Politics

I was making coffee before saying my prayers this morning, browsing the news on my phone while I waited for the grounds to finish steeping.  Knowing better and in spite of myself, I read some of the coverage about the presidential debate from last night. 

At one time in my life I was deeply involved in state politics.  I even considered a run at a statewide office, but thought better of it because of the cost in time and money, and the cost of taking my family into that messy arena.  Since then, I have become outwardly apolitical.  If you want to engage in a political discussion with me, sorry, but it won’t happen.

Politics has always been a rough and tumble sport.  There are many, many examples of anger, name-calling, vendettas, and personal attacks, both figuratively and literally.

I know about recency bias, and this may well be an example of that phenomenon. But politics today seems just so … ugly.  No longer do we just disagree, sometimes passionately, on policy.  Now we attack, going after people on a personal basis.  Then we refuse to even associate with those who would dare believe differently than us. 

This is not my discovery.  Much has been written on the ugliness of politics today, but to see it in play in a “debate” between individuals who want to be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, was disturbing.

In the Office of Readings, we are reading from the Book of Proverbs.  Today’s selection seems like a perfect response to the cruel and petty nature of politics today.  Solomon tells us

It is the lips of the liar that conceal hostility;

but he who spreads accusations is a fool. 

Where words are many, sin is not wanting;

but he who restrains his lips does well. 

Like choice silver is the just man’s tongue;

the heart of the wicked is of little worth. 

The just man’s lips nourish many,

but fools die for want of sense.  (Prov 10: 18-21)

The second reading, from the Explanations of the Psalms by Saint Ambrose, gives us direction on how we are to oppose the foolish ways of these politicians.  Saint Ambrose tells us:

It is also written: Open your lips, and let God’s word be heard. God’s word is uttered by those who repeat Christ’s teaching and meditate on his sayings. Let us always speak this word. When we speak about wisdom, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about justice, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about peace, we are speaking of Christ. When we speak about truth and life and redemption, we are speaking of Christ.

As disciples of Jesus, stewards of his many gifts, let’s speak of Christ rather than getting lost seeking the false, transitory power in politics.

Let’s Take a Minute to Pray

In early January I received an email from the Director of Development for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He was inviting diocesan development and stewardship directors from across the country to come to his archdiocese and talk about the challenges facing us in our ministry

OKC in February is not a tourist destination. The weather there was not much different than it was in Evansville at the time. Cold, rainy, dreary. But the light was shining bright for this trip and this meeting.

I arrived at Will Rogers World Airport at midnight, departing the plane to catch an Uber ride to the Catholic Pastoral Center. Joshua was my driver, and the experience I had with him for the next 25 minutes was, well, to call it special would be a serious understatement. I will write about him in the near future.

We came together for Mass at 11:30 A.M. on a Monday, which is a proper way to start a meeting. At the Consecration, when the priest was elevating the Body of Jesus, it was like a beam of love and light emanating from the Lord entered my heart. I felt a physical push against my chest, as though someone was putting his hand on me. That singular moment of incredible grace set the stage for the next 24 hours.

During that time we pretty much cloistered ourselves in a meeting room on the lower level of the Catholic Pastoral Center. Our discussions were centered around how we could best serve the Lord in our common ministry.

This is a group of 17 professionals who are dynamic, incredibly bright, fearless people. Every one of them is completely committed to serving the Lord through our bishops as the successors to the Apostles. The energy in the meeting room was positive, honest, and intense.

We all got along famously and shared our knowledge with each other. There were men and women of different ages, experience levels, geographic regions, and ethnicities. But, echoing the words of St. Paul, we were one body made up of many parts.

The second morning saw no let-up in either energy or enthusiasm. In fact, both seemed to increase. At one point, it seemed as though everyone was talking at the same time, with great conviction, creating a cacophony of unintelligible noise. That was when Deacon Pierce Murphy of the Archdiocese of Seattle raised his hand and said “Let’s take a minute to pray. First, let’s be quiet for a moment. Then we will ask our Mother to pray for us as we offer Her a ‘Hail Mary.’”

There was an immediate silence, and the intensity left the space.
Back on the same track after praying, we finished up our work and came to agreement on our matters and headed off to Mass again, which is the proper way to end a meeting.

In fewer than 36 hours, I experienced – directly, overtly, and physically – the presence of the Lord in my time in Oklahoma City: My Uber trip with Joshua; the elevated body of Jesus coming into my heart; and the calming prayer to reduce our energy and help us focus, again, on our mission.

I am grateful, humbled, and honored to be a part of this group. We can overcome many of the challenges our Church faces as we act in concert, always looking to serve the Lord.

Memorial to St. Scholastica

From the books of Dialogues by Saint Gregory the Great, pope
(Lib. 2, 33: PL 66, 194-196)

She who loved more could do more

Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, had been consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate.

One day she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.

Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother: “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”

When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. Sadly he began to complain: “May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?” “Well,” she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.”

Reluctant as he was to stay of his own will, he remained against his will. So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.

It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more.

Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.

Their minds had always been united in God; their bodies were to share a common grave.

Photos from the monasteries of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, Subiaco, Italy.

they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.

Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven