More on the virtue of hospitality

from Sojonet: Illegal hospitality: A church's guide to civil disobedience.

It all boils down to that a Christian has to do what a Christian has to do.....

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Called by God to Help God's Protected Ones

The bishop where my brothers Tom and Jimbo live has a little article, Called by God to Help, defending God's protected, the gerim, the alien living among us, in today's New York Times. [of course, registration's required, but it is in the free access section of the site].

Just in case it's been forgotten, God has made His preferences perfectly clear:

Exo 22:21-24 "Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner; remember that you were foreigners in Egypt. Do not mistreat any widow or orphan. If you do, I, the LORD, will answer them when they cry out to me for help, and I will become angry and kill you in war. Your wives will become widows, and your children will be fatherless."

Lev 19:33-34 "Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land. Treat them as you would an Israelite, and love them as you love yourselves. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

Deu 10:17-19 The LORD your God is supreme over all gods and over all powers. He is great and mighty, and he is to be obeyed. He does not show partiality, and he does not accept bribes. He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly; he loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes. So then, show love for those foreigners, because you were once foreigners in Egypt.

Deu 24:17 "Do not deprive foreigners and orphans of their rights; and do not take a widow's garment as security for a loan."

Deu 27:19 " 'God's curse on anyone who deprives foreigners, orphans, and widows of their rights.' "And all the people will answer, 'Amen!'"

Jer 7:5-6 "Change the way you are living and stop doing the things you are doing. Be fair in your treatment of one another. Stop taking advantage of aliens, orphans, and widows. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop worshiping other gods, for that will destroy you."

Zec 7:8-14 The LORD gave this message to Zechariah: "Long ago I gave these commands to my people: 'You must see that justice is done, and must show kindness and mercy to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners who live among you, or anyone else in need. And do not plan ways of harming one another.' But my people stubbornly refused to listen. They closed their minds and made their hearts as hard as rock. Because they would not listen to the teaching which I sent through the prophets who lived long ago, I became very angry. Because they did not listen when I spoke, I did not answer when they prayed. Like a storm I swept them away to live in foreign countries. This good land was left a desolate place, with no one living in it."

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What's next?! CTA Follies

Here in Milwaukee we've been plagued for years by a pair of mirror-image "church reform groups" treating this as their own private battlefield. They would hold their national gatherings here on the same late October or early November weekend, often with the full quota of demonstrators and counter-demonstrators and counter-counter-demonstrators, bringing unpeace and public shame on the Church. [The cost, I figure, of having less expensive convention space than Chicago....] I, along with many others in parishes near the convention facilities, learned to take a few deep breaths and endure the antics of the Wanderer Forum and the Call to Action. Eventually at week's end they would all go home for another year.

The previous archbishop, although he was reputed to be somewhat sympathetic with CTA's old original goals, kept his distance from both factions, refusing even to make the standard ordinary's welcome appearances at the conferences. Wouldn't want to make it look like he approved of their more wild hare-brained opinions or fractious deportment.

Now, there's a new archbishop. There's no hint that he might be even slightly sympathetic to any of the factions doing their factional thing to the Church. So, how can it be that _now_ CTA might think it would be welcome to have an event in the Cathedral itself? Granted, it's just a lecture from a faithful bishop from another diocese, but still! It's still CTA, and they are still wild-eyed. And there are any number of parishes and halls willing to host a lecture from a bishop of the Church. Have they gone completely over the edge, seeking the Cathedral? And why, if even the reputedly-sympathetic +Rembert would have nothing to do with them, did they really expect +Timothy to embrace them with open arms?
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'A cross I have to bear'

In the neighborhood of the little anchor hold is one among many pretty good priests, who is profiled at JournalSentinel Online today, titled:'A cross I have to bear'

My long-time readers have met Father Eleazar of St. Adalbert Parish already; he was the subject of prayer requests last year after a traffic accident.

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Today's saint story

Today is the memorial of St. John of God, who was a hard-living, hard-drinking soldier who came to the Lord in his 40s. After a few manifestations of convert-fever, one of which got him committed to an insane asylum, he grew up in the faith, counselled by Bl. John of Avila, and settled down to establish and run a free hospital, where he did a large portion of the nursing and most of the begging himself. About 20 years after his passing, his assistants in the hospital founded the Brothers Hospitallers, which order still exists providing medical care to the poor.

One incident in his life, recorded by a contemporanouus biographer:

The archbishop called John of God to him in response to a complaint that he was keeping tramps and immoral women in his hospital. In submission John fell on his knees and said: “The Son of Man came for sinners, and we are bound to seek their conversion. I am unfaithful to my vocation because I neglect this, but I confess that I know of no bad person in my hospital except myself alone, who am indeed unworthy to eat the bread of the poor.” The archbishop could only trust in John’s sincerity and humility, and dismissed him with deep respect.
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A litle practical Lenten help

one of my listserv acquaintances from metanoia list has a new blog, What I'm Cooking Now, which shows promise for being quite helpful. Until Pascha, all that she'll be cooking now will be lenten fasting foods. I've already copped one good meal idea there. Enjoy!
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The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437

The bishop where my brothers Tom and Jimbo live has spelled out the demands of the Gospel, and the Powers that Be, as usual, are discomfited. A human's a human. Not to mention that aliens are among the Holy Bible's protected classes. Here's the New York Times commentary, which, being the NYT, does require registration ---but not payment.

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asbestos suit time --- a case of public foot-in-mouth disease

Tom McClusky of the Family Research Council, made this public statement in The Washington Post, responding to Catholic congressfolk defending the Catholic faith:

"What is at the core of being Catholic is the life issue, and that's something the pope has never strayed from,"

so far, so good. Then he continues:

"While other issues are important -- such as helping the poor, the death penalty, views on war -- these are things that aren't tenets of the Catholic Church."

and then he flubs. The "other issues" he speaks of _are_ the life issue, in the specific case, as are abortion, euthanasia, torture, abuse of the alien, neglect of women alone and fatherless children, and everything else that violates the Gospel of Life and desecrates the dignity of each human being.

Yes, I'm old enough that when I began to be pro-life, abortion wasn't an issue yet; the major pro-life issues were mutually assured destruction, napalm, and forced sterilization. And, if and when abortion is recriminalized, there will still be issues of human life and dignity to struggle for and defend. There's a whole culture that needs converted, so that death and abuse are no longer seen as the solution to social problems.

"He [God] has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty." [Luke 1]

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Welcome to the joyous season of Lent

and Goshen College offers us a Lenten Devotions blog.

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