To Ponder

"Have you ever stopped to consider the enormous sum that many "littles" can come to?"
St. Josemaria Escrive: The Way

Welcome to the Christmas season

Here we are again, in the Christmas season. You know, that time of year when people spend money they don't have, to buy gifts they can't afford, to impress people they don't like, all in the name of someone who was born with, lived with, and died with nothing. But there are some who have taken a different stance this time of year. Over at buynothingchristmas.org they seem to believe that there is something more to Christmas than getting gifts. I agree with them, especially after seeing people trampled on the news last week as they fought to be the first into a Walmart. But, I do still give gifts. They are in the form of donations to charity in the recipient's name, usually to Heifer Project International. They are a great organization who do good work.

Among the things that I did this last week was see the movie Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices. While I disagree with many of the groups that helped make it, the movie did put together a pretty good picture of what Walmart does, what they stand for, and what they have been call to accounts for lately. I personally don't shop there much, and won't shop there at all after seeing this. But it begs the question, "Where are we supposed to shop?" Other stores like Miejer and KMart are also keeping prices low by buying cheaply made products from overseas. Although maybe not as much as Walmart (they account for 10% of our nation's trade deficit with China). I heard some TV personalities talk about how they don't shop there and would rather pay more for better qualitygoods at a locally owned store. And while I agree with them, some people can't afford to pay more, including Walmart associates. So my answer is to buy less, like only what you need (no, you don't need all that crap in the discount bins and candy aisles), thus cutting your expenses and allowing you to pay a little more for things at the local farmers market or IGA store. Like the movie says, since Walmart controls 25% of the nation's tooth paste sales, you could send them a message by buying just your tooth paste elsewhere. So buy your toothpaste someplace else. It might just be the first step of many.

Well to close this entry, I will pass on a line from an online forum of which I am a part. It said, "If the world didn't suck, we would all fall off." Think about it.

Is God There?

I just finished watching a "documentary" called "The God Who Wasn't There". It is done by former fundametalist Christian Brian Flemming. While it was an interesting presentation, I can see him doing the same thing to Christianity as fundametalists currently do, that is pulling out the few bits that support his point of view and ignoring the rest. He can take Biblical texts out of context with the best of them. But don't write off his arguments entirely. Western, mainly American, conservative Christianity can be every bit un-Christlike as he portrays it. Roles get moved around to justify what Jesus condemned and condemn what Jesus allowed. Jesus was most critical of those in positions of religious leadership who put unfair burdens on followers while enjoying the perks of power and position. So what would Jesus say today?
I have heard the parable of the good samaritan twisted to explain why the first two men who passed up the wounded man could not be faulted for ignoring him (this by a seminary professor no less). Jesus said that God hates divorce, but most churches today accept it. Jesus never condemned homosexuals, but they are the prime target of churches today. And when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He did not say "go to church every Sunday", "own a big house and nice car to prove your favor with God", nor "pass laws to force others to live as you want them to". He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39) This, along with "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35), and one would think that love might have everything to do with being a Christian. So if this is a Christian nation, where's the love? Where's the love for the poor, homeless, single mothers, racial minorities, the GLBT communities, Muslims, pagans, Jews, and on and on. We talk about loving them so much we want to convert them to the right way to live. But we can talk all we want about evangelism and saving lost souls and if we don't even treat the teachings of Jesus seriously enough to follow them, why should non-believers ever adopt them for their lives? Maybe that is why they need to force them.

This poem came to mind this morning while I walked to work.

The frost lay on the morning still,
as though God had placed it there,
The trees, they stand so tall and strong,
despite they're standing bare.
The air is like an icy blast,
that blows upon my face,
I look upon creation and pray,
dear God I love this place.

Good Morning World

This morning was a beautiful morning. As I walked to work, the sun was just starting to poke it's nose over the rooftops. There was a crispness in the cold morning air. The birds were soaring high in the sky. The squirrels were scurrying around on the newly laid carpet of color that the recent winds have provided us. I thought to myself that this is what it might have been like had creation not been wrecked by sin. Then, a car came speeding by, nearly two-wheeling-it around the corner, not even bothering to signal their intension to turn. At this, I was snapped back into the reality of what existance is today. But one day, we will get back to what God originally intended for us. An existance where we are not above, outside, or at the mercy of nature. But where we, as well as all of creation, is at one. As my day dream was crushed, I asked God, "Please make us aware of what we still have, and make us truly appreciative of it.....before we destroy it completely." That is my prayer for today.

Franciscan Advent begins

Greetings again. I have found that blogging is about like journaling, which I could never get into. But I shall try to be more regular at posting in the future.

Even though I am not yet a member of the Roman Catholic Church, St. Francis has been an inspiration of mine for years. I have tried to adopt some of his teachings into my life and once I am officially Catholic, I intend on becoming a Secular Franciscan.

As for Franciscan Advent, the third chapter of the Rule of St. Francis says "And the friars shall fast from the feast of All Saints until the Nativity of the Lord" in preparation for the Feast of the Incarnation. Friars of the whole Order are called to this preparation for the Nativity just as they are called to fast during Lent in preparation for Easter. And while I will not be fasting, I will be praying for those who do.

Now for a few comments about the events of the past few days.
1) Miss Rosa Parks was buried today. She is the perfect example of one person standing up (or not standing up in this case) for what is right. It would be nice if more people today would stand for what is right instead of towing the corporate/political/religious line. The only thing worse than justifying not standing up for what is right is trying to redefine what "right" is. If you need an example of where people think racial attacks are okay, check this out.
2) Looks like the Religious Right has been caught with it's hand in the cookie jar. An article on law.com discloses the excesses of Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice and Pat Robertson's vanguard against evil in America. I guess when you give money to advance God's agenda on earth, you need to make sure you aren't building a heaven on earth for those leading the charge.
3) For the hypocricy of the week, it is amazing how magic in the movies can elicite different responses from the same people. When the Lord of the Rings movies came out, I heard people (mainly evanglical Christians) praised it to the sky for showing good's fight and eventual victory over evil (let your kids see it). This did include, if I recall correctly, the use of magic by Gandolf. Then, when the Harry Potter movies come around, these same people condemn the use of magic in movies and how it is trying to sell our children (got to use children to ramp up emotions) on magic which is evil (keep your kids away). And now, the Chronicles of Narnia are coming out soon, and these same people are back around to magic being okay again in movies (let your kids see it), probably because this time it is an evil witch in the movie. Having personally been a part of evangelical Christianity and witchcraft (paganism, wicca), I see a lot of misunderstanding on both side of the other. But being a Christian now, I have to say that I prefer to be around pagans. They tend to be less judgemental and more accepting of people.....kind of like another person I know named Jesus.