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Week of November 1-7
When the Saints Go Marching In
Completely obvious. A reflection on All Saints Day in New Orleans…especially when our football team is undefeated and heading towards setting records this season. We think of Jazz, of second lines, of umbrellas, and fun.
But instead of the search results you get on Google or GoodSearch, let us reflect on the true saints in our day that are marching in… the holy women and men that look just like you and me. The people who work hard each day to resurrect their businesses, neighborhoods schools and public services… those whose perseverance get people around the table to agree on a new plan for a better city.
The holy women and men today in the city of New Orleans are simply the ones who help one another be better people living in this community. We have seen many faces of young and old volunteers as extremely reverential people in this sacred land. Yet, the holy people we would like to express gratitude for are the people first on their block… the people who are initiating change in their neighborhood… the people tirelessly speaking out for those who do not have access to federal funds.
Amidst all our recovery efforts, we truly remain most human desperately seeking ways to improve our selves and our practice of faith. This weekend, a relic of Mary Magdalene’s tours two local churches for the first time. We went Sunday morning to pay our respects to this holy icon, Jesus’ companion and first disciple chronicled to have witnessed the resurrection.
Many may think they went for Mary Magdalene, but what I saw were faithful pilgrims who bring their love and despair, hurt and hope to our God in the presence of one another. Perhaps that is what saints are… people who bring their love and despair, hurt and hope to our God in the presence of one another.
This week, may we allow holy women and men to march into our lives just as much as we march into theirs.
Week of October 25-31 “Take courage; Get up, Jesus is calling you.”
Mark 10:49
Fall is a wonderful season. Here in New Orleans it is mostly characterized by a minimal trace of humidity and fewer outdoor events (in comparison to simultaneous festivals in the spring and summer).
Fall also can become the dramatic pre-cursor to a dreadful season for those who struggle with darkness and uncertainty. Falling into Winter, into feelings of depression or loneliness, can prove to be unavoidable.
The new Catholic Archbishop, Aymond, held listening circles with a few key pastors just the other week. He heard the need for more counseling and mental services. Now in our 51st month of recovery and rebuilding since Hurricane Katrina, more and more residents have returned to their new-er homes and neighborhoods only to feel alone on their block or incomplete due to a lack of supportive services which may or may not include their local church and fellow parishioners, grocery store, doctor, dentist, hairstylist, mechanic.
This Sunday’s Good News revolves around Jesus’ interaction with a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus. While Jesus was walking with his disciples and other followers, Baritmaeus shouted to him and asked him to have pity on him. Well, the story goes on to say that Jesus asked him what he wanted and then gifted him with it.
But we all know that. We all know that Jesus is amazing and gives us all that we need. We know that despite his seeming busy schedule amidst a sizable crowd that Jesus still takes the time to stop and be present with people despite their social status.
What is truly Good News for us this week is that once Jesus heard the cry from Bartimaeus, Jesus instructed his followers to call him. Obediently and without skipping a beat, his followers called Bartimaeus by saying, Take courage; Get up, Jesus is calling you.”
The Good News is that we are given an opportunity to serve alongside Christ. We are asked to call others, and we, in turn, encourage one another to take courage… or to be brave and walk through the fear… get up… keep our heads up, lengthen our bodies, be open to God’s grace amidst us… because Jesus is calling you.
How might you heed Jesus request to call others? How might you extend kind words of encouragement to others who have fallen but still have faith?
Week of October 18-24 Merciful Grace
Inasmuch as mercy is the willingness to enter into the chaos of another so as to respond to the other, mercy thickens justice by taking into account the chaos of the most marginalized.
James Keenan
Our ministry has been doing this now for the last 40 months since Hurricane Katrina. The difficulties seem to always come with a wonderful God lesson…
For many of us, proper health insurance is a luxury. We have spent much time offering different ideas to re-form our structure of care in the United States. But the real life experience of the poor must provide our guiding principles for creating community together.
By the grace of God is how we roll in New Orleans. Many people have asked, “How is your ministry funded? Or that sounds like great work, so who sponsors you?” Each time, we answer by the grace of God or God provides everything that we need. What is implied is that god provides our every need so that we can continue to be servants to one another.
Personally, I don’t have dental coverage. I’ve had this root canal that has needed to happen for 3 years now. The other day, I felt some of the nerve endings die, and I lost half of my tooth. When I sought out even charitable services, there was none available to me because I was not homeless, I was not pregnant, and I did not have HIV/AIDS.
During my scheduled visit to the San Francisco Bay Area I made it a point to seek out a free clinic. When I saw the dentist she confirmed that the tooth needs to be worked on or extracted. It was not long after we began scheduling future appointments that I told her that I live in New Orleans and was only here for a screening because I could see a professional.
She genuinely seemed concerned about New Orleans and asked about what I did and what I thought about the ongoing efforts of recovery. In fact, she even asked if we needed volunteer dentists! As her assistant giggled at the likelihood of that need because I came all the way to San Francisco to receive a free dental screening, I encouraged them both in their continued interest to serve the least of these… and that Contemplatives in Action could be their guide into making that happen.
That was a particular moment of grace. God truly does work in mysterious ways. When we believe that everything we have received are gifts, whether that be fear or joy, tears or smiles, pain or comfort, we can truly be grateful for making God’s love shine better in the hearts of all.
There is a reason we work in New Orleans dependent on God’s providence. There is a reason my decayed tooth led me create a space for professionals to consider their opportunities to serve the poor that they don’t even see or live with. And that reason is called merciful grace… a moment born out of being willing to enter into another person’s chaos and opening the hearts and minds of those who can make a difference.
Week of October 11-17 Playing Well with Others
There are quite a number of non-profits, governmental agencies, and private corporations and individuals that are active in the recovery of New Orleans. Some have a new vision that pushes the norms and some remain diligent within the established rules of everyday life. Wisdom may be found in the intersection between these two approaches.
This week’s Good News makes explicit how we are to live with each other. The Ten Commandments are clear with what NOT to do. The challenge of living full and prosperous lives is not just to avoid behaviors clearly stated in the Ten Commandments, but to live out of real and genuine love for God and for others.
The strict rules and regulations of our society show us where the limit is. Meanwhile, we, as creative and loving human beings, can promote life by living a life centered on hope.
This week’s surprise announcement of Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is one example of living hopefully – taking responsibility for your actions, inciting a new way where mutuality overcomes the consequences of differences, and encouraging one another to work better together.
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me." Wisdom 7:7 Let us pray for more actions of service to one another as we continue to contemplate God’s Wisdom, God’s Truth and God’s Call in our own lives. Week of October 4-10 “Go, therefore, and do likewise”
Examples. Whether we were born with them or our social situations afforded us interactions with specific people, we all have access to examples of how to live our lives.
Think about a couple people who have really made an impression on you and influenced your life. These individuals may know or not know how instrumental they have been in shaping your decisions. From good or bad, we all have learned how to do things because people have done so before us.
Jesus tells a parable only found in Luke’s Gospel about the Good Samaritan. The man does three things that Jesus acknowledges is a good example of how to live and interact with one another: the Samaritan acknowledges the person, embraces him and blesses him.
Luke 10:25-37
Let his behavior be our example. We are invited to recognize people in our every day lives. Amidst the hecticness of the things we have to get to, perhaps we are called to be moved by compassion by someone else’s misfortune. Then with oils and other things we have, we are called to care for one another in a very intimate way. And finally, our blessing may come in the form of offering a proper referral and following up on the care extended.
With so much conversation about healthcare reform, let us, as people of faith, lead the conversation by example: let us recognize our neighbors and their needs, embrace those who need care by sharing what we have in an intimate way, and bless communities with continued gifts and resources of people and monies to live in the fullness of life.
We pray for the courage to be an example to others in the imitation of Christ.
Week of September 27-October 3 Believing and Insisting on God’s Goodness
Two words kept coming up in my mind the last week. I heard believing and insisting very differently…
Michael Franti and Spearhead sing a song where Michael breaks down the word believing to be-life-ing. For as long as I have had that CD, that phrase finally caught my attention and my imagination. To believe in something or someone we are essentially being life for that idea or that person. That our very relationship gives it life.
The word insisting came across louder this week as well. I was on a conference call and someone referred to the war in Iraq as the elephant in the room when discussing topics of social interest, service, and justice. He insisted that we focus our energy and resources on peacemaking… and he’s probably been doing so for numbers of years…
Psalm 19 reads, “The precepts of the Lord give joy to my heart.”
The precepts, or the law, or the code of conduct that enables us to live together as God’s people… that ought to give us joy… not just happiness… but joy in our hearts.
Can you imagine if our attention and intentionality to life gave others joy? And what if we did insist on peace, would not that offer people around the world joy?
Let us encourage one another to believe and insist in a better world this week…
Week of September 20-26 Lessons from Children
Two of Brittany’s nephews came to visit this weekend. After the usual meal at Houston’s and playtime at Audubon Park on Saturday, they came to Mass with us at St. Joan of Arc, a black parish with a new Pastor and a fantastic and prayerful Gospel Choir.
But the best part of the entire weekend came this past afternoon. After having spent the day walking around the French Quarter, Jaden and Jorden insisted on taking yet another “nature walk” in the park across from their Aunt Mea’s house near the St. Thomas Community Development. Your average 4 and 6 year olds would be satisfied with chasing a dog down the street or playing catch with a random tennis ball they found. But these two… they are definitely inspired to acts of service. We found a plastic bag, a random Wal-Mart cart and lots of pieces of trash to pick up. They made a game out of it: Jaden got to sit in the shopping cart and Jorden rode tummy-down on the bottom part of the cart. Every time he saw a piece of trash he would pick it up and extend his hand above his head to give it to his brother who would then proceed to put it neatly in the bag. They insisted on going around the entire park. Their excitement got me and Brittany picking up trash as well!
These two, in addition to other children who continue to cross our path, compel us to be better people of faith. In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” Mark 9:37 At a time when Jesus’s followers began to discuss their roles in the Kingdom of God, Jesus puts a child in the midst. He teaches that the child is our example. The child is the one we are to become. The child is the one we are to serve. The child has no property, no rights, no identity. The child is the “least of these.” The child is not independent. In fact, the child is dependent. Our role in social settings does not determine our holiness. Neither does the amount of money or property we possess. Our holiness is determined by how we receive those who cannot pay us back or cannot be in mutual relationship with us. Our relationship with God lies in the tension of being of service to those poorer than ourselves. Jaden and Jorden taught me what being of service to the poor means… as simple as taking responsibility for our communities by cleaning up one piece of litter at a time. That’s where we find our humanity. That’s where we continue to experience our dignity as human persons made in the image and likeness of God. Take a good hard look at the people around you this week. Who are the children God places in your midst? What example can you learn from them? Are you resistant to these new lessons? What must you do to remain open to God’s ways each day? For those of you in New Orleans, consider coming out and playing with us this coming Saturday. JustPlay is a monthly activity in the Lower Ninth Ward targeted at increasing public activities for youth and their families. We would love to have you. Week of May 10-16 Vouching for Others
I just watched the movie The Soloist. Robert Downey, Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a newspaper columnist who is looking for his next story and so becomes intrigued by Jamie Foxx’s character, Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless, mentally ill, brilliant artist. This true story explores the very meaning and subsequent consequence of friendship. Yet, the skeptic in me questions the ethics behind helping one person within a faulty system versus helping more by changing the system that promotes a culture of poverty. Lopez. activates all of his connections to be able to assist with Ayer’s ability to live off of the streets. I just wonder… if more of our homeless had a Robert Downey, Jr. where they would all be... This Sunday’s reading in the Acts of the Apostles introduces the gifted orator of our faith to the first Christian communities. Saul arrived in Jerusalem to only to find that the disciples didn’t trust him. So, Barnabas vouches for Saul, and Saul becomes Paul, and we get a ton of letters of his that offer direction to many Christian communities. We all have an opportunity to be either Barnabas or Lopez or Saul or Ayers. We can either be the one whose privilege is used to benefit others… in Barnabas’s case, the disciples trusted him, and he took a chance to present them with Saul… in Lopez’s case, he used his access to people and resources to share the story of a Juilliard drop-out whose battle with mental illness led him to the safety and freedom of the streets. Through Lopez’s column, Ayers received a new cello, a new apartment, some food, an instructor, and at least 2 tickets to the symphony. Or perhaps, we may have the honor of being ushered into a conversation or a job, but in the end, it is our brilliance that keeps people believing. Either way, the Good News this week reminds us that we could be either person depending on the situation. In fact, we are told that God puts a ton of faith in us and is there to help us realize ourselves in conversation with God’s will for us. We just have to show up and be the gifted sons and daughters that we are called to be. Then, not only can God vouch for us, but we can begin to vouch for God. |
