Jun 5 2013

Going Home

bandera I’ve just completed a two-week stay in my native Santiago, Chile, after having been absent for almost ten years. I enjoyed every minute of it. It is often said that “you can’t go home again,” but in many ways I felt as if I had never left. In other ways it also felt somewhat like a foreign country.

It was very interesting to see what makes people “tick” in different parts of the world. I have to say that although there are several points of convergence between the two cultures, there are also some very divergent views about life and about the pursuit of happiness between the two. Chileans in general always try to find the bright side of things even in the midst of adversity; surely Chileans do complain a lot about the annoyances of daily living: the public transportation system, the government in office (regardless of party or color), the cost of living, the weather, the traffic, crime, each other, etc., etc., but they generally don’t get hung up on things for very long like they do here in the States. One seldom sees the activism that one witnesses here, except within the youth. (Students are usually the ones who take to the streets brandishing placards, mobbing public places, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. I suspect, however, that their main motivation is the excuse to cut classes or to get a cheap thrill, not to really take a stand on issues.) This can be both good and bad. Good, because I believe it is healthier to keep an open mind and not try to fight windmills and lose one’s sanity; bad because sometimes such a lackadaisical attitude prevents people from effecting real change by getting personally involved in the problems that face them. Perhaps a happy medium would be best.olympic

Chilenos have a great ability to “make do.” People there “make do” when they have no money; they “make do” when they can’t afford medical care; they “make do” when their car breaks down and they can’t afford to fix it, or when they just don’t have transportation at all; they “make do” when they need something repaired and lack either the means or the skills to do the job; they “make do” when disaster strikes (who can forget the cataclysmic 8.8 earthquake that shook the country on February 2010); they “make do” when they lose homes, possessions, jobs. Their sense of humor is without equal; they can make jokes about everything and everybody. They have a great capacity to enjoy the simple things in life: a good meal, a good glass of wine, a cool place to rest in the summer, a nice spot by the fire in winter. Although a US-style consumerism has crept up in some circles, people generally find contentment with little. They are a very resilient people. I admire them for that. It is one of the things that makes me proud of being part of that heritage.

And by the way, yes, one CAN go home again!

 

Aug 2 2012

Where are we going?

Republican Party (United States)

Republican Party (United States) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I want to say this, and I want to say it for the last time. Also, I want to go on record as saying this before the world as we know it goes to hell in a hand basket. Because I truly believe this is just what is going to happen after the November election.

What I fear is that the Republicans will not only take the Senate but the Presidency as well. Because a lot of money is being spent on this campaign. Because throughout history, power has always followed money; money in the end is king; money makes and breaks; money also corrupts, just like power corrupts.

So once again, power will go to the moneyed, and history will continue to be written in the same fashion as it’s been written forever. And the world doesn’t learn. WE don’t learn; even though we’re supposed to have the ability to choose our own leaders, the ability to choose how we want to be governed, (because we’re sooooooo lucky to live in a DEMOCRACY—not like those schmucks from other parts of the world), we really don’t; we think we know better, but we’re either foolish or don’t want to face hard truths.

So we continue to perpetuate the age-old modus operandi of granting power to the moneyed, the privileged, the unscrupulous. We continue to allow ourselves to be led by the nose down paths that lead not necessarily to our felicity but to the prosperity of others.

So on and on we go, not understanding why we cannot ever “arrive.” Why life is so difficult; why we always seem to be teetering on the brink of disaster—or despair. Why life is good to some but not to the rest of us… etc. BECAUSE WE DO IT TO OURSELVES.

Is there "free will" in heaven? What...

Photo credit: Zombie Inc.

Some of us seek shelter in prayer and try to get consolation by recalling the Church’s teachings that “this is a temporary life,” that we’re not supposed to seek happiness here, that it’s the next life that we should be concerned with, etc., etc. So then, why are we here in the first place? What’s the point? What good is Free Will if we’re not smart enough to exercise it wisely? Do we really have Free Will? Or are we blindly and unwittingly being coerced to act in such ways that continue to perpetuate the status quo of our miserable lives?

If and when the Republicans take power in November—because we stupid people will have handed it to them in a silver platter—and pretty soon afterwards things not only not get better for the rest of us, but we watch in dismay as some fat pockets get even fatter, as the disenfranchised become even more abandoned, the sick sicker for lack of insurance, the working poor even poorer, corporations ever ruthless, the environment ever abused, let this be my preemptive I TOLD YOU SO. (Not that you care!)

Jul 10 2012

Tradition vs. Traditionalism

Jesus H. Christ

Jesus H. Christ (Photo credit: angelofsweetbitter2009)

Sunday’s homily was quite inspirational. The gist of the message had to do with something I’ve been thinking and saying for a long time: fundamentalism is the evil side of religion. We shouldn’t confuse “tradition” with “traditionalism,” also known as “fundamentalism.” If we get hung up with the letter of the law, we miss out on the true message of Christ (the “spirit” of the law).

Our enlightened pastor wisely characterized “traditionalism” as “the living voice of the dead,” and “tradition” as “the dead voice of the living.” By this I believe he meant that people today are way too centered on the rules and regulations of the church, of trying to condemn everyone who doesn’t agree with them or who doesn’t follow along the path of some strict ideology. This attitude is reminiscent of the sin of Pride, an attitude which makes people believe that they are the sole possessors of the Truth. This righteous attitude permeates everything that they do and say, making them intolerant and uncharitable towards others. This is NOT the message of Jesus Christ. Regardless of what institutionalized religion may want us to do; regardless of how they may want us to behave, regardless of how they may want us to THINK.

Tradition helps us grow in our faith. The Church is a tool for us to put our faith into action through works of love. People who go “by the book” are not following in Jesus’ spirituality. We must follow Jesus’ tradition and not the traditionalism of the Pharisees. We must let God work through us, trust in His power and not be influenced by fundamentalists‘ attempts to force us to think like they do, merely to justify their own lack of faith.

Let’s think about these things when it comes time to decide who we want to follow: Jesus or the Pharisees. Compassion or righteousness.

Jul 2 2012

What Sunday’s Homily Meant to Me

Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This past Sunday’s Homily (July 1, 2012) gave me pause. The main message was that Jesus came to restore grace in the world, to restore all things to their original form, to heal the world, and to free us from the fear of death. In this age of technology, the immediate word that came to mind was REBOOT. Jesus came to “reboot” the system 2000 years ago.

Sadly, it occurs to me that we’re due for another reboot. So I’m wondering how/when/if it will happen in our lifetime. From scripture we know that Jesus’ “second coming” will only take place at the time of Final Judgment; in other words, we only get one more—and final—“reboot.” Scary thought. Scary because it would seem we have only two options: (1) we continue to struggle, muddle through this existence fraught with injustices, selfishness, natural disasters, the rape and pillage of the environment, abuse, war, genocide, etc., etc., or (2) we wait for an impending “end of it all,” with all the cataclysmic connotations such an event implies—SCARY THOUGHT!

On the other hand, a wise quote I heard this weekend goes: “in the end, everything will be alright; since things aren’t alright now, it’s not yet the end.” (From the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.) I wonder if that’s true. If that’s the case, I guess it will be a long, LONG time before “the end” comes, since it doesn’t seem that everything will “be alright” anytime soon. Either way, a no-win situation at the moment.

Further thoughts on this week’s message from our Pastor

Evil (definition): whenever we destroy the balance of God‘s creation. ALL OF IT, not just some of it as is convenient; in my opinion this includes the environment, life, animals, plants, forests, oceans, atmosphere, CLIMATE, everything that surrounds and sustains us. Whoever advocates selfish acts that destroy God’s creation is then, EVIL. Enough said about that.

Quoted from the Parish’s Bulletin [on voting]: “It is clear that one absolutely may not vote for a ‘candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter‘s intent is to support that position…’ But neither can one use a candidate’s opposition to such evils ‘to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life or dignity’…” My take on this message is simply that we shouldn’t get hung up on just one thing about a candidate’s point of view in order to make a decision at the voting booth, but to consider the BIG PICTURE. Putting all things on the balance, who represents the majority of the values and tenets of our Christian belief system? Who advocates for social justice, for the stewardship of our environment, for an end to war, for an end to corporate excess and abuse, for a fairer distribution of goods and services (i.e., healthcare)? You be the judge. I’ve already made up my mind.

Have a nice week!