Heard in the Light

October 19, 2007

Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs

Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record. Romans 4:8

There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. Luke 12:2-3

Piety

The harvest has begun! May there be enough laborers for it to continue, blessing us with an abundance of life. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/101907.shtml

Sometimes, hope shines through all the obstacles that society attempts to erect. Not just the hope of your favorite team winning the impossible game although Notre Dame did break its streak against UCLA. Beyond the games, real hope for humanity may be breaking out. Granted, we can not ignore the many dangers and threats in the world from AIDS and hunger and homelessness to the wars raging everywhere. But, several events this week indicate that message in the Good News is starting to rattle around inside some people’s heads and is beginning to affect people’s actions.

Luke continues to remind us of the consequences of our actions (Don’t be afraid of those who might kill your body. Fear those who have the power to condemn your soul to hell).

This week, the streams of light emanating from the Kingdom have peaked through the clouds illuminating our souls. And they just may be chasing away the fear-mongers.

1) First, the Dali Lama was supported quite publicly in his call for cultural and religious autonomy in Tibet. His call was joined by the expected (Richard Gere) and the unexpected (President George Bush). It’s not just a few granola munching, Prius-driving liberals sporting “Free Tibet” bumper stickers any longer. I saw one parked on Constitution Avenue in front of the White House lawn!

2) The Supreme Court decided to stay another execution in Virginia in order to consider the legality of crucifixion (state-sponsored death by lethal injection) – effectively grinding the application of the death penalty to a halt for now. So while our Catholic, death-penalty-opposing governor may not act on his beliefs, these decisions are being taken from his hands and placed into others.

3) To all those rattling sabers toward Iran and other nations who want to get weapons of mass destruction, a Vatican diplomat cautioned that the way to control nuclear weapons is through diplomacy, not military action.

4) The former archbishop of the Military Diocese has publicly criticized aspects of the war in Iraq. Now head of the Baltimore Archdiocese, Edward O’Brien said, “Military chaplains must be voices of conscience and defenders of the human rights of their own soldiers, enemy combatants and civilians.”

Archbishop O’Brien went on to criticize the fact that “The vicious and utterly barbaric treatment of individuals” in the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq “leaves no doubt as to the barbaric extremes to which human beings can resort, especially in times of war.”

“It is significant, perhaps, that this prison did not have an assigned chaplain, though Army regulations required one,” he said. “Where there is an acceptance of direct killing of noncombatant civilians, for instance, there is no chaplaincy worth its name. Where torture is justified in eliciting prisoner information, chaplaincy is ineffective or nonexistent,” he said. You can read an account of his comments here:

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0705869.htm

Yes indeed! Our leaders are leading us toward application of a consistent ethic of life. They are recognizing who to fear is not those who may have the power to attack our bodies, but those who have the power to attack our very souls:

I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Luke 12:5

Action

What signs of hope do you see in society this week? What role can you play in spreading that hope throughout your world?