.

3. Be sure to email (from your work account, while at work) your “unsaved” work colleagues (especially those that you don’t normally interact with) with regular invitations to your church and its activities.

2. Never consider offering financial or material support to other folks engaged in missional work. After all, you need all your spare cash for your own personal ministry. Besides, most of them don’t have their own 501 (c) 3 corporation, and not getting a tax deduction would be poor stewardship on your part.

1. Learn every evangelistic technique, theory, and strategy out there, and work hard to perfect your practice of them, even to the neglect of every other area of your spiritual life. What does the Holy Spirit have to do with drawing people to God, anyway?

This was reposted from Rev. Lainie Petersen's blog HeadSpace

When is a Joke NOT "Just a Joke" ?

2007-10-21T15:00:00.000-04:00

Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.
Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.

When the Head Nurse and Director became aware of Edna's heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she is now considered her to be mentally stable.
When she went to tell Edna the news she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're being discharged, since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness."

"The bad news is that Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."

Edna's response: "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry. How soon can I go home?"

Okay...did you laugh? I have to admit that at first blush it made me smile. However, it quickly sunk-in that this joke not only makes fun of mentally ill people, but perpetuates mythology that has harmed people living with disabilities for decades. It portrays mentally ill people as stupid, unfeeling and violent, and when you consider that this joke makes light of serious issues such as suicide and murder, you must realize that the humor is lost. Jokes such as this one contributes to the stigmatization of those who live with mental illness.

This joke was posted to a local email list of which I am a member. When another member of the list pointed out the inappropriateness of the humor, the backlash from other members was astounding.

"Oh come on - have a sense of humor - IT WAS FUNNY !!!" The consensus of those who responded to the joke was that it was harmless ("it's only a joke"), funny and that those who criticized the joke are either too sensitive, bending to 'political correctness,' or simply don't have a sense of humor.

The truth is that most don't understand the consequences of making light of mental illness or distort the reality of those who live with the disease.

There is little doubt that mental illness effects us. The facts are that mental illness is pervasive throughout the country (it effects about 1 in 5 American families). If left untreated it causes tremendous pain, disability, unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse, and it is estimated that it costs the U.S. more than $100 billion per year.

And why are those living with mental illness being under-treated? Stigma. Stigma makes those who suffer the illness to retreat from proper mental health care fearing that they will be stigmatized even more. Stigma stops insurance companies from providing equitable coverage for treatment of mental illness.

From the Mental Health Education Resource Centre -- Canadian Mental Health Association:

What is Stigma?

stig'ma noun(pl~s or ~ta)

1. brand, stain, blemish, defect, a scar - a mark of shame or discredit

Stigma is the use of negative labels to identify a person living with mental illness. It is about disrespect and keeps mental illness in the closet. Stigma is a barrier and discourages individuals and their families from getting the help they need. It closes minds and fuels discrimination. Many say that living with the stigma is worse than living with the illness itself.

While the joke may seem harmless, it contributes to the stigmatization of mental illness and those who live with it. People with mental disorders continue to experience prejudice and discrimination in every area of their lives, from finding somewhere to live to getting a job. It’s hardly surprising that many people with serious mental illness end up poor or homeless.

We have a moral responsibility to stamp-out prejudice surrounding mental illness and can do so with education -- by pointing out when those who are mentally ill are negatively portrayed in the media and in our every day lives.

May Jesus protect those who are emotionally and mentally disabled, and may He grant all of us wisdom and courage in how we treat those who suffer from illness.

Peace.

Global Climate Change Debate

2007-10-11T17:19:00.000-04:00

How It All Ends - Watch more free videos

This is a great video by a science teacher that illustrates the debate regarding global warming. The bottom line is that we need to act.

Peace.

A Story of Faith

2007-10-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

A homily by Don Pratt

Sunday, October 7, 2007 -- 27^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Readings:

First Reading: Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

Psalm: Psalm 95

Second Reading: Second Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

Just preceding today’s Gospel Reading from Luke 17, Jesus had just warned his disciples about the dangers of sinning against others, or causing others to sin, and that they must forgive those who sin against them – unconditionally – no matter how many times they cause harm and ask for forgiveness. What a tall order! We know in our own experience how difficult that can be. The apostles responded with a request of Jesus, “Increase our faith.”

I imagine that this is a common request. Many of us in our prayer lives ask that we be better Christians; we ask that our faith in God become stronger. And often we make the mistake in believing that in order for this to happen we must do dramatic things. That our lives must change significantly. And sometimes that’s true. But it’s not in the dramatic things that make our faith strong; it is in the simple ways that we believe in God.

There was a man named John who from the very beginning of his life, seemed to be destined for great things. When he was born and baptized, his mother who had great faith, named him John in honor of John the Baptist.

His father was a wealthy merchant and liked to indulge John. John had anything that he wanted. And he took full advantage of it as he was growing up.

It was his mother’s hope that he would choose a religious life. On the other hand, John’s father wanted him to follow in his footsteps as a merchant. However, as John grew-up – he lived life as a teenager -- and then a young man just like many of us as we grew up: rebellious; resistant to our parents wishes for us; “sowing ours oats.” John was known for his drinking and carousing with buddies. He was a playboy bachelor of his time. He spent money lavishly – wore fine clothes – he was a true ‘metrosexual.’ John had a dry sense of humor and just loved to sing. I’m sure he closed many bars cracking jokes and singing pub songs.

Although John spent his wealth abundantly, he was also known for giving to the poor. One time he was teased mercilessly because he ran into a poor beggar and gave him all the money he had in his pockets, making his father furious.

When John was 20 years old, he joined the military and ended-up fighting in an on-going war with a neighboring city. At one point he was taken as a prisoner of war for over a year. When he was released, he became ill and suffered a mysterious fever for a long time. It was during this time while he was captive and later suffering illness that he started to become introspective. He started to take inventory of his life. While it may not have been one of those drastic life-changing experiences for him, I think that it may have planted a seed of change. However this time for soul searching was short lived, for he returned to his “guy gone wild” lifestyle.

He pursued his career in the military and actually did well for himself. He got promoted up the chain of command. Before a particular mission, it is said that John had a dream. He dreamed of a great hall that was hung high with armament marked with crosses, and he heard the words, “These are for you and your soldiers.” He took this to mean that he would be a great warrior and leader.

But then he became ill again. And while being sick he had a second dream that told him to go home. And for what ever reason, he did.

He went back to carousing with his friends, but something was different about John. His heart wasn’t into it, and his friends noticed. Some thought that maybe he fell in love with a woman, and was thinking of getting married. And when his friends confronted him with it, John replied, “I’m about to take a wife of surpassing fairness.” We would learn later that he would refer to this “wife” again, as “lady poverty.”

John started to feel the burden of his wealth and excess. More and more he would give his money and possessions away. He also started to give his family’s possessions away too. He took linens and supplies from his father’s business to refurbish a poor, run-down church. While his friends chided him and his father scolded him for “such foolishness” – his life was changing as this was the beginning of a life of faith building through charity and living a simple life.

John’s prayer life was building along with his faith. He would often go to the woods to pray and meditate, and to read scripture. It was soon after that he took scripture to heart and began to “leave all things behind to follow Jesus” from the Book of Matthew 10:9. And he gave up everything to build a new community of faith.

I’m sure you’ve figured it out about whom I am talking about. John is from 10^th century Italy. Although he was baptized with the name John…or more specifically…Giovanni, his father changed his name to Francesco when he was still an infant. His name was Francesco di Bernardone…or as we know him as St. Francis.

Most of us have heard much about St. Francis giving up everything for faith. And I know that when we think of faith building, and we think of St. Francis, we sometimes confuse the “quantity of faith” vs. “the quality of faith.”

St. Francis’ example of faith wasn’t just that he gave up everything for it and that it became a part of his everyday life, but more so in his confidence that it was God’s will that he have a simple life and to help others. That’s what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel reading. When the apostles asked Jesus to “increase our faith” they were hoping that somehow Jesus would pull out a bucket of faith from his pocket and dump it on them and then they could have lots of it. Instead He said that it’s not about how much faith…but the quality of that faith: “If only you had little bit of true faith, a little bit of true confidence in God that through God all things are possible, than you’d be able to move mountains” is like what he was saying. And St. Francis had that faith. That just with a simple life, doing simple things he could move mountains. And I know it can be hard to have such faith. St. Francis made it look easy; of course we know that it wasn’t.

Habakkuk had it hard. He was facing human rights violations in Judah, the poor were being persecuted, and there was lawlessness and anarchy. People were suffering and dying. That’s the “violence” that was referred to in today’s scripture. And so Habakkuk was questioning about whether or not God really had a handle on things. How could God allow such suffering? Would God intervene?

God assured him that things were going to be okay, but that he needed to have faith. He told Habakkuk to write down God’s assurances and to hold on to it. That was God’s promise to Habakkuk. The things that were happening, were happening for a reason, but in the end order would be restored.

We need to remember that God has a timeline. It begins with the beginning of eternity and ends with the ending of eternity – and it’s incomprehensible to us. Our lives represent a small “blip” on the timeline. I know that sometimes we think that our lives represent a bigger portion of the timeline because of Jesus’ love for us. Jesus can make us feel pretty important. But the reality is that our lives are pretty small on the timeline. And from our perspective, it is impossible to see what God’s plan is for us. It’s hard to know what lies in the future. However God has a clear vision of it -- God can see the timeline from both ends. God is saying that we need to have faith and trust in God’s will. We’re in God’s hands -- safe and sound. Habakkuk learned that fact. And St. Francis knew it. They both knew it simply by their strong faith in God.

We Mustn't Forget Darfur

2007-10-04T23:53:00.000-04:00

According to the Associated Press, the 83 year-old former President,
Jimmy Carter (God bless him) got into a shouting match with a local
Sudanese security chief because Carter wanted to meet with
representatives of ethnic African refugees in Kabkabiya, a North Darfur town and the security chief blocked him. Carter originally wanted to visit a refugee camp, but the UN deemed it too dangerous. Instead, Carter agreed to meet refugees in a UN compound -- but no one showed-up, so he decided to walk into town. He made it to a school where he met one tribal representative and was going to move on when he was stopped.

There were reports that the refugees seemed too frightened to speak with Carter's team, but some were able to slip them notes. The notes indicated that the refugees were being persecuted and girls were still being raped.

More than 200,000 people have died in that region, while 2.4 million have been displaced. And the number of other atrocities that have been committed by the janjaweed is unimaginable.

May Jesus protect the vulnerable Darfur children and may the Sudanese be granted peace.

Child Health Care vs. the Iraq War

2007-10-04T00:12:00.000-04:00

Today President Bush announced that he will veto a bill that would expand affordable health care insurance for children because it is just too expensive. The cost of the program? $7 billion a year.

Question: What is the cost of President Bush's most recent budget request for the Iraq war for one year?

Answer: $109 billion (again -- for just one year).

I'm speechless. Feel free to blog amongst yourselves!

Peace.

Not-So-Alone

2007-10-02T18:35:00.000-04:00

I often assume that most folks are not aware of the independent sacramental movement, so I was startled when I found out that a colleague of mine at Catholic Charities was very familiar with it. She is the wife of an Episcopal priest and it was very validating that in our conversation about church and clergy that we discovered that many of the 'pitfalls' that can be found in the ISM, are also found in the Episcopal church.

For example, I mentioned that sometimes it is difficult to feel a sense of legitimacy when there are bishops & other clergy who 'play church' or behave badly. She commented that the ISM isn't the only institution with leaders who behave badly.

On the other hand, we got to talk about some clergy who have touched our lives and who we admire.

It was a nice conversation. It seems that everytime that I feel isolated in this ministry, I have an experience like this that helps to feel not-so-alone.

Peace.

About This Blog

2007-10-01T23:45:00.000-04:00

I am a 44 year old single guy from Long Island, New York and I am a Seminarian in the United American Catholic Church (an independent sacramental church). I currently am the Pastoral Minister (lay-leader) for the Emmaus Catholic Community on Long Island. My hope is that I will be ordained a Deacon by the end of the year. You can check out Emmaus by visiting www.emmauscatholic.org.

I work for Catholic Charities here on Long Island as my secular job -- I coordinate the Special Needs Housing Program -- housing for people living with HIV & AIDS, mental illness and/or addiction. AND I sell electronics at a local retailer part-time. Yes, I'm a busy guy.

What am I hoping to share/accomplish in this blog? Mostly opinion, observations and prayers surrounding my life as a catholic, the independent sacramental movement, today's American public policy, and generally the state of the human condition.

Perhaps I'll share a homily or two...or maybe I'll journal a bit....or maybe I'll change the focus of the blog depending on where the Spirit moves me. Currently this blog is open for anyone who'd like to add their two cents.

I'd love to hear your feedback and response to it (if anyone happens to read this).

My hope is that you will find it informative, enlightening, and maybe even entertaining.

I wish you many blessings!

Peace.

Peace is Patriotic!

2007-07-04T18:36:00.000-04:00

In this age of war & violence that is so unjust -- it seems hard to celebrate the birth of our country. However we forget that despite the fact that we may be unhappy about the current president and administration, we have much to be grateful for.

I'm so glad to be American. I'm happy that we can replace this president and have the opportunity to make right what has been wronged. I am grateful that even though my rights as a citizen may have eroded in the past 7 years -- I still live in a great country that with mine and so many other votes will pave a way to great things for the U.S.

There are so much that we take for granted as Americans. God has blessed us with so much! Again, while our leaders may be responsible for so much injustice and inequality, we still are in one of the wealthiest countries in the world that affords us much that so many don't have. And we have rights and luxuries that many don't have.

I pray for those in the midst of combat -- American military who volunteered to be put in harms way -- believing that they are protecting our way of life. May God bless them and protect them. And may God grant our leaders the wisdom to bring them home!

And may all of us be granted peace!