Speak Up - Speak Out!

I am taking advice from the Lutheran theologian, Martin Niemoller, about speaking out. Most of us are familiar with his work regarding political apathy and where it can lead. Niemoller lamented, “First They came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.” Eventually the Nazi’s came for him and there was no one left to speak out. Niemoller spent much of World War II at Dachau and thank God he survived.


In October of 2011 veteran’s groups in Houston were forced to sue to regain the use of the words “Jesus and God” during services at the Houston National Cemetery. The Veteran’s Administration also agreed to restore the cemetery’s chapel, returning a Bible, Cross, and Star of David, and to allow Veteran’s to call it a Chapel, rather than a “Meeting Facility.  They also agreed to remove the gardening equiptment and to quit using the Chapel for storage."

In September of 2011 Congressman Steve King of Iowa took to the floor of the House making us aware “No religious items may be given away or used during visits to Walter Reed National Medical Center.” Apparently this included Bibles, Religious Books, The Eucharist, and Last Rites brought to wounded military members by family and Chaplains. This regulation, according to Senator Cornyn of Texas, was revoked.

In January of 2012, Army Chaplains were banned from reading a Pastoral letter from the Catholic Bishop for the Armed forces during Mass. Although Army officials assisted the Bishop in rephrasing the letter, it was still not allowed to be read aloud from the Pulpit. The subject of the letter was the recent Health Care Mandates by the Administration.

I am appalled by the Administration’s edict that Catholic Hospitals, Schools, and Institutions must provide coverage for sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs. This is about Religious Rights that are covered in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution.   Please don't be caught up in the hype that this is about "reproductive rights."  This is about your Freedom of Religion and mine as well. Will you speak out too?

Lent is Starting

The picture above was taken in the wilderness of Alaska.  Even in this wilderness a "voice calls."

Officially Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, this week, February 22nd.  This Lent will be a more purposeful for me.  Rather than give up something, I plan to take something on.  I want to pray more and fast more - to become more aware of who I am and how I can be a better Christian.


Like many people, I am not comfortable today.  To say I feel threatened by the undercurrents flowing through our country would be an understatement.  In an attempt to sort out feelings and make plans we have asked our Congressman to meet with us.  Could you please pray for our meeting on the 22nd of February.


In preparing for Lent I've been reading.  Not long ago I finished the new book "Bonhoeffer" by Eric Metaxas.  What a wonderful book.  I am so glad that I read it and it is so timely.
I want to share with you some comments from Brother François of Taizé.  This was written in 2007.  I thought about editing this but every single word is important.  I hope you will be inspired toward a purposeful Lent.  God's Peace be with you.


Elizabeth 


A portrait



The Relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)
    By Brother François of Taiz
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young pastor who symbolized the German resistance against Nazism, is counted among those who can support us on our road of faith. In the darkest hours of the twentieth century, he gave his life to the point of martyrdom. In prison he wrote these words we sing in Taizé: “God, let my thoughts be gathered to you. With you there is light, you do not forget me. With you there is help, with you there is patience. I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me.”

What is touching about Bonhoeffer is how he resembles the Church fathers, the Christian thinkers of the first centuries. The Church fathers did their work while searching for a unity of life. They were able to reflect intellectually in an extremely profound way, but at the same time they prayed a lot and were fully integrated into the life of the Church of their time. That is found in Bonhoeffer. Intellectually he was almost too talented. But at the same time he was a man who prayed a great deal. He meditated on Scripture every day, until the end of his life. He understood it, as Gregory the Great once said, as a letter from God addressed to him. Although he came from a family where the men – his father, his brothers – were practically agnostics, and although his Church, the German Protestant Church, disappointed him a lot in the Nazi period and he suffered from this, he lived fully as a member of the Church.


I would like to mention three of his writings:

His doctoral thesis, Sanctorum Communio, has something exceptional for the time. A young student, 21 years old, writes a dogmatic reflection on the sociology of the Church, starting from Christ. Reflecting, starting from Christ, on what the Church should be seems incongruous. Much more than an institution, the Church for him is Christ existing in the form of the Church. Christ is not a little bit present through the Church; no, he exists for us today in the form of the Church. This is utterly faithful to Saint Paul. It is this Christ who has taken our fate upon himself, who has taken our place. This way Christ acted remains the fundamental law of the Church: taking the place of those who have been excluded, of those who are outside, as Jesus did during his ministry and already at the time of his baptism. It is striking to see how this book speaks of intercession: it is like the blood that circulates in the Body of Christ. To express this, Bonhoeffer depends on Orthodox theologians. He also speaks of confession, which was practically unheard of in the Protestant Churches. Imagine that: a young man of 21 years affirms that it is possible for a minister of the Church to say to us, “Your sins are forgiven,“ and affirms that this is part of the essence of the Church. How new this was in its context! The second writing is a book he wrote when he was called to become the director of a seminary for theology students who were considering a ministry in the Confessing Church, men who had to prepare themselves for a very hard life. Almost all of them had to deal with the Gestapo; some were thrown into prison. In German the title is very short: Nachfolge, “following” (in English, The Cost of Discipleship). That tells all about the book. How can we take seriously what Jesus expressed; how can we not set it aside as if the words were for other times? The book says how: following has no content. We would have preferred Jesus to have a program. But no! In following him, everything depends on our relationship with him: he goes ahead and we follow.

Following, for Bonhoeffer, means recognizing that if Jesus truly is what he says about himself, then he has a claim on ­everything in our life. He is the “mediator”. No human relationship can take prevalence over him. Bonhoeffer quotes Christ’s words calling us to leave parents, family, possessions. That frightens us a bit today, and some people criticized that aspect of the book: does not Bonhoeffer present an image of Christ that is too authoritarian? We read in the Gospel, however, how astonished people were at the authority with which Jesus taught and cast out evil spirits. There is an authority in Jesus. Yet he speaks of himself, differently from the Pharisees, as gentle and humble of heart, in other words: someone who was tried himself and who is beneath us. That is how he always presented himself, and true authority is found behind this humility.

The whole book is organized in that way: listen with faith and put it into practice. If we listen with faith, if we realize that Christ is the one speaking, we cannot not put into practice what he says. If faith stopped before being put into practice, then it would no longer be faith. It would set a limit to the Christ that we listened to. Of course, in Bonhoeffer’s writing that can seem a bit too strong, but does not the Church need such listening again and again? A simple listening. A direct, immediate listening, that believes it is possible to live what Christ asks.

The third writing is the famous Letters and Papers from Prison. In a world where he perceives that God is no longer recognized, in a world without God, Bonhoeffer asks the question: how are we going to speak of Him? Will we try to create enclaves of Christian culture, turning to the past with a certain nostalgia? Will we try to foster religious needs in people who apparently no longer have any? Today it can be said that there is a revival of interest in religion, but often it is only to give a religious veneer to life. It would be dishonest on our part to create explicitly a situation in which people would need God. How then can we speak of Christ today? Bonhoeffer answers: by our life. It is impressive to see how he describes the future to his godson: “The days are coming when it may be impossible to speak openly, but we will pray, we will do what is right, and God’s time will come.” ­Bonhoeffer believed that the language we need will be given to us by life. We can all feel today, even with respect to those who are closest to us, a great difficulty in speaking about redemption by Christ, about life after death or, still more, about the Trinity. All that is so far away for people who, in some sense, no longer need God. How can we have the confidence that if we live lives rooted in God, the language will be given to us? It will not be given if we make the Gospel accessible by diminishing it. No, the language will be given if we truly live it.

In his letters, as in the book on discipleship, everything ends in a way that is almost mystical. He would not have wanted us to say that, but when it is a question of being with God without God, one’s thoughts turn to Saint John of the Cross, or to Saint Theresa of Lisieux in that difficult period she went through at the end of her life. That is what Bonhoeffer wanted: to stay with God without God. To dare to remain beside him when he is refused, rejected. That gives a certain gravity to all he wrote. And yet it is good to know that he was optimistic. His vision of the future has something liberating for Christians. He trusted; the word trust appears so often in his letters from prison. In prison, Bonhoeffer would have liked to have written a commentary on Psalm 119, but he only got to the third stanza. In that Psalm there is a verse that sums up Bonhoeffer’s life: You are close, Lord; all that you ordain is truth. Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived from the assurance that Christ is truly close, in very situation, even the most extreme ones. You are close, Lord; all that you ordain is truth. We can believe that what you ordain is not only true, but worthy of our entire trust.



By Brother François of Taizé
http://www.taize.fr/en_rubrique8.html

Appealing Rosaries

I longed to make Catholic Rosaries that had the same character as my Anglican Prayer Beads. By that I mean I wanted them to be made of Olive Wood, Gemstone, and other natural resources.  I wanted people to feel the beads and not wire links.  I am pleased with how my Rosaries are accepted. And most important of all I wanted them to be affordable.


The following comments are shared from my Amazon Store:

"Awesome buying experience! I received it before the estimated delivery date. The rosary is beautiful and the love it was made with can be felt. Incredible!"

"... a devoted artist that creates beautiful Anglican and Roman Catholic Rosaries. She ships almost before she receives the order and will make special Rosaries upon request."

"Super fast shipping. It arrived before the first date on the estimated delivery range. Item was exactly as described. I couldn't be happier with the transaction."

  I received this invitation to walk a Labyrinth. A church was going to have a large canvas Labyrinth for just one day. I had never seen one before. I entered the church and the lights were dimmed and people were quietly walking on this strange looking path. Some of the walkers had their Rosary Beads in their hands and some had prayer shawls. It was very quiet and soft music that seemed to be Celtic was playing. Thus I began my very first Labyrinth experience.
  Since that very first experience several years ago, I have encountered several Labyrinths along the way. If you are in Santa Fe, New Mexico, you will find a lovely one at the St. Francis Cathedral. It’s right in front so you cannot miss it. I’ve been told there is also one at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. But if you scout around your community you may be surprised to find a church , park or retreat center with one. When we were traveling in Alaska we found a wonderful Labyrinth at the Catholic Diocese Center in Fairbanks. Pictured below is a Labyrinth in Chappell Hill, Texas.

  I grew up in Oregon near the Pacific Ocean. I used to walk the beaches and think about “stuff” as I wandered down the beach. It was a great place for prayer. I cannot help but think of the “Foot Prints in the Sand” Poem. Walking a Labyrinth has the same affect on me. I find my stress is immediately lowered as I find my way along the trail.

  Someone told me that Labyrinths became popular in Europe in the early years of Christianity.  Many people made Pilgrimages to the Holy Land.  The Labyrinth served as a Pilgrimage to those who could not make it to Jerusalem.
  There is a wealth of information about Labyrinths on the Web.  Check out: http://www.gracecathedral.org/community/labyrinths/   If you cannot find a Labyrinth to walk or if you are unable to navigate over a rocky path, don’t give up. There are wooden finger Labyrinths that offer a similar experience.
  From Caroline Adams, "Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."

Easter: hope for the world

Last night my husband and I attended the Easter Vigil.  It was a glorious service.  We started the evening with no lights as readers presented the Creation Story from Genisus and the Parting of the Sea from Exodus.  When the Gospel was read the lights came on and the music was wonderful.  We watched over 50 people be Baptised and Confirmed.  We kneeled and sang the Litany of the Saints which is my favorite and I am always listening for my Saint. 

I am sharing from the Taize page a portion of a wonderful Meditation. 

Meditation by Brother Alois

The Easter Gospel tells of a woman, Mary Magdalene, weeping, full of confusion, as if Jesus’ death had sealed the failure of all her hopes. Yet whereas the apostles of Jesus hid behind locked doors out of fear, she went to the tomb. This act expressed not only her grief, but also an expectation, however confused it may have been. It was the longing for a love that the greatest suffering could not completely wipe out.


So Jesus, the Risen Lord, came to her. And he did this in a completely unexpected way, not triumphantly, but so humbly that she did not recognize him, taking him for the gardener.

Jesus called her by name, "Mary", and that would change everything. Mary recognized in her heart the voice of Jesus. She turned to him and called him in turn: “Rabbouni, Lord”. A new life began in her; she was confident that Jesus was close to her, even if his presence was now different. Then the Risen Christ sent her: "Go to my brothers; tell them that I am risen!” Her life received a new meaning; she had a task to accomplish.

We too are like Mary Magdalene at the tomb. As there was in her, there is a longing in us, and often unresolved questions. Sometimes we feel this longing as a lack or as emptiness. We may express it by a cry of distress or, without words, by a simple sigh. In that way our being begins to open up to God. It is the longing, even confused, for a communion; it already allows us to live by trusting in God.

Then Christ calls us by our own name. He knows each one of us personally. He tells us: "Go to my brothers and sisters; tell them that I am risen. Convey my love by your life."  
 
Please visit http://www.taize.fr/en_article8389.html for the entire article.

"Being Christian is a path, or better: a pilgrimage, a walk together with Jesus Christ," underlined the Holy Father at Palm Sunday Mass on an extraordinary spring morning in Rome. He said it is in this communion on the path towards Jerusalem that we find our way to the "new City of God."

This Sunday we celebrated the Blessing of the Palms and we participated in the reading of the Gospel.  I have been to so many Palm Sundays but this one was particulary lovely.  A bright sunny morning greeted us with just a little more wind than we needed.   But as the people arrived and we crowded together it wasn't so uncomfortable.  Once the Palms had been blessed we followed the procession into the Church.

I love the words of Pope Benedict when he calls this experience a pilgrimage. This week offers so many opportunities and every one of them will support us on our pilgrimage. 

Lent: Turning to God

This comes from the Taize Site and is a wonderful, inspiring article about Lent.

Lent first directs our thoughts to the image of the desert, the one in which Jesus spent forty days of solitude, or the one that God’s people crossed by walking for forty years. Yet when these weeks before Easter returned, Brother Roger liked to recall that it was not a time for austerity or sorrow, or a period to cultivate guilt, but rather a season to sing the joy of forgiveness. He saw Lent as forty days to prepare to rediscover little springtimes in our lives.

At the beginning of the Gospel of St. Matthew, when John the Baptist proclaims “Repent!” he means: “Turn to God!” Yes, during Lent, we wish to look towards God in order to receive forgiveness. Christ has conquered evil and his constant forgiveness allows us to renew an inner life. We are invited to a conversion: not to turn towards ourselves in introspection or individual perfectionism, but to seek communion with God and also communion with others.

Turning to God! It is true that in the Western world, it has become difficult for some people to believe in God. They see his existence as a limitation on their freedom. They think they must struggle alone to build their lives. That God walks alongside them seems inconceivable.

A year ago I visited our brothers who have been living in Korea for thirty years. On the way, another brother and I had youth meetings in several Asian countries. What struck me in Asia is that prayer seems natural. People belonging to different religions pray spontaneously in an attitude of respect, even adoration.

Of course, in those societies there are no fewer tensions or manifestations of violence than in the West. But a sense of interiority is perhaps more accessible, a respect for the miracle of life, for creation, a focus on mystery, on an afterlife.

How can we renew our interior life by discovering and rediscovering a personal relationship with God? In all of us there is a thirst for the infinite. God created us with this desire for an absolute. We must let this aspiration live in us!

Among the songs of Taizé, there is one that can sustain this longing. The lyrics are by a Spanish poet, Luis Rosales, who was inspired by St. John of the Cross: "We walk by night and, in order to find the wellspring, only our thirst illuminates us." For some, the Lenten season is a time of fasting. Not that asceticism has value in itself, but in each of us there is a longing deeper than superficial longings, a more essential thirst, and this thirst can shed light on our path.

If we sometimes walk at night, or if we seem to be crossing a desert, this is not to follow an ideal; we follow a person, Christ. We are not alone; he goes before us. Following him involves an inner struggle, with decisions to be taken, the faithfulness of an entire lifetime. In this struggle we do not rely on our own strength, but we surrender ourselves to his presence. The path is not laid out in advance; it also means being open to surprises, creating with the unexpected.

And God does not tire himself out in setting out on the road with us once again. We can believe that communion with him is possible and never get tired either of always having to resume the struggle. We do not persevere in order to come before God in the best light possible. No, we agree to move ahead like poor people of the Gospel who put their trust in God’s mercy.

Lent is a season that invites us to share. It leads us to sense that there is no spiritual growth without consenting to give something up, and to do so for love. Once when he was in the wilderness, Jesus, moved by compassion for those who had followed him, multiplied five loaves and two fishes to feed everyone. What signs of sharing can we accomplish in our turn?

The Gospel encourages simplicity of life. It calls us to bring our own desires under control in order to succeed in setting limits, not by constraint but by choice. This call is becoming very relevant today, not just on a personal level but in the life of societies. Freely chosen simplicity enables those who are privileged to resist the race to acquire what is superfluous and contributes to the struggle against the poverty imposed on those who are deprived.

During this time of Lent, let us dare to review our lifestyle, not to make those who would do less feel guilty, but for the sake of solidarity with the deprived. The gospel encourages us to share freely while setting everything in the simple beauty of creation.
The daily newspaper "La Croix" asked Brother Alois to write a meditation for the great Christian feasts during the year 2008-2009.Last updated: 25 February 2009