A refugee crisis

In the first century AD, a refugee from the war-torn Middle East, escaping civil unrest and religious persecution tried to reach Rome to state his case before the Imperial court.  On his way, his ship was lost in the Mediterranean Sea, and he almost died, then rescued by the good people of Malta, where he was shipwrecked.  His name was Paul, later St. Paul, and he founded the western Christian church.

Here we stand 2000 years later, and hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people from the exact same place are trying to escape civil war and religious persecution.  Desperate to seek asylum, they undergo terrible and dangerous passage to western Europe.  During this crisis, the good people of Malta have saved many from losing their lives at sea.  Other European countries have mixed responses to the crisis, but the EU is responding, albeit slowly, and at the risk of so many lives.

This past week, 71 smuggles people, many children, suffocated in a trailer truck in Austria, being smuggled to safety.  Another 105 drowned in the Mediterranean.  I think in 2000 years we should have made progress.  Sadly, modern western people have a worse track record than the Roman Empire.  You needn't be Christian to appreciate this irony, just a moral human being.

What about us here in the United States?  In 1951, the UN produced a landmark convention regarding the definition and rights of refugees.  The convention also laid out the responsibilities of signatory states regarding the rights of asylum seekers.

Despite the words of Emma Lazarus, etched onto the base of the Statue of Liberty:

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore....

The US was one of the few countries never to have signed the 1951 convention.  In 1967, due to the concerns of many countries, particularly the US, a 1967 Protocol refining the 1951 convention was adopted.  The US did sign the 1967 Protocol, bringing my country into accord with the rest of the civilized planet.  Tellingly, we are only 1 of 2 countries worldwide who have not adopted the 1951 and 1967 agreements together, Venezuela being the other.

The US has now committed to the worldwide refugee accord.  You can find the summary of the treatise here.

So how does the US comply with our duties as an asylum country?  We utterly ignore our responsibility!
All over Central America, people seek asylum from persecution and violence.  We ignore these obvious threats to life and liberty and accuse them all of 'sneaking in' for economic opportunity alone.  Certainly some, perhaps many, are here due to economic privation alone, but the horrors of Central America, from the genocide of Mayans at the hands of the Guatemalan government to the political persecution of Hondurans, to US fueled drug wars in Mexico, we label legitimate refugees as "ILLEGALS".  Why the capitals?  It think this is the second worse epithet ever uttered by Americans on a downtrodden people. It is a disgusting label.

Prominent politicians speak of erecting a wall at the Rio Grande River.  They accuse refugees of myriad crimes based on anecdote, hyperbole and demagoguery. There is a lot of hate. Families are destroyed. People die.  The truth has been trumped.  Shouldn't we rethink this contradiction of our values?

What we ought to do, as a moral and just nation is open our borders. Fix the mess WE made in Central America.  Assist the EU in the humanitarian crisis emerging from Syria and Iraq; our failure to act fuels ISIS, Hamas, Assad and Hezbollah.

Stop the war.

Stop the hate.

Thomas Merton and the Bomb

I’ve been struggling with how to begin a discussion about Thomas Merton for some time now.  He is one of the people of the 20^th century that I admire most, perhaps even the most.  Thomas Merton was quite famous for a while, but he is not particularly well remembered nearly 50 years after his death.  In the 1940’s Thomas Merton wrote a book, The Seven Storey Mountain, about contemplative, communal life.  It was a best-seller, and made him famous.  Being famous was a challenge for Merton, as he himself belonged to a strict contemplative community, namely the Order of Cistersians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), better known as the Trappists.  Trappists are famously introspective and meditative.  In fact, most people think that they take a vow of silence, although their silence is merely encouraged rather than enforced.  As you might well imagine, Merton’s fame presented challenges for him personally, and for the order.

After his initial success, Merton continued to write about spiritual matters with the blessing of the O.C.S.O.  In fact, had the order forbade him to write, we may never have heard from him, as he was both devoted and disciplined.  By the 1950’s he had largely devoted his writings to the moral issues of war, and the spiritual need to pursue peace.  He became increasingly concerned with the moral challenge presented by nuclear weapons.  Gradually, the Trappist order became more concerned about the increasingly political tone of his writings, and suppressed a good deal of his writing, although he continued to combat censorship within the order, while maintaining the strictest discipline required of a Trappist monk.  The resulting body of work was an incredibly rich source of moral thought in terms of nuclear armament.  His writings included poetry, letters, essays and novels.  Much of his work was published posthumously, having died accidentally in Thailand in 1968.  His thoughts on pacifism and moral duty are some of the best articulated thoughts in the modern era.

By 1961, Thomas Merton had dedicated his life to nuclear disarmament.  He wrote a poem Original Child Bomb, which may be read or heard on The Healing Project blog, found in the link above.  It is stark and humorless free verse, with 41 numbered stanzas.  I urge you to read it or listen to the reading on the blog.

In the last stanza of the poem, there is a rueful comment that men are fatigued by the questions.  AS we approach the 70^th anniversary of the destruction of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I feel that the fatigue has become poorly understood and easily dismissed history.  The non-proliferation protocol seems to have largely failed.  On the day I started preparing this blog, a tentative deal with Iran was reached which would commit that country to not producing a nuclear weapon.  There are a great number of Senators and Congressmen who do not want to ratify the agreement.  We should carefully consider Thomas Merton’s moral objections to nuclear warfare, and whether a belligerent strategy will  be preferable to a negotiated peace.

Clarity

I keep trying to write a post, and I keep getting thrown off.  I’ve limited myself to a small number of topics; refer to a few posts back.  I was hoping to build some structure and a way to move forward.  I think that this method will normally work, and I plan to continue with it. 

So, getting thrown off…the last time I wrote I had some hope that South Sudan would find its way back to peace.  Perhaps I was right that we are near a solution, but the day I wrote that post seems to have been the closest point to getting a deal out to the country in a long while, but subsequent events have been horrifying.  Now there is a growing consensus among impartial observers that Salva Kiir and his army have been guilty of unspeakable acts.  Before one thinks that the government in place is the enemy of peace though, Riik Machar’s opposition may be guilty of even worse crimes.  Further, it is suggested that Machar is nothing more than a proxy for Omar Bashir of Sudan, and his efforts to undermine his former rebel provinces.  They all appear to be bloody-minded criminals.  So where will peace come from?

Well, I had not planned to come right back to South Sudan’s war, so perhaps I should have diverted my attention, but it is terribly hard to do so when you feel despair for the situation.  I had planned on writing introductory notes about Thomas Merton.  Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk who lived in the mid-20^th Century.  He was a prolific author, first about devotion to God through monasticism, and then about the horrors of war, particularly nuclear war.  My plan has been to introduce Merton as a prelude to talking about the upcoming 70^th anniversary of the destruction of Hiroshima.  I wrote a few drafts, but Merton is such an inspiration to me, I got lost in how to start.

Well, now I’ve started to tell you about Thomas Merton, so I guess I’ll be able to hold onto that thread.  I just hope I can properly dive into his works before we get to Hiroshima.  We’ll see.  I’m going to get to him one way or another.  I may have been able to get that thread going, and then…

Charleston.

What can I say about Charleston?  It seems like everything I’ve spoken about unraveled with Charleston.

Charleston puts the Baltimore riots in a harsh, blinding flash.  The reason we fell into the rioting ultimately was hate, wasn’t it?  Never mind who hates who, it’s simply the presence of hate.

Why are refugees met with hate, in Europe, where no country will own up to the responsibility to care for people who have risked all to cross the Mediterranean; or in the US where we stigmatize with the moniker “illegals”, many of whom have legitimate cause for asylum.

In Africa, greedy, rapacious people divide Dinka and Nuer, SPLA and SPLA I/O over hate, then kill for power – and hate.

Hate now comes into crisp focus.  Nine beautiful, holy, people in a church were slaughtered for no other reason than hate.  Even the response to the Charleston Massacre has been tinged with hate, with suggestions that people in church should be armed to prevent violence; that a rallying flag for hatred should not be removed because of tradition.

Hate.  That’s what we have to fight.  I know that greed, and poverty, and ignorance will kill people.  Those things only become truly deadly in the presence of hate though.

It’s a sad thought.  Hate is preventable.  Preventing hate will fix it all.  And, while it may be the human condition to harbor hate, it is a higher condition of the human spirit to harbor love.  So let’s get to love.  I think people who see problems either fix blame or fix the problem.  Let’s do the latter.  In South Sudan, fighting bad people does not make you good.  It’s no different here.  Love makes you good.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis (click here for the prayer in song)

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.

South Sudan and the Arusha Peace Accord

5 months ago, in Arusha, Tanzania, the parties to the South Sudanese civil war signed an accord designed to bring peace and reconciliation to South Sudan.  That agreement is here.

Since the Arusha Accord was signed the warring factions of the South Sudanese Liberation Movement (SPLM) have only moved deeper into warfare.  The results have been horrific.  Today, however, it appears that the Arusha Accord may be gaining traction.  Today, President Salva Kiir, who famously wears a cowboy hat given to him by US President George W. Bush, has vowed to implement the deal according to the news source Gurtong.net.  It is hoped that the opposition, led by former Deputy Chairman Riek Machar will also commit to the peace process.  Over the past several days, fighting has intensified.  While this is distressing, it may be a sign that warring factions are finishing their campaigns, and striving for last minute advantages.

I believe that it is more likely than not that the two year old civil war is ending.  It is also noteworthy that:

• This is an Africa-led brokered deal, with South Africa, Ethiopia and Tanzania taking the lead.  The US, European and Asian powers have not exerted a neo-colonial presence, further relegating that massive injustice to history;
• The accord looks a lot like the South African Peace and Reconciliation deal following the overthrow of apartheid, at least to my eyes.  If it is the same kind of peace, and parties are diligent in implementation, hopes for a true and enduring peace will be achieved.

So, how does the prospect of a healthy and prosperous South Sudan look?  In the short run, the challenges are enormous.  We can expect residual violence to continue for a while, but if we are on the verge of peace, that will subside.  Grinding poverty is a destabilizing factor, as are the large amount of displaced people, both internally and externally from destabilized areas to the north and east, particularly in Sudan and the Central African Republic.  Allegations of Sudanese interference and hostility may threaten the peace.

For my readers who are primarily American, we should let the peace process proceed without interference, letting the youngest country on the planet build their own future.  It would be helpful if the World Bank forgives the South Sudanese debt, which is an effort that Americans can help with.  We should take note of the human rights issues that have occurred over the past two years, including the forcible recruitment of child soldiers, and instances of systematic rape used as a terror weapon.  While we wait for these issues to resolve under the Arusha framework, we should applaud the peace brokers from South Sudan, and leading African nations.  We should continue to educate ourselves to the issues facing South Sudan, and we should actively pray and/or meditate on behalf of peace in South Sudan.

I am grateful that the South Sudanese have a realistic, attainable chance at peace.  Bless you all.

An Artistic Respite – Ladysmith Black Mambazo

When I revived this blog, I was determined to give it a little more breadth.  I decided that I would break some of the talking a break, especially as I am aware that I can be long-winded and lean toward a lecture format.

Tonight, I’m inviting you to enjoy Ladysmith Black Mambazo, via YouTube links.  You can access their long and fascinating story as you listen via a google lookup.  I recommend it.  I will only add that they are ambassadors for peace from the kwaZulu nation, and South Africa.

My first link is for an 81 minute selection of performances of LBM and the Soweto Gospel Choir, many of which are only the Soweto Gospel Choir (no worries, it’s also wonderful).  It’s beautiful, and long enough to accompany my several year old posts of the philosophy of peace, where I pick a small fight with St. Augustine, or just enjoying while you do something quietly.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir

Next, I have their 2007 performance of ‘Homeless’ at the Nobel Peace Concert honoring Nelson Mandela.  Homeless was featured on Paul Simon’s famous album “Graceland”

Homeless at the 2007 Nobel Prize Concert

Last one:  Amazing Grace

I hope the hyperlinks work in Blogger!

That’s all.  Good night, and Peace!  

Will we fix what is wrong in Baltimore?

To understand why Baltimore became violent in April, 2015, one needs to understand some basic facts about the city.  It seems clear to me that the riots following the murder of Freddie Gray were inevitable, the catalyst for the violent outburst was the Gray murder, but it could have been caused by any incident given the conditions in the city.

Baltimore is a city in sharp decline.  In the mid nineteenth century it was the second most populous city in the United States after New York.  Until about 1980 it was still one of the ten largest cities in the country.  At its height in 1950, Baltimore had about one million residents.  Today, the city has only 620,000 people, a decline of one-third of the population in 65 years.  It was once one of the great manufacturing centers and a key shipping center.  Despite some recently improved economic sectors, including health care, academics and tourism, these improvements do not replace the losses in employment.

Baltimore is a black majority city.  Nearly 64% of the cities people are black.  In most respects, this fact should be inconsequential.  Sadly though, the mechanisms that continue to repress poor people of color exist in Baltimore.  Within the black community, mobility is stagnated; college education is difficult and expensive to attain, yet the largest employer and organizational group in the city, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins University, rely on a workforce dominated by the highly educated.  Further, there is a clear and undeniable component of racism that oppresses Baltimore’s black people.

One in five residents of Baltimore lives below the poverty line.  I’ll leave this fact alone; it speaks for itself.

Baltimore is desperate, poor, short on hope, and now violent.  It is extremely important to make Baltimore peaceful again.  Of course it’s not easy.  We will continue to see Baltimore being under threat of violence until we address what is wrong.  The big picture resolutions to the Baltimore problem are:

·         Rebuilding trust between the residents of Baltimore and the police force.  The riots were met with a measure of restraint by the police.  I am sure that most officers are proud professionals who ensure everyone’s safety.  Smart protocols which engage police in the everyday activities of people exist in many cities, and could be adopted there.

·         Improve access to higher education.  The sad truth that higher education selects based more on economic status that academic status.  This is a nationwide problem, but it is acutely felt in Baltimore.

·         Identify entrepreneurs within the city, and enable them with microloans and planning support.  Small businesses should bring hope and vision, and

·         End racism.  End institutional racism.  End racism based on ignorance. Just end it.

What a daunting list!  No one said peace was easy, right?

I will revisit the issues raised here, hopefully soon.  I think my next few posts will head into other directions, but I still feel there is a lot of unfinished business.  Peace, my friends.

Some Housekeeping

Let me start this piece off with a bit of a complaint.  As news consumers, Americans have such a short attention span that major, long-trending stories can gain no traction.  I am appalled that a few short weeks after the fires in Baltimore were extinguished, there is hardly a word spoken about the riots, or Freddie Grey.  It would be easy to say that CNN and related news outlets will report on an endless string of stories where a photo opportunity occurs behind the reporter, and that reporting stops when the viewer gets bored.  I am more concerned that these 24-hour news feeds make editorial decisions based on viewers’ appetites; as such, the news is not content-driven, but market-driven.  News has been reduced to a segment of the entertainment machine, and predictably content,  depth, and a willingness to report on second-tier stories have suffered.

Given that criticism, I find myself thinking about addressing matters of peace that seem urgent.  In fact, many of the issues that come out of the news of the day are urgent.  I would like to do a deep dive into Syria, Iraq and ISIS.  The proposed Iran nuclear deal is incredibly important.  Events in Yemen, Burundi and Burma vie for my attention as well.  Nonetheless, I am not writing these pieces to keep up with the day’s news, and so I will only refer to these issues tangentially, so that I can follow some long term trends, and keep a longer conversation moving along.  I apologize if you think that I should devote more of my time to Middle Eastern issues, or the Guantanamo Bay prison, or the Ukraine.  They are all worthy of our attention.  Instead, I will keep a discussion (a dialogue would be OK ;-) ) going about a finite number of themes that will allow us all to become better educated, and to become better peacemakers.  To that end, for the remainder of 2015, I plan on limiting my posts the following:

·         Justice for the American underclass.  My recent post titled ‘Baltimore and Beyond’ can be seen as a launch of this thread,

·         The South Sudan Civil War, to the end of educating my followers and exploring how conflicts rise and continue, and how peace might develop,

·         The worldwide migration of vulnerable people,

·         A retrospective of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 70 years later, which will include current non-proliferation challenges, and an introduction to the pacifism of Thomas Merton,

·         The connection between peace and art, to break from the politics and brighten this space a bit.  This is a new idea that I’m looking forward to, and

·         A calendar of peace events in Greater Boston, or perhaps throughout New England, which was always a goal of this blog.

I hope that keeping to these issues will bring my writing into better focus, and allow for better reading for you.  As the 1500^th pageview will most likely happen over the next few weeks, I’ll want to write more regularly, and build my readership.  Thanks.  Look forward to a follow-up on Baltimore in the next few days, and a cycle through of each of the items I’ve promised.

Baltimore and Beyond

Let’s get a few items off the plate before we get into the core of our problems:

• ·         Yes, the riots were the wrong response to the problem.  Violence is never a good solution to anything.
• ·         Yes, police protect life and property at great personal risk, and as such deserve respect.
• ·         Despite the two preliminary statements above, there are serious and systemic problems in society that have contributed to the unrest in our cities.  In the current climate of distrust, and in the absence of extraordinary leadership and proposals, the unrest will continue for some time.

I’m glad those matters are done with.  It is time to unpack what the problems are, and how we might constructively engage in solving them.

First, the proximate cause for the unrest is police brutality.  I have no problem with saying that Freddie Gray was murdered.  Receiving a broken neck, and a crushed larynx prior to being thrown into the back of a vehicle, unrestrained, do not constitute reasonable force or self-protection.  Gray’s criminal activity and character have no bearing on these facts.  Eric Gardner’s death in New York was identical in many respects.  Michael Brown’s death in St. Louis was not as clear cut.  We can only draw circumstantial conclusions.  The injustice in St. Louis is that no legal proceedings excepting a summary dismissal by a grand jury were brought.

It would seem that a quick remedy for police brutality, however rare or common, is a system of reporting and accountability, and the addressing of urban police tactics.  Unfortunately, an accountability system, while an important part of the solution, treats the symptom, not the disease.

The underlying problems which give rise to the instances are much more challenging:  Those underlying problems are:

• ·         Endemic urban violence, fueled by ready access to firearms, distrust of police, and most importantly, lack of social mobility, or lack of opportunity if you prefer.  Sadly, these issues victimize both urban people, and police.  Police brutality and anger at police, ironically, are two sides of the same coin.
• ·         A broken and dangerously flawed justice system that makes an enormous amount of people felons.  The mechanics of how this happens are very complex, but are driven by the legal system that follows up where the policing problems end.  Two important components of this injustice are mandatory minimum sentencing, and the stripping of civil rights of former felons who have completed their sentences.
• ·         Bigotry.  This is the biggest and ugliest part of the problem, perhaps the ultimate source of all of the problems.

One quick word about bigotry is that bigotry encompasses more than racism.  Racism directed at people of color is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the problem, but intensifying social stratification, and an utterly suppressed underclass have also emerged.

I am gratified that in the immediate aftermath of the Baltimore riots, peace rallies have emerged.  It’s a great start.  There is a danger that if left to photo ops for CNN, and calls for bland dialogues, the attitude of emerging peace will burn off in the heat of a dangerous summer, but we have cause for hope.

I should stop here tonight.  I think that’s enough to digest.  Each of the points above can be and have been the subject of entire books.  We have a lot more to discuss on this, and some other burning issues about peace, So, let’s stop here.  Pray and/or meditate on behalf of everyone in Baltimore and beyond.

Reprint and follow-up of my January 15, 2013 post

This was a more or less technical post from January, 2013, as a follow-up to my post right after the Sandy Hook murders (warning – if you remain traumatized by that event, you might want to skip that one).  I find that my 2015 research and follow up comments aren’t too good.

I'll be brief today....I know, I'm never brief....don't worry though, I'm posting a link to a 22 page report from Mayors Against Illegal Guns titled "Access Denied".  Please read it, as I will be referring to its contents in the near future, hopefully.  http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/9/c1/6/1017/3/access_denied.pdf

Please pay close attention to the summary recommendations:

·                     Remove "policy riders" on federal appropriations bills that limit firearms research at the CDC and NIH and provide appropriate funding to study the role of firearms on public health.

2015 update:  The day after the original post, President Obama issued an executive order to direct the CDC (and by extension the NIH) to fund this research; see http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-22/pdf/FR-2013-01-22.pdf.  Go to page 10 (it’s a BIG document).  The CDC reacted slowly, presumably because congressional pressure had then “gun shy”.  Rest assured the NRA has done all it can to impede research.

·                     Fully fund the National Violent Death Reporting System and expand it to all 50 states to improve our understanding of the role firearms play in fatalities.

2015 update:  Nope…nothing…despite the fact that gun violence has now surpassed auto accidents as the leading cause of death in young people.

·                     Reconstitute the research program on gun trafficking at the National Institute of Justice to update and expand our understanding of the market for illegal guns.

2015 update:  Hopeful – NIJ is proposing to issue grants of up to $1.5M to “Research and Evaluation on Firearms Violence Reduction”. See https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl001153.pdf The deadline for applying for grants is 4 days from this post.  It will be interesting to see what happens with this small amount, but it is forward momentum.

·                     Resume the publication of Justice Department reports on illegal gun markets and trafficking patterns.

2015 update – Nothing.  Really?  This is a disturbing lack of progress.  Here is a good example of recent research…unfortunately, the City of Chicago had to issue it, because they couldn’t wait for the Justice Dept. to do their job http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2014/May/05.27.14TracingGuns.pdf

·                     Rescind the Tiahrt Amendments 1

2015 update – nothing!

2015 summary:  The report from Mayors against illegal guns 5 summary proposals have been largely ignored by congress.  President Obama’s Executive order was a win, but it always faces threats.  You can bet that it will be rescinded if the president elected next year is a friend of the NRA.  The NIJ has provided some funding for research…we can award a half-win.  This movie gets one and a half stars…barely worth seeing!

1"Access Denied" by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, January, 2013.

OK.  As I promised I'm staying brief today.  But here's a good couple of hours worth or studying for my peacemaker friends.  You'll probably get nostalgic for my explanations of St. Augustine and Immanuel Kant when you've finished (seriously, it's a good read...but then, so was my philosophy blogging).

Peace to you all.  I'l talk soon.  Feel free to comment/write.

Democracy, and why it’s important

A little over one hundred years ago, just a mile away from where I write, thousands of immigrant workers had their wages cut.  They thought they were powerless, but reached a breaking point, and refused to work.  The powerful mill owners threatened them, and called their actions illegal.  The strike became violent, even deadly, and the mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts stayed shut.  The poor laborers tried to send their children out of town to friends’ homes, because Lawrence was dangerous, and food had been cut off.  At the railroad station, desperate parents were arrested for trying to send their children away.  After many bitter, violent, mostly winter months, the strike ended without a satisfactory conclusion.  Still, the eyes of the world were on the defiant immigrant laborers, and the plight of people with no voice was finally heard, and when they found they could speak to the world, they profoundly declared that they wanted a way not only to live, but to have hope, when they said, “We want bread and roses.”

Today, tens of millions of undocumented people live among us.  Most people turn their backs; they’re powerless. They live in fear of being seized.  A large number of them could reasonably be called refugees, from Central American countries where human rights are ignored.  We are bound by international treaty to receive and care for refugees, but it’s inconvenient to do so.  Instead, we have taken to calling them ‘illegals’, which I find offensive to the point of obscenity.  They have no voice, but you know they all want bread and roses.

Today, the poor, largely colored people in America suffer through an injustice system, lack of basic rights, predatory capitalism, and a long list of indignities.  They want bread and roses.

How do all of these people get bread and roses?  Does it matter to you and me?

It matters a lot to you and me.  The line between middle class and poor is getting blurred, and many of us are in the blurry area.  It doesn’t take much to fall out of Experian nirvana (and aren’t mysterious credit scores just another indignity?).  Even if you manage to stay on the path to suburban bliss, can’t you see the heavy hand reaching for more and more of us?

Eventually people without bread will demand bread.  They deserve bread and roses.  If they are not given a voice they will still make themselves heard.  The voice we all need is our own share of the American government:  Democracy.

I have heard that the US has the worst rate of participation in voting among developed nations.  I don’t know if this is true, but I instinctually know it’s at least close.  I’m pretty sure that it’s because the people have become increasingly disenfranchised.  Elections seem to be decided by the rich, who have access to obscene amounts of cash, the ability to manipulate a byzantine legal and electoral landscape, and the ability to push dissenting opinions to the margins.

We need to get our democracy back!  I can think of no other way than to educate as many people as possible in civics, and aggressively promote voting.  Marginalized people don’t need to live in a country dominated by three credit score companies, mega-rich players, and a rigged justice system.  The peaceful path to giving voice is a robust democratic system.  We all need our daily bread.  We need our roses, too.

Morning Prayer                       February 15, 2015

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness 
of your rising.    Isaiah 60:3

I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may 
reach to the end of the earth.    Isaiah 49:6b

From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great 
among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered 
to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great 
among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.    Malachi 1:11 

Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor. 
Silence may be kept.

Most merciful God, 
we confess that we have sinned against you 
in thought, word, and deed, 
by what we have done, 
and by what we have left undone. 
We have not loved you with our whole heart; 
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. 
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. 
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, 
have mercy on us and forgive us; 
that we may delight in your will, 
and walk in your ways, 
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

(meditational reflection)

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all 
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in 
eternal life. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter
   Lord, open our lips. 

     And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as 
it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia.

Venite    Psalm 95:1-7
Come, let us sing to the Lord; * 
   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation. 
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * 
   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, * 
   and a great King above all gods. 
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * 
   and the heights of the hills are his also. 
The sea is his, for he made it, * 
   and his hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * 
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker. 
For he is our God, 
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * 
   Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

The Lord has shown forth his glory: Come let us adore him.
The Lessons

2 Kings 2:1-12

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."

Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

 Here ends the Lesson

Please enjoy this beautiful rendition of Psalm 50

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Here ends the Lesson

Mark 9:2-9 

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

              The Word of the Lord. 

     Thanks be to God

Meditations on the readings by Bill McKenna

I think it’s too presumptuous for me to call this a sermon, so I’ll refer to it as meditations.  I’m sure later today, or tomorrow you’ll get a much more insightful sermon from Father Paul on his blog page (click this link).

The common theme today was the revelation of glory, but we get a different perspective in all three readings.  I think when you think of put together you get a feel for what a glimpse of the glory of God can look like.  We have the death of Elijah, with poor Elisha trying to witness glory, while his senses are overwhelmed by fiery chariots, a whirlwind.  Then we have Paul telling the Corinthians, that as followers of Christ, we have the gift of witnessing glory, where others merely see temporal existence.  Finally in Mark’s Gospel, we have Peter, James and John at the mountaintop, where Jesus reveals his glory, and Moses and Elijah appear beside him.

The Old Testament reading is about Elisha’s witness.  Elisha the student follows his mentor Elijah, even after Elijah asks him to remain behind twice.  As I see it, Elisha is doing two things:  First he is being a loving friend, wanting to be sure that Elijah doesn’t die alone, even to the point of disobedience.  Second, he is clinging, fearing that he cannot take up the mantle (i.e. responsibilities) of the great prophet.  That’s a fear that we’ve all encountered, perhaps on the first day of a new job, or at a new school.  Elisha, when he asks for a double share of Elijah’s spirit, he seems to be saying, “I can’t do this!  Please don’t go!”  Then the moment arrives in a whirlwind (do you suppose it was like getting a fourth blizzard?), and Elisha desperately watched his well-loved friend go to heaven in glory.  Most interpretations of the story subsequently say that Elisha successfully witnessed the final moment  and received his ‘double share.’  In my alternative ending, it may have been impossible to know how long he had to witness the glorification of Elijah to receive his gift.  Later, when Elisha needed the confidence to take over as the great prophet, he relied on his ‘gift’, which may simply have been a gift of kindness from the teacher, a simple ‘You can do it!’  I guess that‘s the greatest thing a teacher can impart to a student.

In the Gospel, Jesus changes the manifestation of glory.  If you’ve ever climbed a high mountain, you know that after several hours of step climbing you are tired, sore, and perhaps you have some torn clothes, and a cut or two.  It sounds like shoveling my driveway!  You’re also sweaty, and probably hoping that the wind isn’t blowing towards your friends.  Remember, too, these four hikers climbed in sandals.  Keeping in mind that Jesus flesh and blood, he was no different.  Yet, at the summit, as they were rubbing their cuts and blisters, eating granola and raisins, Jesus stood up, and transformed, in glory, to a stunning white that was hard to look at, and Moses and Elijah were there too.  I hope they saved a seat for Elijah!  The revelation of  Jesus as the son of God to Peter, James and John was different than the glory presented to Elisha though.  Elijah’s ascension and concurrent glory were the result of his death.  On the mountaintop, however, Jesus simply taps into the glory.  It is another clue that Jesus came to us to conquer death, and that glory would soon be accessible to all.  Of course at the time, the access to glory was to be kept as a secret.  I wonder, though.  Jesus was well aware of the faults of his good friends, as we see later at Gethsemane.  Do you really think when they returned from their hike, and were asked by the others, “How was the hike?” they all said, “Pretty nice, you see the Mediterranean from the top.”  I’m guessing here, but I think the secret may have been a little leaky.

Finally, in the Epistle, we have what appears to be a letdown.  The Corinthians are told, “Yes, we can all see the glory, because we know Christ.”  There are no chariots on fire; Elijah and Moses don’t show up. Clouds and rivers don’t part.  All they get is a quiet confidence from faith.  It’s almost as if the people at the church of Corinth are having dinner together, and one of them says to a younger member, “Can you check the mail, and see if there’s any new glory in the mailbox?”  It’s pretty anticlimactic.

In fact, it isn’t a letdown at all.  It’s the same glory revealed to Elisha, and to Peter, James and John.   Jesus kept his promise and revealed it to all of us who care to look for it.  It’s as amazing as it always was.  I think the truth in today’s Good News is that glory wasn’t fire, chariots and whirlwinds; it was the quiet confidence bestowed on Elisha.  It wasn’t the miraculous transformation of Jesus, and the appearance of the great prophets. It was the secret promise Jesus made to give eternal life (and glory) to anyone who believes.  Maybe real glory isn’t quite so showy.  Glory may not be bestowed in war so much as in the quiet conversations had to resolve issues that lead to war.  It’s not the Super Bowl so much as the work and dedication that allows a team to get there.  Well that’s what I think glory is.  If anyone reads this far, I hope you’ll share.

Peace and Love,

Bill

The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, 
    creator of heaven and earth; 
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 
    He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit 
        and born of the Virgin Mary. 
    He suffered under Pontius Pilate, 
        was crucified, died, and was buried. 
    He descended to the dead. 
    On the third day he rose again. 
    He ascended into heaven, 
        and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 
    He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 
I believe in the Holy Spirit, 
    the holy catholic Church, 
    the communion of saints, 
    the forgiveness of sins
    the resurrection of the body, 
    and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers

Let us pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
    hallowed be thy Name, 
    thy kingdom come, 
    thy will be done, 
        on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our trespasses, 
    as we forgive those 
        who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
    but deliver us from evil. 
For thine is the kingdom, 
    and the power, and the glory, 
    for ever and ever. Amen.

V.    Save your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance; 
R.    Govern them and uphold them, now and always. 
V.    Day by day we bless you; 
R.    We praise your name for ever. 
V.    Lord, keep us from all sin today; 
R.    Have mercy upon us, Lord, have mercy. 
V.    Lord, show us your love and mercy; 
R.    For we put our trust in you. 
V.    In you, Lord, is our hope; 
R.    And we shall never hope in vain.

A Collect for Sundays
O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of 
the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this 
day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week 
to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen.
A Collect for Peace
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know 
you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend 
us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that 
we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of 
any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.
A Collect for Guidance
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our 
being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by 
your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our 
life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are 
ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole 
body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: 
Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before 
you for all members of your holy Church, that in their 
vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; 
through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one 
accord to make our common supplication to you; and you 
have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two 
or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the 
midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions 
as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of 
your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

Please pray for:

My daughter, Molly in Texas, volunteering in the VISTA program

Everyone on the St. Paul’s prayer list.  I’ll especially call out April DiDomenico, because my friend Ray Shaw says awesome things about her.

My wife, Laura, who had to go to work, despite the snowstorm.

My daughter, Rose, who is almost over a pretty nasty case of the flu.

The Rev. Sarah Kelb, who is surely unhappy to miss services this morning.

The Syrian people

Bob Simon, who died this week, leaving a legacy of truly great witness of world events.

St. John’s Church, Charlestown (Boston)

St. Christopher’s Church, Chatham

All Saints’ Church, Chelmsford

St. Luke’s Church/Iglesia de San Lucas, Chelsea

Congregations: Secretaries and Administrators, especially St. Paul’s admin, Lynsey

Let us bless the Lord. 
Thanks be to God.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and 
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. 
Amen.    2 Corinthians 13:14

A really nice closing song, sung by Sarah MacLachlan

Why Justice Matters

Before I begin, allow me to say that I had thought I was done with my blog.  A couple of years ago I became disengaged, both frustrated by ineffectual efforts, and difficulties not related to my writing.  I will continue to avoid writing about myself in my blogs, but after a long hiatus, I think I should have continued my efforts.  T has been hard to get back into writing about peace, but it’s time to bring back the blog.  Those wind mills look a lot like giants from here Rocinante.

I’m going to start with the concept of justice.  Justice can be a troubling concept for me, I think because what I see as justice is not altogether what many people conceive.  The idea of balancing a ledger of fairness by punishment is not justice; it might better be thought of as revenge.  To be fair, incarceration of dangerous people found guilty of felonies is both prudent and just, and a component of that incarceration may be punishment.  Incarceration also provides a measure of public safety, and should be a good opportunity for rehabilitation.

Real justice occurs when everyone is given opportunity, and policing is uneven, even heavy-handed, across society.  I hear a lot about racism in the discourse of uneven justice in Missouri and Staten Island.  I have no doubt that racism is an ugly, often hidden cause for injustice in America today.  It is not unique to police; police officers are out front, protecting everyone with a thin blue line almost always.  Subliminal racism has permeated American society however, and when it extends to police it corrodes the high level of professionalism usually found in police forces.  When there is a breakdown, the results are horrific.

I recommend The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander for a compelling case of how the legal system systematically oppresses blacks.  I have some issues with her construct, but she really points to gaping holes in American justice, which threaten domestic peace to an alarming degree.  The issue I have with her thesis is that I believe racial oppression is not the central issue, although it is certainly a big, ugly part of it.  I could make a case for the oppression being driven not by race, but by class.  Minimum mandatory sentencing as an offshoot of the war on drugs has created a permanent underclass.  That underclass is disproportionately represented by black and colored people, but we are quickly becoming an oligarchic, socially layered society, and we desperately need to get our democracy back.

There is one way to get our democracy back.  Engagement in civic life is the key, and non-violent activism is the methodology.  Stay tuned…I have more to say on this subject.  Comments welcome.  If you're new, please take a look at my 'ancient' posts to get an idea of where I'm coming from.  Comments are always encouraged.

Peace,

Bill