First Communion

I don't have my First Communion pictures (they're probably in one of the many, many albums at Mom's house), but I believe they were pretty standard. My godmother (Toodie) made a sheet cake and decorated it with tiny silver candies outlining a rosary. (I come from very pious stock.) I wore a white dress, white veil, white shoes, white gloves (we wore gloves to Church back then, too)...
This weekend, my niece Claudia received her First Communion. She didn't have a rosary outlined on her cake, but it did say "God bless Claudia." And she wore a white dress, white veil, white shoes... (no gloves, though). I got the first photos on my cell phone right after Mass, and shared them with the other choir members, who dutifully oohed and ahhed. One of the altos commented that she didn't have a white dress for First Communion; her mom said she would get a fancy dress for her wedding day.
All well and good, but there is a little something that our culture, I think, doesn't quite "get" about the white dress, because to our eyes, it looks like a wedding dress. No, it's not a bridal gown, but a christening gown! The white attire for First Communion is meant to remind us of the white baptismal garment that we are given when we are drawn from the font (which is why I am posting a picture of Claudia next to a font of running water). Eucharist is a sacrament of initiation: it is, in fact, the "completion" of initiation (no matter what they tell you about Confirmation). Eucharist signifies the fullness of initiation; the three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist--technically in that order) bring us all the way into the Church, and the Eucharist continues to support us in the life that was begun in Baptism.

Peter's bold move

Today's first reading tells of what happened AFTER Peter went to the home of Cornelius the centurian and baptized the "whole household" (incidentally, this is one of those passages we refer to in support of infant baptism). Anyway, what happened after the Holy Spirit came down upon the Gentile gathering in a manifest way so that Peter just knew he was not supposed to "hinder" (another key word in baptism texts) their baptism?
This is what happened: Peter got called on it. Not that there were any "higher ups" to call him on the carpet (he was, after all, the "Rock" on which Jesus built his Church). But when there is one of you and a whole lot more of "them," "they" can call you pretty much any way they want to. There's power in numbers. "You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them."
It wasn't an observation. It was an accusation.
Peter did not get all defensive, though. He explained the situation, starting with his roof-top prayer in Joppa. Everything could be attributed to grace, and none of it to Peter's personal initiative.
And "they" surrendered to the same grace. "They stopped objecting and glorifed God."
That's how it's supposed to work in the Church even now.

Nola readers: Can you help?

Eric, still in CCU, has awakened and begun responding to questions. His family is asking if anyone in the New Orleans area can donate blood in his name. He has needed quite a bit, and the expense is considerable. Here's a message from his step-mom:
"We would still appreciate you giving blood in Eric’s name or spreading the word. Many of you said that you will donate this week. Please let us know, so we can give the list to the hospital. The numbers we have that you can call to find a blood center near you are: (504) 887-2833, 995-902-7918 or 985-542-7889." (The last name is Schloegel.)

Good News, shared easily

We've just learned about a program that will make it easy for you to both learn about the Theology of the Body and share that world-altering message with others. "Legacy of Love" is offering CDs on the Theology of the Body at a steep discount. That way, you can buy a CD (basically for half price) and share it with someone else after you've listened to it. Right now, the information is a little unclear (they seem to be just getting started), but it looks like a kind of subscription for a CD every month. A great way to keep learning! Get more clarity from the source: legacyoflove[at]shareacd.com or go to shareacd.com and download the subscription form. CDs are also available in Spanish!

The Price is Right

Lately in Chicago we've been having a real bonanza of freebies: a few weeks ago, Hillshire Farms was handing out plastic boxes of their "salads" (just add lettuce!). And this week, Oscar Mayer (not to be outdone) sent truckloads of their sandwich melt kits into the streets of Chicago, to be handed out by an army of smiling young people. I wondered where the street people were, but found them at their usual posts on different streets. I had expected to get some of the Oscar Mayer largesse on my way to Mass so would have a treat for the "regulars" on my route, but was not to be. Sadly, on my way back, I did see two shabbily-dressed men on a corner with a case of the sandwiches, and a police officer writing something up. I prayed that he would let them keep the sandwiches, even if they had run off with the box. It's not exactly shoplifting, after all, to take something that is being given a way for free.(When Hillshire Farms was in town, lots of the street people had a little box in their hand, probably given to them by the direct beneficiaries of the company's marketing strategy.)
Tomorrow is Good Shepherd Sunday, the World Day of Prayer for Vocatios. It is also First Communion Day for lots of kids, including one remarkably precious girl named Claudia. (Wish I could be there in Texas with you all!) Let's pray for an abundance of grace to be poured out over the Church as a sign of Jesus' delight in these children!

Chicago Theater

Yesterday we had a visit with Clarence Gilyard and his family. Gilyard (best known for his supporting role on Walker, Texas Ranger) is in town for a production of "My Children, My Africa," a play which was written when apartheid was still the law of the land in South Africa. It is being put on at the Victory Gardens Theater in Lincoln Park from May 3-June 10 (773/871-3000). If you are in the Chicago area, and haven't had a theater experience lately, give this some serious consideration!

Thinking Blog Award!

Coffee Wife has done me the honor of bestowing the "Thinking Blog Award" upon Nunblog, thus rendering my mother a very happy woman. The award comes with the responsibility to nominate (and thus bestow the award upon) five blogs that I consider thought-provoking.
Since I am taking this way too seriously, I will come back later to make a formal announcement of my own nominees. In the meantime, I will bask in Coffee Wife's generous recognition, coming all the way from Scotland. (But what is distance on the Internet?)

Saul the Persecutor

Today's first reading is the first of the three accounts of Paul's conversion that we find in the Acts of the Apostles, and it is the most developed version. But the part that struck me on reading it for my meditation was that Saul's purpose was "to arrest anyone he could find, man or woman, living according to the Way."
With criteria like that, you kind of wonder how well he would do. People's ordinary lives had to be transformed by the Gospel! It would have made them stick out, even in a generally religious society. (Does anyone besides me remember that slogan from the '70's, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?")

Prayer Request Update

Eric's stepmom writes:
"Please keep praying. Eric is not conscious yet. The sedative is taking longer than usual to wear off. We are trying to get Eric to open his eyes, but he only opens them and then immediately closes them. We hope that he will be alert by tomorrow. Eric still cannot have visitors. We know you are anxious to visit him. But he is still just recovering from an infection and his incision ... is not closed yet. We look forward to telling you that he can see you. We hope that time comes soon. We haven’t heard Eric speak since last Thursday. Pray that he will be talking to us soon. The doctor has told us that it is possible that Eric will be in the hospital for a month. Today makes 10 days. He will have at least one more operation next Wednesday."
(Eric is a young man who had gastric bypass surgery on Good Friday, and has suffered serious complications.)

Pennies from Heaven

"Dear Abby" often features little stories from people who find pennies in odd places and welcome them as little "signs" from loved ones in Heaven. I don't know if Dad ever read Dear Abby, but he seems to have adopted the practice himself, only with a lawyerly spin. Would you believe...paper clips from Heaven?
Shortly after his death, my sister Mary began seeing paper clips in the most unusual spots. She automatically associated them with Dad, because the lowly paper clip was his tool of choice for adjusting his hearing aids, and he frequently asked Mary to get him a paper clip for that purpose. The strangest paper clip sighting was at Dillards, when Mary and her 23-year-old daughter were shopping for shoes. There was a paper clip inside the shoe Erin was trying on.
When Mom came to Chicago, we had a paper clip from Heaven, too. I had been organizing things in my office and muttered to Dad, "I could really use a BIG paper clip." Not having one, I made do with something else, and then Mom and I went to the noon Mass at St. Peter's. After Mass, Mom genuflected and reached to the ground, coming up with...a BIG paper clip. (She didn't know about my need.) A few days later, going for physical therapy, I found the locker I usually use was occupied, so I went toward a different one, and as I got there, I found a BIG paper clip right in front of the locker I had chosen. And on Tuesday, realizing that our telephone message had been inadvertently recorded over, I went to check the other recordings. There was a BIG paper clip resting in front of the phone. ("Thanks, Dad.")
Do you get pennies...or paper clips... from Heaven, too?

Going to the whole world

The feast of St. Mark is a reminder of our vocation to be evangelizers. In that regard, I read a wonderful passage last night in the book Sr. Julia so heartily recommended (and which you will soon hear her recommend in an upcoming video book review). The book is "Fully Human, Fully Divine," and even though the subtitle is "An Interactive Christology" (what does that mean?), it really is a handbook on discipleship. At any rate, the author, Michael Casey (a Trappist) writes this about the call to "go out to the whole world": "It is easy to mutter about pastors not practicing what they preach. Yet we all sin in many ways; if we silenced sinners, who would proclaim the Gospel? Those whom Jesus sent forth to announce the demands of God's kingdom were sinners like ourselves.... We cannot realistically expect the Church of today to be any better than that of the Apostles."
So there's no excusing ourselves from our mission!

Feast of St. Mark

My thought for the day is from the first reading, the First Letter of Peter: "The god of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you after you have suffered a little."
Usually I focus on that not-exactly-encouraging last phrase, which makes it seem as though God is just biding his divine time until we have suffered... But re-reading the letter, it is clear that Peter is writing to people who are immersed in suffering already: it is a major theme of First Peter! So he really is encouraging them that the suffering they are undergoing will last "only a little." This is Peter's version of what Paul also said, "This momentary time of trial is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory... What is seen is transitory; what is unseen is eternal."

Bread of Life

This week we are hearing the Gospel of John's "Bread of Life" discourse (chapter 6). This weekend, my second-grade niece, Claudia, will be receiving the Bread of Life in her First Communion. I am praying so much for her this week! Praying that her First Communion really will be the beginning of a new level of relationship with Jesus. Praying for all those children who will be reaching this pinnacle of Christian Initiation--especially kids who didn't get adequate preparation. May the grace of the sacrament enter so deeply that it will grow like the seed in the Gospel! One day it will bear God's fruit, even if for a while it may not seem to. That is my prayer.

Chicago's Newest Skyscraper

I'm not talking about the recently approved design for a Cavalatra (?) spiraling tower near Navy Pier. This is the beginning of a new tower near us, on Lake Street. It will be a Mandarin Oriental ultra-luxury high rise hotel/condo. A look at Chicago's skyline any time of day reveals dozens of cranes and dozens of new buildings. If you haven't been to Chicago for three or four years, even, you will be surprised at the changes downtown.

More on YouTube

When I was in Boston in January, I took some footage of a few sisters for the "Vocation Stories" series I am doing on YouTube. I put Sr. Paulamarie's up pretty quickly, but kept having technical difficulties with other projects, so this had to go on hold. Finally this week I managed to get Sr. Maria Ruth's "bio" together, even if it is still a bit rough. (I'm only at the learning stage on this!) Sr. Maria Ruth is the writer/announcer/producer/distributor/office manager of our Spanish radio apostolate, with over 100 stations airing her programs. At first, she went on and on in her native Spanish, so I did a Spanish version which you can access here. Then I managed to get a word in edgewise to ask her to "do it again, but this time in English!"

Out on a Limb(o)

Today's newspaper had a subheading that was downright erroneous, claiming that we were seeing a change in Catholic "dogma."
While to the popular mind, "dogma" means "strongly held teaching," for Catholics, the word has a specific and very limited meaning. And, just for the record, Limbo was never a defined dogma. So what was it?
"Limbo" falls into the category of theological hypothesis. It was an attempt to explain and uphold two pivotal doctrines: the first is that "there is no other name given to us by which we can be saved" other than the name (meaning, the person) of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus is the universal Savior in the absolute sense. The second doctrine that the "Limbo theory" aimed to uphold was that sacramental Baptism is valid and effective even for people who are unable to make their own personal act of faith. Obviously, tiny children are the prime example.
Today people are scandalized by the very thought that innocent children might be excluded from the fulness of eternal life because they died without Baptism. 1,000 years ago, though, the concept of Limbo was actually consoling! Goes to show you how cultural perceptions change.
For a couple of generations now, the concept of Limbo has been more of an obstacle than a help in preserving and teaching those two basic doctrines it was once thought to guard: that Jesus, the first-century Palestinian Jew who was crucified and raised from the dead, is the true Savior of all people, of all times and places, and that Baptism with water and the invocation of the Trinity really does bring a person into the living communion with God that is the beginning of eternal life.
Limbo has been "cut off" like one of those "dry branches" Jesus spoke of in the Gospel. It was beginning to clutter the theological landscape, drawing too much attention to itself and not enough attention to Jesus and the sacramental order he left his Church.
Now, what are we going to do to make those truths known? We have a new way, thankfully, to console those who lost children through miscarriage, abortion and infant death. Can we now also motivate parents to seek Baptism for their children, not out of anxiety for their salvation, but in the desire to give them the best that God gave us?

Religion without Spirituality?

A discussion at breakfast this morning about religious fundamentalism led me to reflect that what we are facing right now--a peril to civilization that is coming to us wrapped in a cloak of piety--is really the reverse of our secular culture's "spirituality without religion." It is even more insidious and corrupting: religion without spirituality.
What are some of the characteristics of politico-religious fundamentalism as we see it in current events? Prescinding from the specific doctrines that are held, whether it is Islamic fundamentalism or Christian, there seems to be a very this-worldly appreciation of the benefits of religion. The fundamentalism in question tends to "use" what is understood as holy and right in order to wrest control of certain goods--whether political goods or virgins in heaven or "souls for Christ" who can be tallied up on a counter on someone's blog. And God is invoked as the reason or the power behind it all, but there seems to be precious little genuine surrender, trust and abandonment to a God who "thinks not as man thinks."
"Spirituality" is a fuzzy word these days, but for Paul, it meant "thinking according to the Spirit"; "having the mind of Christ." "Spiritual" was one of his favorite adjectives!
I have to admit that these reflections are coming out of my own experience of late, when unexpected news on a completely different level seemed to undermine my trust. I had to recognize that I was trusting in the wrong thing! Not in the God who "makes everything work together for good," but in the "everything" that I was counting on as means to a good end. God can attain the end without our means. Or he may have another end entirely in mind. Fundamentalism of whatever stripe is all the more pitiful to the extent that it keeps shrinking God down to manageable size. But a God that manageable certainly can't be trusted to providentially rule the universe!

(Jesus, I trust in you--yes, I do!)

Litigation puts an end to foster care

Catholic Charities of Chicago announced this week that it is withdrawing from an aspect of child care after 75+ years. A huge lawsuit on behalf of three tiny siblings who suffered burns and other abuse while in foster care means that Catholic Charities, which placed the children, can no longer get affordable insurance for other kids. So the State of Illinois will have to find some other way to address the urgent needs of children whose families are falling apart. It's terrible that those babies were abused by people who were entrusted with their care. A few weeks ago there was news in the paper of a five-year-old who was battered to death by her mother after what an official called "a short life in hell." In this case, even the siblings were forced to participate in the ongoing victimization of this little girl. But there was no one to sue. Those kids are in foster care now.
Do you see the need for faith-inspired social action to be carried out by Church institutions? How can we, the Church, address some of these critical needs outside of establishing our own institutions?

Keep helping NOLA!

Just a reminder that Burger King is doing a promotion-cum-donation event that will determine which organizations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge get what percentage of the "pot." I have been going on every day to "nominate" Catholic Charities and then clicking on the New Orleans button so that the points will add up in its favor, and I invite you to do the same! Here.

Chicken Fat

When I was in high school, we had a really silly exercise record (a real, actual record--you know, a big black disk that was played with a needle?) for PE class. It included the lyrics (if you can call them that) "Go, you chicken fat, go away! Go, you chicken fat, go!" That came to mind today when...
Wednesdays are kind of "crowded" for me, since the evening choir practice means I have to scramble toward the end of the day to finish things up. And today it is my turn to contribute something for the shared snack, so that means a little extra investment of time. I got the snack (a veggie tray) and grabbed a plastic bag from our usual spot, when suddenly, splat went all over my habit. Chicken grease from Sr. M. Thecla's latest batch of soup. Oh, yuk! Somehow, someone recycled the bag that she had carefully spooned the fat into. So laundry was quickly added to my things to do list. And only when I pulled the habit out, did I see that...the hem was gone, too. So I guess a little chicken fat at the right time is a good thing.

Judgment and condemnation

Today's Gospel hits a really sore spot: the themes of judgment and condemnation. With the mass murders at Virginia Tech (including the suicide of the perpetrator), there will come the usual post-massacre type conversations about forgiveness, and a kind of corporate tip-toeing around anything that smacks of judgment. (Being judgmental is the mortal sin of our society.)
But judgment is an essential exercise of our intelligence! It is how we learn social values, how we make moral decisions and how we evaluate things on a deeper level than mere cause and effect. We cannot avoid making judgments without abdicating a level of responsibility for society. St. Thomas said, "Judgment is primarily the definition or determination of what is just.... "
But what does "being judgmental" mean? In our novitiate classes, we had a course in what was called "Christian asceticism." The textbook was a classic (that is, very old and revered) work by Tanquerey. If I remember correctly, we were taught that "rash judgment" was a sin. Rash judgment is not merely "being judgmental" ). Rash judgment is the imputing of motives to another person: for example, that person did such-and-such because he/she wants to get back at the boss. In this case, there is more than a simple "judgment" based on adequate external evidence: the conclusion goes beyond the external evidence and declares a motive which can only be known to the other person and God. That is rash judgment. But too often, people are accused of "being judgmental" because they venture to say that what someone else did was "wrong."
Heavens, how else can the moral order be applied in concrete matters? If a person continually makes judgments like this, however, on the basis of hearsay, or in matters that have absolutely no relation to themselves and their own need to function and make decisions within a society (say, at the office), they are not within the bounds of right judment. Lack of sufficient information also threatens right judgment. But we cannot eliminate judgment from our lives and expect to progress rationally.
Judgment is a dimension of prudence, and the resolution of issues like those raised this week at Virginia Tech is going to have to involve a measure of judgment.

Prayers needed

I got an urgent prayer request via the stepmom of a young man who underwent gastric bypass surgery in the cherished hope of doing "what other people can do". Eric is experiencing major complications with utterly horrendous symptoms, and he is now desperately ill. His family trusts strongly in the power of prayer.

Update from Africa

We got a chatty Easter letter from Sr. Augustine, originally of Ohio, but for many years now, a new "Augustine of Africa" (Kenya, not Hippo). She had been stationed in Uganda in recent years; the delegation crosses several national boundaries. She gave me permission to share her news with my blog readers, even though she admitted she wasn't too up on what a "blog" was. And now, Sr. Augustine:

I am using the community email since we have no power in our dept. It has been a long time since I have written and I want to take this occasion of Easter to give you my news.
I arrived here in Nairobi just before Christmas and was immediately put to work in the editorial dept. proof reading, etc. It has kept me very busy these past few months, but I am happy doing what I love the most – reading.
In January, we had our delegation meeting with all of our sisters from our delegation present – we were 49. We should have been 51, but one sister had to go to Rome for a serious operation, and one could not get a visa to enter Nairobi. They are very strict now at the borders. It was so nice to see all the sisters again. We had a lot to share as I am sure you did during your Provincial Chapter. During the meeting, we had a big celebration to commemorate our 25 years in Kenya and 30 yrs of Paulines Publications-Africa.
We were blessed to have the presence of the Papal Nuncio of Kenya, our archbishop and four other bishops, plus about 30 priests and over 200 friends. After the mass we all went into our large hall where we had lunch and entertainment by the novices. The Nuncio, Archbishop and bishops all expressed their gratitude for our presence here in Kenya and how important our apostolate is for the people of Africa. I was really proud to be a Daughter of St Paul and to have been here for most of our growth. When I arrived in Kenya in 1985, we had no African sisters. Now we have over 60 between all the countries.
There is a lot of building going on in our area, between office buildings and apartments. As a result, the water is rationed and we only receive water two days a week. You can imagine what an inconvenience this is – lugging up pails of water to all the floors to flush toilets, etc. Between the community and novices, we are 45 so it is not easy. Thank God we have all these young people who help us to carry the pails. We have four huge outdoor tanks to catch rain water, but it has been months since it has rained and there is not a drop of water in any of the tanks. We bring jerry cans of water from the bookshop to use for cooking, etc. Thank God they are in the city center and have water.
Then we lose the electricity quite a bit, although it is not as bad as it was in Uganda. But it is four days now that one section of the apostolate, including the editorial, does not have electricity. That is why I am using this computer in the community.
About two weeks ago, we really had to laugh. We had been without water for five days – there was no electricity for two or three days. Then to make matters worse, Sister forgot to check the gauge on our huge gas tank outside which was completely empty. Usually the tank of gas lasts for two months before the men come to change it.
Since it was the weekend, the men who bring the gas tank in a truck, were not working. So there we were that whole weekend without water, electricity or gas. We asked ourselves what else we could give up for Lent!!!
The novices, who are on the other side of the house, cooked their meals on a tiny grill outside. We sisters finished all our leftovers and managed to eat sandwiches, etc. The funny part is, I am the only one who enjoys sandwiches. The Italians, Indians, Africans, and other nationalities are used to having cooked meals and cannot even think of eating a sandwich. I think that they secretly feel sorry for us Americans who eat a lot of them. And God forbid – they cannot even fathom eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No one even looks at the peanut butter jar except me, and I am just as happy not to have to share it with anyone!!!
Anyway, we are surviving, but we really cannot complain over these inconveniences since two thirds of the world’s population do not have electricity, nor running water, let alone gas to cook their meals. Nairobi alone is over 70% slum areas where thousands of people live, and these people have none of these so called conveniences which we take so much for granted. And yet, they are always happy and smiling and I really have to admire them and love them very much.
I hope not to wait too long before I write to you again. Even though I do not write, I always think of you and pray for all of you, especially those who have asked for prayers in the newsletter which I love to receive.

Chicago, an Olympic City?

This was an exceptional weekend for me (hence the lack of blogging). Mom was here for a few precious days (there she is at Millennium Park!), and we got the news that the US Olympic Committee selected Chicago to be our national "candidate" for the 2016 Olympics. Mom's first comment on hearing that was "Well, they had better do something about that atrocious Orange Line train before then!" (Traveling with my sister Jane and her husband, Mom was ill impressed with the public transportation from Midway to downtown!) Today the cracks in the sidewalk are full of confetti in the Olympic colors, after a celebration in Daley Plaza at noon. (We caught a few glimpses of it in between the TV trucks on our way to Midway--in the community van!)
We won't know until 2009 if Chicago is, indeed, an Olympic City, but if it should be, I hope we will have an international committee of our own, as Paulines, to plan some mission events that can take advantage of our center-stage location on Michigan Avenue.
Mom and Jane got home safe and sound; Jane's husband was driving a truck filled with his remaining earthly goods (retrieved from his home in Michigan), and was due to arrive in New Orleans about the same time. ("Y'all come back soon, y'hear?")

Jesus on the shore

Today's Gospel had a little line that struck me: that it was "just before dawn, the disciples saw Jesus on the shore, but they did not know it was Jesus." Just before dawn, after they had tried unsuccessfully all night to catch some fish. So, in the midst of failure, and before any hint of light. They saw Jesus. But they did not know him.
How many times does this happen to us?

Bible Classes in Spanish

We'll be hosting a six-week Spanish-language Bible program on Saturdays, starting May 19. Calling all Chicagoans to help us spread the word! (Cost will be $10.) Info: oradorloco@hotmail

Regina Coeli

Alert readers noticed that I posted a "Regina Coeli" video on YouTube (it's in the little box down in the sidebar). I was actually too embarrassed to put it right up on the blog, since the audio quality is so poor. But it's useful for learning the chant, at least!
The prayer itself is a wonderful "match" with the Annunciation. Just as at the Annunciation, Gabriel greeted the "one full of grace" with "Rejoice!" so do we, during the Easter season, greet the "Queen of Heaven" with the same word, "Rejoice!" (That is, it would be the same word if we spoke Greek!) And "joy" abounds also in today's liturgy, which, unfortunately, I was not able to participate in firsthand today, having been felled by a combination of a sinus infection, back trouble and general misery. Check the opening prayer! And then the marvelous psalm, "Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord." It brings us back to the Regina Coeli: The Queen of Heaven is the one who, more than any other creature, sought the Lord.

Easter Music

You know how it just doesn't seem like Easter if you don't sing "Je-Sus Christ is Ris'n To-day-ay"?
Today we sang another favorite of mine, "Christ the Lord is Ris'n today; Christians haste your vows to pay..."
What is your top Easter song?

Ya gotta love Chicago!

Here in the Loop, there have been many familiar faces on the various street corners. People in need, shaking paper cups. I've seen some of them in the same places for years, including one older gentleman in a wheelchair. He always wears a hat, with a blanket over his knees and a genteel smile on his face. We always exchange nods and a "God bless you."
A week or two ago, I noticed that he had a new set of wheels, to whit, a brand new electric go-cart style wheelchair, and today I complimented him on it. He told me that a woman had given it to him, saying, "You're too old for that kind of wheelchair." And like that, he was given the BMW of wheelchairs.
In today's homily, Father Spencer (pastor at St. Peter's) wondered aloud if anyone would be continuing their Lenten "penance" as a new way of Christian living, and I wondered if that generous woman had made given that wheelchair as her Lenten "almsgiving."
What Lenten practices have you (whether this year or through previous years) begun to practice as a regular part of your Christian life?

Free Day!

After the intensity of Holy Week, we are given Easter Monday as "Little Easter" (an Italian tradition--over there it is a national holiday!). Our community enjoyed a relaxed day and then met at the Music Box Theater (one of those art houses) with a few friends from our book club and from choir, to see "Into Great Silence." It is a long but lovely movie, and after two hours and forty five minutes in which barely a word is spoken (though there is some chanting done) and seeing all the little details of the monks' lives, you almost seem to have met these consecrated men. I understand that the movie is drawing vast crowds in Europe; let's pray it contributes profoundly to a renewal of Gospel faith!

Ah, yes, and please scroll down to Saturday to see the link to a Burger King charity-cum-marketing thing that allows you to designate a charity in New Orleans or Baton Rouge to receive the 100K they have to give. The top ten nominees will then be voted on. I suggest Catholic Charities and the Sisters of the Holy Family. Please go to their site and weigh in on this! I think the animal shelter is really rocking the vote right now, and as nice as that work is, well, Catholic Charities and the Holy Family nuns have an even more vital service...

Sunday!

Saturday

Into Great Silence

From all that I've read, this is not a movie: it's a retreat. Two and a half hours of footage with no script, no musical soundtrack. Just the purity of the witness of the monastic life of the Carthusians. It is only showing in 32 cities; here in Chicago, the Music Box theater was only going to have it for one week, but (by popular demand!) it has been held for another week, so we are all going on Monday for the 4:20 showing.
This is one of those movies that you HAVE to see in the theater. So if it is showing in your area, do not hesitate! Make that spiritual retreat.

You can still help New Orleans!

I just learned, courtesy of my sister, that Burger King is sponsoring a promotion in which anyone can "vote" for the charity of their choice in New Orleans or Baton Rouge to be among the recipients of a large contribution. You can "vote" every day. I already put my day's vote in for Catholic Charities, but it can also be for a parish, school, etc. Some other suggestions would be St. Mary of the Angels Parish and the dear Sisters of the Holy Family (Henriette de Lille's community, who suffered massive losses). Vote here (daily)!

Friday

Meeting Cody

Blog reader Cody from Minnesota is in town with his 75-voice high school choir. (Cody's in the tenor section.) They gave a concert at Daley Center today and Sr. Thecla and I were able to meet Cody and enjoy the music. The group gave a truly wonderful performance!

Holy Thursday

All over the Christian world, church groups will be meeting tonight to re-enact the Last Supper, especially with a ritual washing of feet. Even the Pope will get down on his knees with water and a towel.
The ceremonial washing of feet in the liturgy seems to be the model I have had in mind most of the time when reading the Gospel we will hear tonight (John 13). Only this year did it occur to me just why foot-washing was one of those things that a Hebrew slave could not be commanded to do; why it was considered degrading. Think about it: this is a society where beasts of burden were the principal means for the transportation of goods. And where people typically wore sandals. Foot-washing was bound to be a stinky, slimy business. More like changing a diaper than we tend to think of when we see the priest in a white alb and maybe a crystal ewer of water. That is why the apostles were so dismayed! If the Lord and Master was doing such an embarrassingly intimate and lowly sort of service, they knew what was going to be expected of them. And Jesus said it would be that kind of attitude of service that would be the sign that testified to his own presence: By this will they know that you are my disciples; if you have love for one another.

At Loose in the Loop

It sounds like the start of a lame joke: "This coyote walks into the downtown sandwich shop..."
Only it happened, just a few blocks from here. In downtown Chicago. At a Quiznos. And from what I hear, it is the third such event in a month. Fortunately, our downtown coyotes aren't as big as the ones we have at the motherhouse in Boston. (I am told that the Boston coyotes interbred with wolves.) But I still really don't want to run into one.

Sharks in the Water

"Is it I, Lord?"
The question is so lovely in the song "Here I am, Lord." But in today's Gospel it brings a chill. Is it possible that after going to the leaders and explicitly asking about money "if I hand him over," Judas could ask, "Is it I, Lord" who "will hand you over"? Was he really so blind to himself, or was he just extraordinarily hypocritical?
Actually, it doesn't pay to ask about someone else. Why is the examination of conscience (or of consciousness, as it is perhaps better translated) so highly recommended in the spiritual life? Because we can be amazingly blind to what we are doing, or why we are really doing it. I have had more than one opportunity to realize (sadly, after the fact) that I had done injustice to others, or diminished them, or done some harm of which I was completely unaware, because my motives had been so good! ("Is it I, Lord?")
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do" means something!
Lately on YouTube, I have found some extremely distressing videos posted by people who apparently believe they are serving the cause of respect for the Liturgy by posting video clips (with some self-righteously outraged subtitles) showing liturgical abuses. The things I saw were truly inappropriate, signs amazingly poor judgment (even ignorance), but not sacrilege. What gave me the chills, though, was the realization that someone had attended that Mass, not to particpate in the Eucharist, but with a video camera, to nail the priest and (in one case) try to foment enough of a reaction to get the priest laicized. Where was the sacrilege? Certainly, the person with the video camera believed that he or she was acting for a noble cause. And I imagine they did "cease and desist" during the Consecration. I certainly hope so. But what were they really doing? Going for the jugular. Sharks in the water. (Surely, it is not I, Lord?)
"They know not what they do." We all need so much mercy.

Happy Birthday, Blessed James

Today is Father Alberione's birthday (1884). He came into the world such a frail little boy that no sooner was he delivered than he was "delivered" to the parish church up the hill to be baptized. No one could have expected that he would live well into his 80's! How familiar are you with this "Blessed" of the Church whom Pope John Paul called "the first apostle of the new evangelization"? Go here for some details!

Urgent Info for Illinois Residents: One week to go

Chicago attorney and uber-evangelizer Linda Weaver has sent out a warning about bill that is pending before the Illinois Senate. This bill opens up whole new paths of lawsuits that can undermine the common good while a few rake in massive benefits. Read the details from Linda (below) and contact the legislators! (http://capwiz.com/icjl/issues/alert/?alertid=9548111&type=TA&show_alert=1)

April 3, 2007
Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Unfortunately, this is not a joke. Please take a minute to read this. I have never sent you anything to do with politics or legislation before, and I do not plan to do this again, but I sincerely believe that this affects you, your businesses, your employers, and your friends in Illinois. If after reading this, you agree, please act before April 16.

As an Illinois attorney, I only have one thing to say about Illinois Senate Bill 1296. Yikes!

If you have never contacted your legislator, now is the time to do so.

This bill affects not just businesses, but also you personally and makes each solvent individual and business a much more attractive target for litigation. The bill has already passed the Illinois Senate, so this is important.
Senate Bill (SB) 1296 significantly expands joint and several tort liability in a manner that, I believe, will hurt Illinois citizens (personally), businesses, jobs, and the Illinois economy. The Illinois tort system is already regarded as one of the most plaintiff-friendly in the country. This proposal, if enacted, would take Illinois even further out of the judicial mainstream in the country.

Perhaps you have never seen your name on the caption of a lawsuit as a defendant. Perhaps you have never stayed awake at night worrying about the outcome of a frivolous law suit filed against you or your company. NOW is the time to act if you want to (hopefully) keep it that way-- for BOTH you and for your employer or company.

SB 1296 would change current joint and several liability law to force defendants in personal injury suits to pay 100 % of the damages - even if they are only 1 % at fault. You do not want that!!!! Do you??? While this applies to businesses, it does not ONLY apply to businesses. It applies to you personally if you are an Illinois resident or subject to Illinois law.

Under current law, defendants that are 25 % or less at fault are required only to pay damages in proportion to their degree of fault. The result would be a tort system much more expensive and unpredictable than the one we have now. Wait, I take that back. It would be much more predictable. You can predict that litigation will increase, and that if you or your company has assets, you are more likely to become the target of a lawsuit.

Imagine this scenario: A drunk, uninsured and judgement-proof driver rear ends you while sitting at a stop light. You, in turn, tap the car in front of you causing it to enter the intersection where it is totally destroyed by another car going through the intersection. Somehow, the jury finds you 1% at fault. You only have $1 million in limits on your auto policy, but the car contained multiple passengers who were injured in addition to the driver who was killed. You have assets. What now? Guess who the "deep pocket" will be.
In addition, it seems to me that this rule of law would encourage collusive and scam lawsuits in a judicial system that often seems out of whack. What is to prevent a plaintiff and judgment-proof defendant, working together, from staging an accident and involving an otherwise innocent third-party in order to collect one of the jack-pot verdicts that seem so prevalent today- which judgment might be 100% collected from the third-party even if that party is only 1% negligent? How much would it cost to defend against this kind of a law suit?

If SB 1296 becomes law, liability costs for businesses in Illinois would increase. Many businesses and professionals frequently are included in litigation for which they have only slight liability. All Illinois residents and businesses, large and small, will be vulnerable to large judgments that are unfairly disproportionate to their fault, resulting in higher business costs and higher prices for goods and services. Your municipality also could be affected because many lawsuits routinely include them in claims; a large judgment could exhaust any insurance and lead to an increase in your city taxes. Insurance rates will inevitably go up.

I strongly encourage you to take action against this legislation. Contact your state representative to urge him or her to VOTE NO on SB 1296. The Illinois legislature is currently on spring break. They will reconvene the week of April 16 at which time we expect swift action on SB 1296. The time to act is now while your legislators are at home in their district offices. It is easy, painless and free, something I cannot say about litigation....Click on the link above or if it does not work for some reason, copy and paste it into your URL. It takes about two minutes.

I hope you will agree that SB 1296 is inherently unfair, ill-conceived, and short-sighted legislation that would be extremely damaging to Illinois businesses and citizens, as well as the entire Illinois economy. Please contact your state representative to request a NO vote on SB 1296.

I highly recommend you pay attention now and help defeat this bill. If you own a company, ask your employees to take time to contact their legislators. Send this to your friends, family and clients in Illinois. Do them a favor. (Hey, this could be one of the few chain e-mails that could actually make a difference if you forward it...)

In any event, you don't have to take my word for it. Research it yourself and at least make an informed decision. You can start here. There is a link to the bill at the end of the article.

Everyone is potentially affected, even those without assets as businesses are forced to make cut backs or choose not to do business in Illinois. Only a very few stand to benefit from this proposed change. At some point, we just have to say "No." Now would be a very good time.

Thanks for reading. No need to respond to me. Do what you believe is best.

Sincerely,
Linda A. Weaver
Link to bill

Downtown Stations of the Cross

The movement "Communion and Liberation" is sponsoring the third annual Stations of the Cross in downtown Chicago. Meet at Daley Center at 9:30 a.m. There is a website for this event, but I forgot the address and can't seem to Google it properly. I'll try to rectify that later today! Will you be there?

News Flash

Chicago (NNS*): After a long absence, the color Green has once again been seen along the streets of Chicago. Earlier unconfirmed reports of patches of bright green grass in Millennium Park have been verified, and now entire stretches of park lawn are clearly identifiable as verdure. Trees have also been seen sporting the color, which had all but been forgotten. It is widely anticipated throughout Chicagoland that this amazing departure from the monochrome heralds the arrival of other colors, especially along Michigan Avenue. Be on the lookout for yellows, pinks, blues and shades of fuscia in planters and flower pots near office buildings and restaurants.

* Nunblog News Service

Two ways

Today's Gospel presents the apostle Judas in a singularly unattractive light by way of preparation for the role he will play in the Lord's arrest on Thursday night. Today we have the banquet at Bethany, where Jesus is the guest of honor (having raised Lazarus of Bethany from the dead). It is six days before Passover--Monday. And Mary, Lazarus' sister, brings in a heavy jar of fabulously expensive perfume and pours it over Jesus' feet.
One thing that doesn't get mentioned in too many commentaries is that in the Bible, the "feet" are sometimes a euphemism for another part of a man's body. Not that Mary isn't actually at the Lord's weary, calloused feet, but the indication is that, yes, this is a gesture of love. Mary is not just the individual person, Mary of Bethany, but a kind of symbol-in-person of the Church as the Bride of Christ. This is what makes Judas' complaint so utterly discordant. "This perfume could have been sold--for a lot of money!!!" It is like the boorish guest at a wedding asking how much the whole thing cost. ("Money can't buy me love, can't buy me lo-ove...")
But if Mary in this story isn't just Mary, Judas isn't just Judas, either. Too many people get worked up about Judas as an individual. We can't really know much about him, because in these Gospel narratives, Judas is also a symbol-in-person (Bible scholars might use the word "typos" or "type" to say that). Judas, along with Peter, represents the "weak" disciple: one who has heard and followed the Lord, but then gone astray--while still following him in a material sense. Remember when Jesus turned on Peter and called him "Satan" for not thinking the way God thinks? Judas here demonstrates the same problem: he is not thinking as God thinks (God is love, after all), but as human beings do (the bottom line).
The Bible is full of passages about the "two ways." One way leads to death, one to life. Remember the Sermon on the Mount and the talk about the "narrow way" that leads to life, while the "broad road" leads to death? Sometimes the theme of the "two ways" is illustrated symbolically: the man who fears the Lord is like a tree planted by a river; the man who does not obey the Lord is like a dry bush in the desert. Two ways. One is life, the other is death.
The gospel takes for granted that we disciples will fail the Lord, but what then? There are two ways of repenting! In the passion narratives, of which today's Gospel offers the first foreboding, Peter and Judas are not just Peter and Judas. They are images of the "two ways." And the whole point the Bible is making is not "And where are Peter and Judas now???" but, "Now, which way will you choose?"