Fr. Bob's Corner

Best- selling author, Mary Karr, was recently interviewed by Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP (Host of the Busted Halo Show on Sirius XM). The interview took place  May 11th, 2011 from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City. The interview was entitled, “From Busted to Believer: the Journey of an Unlikely Catholic.” Quoting Pope John XXIII, Mary Karr points out that the church is a Hospital for Sinners, not a Hotel for Saints” – and everything she says resonates with this. If you watch the video of the interview, I guarantee that she is going to touch a few nerves – maybe inspire, anger, frustrate, edify….. One thing about the video, it is real! The interview was recorded as part of the 10th anniversary  celebration of http://www.bustedhalo.com.

As I was driving into the Cornwall a few days ago, one of the local radio stations was reporting on the percentage of Canadians that exercise their democratic right to vote. The numbers they were quoting were rather disturbing. It appears that many of us no longer think that voting is that important. The morning after our last election(Oct. 14, 2008) our National Post reported:

“Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turnout to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.

Only 59.1% — or 13.8 million out of 23.4 million — of eligible voters made the trip to a polling station, breaking the previous low from the 2004 election that saw a 60.9% turnout, according to the preliminary figures. Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turnout to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.”

Apparently we have dropped from almost 80% in 1958 to less than 60% in the last election. As we watch others around the world envy our democracy, and literally fight for the same rights, it is hard to imagine what they must think of our behaviour. It is imperative that we recall the old and very true saying: “What you don’t use, you loose.”

Now that I have had my little say, I would like to point you to a set of guidelines that our Canadian Bishops have put together to help us in exercising our democratic right to vote: They begin their document with these words:

Canadian Catholics are being called upon as citizens to exercise their right to vote. The Church encourages and reasserts its belief in “the political freedom and responsibility of citizens.” By exercising their right to vote, citizens fulfill their duty of choosing a government and at the same time send a clear signal to the candidates being presented by the political parties. (Read full text of Bishop’s Guidelines, it is well worth it)

Our Loving God has gone and done it again – massacred thousands of people this time in Japan. Wow! (Watch the Video at the end of this post. As it turns out, it is probably a spoof or satire, but many are happy with it, and preach-believe this vindictive nonsense. That’s why it was posted! Just Google terms like, “Earthquake Tsunami God Punishment,” and you will see what I mean. Even the major networks have commentators mischievously supporting this kind of vengeful thinking: Glenn Beck said on his radio show on Monday: “I’m not saying God is causing earthquakes – well I’m not not saying that either!" He continued, "There’s a message being sent. And that is, ‘Hey, you know that stuff we’re doing? Not really working out real well. Maybe we should stop doing some of it.’"

What was the cross and death of Jesus all about, Christians should ask themselves?  I encourage those that believe in this kind of vengeful Christian God to meditate on the Cross of Jesus this lent, and relive in a very personal way the mocking taunts at the foot of the Cross. Jesus you saved others, now come down from that cross and save your self.  Hopefully, they will include in their meditation Jesus’ command to Peter to replace the soldier’s ear and to put down his sword. I pray that millions of people this lent will personally experience deep in their hearts the forgiving heart of Jesus as revealed in his gasping last breaths: “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Yes there is sin in every country, city, town, village, church, synagogue, mosque, office, factory, school…, home, and heart around the world, but the Christian God is not sitting on high getting ready to pounce with vengeance and destruction. (Remember the father of the prodigal son.) The Cross of Christ is about redemption, mercy, forgiveness, and love. God does not rejoice in human suffering, God weeps, as Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The Incarnation and the Cross are God’s loving answer to the reality and mystery of pain and suffering in this mortal world.

Let us pray for the people of Japan, and that the world’s people will reach out with loving arms and generous support to their brothers and sisters who are experiencing such frightening and heart breaking misery. Let us also pray that the best scientists from around the world will come up with a solution to the failing nuclear reactors.

It’s absolutely amazing how fast news and information travels and its almost immediate availability. Shortly, after the earth quake in Japan this video was posted within minutes of the horrifying event: (Read full article by clicking title)

Now we have Aljazeera TV Live competing with the North American and European Networks. It is available now in Canada as a subscription TV channel, or on on the net free: http://english.aljazeera.net/watch_now/ . You can also view and then share videos on blogs, and social sites with friends and acquaintances.

In the World of Religion and faith there are a number of new developments to invite thought and debate. These are serious sites which provide in-depth interviews, history lessons, news etc.. The Pope in his message for the 45th World Day for Social Communications on January 24 said, “The new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it could be said that we are living through a period of vast cultural transformation. This means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.”

Apart from the numerous Vatican and Catholic sites you can easily find on Google, there are blogs which cater to specific religious issues (Evolutionary Christianity) which you must register for, but then get to hear a number of theologians discuss evolution and the evolving church – many of them Catholic. And,  even the major TV networks are streaming over the net in-depth documentaries:

PBS: God in America – a six part video series on the 400 years of American Religious History

BBC just finished streaming for free an excellent series called: The History of Christianity. Unfortunately BBC seems to have stopped streaming the series. I was able to view it last week. Hopefully they will make it available again. It sounds as if it is available on DVD. It might also be available as a torrent download, but I stay clear of these sites because of the potentiality of infecting my computer with a virus.

In Canada, there are CBC radio programs such as Tapestry – there is one particularly good episode on hope that was aired this past September with an insightful interview with Sr. Joan Chittister, a Benedictine Nun.  Last, but not least, I should mention Salt and Light, a Canadian Catholic Network of news, videos, live streams, etc….

And of course, there are the thousands, if not millions, of bloggers who get to tell their story on the net. They write and some times podcast on family, joy, hobbies, hope, sorrow, doubt, and all that makes up life for human beings. Example

I know I have just scratched the surface of the new media in this digital age. There are many, many more programs, sites, and technologies that you will find with a little help from Google, fellow bloggers, and friends.

Indeed a new day has dawned for communicating and learning, and the day has barely begun.

(A Parishioner sent me this little story. I’m passing it on here. I think you might find it inspiring and insightful.)

A young and successful

executive was traveling down a neighbourhood street,

going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar.

He was watching for kids darting out from

between parked cars and slowed down

when he thought he saw something.

As his car passed, no children appeared.

Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to

the spot where the brick had been thrown.The angry driver then jumped out of the

car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up

against a parked car shouting:

“What was that all about and who are you?

Just what the heck are you doing? That’s a new car

and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.

Why did you do it?”

The young boy was apologetic

“Please, mister….please, I’m sorry but I didn’t

know what else to do,” He pleaded. “I threw the

brick because no one else would stop…”

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin,

the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.

“It’s my brother,” he said “He rolled off the curb and

fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.”

Now sobbing, the boy asked the

stunned executive, “Would you please help

me get him back into his wheelchair?

He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow

the rapidly swelling lump in his throat.

He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into

the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief

and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts.

A quick look told him everything

was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless

you,” the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy

push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar.

The damage was very noticeable, but the driver

never bothered to repair the dented side door.

He kept the dent there to

remind him of this message: “Don’t go through life

so fast…… that someone has to throw a brick at you to

get your attention!”

Does God really matter? For some, God not only does not matter – God is superstition – God is rules – God is ……….

QUOTE: “Why God Matters-How to Recognize Him in Daily Life by Karina Lumbert Fabian and Deacon Steven Lumbert is a Catholic living story filled with life journeys shared by this daughter and father duo. Why God Matters reminds us to draw faith from the ordinary daily life and through shared family experiences.”(Blog Review: Simply Stacy)

I just downloaded this book to my new KINDLE. It really sounds interesting and inspiring. I’ll let you know what I think when I’m finished reading it. Maybe you would like to read it too, and let frbobscorner know what you think. It is pretty inexpensive: $2.99 – Kindle version, versus $15.99 + tax – print version.

[My first impressions of my new reading device is that a KINDLE is a real aid for anyone with certain types of vision problems. The new Kindle seems pretty easy on the eyes. You can increase font size. There is no glare with the new ink technology, And, when your eyes get sore or give out, it will even read to you. And a hidden bonus is that books are often much cheaper.]

I just came across this fascinating and entertaining video – a rich combination of seriousness and humor. It is a talk given at the University of California by Douglas Adams just before his death. Adams didn’t believe in God, but he certainly had a profound appreciation for our beautiful planet, and how we are unwittingly destroying  ourselves. Maybe, if Douglas Adams had lived a little longer, he would have come to appreciate that human beings were not only created from the earth*, but in God’s own image. And, I believe,  it is this most extraordinary revelation that will help save us from our destructive selves.  He once wrote: "I love to keep poking and prodding at it (religion). I’ve thought about it so much over the years that that fascination is bound to spill over into my writing.** Maybe, he was almost there, because he was obviously trying to awaken us. View the video, and you’ll see what I mean. (This is a longer YouTube video than usual, but it is well worth watching.)

 Note: Just because we are behaving like a puddle doesn’t mean we are one. (my comment-you have to watch the video to know what I mean- Fr.Bob)

*Ratzinger, Joseph. In The Beginning….

**Silverman, David. Life, the Universe, and Everything: An Interview with Douglas Adams, The American Atheist Volume 37, No. 1, 1998–1999. Retrieved 16 August 2009.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet is longtime Communio editorial board member and author. Some of you might be interested in reading some of his articles.  Communio has made a number of them available as downloadable pdfs.

Paradox and/or Supernatural Existential (1991)

The New Catechism: An Event of the Faith (1994)

Woe to Me If I Do Not Preach the Gospel (1994)

The Mystery of Easter and the Culture of Death (1996)

Priestly Ministry at the Service of Ecclesial Communion (1996)

Jesus Christ, the One Savior of the World, Yesterday, Today, and Forever (1997)

Covenantal Justice (2000)

Mary and the Future of Ecumenism (2003)

Theological Perspectives on Marriage (2004)

This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday. It can become every preachers nightmare, If it is approached from the point of view of doctrine and theology. Ultimately, no matter how hard we try, we always fall short when we try to explain and make sense of  ‘three persons in one God.” Preachers and meditators might consider approaching this feast from the point of view of spirituality. Trinity Sunday can be a time to explore the mystery of God, being human, and  something that Fr. Ronald Rolheiser calls, ‘the divine fire within’. He states: "We humans are infinite spirits in a finite situation, and that’s a sure formula for restlessness. You want to make love to the whole world, you want to consume the planet but you’re confined to one person, one place. … These energies — this divine fire —make up our spirit. How we direct that spirit is spirituality. Our spirit is restless because it’s divine and insatiable."

I haven’t totally figured out my homily for this Sunday, but after listening to Fr. Rolheiser interview on the NCR website, I think that with a little thought, prayer and meditation, his words and insights will be a great help. Anyway, I hope many of you will find this two part interview to be insightful and spiritually inspiring.

A little over a month ago, the “Deepwater Horizon” drilling rig blew up in the Gulf of Mexico. Since that date The New York Times reports that 210,000  Gallons of crude oil have been gushing into the gulf each and every day. I don’t think there has ever been a more catastrophic environmental disaster – and it just keeps gushing! Last Sunday night (May 16th, 2010) CBS reporter Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes interviewed a fellow by the name of Mike Williams. Mike was the chief electronics technician aboard the drilling rig who narrowly escaped with his life and some horrific memories.

Just seven months before Mike Williams had been part of a team that had drilled the deepest under water well in history (35,000 feet). On that day I am sure that Mike and the team had felt a great pride in their human achievement, but a few months later he tells a humbling, courageous, and revealing story of individual human survival amidst death and destruction. It is also a story that I believe reflects these three adjectives: mistaken, greedy, and stupid. It is a story that hopefully will remind the human race that co-creation is serious business, and can not to be taken lightly.