PEACE PRAYER FROM THE FIFTIES--- AND PEACE IN THE POST-CHRISTIAN ERA

Our people have stood in the shadow of the mushroom cloud for 68 years.  As a follow up to the efforts of the prayer group in the New Mexico desert {see last week}, I suggest this prayer given to me by a devout woman parishioner of a local area parish almost 25 years ago.  A guest homily I’d given at Sunday mass calling for converting our tax dollars away from nuclear weapons and for peaceful purpose, had been received with some consternation, and she wanted me to be encouraged, that prayer for peace and against the bomb had been around since at least the 1950’s.  This was probably from an old diocesan newspaper clipping.

OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE

PRAYER FOR PEACE

{DELIVERANCE FROM THE ATOMIC BOMB}

Almighty and Eternal Father, God of wisdom and mercy,

Whose power exceeds all force of arms and Whose protection

is the strong defense of all who trust in Thee,

enlighten and direct, we beseech Thee, those who bear the heavy responsibility of government throughout the world in these days of stress and trial.

Grant them the strength to stand firm for what is right

 and the skill to dispel the fears that foment discord;

inspire them to be mindful of the horrors of atomic war

 for victor and vanquished alike,

to seek conciliation in truth and patience,

to see in every man a brother,

that the people of all nations may, in our day,

enjoy the blessings of a just and lasting peace.

Conscious of our own unworthiness, we implore Thy mercy

on a sinful world in the name of Thy Divine Son, the Prince of Peace,

and through the intercession of His Blessed Mother and all the saints.

Queen of All Saints, pray for us.

Queen of the Holy Rosary, pray for us.

Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Also please consider study and action to end nuclear weapons, as available at the websites below.

Friends Committee on National Legislation

http://fcnl.org/issues/nuclear/faith_based_statements_on_nuclear_disarmament/

http://fcnl.org/issues/nuclear/

Physicians for Social Responsibility

http://www.psr.org/nuclear-weapons/

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

 http://www.thebulletin.org/

Federation of American Scientists

http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/nuclearweapons/nukestatus.html

Peace Action

http://clients.confluencecorp.com/peaceaction/node/125

Highly recommended is this book by Thomas Merton.

Peace in the Post-Christian Era

Written pre-1962, but not allowed to be published until a few years ago.

Available at---

 http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Post-Christian-Era-Thomas-Merton/dp/1570755590/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1343061004&sr=8-12&keywords=post+christian+world

FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES....THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS IN AN ATOMIC BOMB BLAST

Our Lady of Mount Carmel icon by Kristin McCarthy {daughter of Fr. E.C. McCarthy}

Today, there are voices crying out in the hot New Mexico desert on this feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel .   Voices praying the rosary, in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for 24 hour vigil, celebrating mass, all pointed in the direction of the world’s first atomic weapon test, one mile away, on this same day, 68 years ago.  The first atomic bomb blast was blasphemously named, “Trinity.”  Nothing holy about it.  Persistent prayer and great grace are required to conquer radical evil, the megadeath destructive power of nuclear weapons.  We alone in this country still possess at least 50 times the nuclear firepower to end all life on earth.  No to nukes in Iran, Iraq … no to nukes in the USA.  Do as I do, not just as I say.

he prayer vigil effort has been going on for 30 years lead by Fr. Charles Emmanuel McCarthy, and the Mexican American community of Socorro {translates help, aid,  assistance}, N.M.  It begins on July 15 and ends in the evening of July 16, the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  Asking the Lord, through intercession of the Blessed Mother to help heal the wound of weapons of mass destruction, which we inflict upon ourselves and continues contagious, is the faithful group’s prayer.  These are not radical demonstrators but visionary Christians who see clearly the implication of the Gospel--put away the atomic sword, put away all swords.  Beat them into tools that give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty and heal the sick.

 brown scapula was given to the Catholic community of Carmelites, by Our Lady of Mount Carmel, some 500 years ago.   When worn it is to give one protection from physical and spiritual harm.   In this same way, the small prayer community in the desert from whence nuclear weapons come, wants to cover each and every one with the protective garment of Christ’s love.  Renouncing these ultimate death star weapons is a first step in converting--from choosing death, to choosing life.   Let’s continue to join with these desert pilgrims in work and prayer, and perhaps join them in the New Mexico desert next year.

Power

or

Prayer

From the Albuquerque Journal -- July 17, 2005

Illuminations by Kathy Brahney

IN THE DESERT OF POLITICAL DIVISIONS--A FORTY DAY FAST FOR GOSPEL NONVIOLENCE

George Weigel, writer and Catholic spokesperson for conservative think tank

Fr. Thomas Merton, writer and prophetic progressive voice of the Catholic church

Right and left, red and blue, by the grace of God we worship in the same pew.

From a column published in many Catholic newspapers to support the U.S. Bishops Fortnight for Freedom campaign that concluded July 4, 2012 we are told, “At this critical moment in history, there are two social justice priorities  {my underline} for the Catholic Church in the U.S.:  the defense of life at all stages and in all conditions, and the defense of religious freedom for all.”
 --George Weigel, senior fellow of the non-denominational Ethics and Public Policy Center in Wash. D.C.    --A strong proponent of the Iraq war, that was strongly opposed by Pope John Paul II.

Potshot politics 1

The emphasis is to be against healthcare mandates, and to be pro-life.  Mr. Weigel defines life to be defended and respected as innocent life, apparently as opposed to a designated enemy’s life.  This is a reasoned attitude that bases itself on natural law, and moral order [as he well outlines in the article], but it is only partial Gospel.  It avoids Jesus’ total rejection of violence, and love of enemy to point of death on the cross.  Along with Weigel’s social justice focused on our government’s challenge to conscience on matters of personal morality/religious freedom, we must also seek freedom from governments's pursuit of war at all costs, and its promotion of the overwhelming rights of the rich over the rights of the poor—which causes more violence & war.

Potshot politics 2

There are priorities to be considered.  Those urged below by another author, we neglect at great peril.  The countries of the world, ours the foremost, continue to have more than sufficient destructive firepower to abort the planet.

"Christians must become active in every possible way, mobilizing all their resources for the fight against war. Peace is to be preached, nonviolence is to be explained as a practical method, and not left to be mocked as an outlet for crackpots who want to make a show of themselves. Prayer and sacrifice must be used as the most effective spiritual weapons in the war against war, and like all weapons, they must be used with deliberate aim: not just with a vague aspiration for peace and security, but against violence and war. We may never succeed in this campaign, but whether we succeed or not, the duty is evident. It is the great Christian task of our time. Everything else is secondary."
-- Thomas Merton, Trappist monk who wrote from Kentucky ‘s Gethsemane Abbey in his 1962 essay, “The Root of War is Fear.”

The works of war have to be replaced by the works of mercy.  There is no other way to truly respect life, and to live the life of faith taught by Our Savior.

Until the day that our church bulletins have many more names in the column of prayer intentions, listed for those doing dedicated nonviolent service, than those in the armed services, we have not even begun to evangelize the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

               ****************************************************

I invite you all to join in some way with Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy's Annual Forty Day Fast for the Truth of Gospel Nonviolence.  It started on July 1st and lasts till August 9th.  An explanation of the fast is availabe by emailing me at mccpax@comcast.net.  To receive daily meditations as below, please sign up in the "Keep informed" box, middle right of Fr. McCarthy's webpage.

"War is mass murder...Do you really believe that Christianity will perish unless it be defended by war? If we do believe that, then we have deliberately passed a vote of no confidence in Christianity. If Christianity needs this kind of defense then there is little that is really divine about it. We must conclude that a faith which needs the defense of warfare is not a faith which even deserves to survive.”     —Rev. William Barclay (1907-1978)    Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism,        University of Glasgow

It is terrible to see how Jesus, with open eyes, let himself be impaled on the drawn knife--and yet could do no other without betraying the thing he had finally, finally brought into human history: the refusal to use violence…Jesus was nonviolent to the core.
—Norbert Lohfink, SJ
                       Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at the Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule    Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

"Jesus told His disciples to love their enemies; He did not tell them to be good citizens."

                   —Rev. John L. McKenzie,  Scripture scholar, Claremont, CA.

SHELL GAME POLITICS OBSCURES GOSPEL TRUTH---SERVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

Those in this country who are shouting out against the small healthcare reforms of Obamacare {and any tax policies which favor public needs, over personal corporate gains of the 1% wealthy} need to take a soul-searching look at the Gospel.  It is those who serve their neighbors who will find the kingdom of God.  Christians especially, moral majority or minority, must focus on measures that feed the hungry, heal the sick etc., not those that maximize profits.  God helps them who help themselves, but not others, is not found in the Gospel. {See Mt 25}  God is not mandating serving the common good, but he will expect it.

Obamacare at its heart takes small steps to make healthcare available to more people and charges the whole community with making this possible.  Insurance companies and their shareholders will now be made to re-distribute back to their policy-holders {and many who never had policies} some of the more than seven-fold profit gains of the past 20 plus years.  The obverse coin percent of their total policy incomes they can pocket as profit and administrative, went from 3% to over 20%.  This compares to the remaining percent of healthcare services delivered that they have cryptically named a medical loss ratio.  See Moyers Report at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html .  

The area in blue is what health insurance companies and their stockholders term their medical "loss"

The recent Supreme Court decision just makes it legal to impose more order and responsibilities on the private medical insurance companies.  True believer Christian conservatives are supposed to be outraged about this slight turn towards “visiting the sick”—healing more of the sick?  Fortunately most true believers  won’t buy the hype.

Liberals as well as conservatives share in the charades.  Also in this week’s past news was some liberal praise for preserving a lower interest rate on college student loans.  In fact the legislation recently passed is part of a year-long program that will cost students over 18 billion in clever claw-backs of government sponsored loan availability and benefit provisions.  This legislation is actually part of the budget cuts that Congress has been increasingly imposing—not the government coming to the rescue of students as advertized.  There has been not a real savings to student loans costs—but only the prevention of a doubling back to previous loan interest rates, while new loan measures have been imposed that overwhelm these savings.  This is well documented in a 6-30-12 NPR report http://www.npr.org/2012/06/30/156024236/the-flip-side-of-the-federal-student-loans-deal .

Both parties in the same game

The problem here is that the powerful government and corporate interests are engaged in a giant shell game with the American people.  As far as vital public services such as health, education, security, and democracy itself are concerned, it’s now you see it, now you don’t.  The right hand is not to know what the left hand is doing.  There has been, an organized effort by both sides {but better leveraged by the corporate sponsors of the nominal conservatives} to win at all costs, by any means necessary. 

Jesus is not kidding when He says “Woe to you rich…” LK 6:24   In this most wealthy country in the world, it’s not just the 1%, but many others, all of us, that must take to heart the admonition.  We’re not really talking about balancing the budget, but about balancing the most powerful people’s lifestyle--upon the backs of whom?  Look in our ghettos, in lines of unemployed.  Look at the ravaged citizens of the world’s oil & resource wars.  You’ll not often see their images.  Rarer still will be your really meeting them face to face.   Then how will we recognize Jesus at the last judgment?

**********************************

May she rest in peace, close to God,

Ande's mom, Olive Gaines O'Shea, 7/18/1924 -- 6/29/2012

2012 BLESSED FRANZ JAGERSTATTER NOVENA -- FOR THE END OF ALL OUR WARS

Cover of biographical pamphlet by Dr. Erna Putz

At the suggestion of our pastor, Fr. Brian, this year's Jagerstatter Novena coincides within the U.S. Bishops' "Fortnight for Freedom" which will end July 4th.  There is a need to balance the church's stance on freedom of conscience and personal morality, with our moral responsibility in a society so much dedicated to violence and war.  Please join in praying the novena with us.  Below are the two sides of the parish bulletin insert for this year 2012.

Side 1
 
Yearly Novena of Prayer, begun at our Holy Trinity parish Port Huron, MI in 2008, this year June 24 to July 2, moved from August to occur within the Fortnight for Freedom.  The prayer below is prayed at every parish gathering and liturgy for the nine days.  In addition to praying for our religious freedom from political mandates relating to our healthcare and immigration ministry, we pray Jesus to free us from our mandates that support the disastrous violence of war. 

PRAYER FOR INTERCESSION OF BLESSED FRANZ JAGERSTATTER--FOR THE END OF OUR WARS IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN & ALL WARS

Lord Jesus Christ,               

You filled your servant Franz Jägerstätter
with a deep love for you, his family and
all people.
During a time of contempt for God and
humankind you bestowed on him
unerring discernment and integrity.
In faith, he followed his conscience, and
said a decisive NO to the Nazi regime
and unjust war.
Thus he sacrificed his life.
We pray that you may glorify your
servant Franz, so that many people may
be encouraged by him and grow in love
for you and all people.
May his example shine out in our time,
and may you grant all people the
strength to stand up for justice, peace
and human dignity.
For yours is the glory and honor with
the Father and the Holy Spirit now and
forever. Amen.

(Prayer from the Diocese of Linz, Austria)

We choose June 24, feast day of St. John the Baptist to begin our Novena  He prepared the way of the Lord, preaching truth to power and repentance to all, and was beheaded as was Franz.  The Novena ends on July 2, feast of St. Oliver Plunkett, an Irish bishop of the 17^th century persecutions who had brought the Gospel to the poor and was executed.

Side 2 

{This is a short history of Franz' life, a family man's refusal to take part in Hitler's unjust wars.  It can be read in my July 29, 2011 web article --- K of C version of this linked here.}

******************************************

 

Franzisca Jagerstatter, Franz' widow, 95 years old, with his ashes at beatification ceremony in 2007

"People who dont' read will never be able to stand on their own feet , and will all too easily become a football for the opinions of others."  -- Blessed Franz Jagerstatter

In this election year 2012, let us not be lead into the temptation of becoming political footballs.

In reality -- it is.

GOSPEL OF NONVIOLENCE: GOD = UNCONDITIONAL LOVE & MERCY

Marie Joseph spiritual Center -- Biddeford Pool, ME

Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy is a remarkable man, priest of the Melkite {Eastern rite} Roman Catholic church, from Irish South Boston, Notre Dame scholar, former lawyer, husband to his wife Mary, father of 13 children, and studious persistent preacher of the full Gospel of Jesus Christ—nonviolent merciful love of friend and enemy.  Ande and I are blessed and challenged having known him for some 35 years.  Last week we made a retreat with him and about 50 others including my brother Dan, at a seaside old-time resort center now run by a community of              sisters.  We were just up the coast from Kennebunkport, Maine, the Presidents Bush family compound nearby, where an aircraft carrier was being dedicated to the elderly President Bush.  The two messages, from celebration of sophisticated technical floating firepower, to belief in the eternal power of unconditional love and mercy, couldn’t have been much farther apart.

ere below are some sample ideas of what we contemplated and discussed, supported by daily Eucharist and Scripture.  For an online short overview, see Fr. McCarthy’s video, Introduction to the History, Theology and Spirituality of Gospel Nonviolence. Also spend some time on his website.  The article, Abortion and War has particular resonance for the politics of the day.     ***      God is rich in mercy.  Mercy saves.  Jesus is God's mercy and love incarnate.  May we continue to learn, live and spread this good news, in our times a new evangelism,  putting away the swords of violence throughout our world.

I give you a new commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.”  Jn 13: 34
In discussions of whether ends justifies means, loving as Christ loved is the only means available for Christians.   -- Fr. ECM

Christ’s love is--the willingness to serve without desire for reciprocation, the willingness to suffer without retaliation, the willingness to reconcile without domination.  -- Fr. ECM

One act of Christ-like love is worth more than all other acts combined.  -- St. John of the Cross

If you cannot say on the basis of the New Testament that Jesus was nonviolent, you cannot say anything about Jesus.  It is the clearest of teachings.  – Fr.  J. L. McKenzie, scripture scholar

No one has presented a practical plan for peace on earth, other than Jesus of Nazareth.  – Fr. JLM

The single greatest impediment to salvation is wealth.  – Fr. JLM

Jesus came to save all.  – St. Edith Stein

When you love, with Christ-like love, you participate in the eternal.   -- Ande Gaines McCarthy,   ------ summation of the week's retreat.


Illumination by Kathy Brahney

http://vimeo.com/36474989

http://centerforchristiannonviolence.org/data/Media/Abortion_and_War.pdf 

http://centerforchristiannonviolence.org/other-resources/

MONEY MATTERS, BUT CREATIVITY MORE

Of course, this is a graph ending last July. I've not seen the update.  Money = jobs?  Would be nice to have more investment from the truly private sector.

Sean,

This isn’t written so much direct to you, but you’ve gotten me thinking with your facebook correspondence, so I’m working this into my webpage.  Thanks for the thought-provoking dialogue, and let me know any further ideas on these money matters.
           
            Just getting back to you on the business-of-banking issues.  I’m glad you have Vanguard funds, and hope you’ll take the time to read the founder, John Bogle’s book, Enough.  The moral difference between longer term investment, and rapid trades focused solely on short term gains must be considered.  He emphasizes this.  It’s a short book but worth a look.

Your concern about the rapid traders moving off shore, if too regulated here, and taking their business with them doesn’t bother me so much.  The trades they do are non-productive, except for individual winners of wealth who rarely invest in real productive society-building enterprises, and they’ll not contribute much, except their astounding risk, in the off-our-shores markets to which they would flee.  Let them go.  The risk-takers who trade just to make money should be allowed their own spaces, but even Europe and China are fast hemming them in with new regulation.

major issue for me is that fast-trading “investment” banks {dealing in commodities, securities, derivatives, etc.} are leveraging and hedging their risky bets with the money of many people who have their life savings in mutual funds and commercial banks which now have been merged with these big wheeler-dealer investment banks.  For instance of course, J.P. Morgan—Chase.  Chase branches can be found throughout Port Huron and America.  Why should my money be connected to bets that lose $ 2 billion plus?  It may be that such bets sometimes improve JPM—Chase’s bottom line {overall balance sheets are not commonly available}, but my belief is that this gambling with money for money’s sake, and not putting it into productive industry, is damaging our society.  For a play by play of the 2008 debacle my daughter Maura recommended The Big Short.  {Her startup Bluhomes, a green factory built homes company, has a chunk of our savings, and is the opposite use money--a long term investment.}

So calling for a renewed Glass-Steagall law, “to prevent too-big-to-fail Wall Street banks from taking huge risks withpeople's life savings -- and then expecting taxpayer bailouts,”  makes sense to me.  It was enacted in the 30’s and helped keep us out of this trouble until the two big burst bubbles of 2001, and 2008.  It was revoked in 1999, just before these financial disasters.  Coincidence?  It had kept the two types of banks separate up till then.  Certainly even our most conservative investments, no matter where they're held, are brought down by huge irresponsible profiteer speculations.  Hard to design systems against this, but not impossible.

Money is not the real root of all evil, but how we engage it, day in and day out, does have a lot to do with the our real quality of life, especially the deeper spiritual aspects.  The scripture, “what does it profit a person if they gain the whole world but lose their own soul?” has a message for each and every one of us.

              Your friend, Sam’s dad,
                                Mike


Blue links to articles and pages of reference.

Also good on the issue--differing opinions,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/liamhalligan/8754561/Nothing-less-than-the-total-separation-of-retail-and-investment-banks-will-do.html
and http://smallbusiness.chron.com/investment-bank-vs-commercial-bank-3450.html
For Catholic viewpoint--teachings on financials--
 http://catholicsinalliance.org/cgf53012winters.php



Illumination by Kathy Brahney