April 1, 2009
We believe that, as in the Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30), we
have an urgent obligation to take Christ seriously enough to share
his mission of human liberation, justice and dignity with others.
Spirit & Lifestyle
It's not easy to use these Talents! We are called not once but every
day. It is a challenge. Yesterday I was invited to a meeting of CEBES
- the Christian Ecclesial Community of El Salvador with their founder
who was in Edmonton for a two week visit with Edmonton's Canadian
Salvadoran community. Few came; none who would need translation.
Here's a reflection on the challenges they face, the challenges the
Parable of the Talents.
"Yesterday when Guillermo listened to you all and, based on the time
spent with you, told you to come all together, to talk and to decide
how you could work together as one, he spoke to you from the heart.
No organization is meant to go on forever without evolving and changing.
What does not change is that CEBES is a COMMUNITY - a group of people
who share, who accept each other, who work together. Any Christian
community needs to be based on the Acts; others seeing this community
must be amazed and say: "See how they love each other!" Otherwise
there is no witness.
It is an ecclesial - the word comes from the Greek for an assembly of
citizens for political purposes but the present meaning is "a
Christian church or its members" - community. It is the community of
the people. Years ago, I took a course at Seattle University on
Hispanic (the Church is doesn't always choose its words well!)
Ministry. The professor, from L.A., told us on the first day that we
were the church. Each time someone complained about priests, the
hierarchy, the rules, she asked in a loud voice: "Who is the church?"
and would not continue the class until we replied all together: "WE
ARE!"
Yes, we are the church! If you cannot be the church within your
parish, then organize CEBES outside the parish. You can go to Mass,
receive the sacraments, participate but you can also be "church"
outside of the walls of the church building, away from controlling
priests. Open up CEBES to all: practicing and non-practicing
christians, young and old, Salvadorans and others. It may be hard to
do it in two languages. May be the younger members might be more
comfortable working in English. Remember, any organization has to
evolve!
Yes, it is also important to adapt to North American society. Perhaps
your evolved CEBES will set a strict schedule for meetings - for
example, the 2nd Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. This way you'll draw
new members.
I am familiar with the Nicaraguan Christian Base Communities based on
SEE, JUDGE, ACT. We need to see, judge and act in our present milieu.
This is the milieu younger people know and it's also where each of
you are now and are called to live your present vocation. I think it
is wonderful that the young people are so busy with football (soccer)
and that there are no meetings in the summer. This is where Jesus
would be in the summer, in the ball park
I was thinking last evening, how wonderful it would be, if all your
stories could be written down. The stories of those who lived the
oppression, who left all to come to Canada; the stories of the young
people who lived in both countries; also the stories of all you have
contributed - and suffered - in Canada.
In today's gospel when I heard Jesus' words: "Very truly, I tell you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains
just a single grain; but if it dies, bears much fruit," I remembered
Romero's words: "And if they kill me, I will resurrect in the
Salvadoran people." We know that San Romero de las Américas has
risen. We are called to do the same. We are called by Mauricio Funes
(FMLN president-elect in El Salvador) to start a new life of
reconciliation.
Lito's banana tree in his living room has produced several shoots
that went on to grow into other banana trees. These are clones of the
original plant. They are not new plants. They have no ability to
change, to evolve. Because most bananas produced today are clones of
a few varieties of bananas, all prone to a fungal disease, bananas
may some day completely disappear. They have no seeds. On the other
hand, we sow seeds that are all different; seeds that die and produce
new plants, new varieties. We are called to die to the old ways and
to be evolving, growing, prophetic communities.
Cecily
April 7, 2009
We are, therefore, sharers of the Good News through witness and
service. It is only through the way we live, love and serve that we
can truly witness to the Christ who served, and invited us to do
likewise. Only in following His way faithfully dare we claim the name
Christian. - Spirit and Lifestyle
How do we live today? I don't think we will go down in history as a
kind and gentle people. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development disclosed that the gap between the rich and poor in
Canada widened far more than in most other OECD-member countries over
the past 20 years. Canada now stands in a dismal 18th place among
OECD-member countries ranked from best to worst on income inequality
(Anyone know where the USA ranks?)
Both in Canada and the USA, the remuneration to CEOs has increased to
hundreds of times that of the average worker. Globally, the combined
income of 1,130 top executives surveyed in 2007 was $2.224 trillion,
an amount higher than the GDP of the entire continent of Africa with
900 million inhabitants. With the rapid decline of unions, workers
have been left to compete for much lower paying jobs. Industries have
fled to the Third World in a race to the bottom. Among yesterday's
Letters to the Editor, Blanche Porter wrote: "I was upset to learn
that Atco I- Tek is taking its business to the Philippines. Atco
(gas, utilities, power, pipelines,workforce housing, etc) has made
billions of dollars from Alberta's resources and doesn't feel it
should put the profits back into Alberta's economy. These are ...
long-term permanent Atco employees. The government should put a stop
to this abuse of Albertans."
Don't count on it! The government is cutting back support for
medication for seniors, supporting privatization of healthcare and
long-term facilities, setting up a Super Health Care Board where
salaries and benefits reflect those of corporate CEOs. Even our local
Credit Union - the people's bank - gives its CEOs multi-million
bonuses. I thought we were the owners!
Universities were turned into vocational factories to serve the
corporate system. Business has now replaced education, which has
fallen from 21% to 8.2%, as the most popular major. What really
bothers me is the intense lobbying that churns out untruths to
reassure worried citizens. Every series of letters to the editor on
nuclear power, GM food, global warming, fish farms, privatization of
health care, Canadian Wheat Board, etc, includes dissenting voices
with lots of "technical" facts. Google the authors and you will find
behind their impressive titles their connections to the industry in
question. They are knowingly spreading lies for profit. If you think
I am exaggerating read "Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and
Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods
You're Eating" by Jeffrey M. Smith. I have been following this topic
for several decades but never, never thought corporate giants were as
powerful at deception.
Johann Baptist Metz has described our present parish structure as
"religious services oriented" rather than a "socially critical
prophetic approach with a solidarity praxis." Only a Church of risk
takers will galvanize the young; only a church engaged in the great
issues of history will capture our hearts. A Church offering only a
zone of safety in a turbulent world has little future appeal. Rabbi
Heschel phrased this well:"The prophets had disdain for those for
whom God was comfort and security. To them God was a challenge and an
incessant demand."
We must play a prophetic role in society. As we move to Holy Week, we
contemplate Jesus' death on the cross and its meaning for us in the
corporate-dominated world. "This death," as Edward Schilebeeckx
reminds us, "is the consequence of a life in radical service of
justice and love, a consequence of his option for the poor and
outcast, of a choice for his people suffering under exploitation and
oppression. Within an evil world any commitment to justice and love
is deadly dangerous."
Cecily
4/14/2009
Only in following His way faithfully dare we claim the name
Christian. "If I, the Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you
should wash each other's feet. I have given you an example so that
you may copy what I have done to you." (Jn 13:14-15) Spirit and
Lifestyle
Last Friday, Good Friday, a thousand or more Edmontonians walked the
29th Outdoor Way of the Cross. This year the theme was: Meeting
Christ in the margins: Blest are you who suffer hate... Many people
seem to end up on the outside, the margins, in our community and
world. Are these the "losers" or are there strengths we can learn
about from these people that remind us there are things more
important than wealth and power?
As usual we stopped at various places in the inner city. Our first
station was iHuman, in front of 4 beautiful murals on the walls of a
building that welcomes youth at risk, to reflect on social
strength:"Blest are you who suffer hate - all because of me." This
station was led by the students of St. Rose School.
Next, behind the Salvation Army home for men we examined spiritual
strength:"Blest are they who seek peace; blest are they who suffer in
faith." This was led by members of the Edmonton Salvadoran community.
We stopped in the shadow of downtown office towers to examine
economic strength. Those at the margins are contributors of genuine
economic strength and they are also the ones who suffer the most in
times of economic downturn. "Blest are they - the poor in spirit -
theirs is the kingdom of God. Blest are they, full of sorrow - they
shall be consoled."
In front of the Remand Centre - a building that holds many more
prisoners than it was meant to hold - we examined strength in
disability with members of the L'Arche community. Most of the
prisoners awaiting trial, the addicts, the homeless suffer from some
form of mental and psychological disability. "Blest are they who show
mercy - mercy shall be theirs."
The next stop was in front of the Bissell Centre, a very busy place
offering diverse services for the poor of our city. A large
proportion of the poor are the "working poor." Strength in Illness -
"Blest are the lowly ones; blest are they who hunger and thirst, they
shall have their fill." It was led by Bob McKeon, of the Office of
Social Justice of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton - such good
news that the disbanded office is back in function and in the hands
of such dedicated person.
The next - held near the Boyle Street Community Garden -
environmental strength led by Jim Visser, one of our outstanding
"urban" garden farmers. I say "urban" because the city - housing,
industry, upgraders to refine synthetic crude from the TarSands - is
fast encroaching on the best farmland around. Rich soil, which Jim
placed in an Offering Bowl was reverently passed among the
participants, much as offerings of bread and wine. Created over
hundreds of thousands of years from sediment from the last Ice Age,
the soil, together with the area's micro-climate that offers it the
most frost-free days of all Alberta, provides Edmontonians with
potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage year round, as well as many
seasonal crops. "Blest are they, who live simply - blessed abundance
is theirs. Bless are they, who reverence the earth - the beauty of
God they shall see." Chuck Hunt added this verse to "Bless Are They."
We stayed for the closing led by Jim Gurnett who just recently
retired from his very busy life as director of the Mennonite Centre
for Newcomers. A familiar figure around Edmonton, he spent many more
hours working outside his office than at his desk. Each station named
the pain, proclaimed the hope, and issued a challenge to be active
agents of God's justice in the world through our lives and actions.
We closed with all the verses of Blest Are They.
Cecily
4/21/2009
VMM is 40!
The spirit and calling of the VMM missionary is, first and foremost,
one of love and service in and to the world. As lay people we give a
special witness to the reality that all the People of God are called
to involvement in Christ's mission. All who hear God's Word are
called to respond. Bishops, builders and nurses alike must work
together, equally, towards the coming of the Realm of God. Mission is
given to us all. Spirit and Lifestyle
On April 17, we received a special message - http://www.vmmusa.org/
index.html - VMM turned 40! What a blessing VMM has been to our
world and to us. To us, because whatever we do, with other persons,
benefits us and benefits others in untold and unexpected ways. Our
lives are rich, intertwined in so many ways.
I have been so enriched this past week. There was Edwina's 40th
anniversary message. There was also what is perhaps the last message
of Father Louis-Marie Parent. Like Edwina, Father Parent recognized
the role of laity. In 1952, at a time when consecrated life in
established religious communities was considered the only way to be
missionaries, he founded the Secular Institute of the Oblate
Missionaries permitting persons to take vows but to live "in the
world." A short time later, Father Parent invited lay men and women
to live the five attitudes of life. Today the associate group, called
Volunteers of God, consists of members on 4 continents who strive to
live their daily live in harmony with God, with others and themselves
through attitudes inspired by the Gospel: Presence of God, Absence
from destructive criticism, Absence from useless complaint, Being of
service, Sower of Peace. At 98, Parent, sensing he is writing his
last New Year's letter reveals: "Without you, my life would have been
different. I have become a better person because of you... let me say
thank you because you have been and you remain important elements
throughout my various stages of happiness."
In the last week, I was aware so often of how we work best together.
Starting on April 9 and culminating - but not ending - on April 18, a
number of us, under the banner of Development and Peace, planned a
rally to publicly ask the member of parliament of the riding of our
parishes to take to Ottawa our petitions for the Canadian government
to hold Canadian mining companies socially and environmentally
responsible for their operations in the Global South. This week, on
April 22, members of Parliament will vote on a private member's bill
for corporate responsibility. While the bill falls short of all D&P
and many other organizations in Canada have been lobbying for in the
last 3 years, it is a step in the right direction and we asked our MP
to not only vote for the bill but also lobby other MPs and to
publicly ask the Prime Minister to support the voice of hundreds of
thousands (250,000 in 2006 and 2007 and 65,000 so far in 2008, not
counting petitions from many other organizations) of Canadians and
vote in favour of the bill.
I figure I worked at least 45 hours - all of this with other persons
- some I didn't know that well before; some I didn't know at all;
some I got to know so much better and to appreciate; some good
samaritans who quietly donated a good part of their weekend like the
janitor of one school, who found audio equipment, rented a generator,
transported all this around both on Friday evening for the rehearsal
and all day Saturday for the rally.
As usual when you participate in some action, another action appears
begging for you to accept it. We have a vision for Development and
Peace. This kind of grassroots action must continue.
We are part of VMM. Its Spirit and Lifestyle will remain young,
vibrant, only in the measure that we accept the challenge to live it
in our everyday life and in company of other VMM members.
Cecily
4/28/2009
We believe that God calls all People to peace and unity through
justice and a sharing of world resources and goods. Spirit and Lifestyle
If you count the important words in the above quotation there are no
more than 15. The hardest two are "We believe."
I have a 446-page book Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church. It's like a dictionary, enabling me to look up "resources" -
not counting "financial resources" there are 38 entries - and
"goods" - 83 entries. It's easier to let someone else do the
research in light of the present day. So here are the references used
by Ron Rolheiser in a recent column entitled "Church's economic and
social teachings provide a map to middle road:
- God intended the earth and everything in it for the sake of all
human beings. Thus, in justice, created goods should flow freely to
all. All other rights are subordinated to this principle.
- We do have a right to private ownership and no one may ever deny us
of this right, but that right is subordinated to the common good, to
the fact that goods are intended for everyone.
- Wealth and possessions must be understood as ours to steward rather
than to possess absolutely.
- No person (or nation) may have a surplus if others do not have the
basic necessities.
- Thus no one may appropriate surplus goods solely for his own
private use when others lack the bare necessities for life.
- People are obliged to come to the relief of the poor and if a
person is in extreme necessity he has the right to take from the
riches of others what he needs.
- The present economic situation of the world must be redressed
(1967, Vatican II, 1971, 1987). Thus the law of supply and demand,
free enterprise, competition, the profit motive and the private
ownership of the means of production may not be given complete free
reign. They are not absolute rights and are only good within certain
limits.
- Governments may never sacrifice the individual to the collectivity
because the individual is prior to civil society and society must be
directed toward him or her.
- Employers must pay wages which allow the worker to live in a
reasonable and frugal comfort and wages may not simply be a question
of what contract a worker will accept. Workers must negotiate their
wages with the common good in mind.
- And, the condemnation of injustice is part of the ministry of
evangelization and is an integral aspect of the church's prophetic role.
Do we believe that? Rolheiser points out that Marxism which did not
factor in the place of private profit and private wealth (not to
mention God or love) did not lead to prosperity and justice, but our
present unregulated profit motive doesn't lead to prosperity and
justice either. There is a middle road and the church's social
teaching are the road map.
As VMs we believe that God calls all People to peace and unity
through justice and a sharing of world resources and goods. For us,
condemnation of injustice is part of the ministry of evangelization
and is an integral aspect of the church's prophetic role.
Cecily
PS Last Wednesday Bill C- 300 a private member's bill on Corporate
Responsibility of Canadian mining companies in the developing world
passed. A small victory!
|
|