Long Live Pope Francis

 "Prophecy makes noise, uproar, some say ‘a mess.’ But in reality, the charism of religious people is like yeast: prophecy announces the spirit of the Gospel.”  Pope Francis.



In todays episode of "Unless you are living under a Rock" you know about the AMERICA article. THE AMERICA ARTICLE. The one where Pope Francis gave long interviews to Jesuits who wrote all about him in a long article. Not a spontaneous fly by the seat of your flying. If you don't know about it just google Pope Francis America Magazine. America Magazine is the pre-eminent national Jesuit publication in America. Hence, the title.

     Commentators far more learned than I in things ecclesiastical are breaking it down. My synopsis is this: Pope to Conservative Wing-Nut subsidiary division: Get A Life Already.

     This is a kinder, gentler, Pope. One who calls himself a 'sinner' -not as Fr. James Martin, S.J. points out in a self laudatory manner like "sinner redeemed" or "beloved sinner"- but in a more self depricating way where he is convicted of his humanity. Like all of us. Sinners. Skanky even.

     The headlines grabbed the political hot buttons. They read like "Get Over Yourselves" on the gay marriage and abortion shame politics. They read like - "you guys are obsessed" with things that are demeaning and diminishing the mission of the Holy Spirit.  Catechism is useless if not first predicated on the message of God's saving Love first. Otherwise it degenerates into a petty legalism that is more off-putting than inviting. Sometimes it runs riot over Love.

    The obsession has a pay-off or no one would do it. And the pay off is huge. Republican shame politics that drives some of the corruption of the gospel message is hard to miss in Washington where no one seems to make anything but issues. If you can generate a meme where we are the good guys and they are the bad guys you can use it to fundraise. Piles and piles of money are raised in fact on self-congratulatory dinners where people back slap at hundreds a plate on how they are the good guys fighting the corrupted evil guys who think 'marriage matters' for everyone.

  The word "traditional' tends to be a rallying point for more lobbying money. Traditional families, traditional morality, traditional male-female, traditional everything. Send in that Fiddler on the Roof guy. Yes, tradition is good. Some of them- slavery was a tradition and it was not so good. Women traditionally had no right to vote until 1920 in America. Hence, everything 'traditional" isn't intrinsically good unless it was a good tradition. I digress.

     Other words are lobbying rallying fundraising catchers like "catholic vote." Because unless you vote like us catholics think you should you can't call yourself catholic. Only we are catholics. You are catholic lite, or cafeteria catholics or , my favorite, just maybe Presbyterian.

     So the question remains, because the demonizing of the other side in polarizing politics is so prevalent and so keyed into the egos of needy young "what else am i supposed to do with my theology masters degree) people in Washington, will the Pope's comments make a difference. Will his plea to get some 'balance' back and stop 'obsessing' have any resonance. When he says STOP obsessing on gay people or what they want to do (some 2-5 percent of any given population) will people actually Get A Life and stop slandering gay people and those who think they are really wonderful nice humans?

   Will people start to think of jobs plans, ways to incentivize green technology developments, or how to harnass solar power for cars top the agenda over slandering people and ruining their social lives? Will people care more about decent affordable housing and exploitative housing practices? Or the other issues that plaque the despirately poor like shortages of good jobs at living wages, or child care costs for working single mothers?  or the fact that it costs the price of a small car to get dental work for people over 50 who have normal people over 50 dental issues?

     What energy and funds have been spent on bullying, ostracizing and demonizing gay people and anyone who said 'leave them alone'  that could have been productively spent on things that affect everyone?  Where does it say in Matthew 25, those who like gay people and want to treat them like humans go to my left to the netherworld??  There is not one mention of gay people in Matthew 25. When the Pope says get a balance, it is his nice way of saying- How Does This Love Your Neighbor?

   That should be the hallmark of every act, policy, lobby campaign, and budget inquiry in any Archdiocese- How Does This Love Our Neighbors.

    That's the only law you have to be worried about.

 

 http://edition.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2013/09/19/pope-father-martin-amanpour.cnn.html

   

 

   

In Memoriam

To the Fine Jesuit who wrote this. Rest in Peace.

Its timely, insightful and urgently needed reflection now.

http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/533/article/little-gray-cells
http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/533/article/little-gray-cells


      Jesus never asked anyone of the thousands on the hill what their political views were on any subject before  feeding them. Neither did he ask anyone their political views before healing them. He did not impose a canon law litmus test as a pre-requisite to attending any event or listening to him. He did not anywhere anytime kick anyone out of a gathering for harboring views discordant with his, to the contrary he sat and ate with Pharisees, Scribes, and top biblical scholars of his day who thought he was off his gord.

   The brain dead mediocrity of theological thought that merely parrots doctrine as a form of spiritualism goes nowhere but to oppression and Jesus came to free from oppression. All kinds of oppression. Even the oppressions of petty dogmatisms.

   Someone with a little catechismal stamp  of approval is no closer to God for memorizing anything than the person who devotes their life to good deeds. Perhaps this is why the Pope is rattling so many conservative catholic feathers when he suggests that even people with lack of 'formation' on dogmatic issues are going to get to heaven if they seek God with pure hearts.

    The conservative catholic world likes conformity without critical reasoning in part because it is easier to not think for yourself. It is easier to be spoon-fed what others want you to think and feel without exploring what you actually do from the base of your own intellect.

   The tradition of non-critical catholic thinking came about because societies were organized around a language that not everyone spoke- ancient latin. In the dark and middle ages most people could not read in any tongue in Europe much less latin, so the official scholars had to tell you what scripture said.

  The invention of the Guttenberg Press made translations of a bible into every common language possible and people started reading and reasoning for themselves what Jesus actually said, as opposed to what a priest said he said.  It didn't take long thereafter before people figured out that some of what the priests or bishops said Jesus said or wanted was a bit off the rails. Take 'indulgences' for example for buttressing and beefing up  the building fund of the new Vatican building to pay people like MIchelangelo and Rafael from the coffers of starving German peasants parishes. Now it is accepted that
extorting people with the threat of hell lest they buy indulgences is not exactly proper. The pay to play game doesn't exactly work for buying your way into heaven- see, e.g. that widow's mite.

    The commandment to Love God with all your MIND as well as everything else suggests that he wants everyone to use it to the fullest of its capacity. The fact that Jesus came that we all should have Life abundantly and in fact this was the point of his mission (I came that you all would have life and have it abundantly) suggests that any soul crushing dogma that demoralizes, diminishes, denegrates, or desponds life into despair is decidedly NOT Jesus.

   Its time for the church to stop persecuting itself in the name of misguided 'discipline'. An open heart requires an open mind.  I recommend a committee immediately to restudy and reexaming all canon laws  that is not composed exclusively of Dominicans but has a fair balance of Jesuits and scripture scholars from all traditions in it. The Inquisition is Over.

Many  Thanks to Fr. James Martin , SJ. for forwarding the above article.
 

Perhaps

Its About Oil and Gas Again??

   Why is Kerry saying other arab oil sheiks will pay us to take out Assad?
click here for-its all about oil deals again theory.

and what could these two be talking about??

click for sort of strange bed-fellows.

Pope Francis' homily during peace vigil: War is a defeat for humankind

Pope Francis' homily during peace vigil: War is a defeat for humankind

Pope Francis: rebuild peace and harmony with encounter, not conflict

Why It is Insanity

To Strike Syria


    First, the Hezbollah and terrorists are on both sides -rebels and Syrian authorities. Do you possibly think by taking out Assad you diminish cooperation with Iran one iota? Secondly, its their civil war-
What if France, Germany, England and Russia came to the aid in the South in our Civil War when Abraham Lincoln's troops were destroying and devastating those nice people in Savannah and Atlanta?

   It is irresponsible to not wait for the inspection report to see who actually caused and used the chemical weapons. It 'defies reason' that Assad would use them gratuitously in a region where he already had control.

Assad has protected the Christian communities giving minority rights better than anyone has been able to do in Egypt for example.   Every Christian in the country should stand with the Christians of the ancient homeland of the Christians who are loudly shouting at Obama to back off and mind his own business.

   There is no guarantee whatsoever, not even a likely chance that taking out Assad is going to diminish the strength of either Iranian influence in the region or Hezbollah's actions which easily base out of Lebanon.

   Just not strategically smart on any level- and the costs will be astronomical. We cannot afford them. We have neglected what has to be done in this country to get it back on its feet.

If Obama defies what the House tells him to do he should be impeached for not protecting the country's interests but squandering resources on another folly of a disastrous foreign policy miscalculation.

Melkite leader says attacks on Syria would worsen situation :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Melkite leader says attacks on Syria would worsen situation :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope's vigil for Syrian peace expected to be biggest in decades :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope's vigil for Syrian peace expected to be biggest in decades :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Do you want to talk Brutality.

Here is a Jeopardy question: Which Dictator used armaments to kill, not just main ALL the children under the age of 2 in an entire city.
    Just outright targeted children and slaughtered ALL of them under the age of about 2. Not chemical weapons, just mass murdering fatal stabbings and sword decapitations.
HEROD.
That was the kind of mass assassin murdering dictator KING HEROD was.

Jesus lived in the brutality of the Roman Empire- at a time where Herod was decapitating children,
Just because he was trying to find Jesus who threatened his power.
The Roman Empire was a brutal murderous invasive force. People were decapitated- John the Baptist was decapitated.


Jesus knew all this, saw all this and yet---Jesus notwithstanding was firmly insistent on non-violence as a response to Brutality. It is a RADICAL REVOLUTIONARY call to NON violence.

Even when they were coming for him he instructed them not to slice the ears off the approaching guards.

Jesus is a healer creator. You cannot heal what you destroy. You cannot ignore the Pope's call to all Christians in the name of Jesus of Nazareth to pray for Peace.

The Dedication of the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC

WHY OBAMAs CALL TO ARMS MUST FAIL

   Because he has not demonstrated proof that would hold up to the slightest test of any court of law that Assad used Chemical weapons. Certainly someone did, but it 'DEFIES LOGIC' in the words of a senior NATO officer that Assad would use them on an area over which he has strong control.

Samantha Powers speaking at the Center for American Progress to lay out the case for Obama was sappy, non-sequitorious, made no link to proof that Assad caused the chemical attack and should put on a jacket like a grown up. It isn't that hot in the Air Conditioned Center for American Progress. This isn't Progress- its the same militaristic nonsense.


Clearly, the Administration has been harping to take out Assad since at least Kerry took office and before. But using military might now is an admission that diplomacy has thus far failed and the Administration must reach out to a broader coalition of peacemaking.

Clearly this is deja vu all over again.

And this time, we aren't biting.

Tomorrow is a Prayer, Fasting Vigil for EVERY CATHOLIC as required by the Pope to pray for Peace and STOP A US INVASION.

THAT MEANS YOU JOHN PODESTA.

Vatican Diplomats Called to Rome

Drew Christianson's Washington Post Article yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/09/04/on-syria-the-limits-of-reason-demand-a-day-of-prayer/

MARY of NAZARETH Film Trailer

http://www.news.va/fr/news/le-superieur-des-jesuites-critique-les-etats-unis

Full Statement of the US Conference of Bishops Against Use of Force in Syria.

September 4, 2013 President Barack Obama The White House Washington, DC 20270 Mr. President: As our nation contemplates military action in Syria, we want to assure you and your Administration of our prayers. We know that the situation in Syria is complex and appreciate the patience and restraint that your Administration has exercised to date. We affirm your decision to invite public dialogue and Congressional review of any possible military action, and want to contribute to that discussion from our perspective as Catholic pastors and teachers. We join you in your absolute condemnation of the use of chemical weapons in Syria. These indiscriminate weapons have no place in the arsenals of the family of nations. With you we mourn for the lives lost and grieve with the families of the deceased. At the same time, we remain profoundly concerned for the more than 100,000 Syrians who have lost their lives, the more than 2 million who have fled the country as refugees, and the more than 4 million within Syria who have been driven from their homes by the violence. Our focus is on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Syria and on saving lives by ending the conflict, not fueling it. We have heard the urgent calls of the Successor of Saint Peter, Pope Francis, and our suffering brother bishops of the venerable and ancient Christian communities of the Middle East. As one, they beg the international community not to resort to military intervention in Syria. They have made it clear that a military attack will be counterproductive, will exacerbate an already deadly situation, and will have unintended negative consequences. Their concerns find a strong resonance in American public opinion that questions the wisdom of intervention and in the lack of international consensus. We make our own the appeal of Pope Francis: “I exhort the international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people. May no effort be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to those wounded by this terrible conflict, in particular those forced to flee and the many refugees in nearby countries.” The longstanding position of our Conference of Bishops is that the Syrian people urgently need a political solution. We ask the United States to work urgently and tirelessly with other governments to obtain a ceasefire, initiate serious negotiations, provide impartial humanitarian assistance, and encourage efforts to build an inclusive society in Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens, including Christians and other minorities. Please be assured of our prayers as your Administration faces the complex challenges and humanitarian catastrophe that have engulfed Syria. Sincerely yours, Timothy Cardinal Dolan Archbishop of New York President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Most Reverend Richard E. Pates Bishop of Des Moines Chair, Committee on International Justice and Peace

Maroon 5 - Love Somebody

Who Let the Dogs

Of War Out. The Pope calls for Prayer, Fasting and an urge to Peace. NO to more war. reports abound that-All evidence of the syrian chemical attack points to it being manufactured in the US, fed to the rebels through Iraq. It looks to the rest of the world like a false flag set up to incite humanitarian justification to attack Assad's regime. It is a response to insecurity felt at Israel's border. Our intervention will not assist the cause of peace or Israeli security and will invoke a widespread massive global Muslim retaliation and confrontation. Congress is urged to vote AGAINST any US intervention in Syria.