Veteran’s Day

On Veteran’s Day I am reminded of my required time in the military.  War threatened at the time, but we were not yet engaged in open battle.  As I look back, I consider my ineptness as comic.

But I also remember my grandmother’s brother, Tim Walsh.  He was an outstanding student and the Franciscans considered him an outstanding prospect.  They sent him to England to study for the priesthood.  He was given the religious name of Jerome.  After he was ordained, he volunteered to serve as a chaplain for Irish troops in World War I.  He went back to the priory in England with PTSD.  I did some research on him and discovered that Irish chaplains went to the front lines. 

He died in the United States as a relatively young man with my grandmother in attendance.

 War, even with honor and glory, is horrible.  It's the innocent who pay the price.

Gustavo Gutierrez – Liberation Theology

 

One of the greatest theologians of contemporary times, Gustavo Gutierrez, O.P., recently passed away on October 22, 2024 in Lima, Peru. His theology was revolutionary in more ways than one. 

His method was from the ground up.  He advocated for ‘comunidades de base,’ that is, communities relating their situation to Scripture.  He saw this as a way of liberation, as the Jews from Pharaoh’s domination.

His guide was the theology of the brother of Jesus of Nazareth, James the Just.  James prefaced ‘preferential option for the poor’ and the need to act for social justice. 

Weekly protest for immigrant rights in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office (ICE) in Milwaukee

A Theology of Liberation, by Gustavo Gutierrez, O.P., 1973. (Six references to the Epistle of James)

The Birth of Christianity, by John Dominic Crossan, 1998.

Zealot:  the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan, 2013.

Epistle of James, The New American Bible.

Opus Dei, MAGA, the Dark Money Cult, & the 2024 Election

Daily Meditation by Matthew Fox - October 12, 2024

 Many people, when they hear about the rise of Christian nationalism in America, think it is all about evangelicals who are Trump supporters.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  

The fascist wing of the Roman Catholic Church amply represented by Opus Dei (and others such as the Legion of Christ), have played a major and expanding role in Washington, D.C. ever since the papacy of JPII that linked up with the far-right CIA of the day to bury liberation theology and base communities operating in South America.  

Those who stood by the poor, such as Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador who was martyred while saying Mass, were badly treated by Rome.  Indeed, one of Archbishop Romero's close friends, Bishop Casigalida with whom I spent a week in the amazon which was essentially his diocese was silenced by the Vatican of that time for daring to call Romero a saint (Romero has since been canonized under Pope Francis).  

I wrote about these goings-on 15 years ago in my book, The Pope's War, which traces such matters under Ratzinger and JP II and includes a significant chapter on Opus Dei.  New Testament scholar Bruce Chilton, who wrote the Foreword to the book, called it "prophetic." 

Now Gareth Core, a British financial journalist, has released the best book ever written on Opus Dei, with special emphasis on the mighty role they have played in recent American politics:  e.g., rendering SCOTUS beyond recognition and a wing for the Republican party.  Yes, part of MAGA, which I propose in my new book on the antichrist, stands for:  "Make America Grotesque Again." 

Gore's book is called Opus:  The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church.  It is 450 pages of solid research and clear storytelling of the takeover of American politics, including of course SCOTUS and the Republican Party by the fascist wing of the Catholic church, which is dead set against Pope Francis.  It includes the conversions of Newt Gingrich, former Senator Sam Brownback, Robert Bork, Larry Kudlow, and Laura Ingraham to that peculiar version of Catholicism.  Trump players like Bill Barr, Pat Cipolione, Steve Bannon, belong to the same religious club.  

Now vice-presidential candidate J. D. Vance should be added to that list of hardline climate deniers and Trump acolytes.  If Trump and Vance are elected next month, the Opus Dei wing of the Catholic Church will be one step away from the presidency.  

Pretty scary indeed, considering the already own the unsupreme court and Trump is currently the oldest presidential candidate and showing serious mental and physical decline not to mention his ethical and spiritual ill health.  Or, in traditional language, his links to the archetype of the antichrist.  

Gore tells the story of how Leonardo Leo led the fight to forbid Obama from nominating a justice for the Supreme Court because it was "too close to the next election."  Of course, Senator Mitch McConnell was all in on that unprecedented move, but Leo provided the legal ammunition.  Later however, with Trump as president, it was not too late to appoint Judge Barrett even though the election was already in progress.  

Leo is a far-right Catholic who barely admits that Pope Francis exists (or his excellent encyclical Laudato Si that defends the rights of Mother Earth and the rights of the poor).  He prefers the company and ideology of billionaires like Harlan Cros, sugar daddy to ever willing Supreme Court judges like Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.  Gore makes clear that Leo is also very chummy with Ginni Thomas.   

A fine summary of the book can be found in the New York Magazine by investigative journalist Nina Burleigh.  It is called "How Opus Dei Conquered D. C."  (September 19, 2024).  Read it and weep.  And act.  And spread the news of the antichrist in waiting. And get out the vote for alternatives.

FROM REDEEMER TO REVOLUTIONARY

 

God of the Absurd  

Jesus of Nazareth was declared God and Redeemer through his crucifixion by the Council of Nicea.  Now that the myth of original sin is historically and theologically found impossible as a credible myth, Jesus and his death can now be looked at as a challenge to the Roman Empire.

Jesus of Nazareth was not the first to be crucified by the Roman Empire for advocating freedom.  He is the best known for advocating a nonviolent jihad for freedom.  

See:  

God & Empire by John Dominic Crossan  2007

Jesus, A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan  1994

Original Blessing by Matthew Fox  1983

Recovering the Sacred: Teilhard, Newell & the Celtic Tradition By Matthew Fox October 5, 2024

Celtic Spirituality, Philip Newell, Teilhard de Chardin, The Sacred

I ended my Daily Meditation yesterday with the all-important practical question:  What other ways are there for recovering a sense of the sacred?  Meaning, besides Lakota teacher buck Ghosthorse's practice of going without water to recover the sacredness of water.

And Thomas Berry's teaching that bringing back the experience of awe and wonder that the "numinous" universe gives us.  (And, let me add, what the Webb telescope makes available daily to us.)

I am reminded of Teilhard de Chardin's observation on the death knell of religion in the West.  Because it is not sufficiently moved by a truly human compassion, because it is not exalted by a sufficiently passionate admiration of the universe, our religion is becoming enfeebled.

These words were translated into English in the year 1968, the spring I sat in class with Pere Chenu and he named the creation spirituality tradition for me the first time.  Chenu had great respect for Teilhard.

Teilhard elaborates in another place.  I give the name of cosmic sense to the more or less confused affinity that binds us psychologically to the All which envelops us.  In order that the sense of humanity might emerge, it was necessary for civilization to begin to encircle the Earth.  

The experience of awe and wonder at our home, the universe and the cosmic sense, Thomas Berry equates with our moving from a human-centered and narcissistic relationship to nature to a sense of the sacred.  Teilhard again:  The cosmic sense must have been born as soon as humanity found itself facing the frost, the sea and the stars.  And since then we find evidence of it in all our experience of the great and unbounded:  in art, in poetry, and in religion.  

We find the awareness of the sacred well named by Celtic scholar Philip Newell in our time.  "The Celtic tradition has been saying all along, "he reminds, "that we cannot contain the sacred.  Rather, we are to look for it everywhere, and we are to observe it and be liberators of it in one another and in the earth."

And he reminds us that there is work ahead.  "The labor pains of a new birthing will be mighty.  there is no going back to the small God."  Anthropocentrism and human narcissism is in no way the future--of religion or politics or a viable path for humanity.  

What I call "deep ecumenism" in my book on the Cosmic Christ is born of this renewed sense of the whole.  As Newell puts it:  We now know too much about the interrelatedness of all life to pretend that well-being can be sought for one part alone and not for the whole, for only one religion, one nation, one species.

There is no returning to the limited notion of sacredness as if it were somehow the preserver of one particular people over another, of one race gender, or sexual orientation.  Sacredness is the birthright of all that is.  It is the grace that comes with existence."

The Working Catholic: How to Vote by Bill Droel

Whom should U.S. Catholics vote for in the presidential election? The question, in so many words, was posed to Pope Francis during his recent return flight from Asia. Choose, he replied.  Both major candidates are flawed. Vice-president Kamala Harris does not fully respect life with her position on abortion. Former president Donald Trump does not respect life with his position on immigrants. “Decide according to [your] conscience,” the pope concluded.

Electoral politics is about incremental improvement, not about perfection. There is no perfect candidate for a Catholic voter, or in fact for any voter. Pope Francis is preaching humility, writes David French in The New York Times (9/22/24). His words are “an invitation to introspection, a call to examine your conscience.” French contrasts thoughtful humility with “absolute certainty.” He offers MAGA Christians as an example of having minds “largely free of doubt.” They are sure that “you cannot be a Christian and vote Democratic,” writes French.

Interestingly, only a small percentage of voters describe Donald Trump as religious. His supporters, a recent survey suggests, don’t care if he is religious or not. Even though those supporters might identify as Christian, they have other motivations for supporting Trump.

A Catholic voter or a Catholic office holder should strive for consistent application of principle, explains Steven Millies in A Consistent Ethic of Life (Paulist Press, 2024).However, he continues, consistent does not mean equal. Some issues are more pressing, others have wider consequences. The virtue of consistency requires experience, prudence and some sophistication. There is little value in adding-up checkmarks on a so-called guide for Catholic issues. The moral method is prior to the issues. (More from Millies in a subsequent blog.)

A faithful Catholic who practices thoughtful humility is not a relativist. He or she has strong principles but is savvy enough to consider contingencies. Simply signaling one’s virtue is arrogant. A sincere Catholic realizes that what is good for an individual or a group this month may not serve the common good in six months. The common good, by the way, is different from the greatest good for the greatest number. The common good looks further along the calendar. It considers the good things citizens can achieve only acting in common: neighborhood and school safety, clean water, a thriving economy and the like.

Who to vote for? Strategy is an additional consideration.

Some Catholic leaders of late advise voting for the individual, not for the party. This advice is directed to Catholics who favor multiple issues associated with a party, but who know that one or more of its candidates are mistaken on an important issue. Split your vote, this advice says.

This strategy is a big departure from what U.S. Catholics have long been taught: Vote the ticket. Unless a party controls a legislative body (city council or House of Representatives), there will be gridlock. No meaningful improvement will occur. Second according to the traditional Catholic strategy, benefits to a neighborhood or a family come by way of a united party, not by a solitary office holder. Third, it is the party that can best corral any office holder that goes rouge.

Humility, consistency and a view to the future are among the imperatives Catholics exercise in the voting booth.

Droel edits INITIATIVES (PO Box 291102, Chicago, IL 60629), a print newsletter on faith and

The Working Catholic by Bill Droel

  

A victim syndrome underlies the divisiveness in our society, explains Frank Bruni in The Age of Grievance (Simon & Schuster, 2024).

Each of us experiences frustrations. We complain that the line in the grocery is too long and it was a mistake to shop or the neighbor’s dogs bark all day and a move to a No Pets apartment would be wise.

Grievance goes beyond such feelings of bad luck. We can normally get past daily frustrations with a swear word or two and a little wine at night. Grievance, however, is the belief that I have “been wronged,” writes Bruni.  It has damaging psychological and social repercussions. Grievance is excess agitation and excess sensitivity. It leads to “wildly disproportionate outbursts” and perhaps conspiracy theories. They are out to get me, an aggrieved person suspects. Grievance is “an all-encompassing lens” through which past hurts regularly reappear, Bruni continues. It is unfortunately a conflation of “the picayune and the profound.”

Grievance is also different from bad luck in that it reduces frustration to fault in others. An aggrieved person sees that someone is above or ahead of them. The advantage, our aggrieved person quickly concludes, was unfairly gained at his or her expense. An example is someone who says, my tax dollars go toward assisting those lazy, illegal migrants.

Although he is our Whiner in Chief, Donald Trump did not start the grievance trend. Bruni mentions Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) of France, who toured the U.S. and then famously wrote his generally positive impressions. However, de Tocqueville pointed out that people on our shores are forever “brooding over advantages they do not possess.” The grievance trend has steadily increased since the late 1960s as our culture and our economy have tilted away from organic communities and heavily toward individualism.

We no longer live in a Garden of Eden. There is bad luck, sin and dysfunctional institutions all around. However, children can learn to navigate life and thus develop a healthy disposition as adults. Erik Erikson (1902-1994) named stages of development. The crucial first one is trust vs. mistrust. That is, a child must come to believe that the world is generally a reliable place; that its scrapes and bumps and slights can soon enough be hopped over. Trust and thus happiness are achieved with dependable parents and a circle of good playmates.

Of course, Donald Trump doesn’t help matters with his harangues about scams and rigged processes and fake news and polluted institutions and losers. But Bruni goes beyond Trump’s pessimism to provide many examples of aggrieved behaviors. Bruni calls out those young adults who have a hyper-craving for safety. They want a buffer against what they consider offensive language, against teachers who present a full range of literature or history, against guest speakers with opposing views and more. A key word for these young adults is hurtful.   

In addition to Trump, other forces are fueling grievance. For example, elements in the self-help movement have morphed into a presumption that “all feelings are presumed meaningful and warrant a group’s attention.” This hypersensitivity assumes a right to be “protected from disappointment,” leading perhaps to temperamental antics by an individual or groups.

The massive wealth gap is another accelerant. It undermines our country’s promise of upward mobility. The gap hits home through an array of cultural signals like elite seating at stadiums, concierge health care arrangements, displays of luxury porn in magazines and on TV, executive-only washrooms and the like.

Bruni also mentions the prevalence of dystopian movies and internet sites in which destruction and end times are depicted. These films support pessimism and justify grievance.

Don’t misunderstand. There is injustice in the world. The healthy response to which is the virtue of social justice. It is unhealthy to respond by fantasizing villains lurking all around, by hallow displays of annoyance or by posturing oneself as a victim. Social justice is organizing like-minded people for improved policies or institutions. It requires competence, an end game and a good enough for now plan B.

Get What Is Social Justice? from National Center for the Laity (PO Box 291102, Chicago, IL 60629; $5)