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GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY HOMILY

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Homily by Fr. James DiLuzio 

We live in an angry age. Disputes abound. Collaboration is labeled “compromise” –now an almost derogatory word as if one is “selling oneself out,” and people work so hard to manifest their “brand,” that they dig their heels into the ground, unmovable, intractable, hard-pressed any dimension of our basic, common humanity. Who can lead us out of the single-minded confines of our own willfulness? 

In another angry time, the Catholic Church was fearful of change. Almost every attempt at spiritual renewal was suspect. Onto that 13th century stage appeared two who would eventually become Saints. Their names were Francis and Dominic, each with new vision of God’s care for us, a new emphasis on how to address some of the problems of their age. One of the stories about Saint Francis continues to offer insights. Entitled  “The Tale of the Wolf of Gubbio.”  Gubbio was and is an Italian  village, in the Umbria region of Italy.  At that time, a  wolf was terrorizing  the entire population, attacking sheep, chickens, howling nightly inhibiting sleep, growling so forcefully that all were afeared of going out at night to visit their relatives and neighbors. For the longest time, they commissioned their best hunters, expert marksmen to hunt the wolf and rid them of it, but to no avail.  

Eventually word of a holy man who praised God continually for life—human life and the life of all creatures, who allegedly spoke to animals, reached their village. After much prayer and penance, almost miraculously, some villagers encountered  Francis walking in the forest. Explaining their situation with heartfelt urgency, they pleaded with Francis to come to their aid. Looking lovingly upon them all and said, “Feed your wolf.”  What? was their incredulous reply.  “Feed your wolf,”  is all he said. 

 That night villagers put plates of their leftovers on every doorstep. The wolf’s howling ceased. The next night, in thanksgiving, they placed choice meats and vegetables, and not a sheep was lost. The third night, no sounds from the hen house, and in the morning, they found Francis in the town square, the wolf bowing before the Saint. The wolf became the friend of Gubbio and good be found gnawing on bones and choice meats at all the village festivals. Ω

“Who is the wolf in this story?”  Who is the wolf? “WE are the Wolf.”  Who will  feed us in our anger, our confusion, our fears?  Who will free us from our hateful thoughts?  Today is  Good Shepherd Sunday, reminding is we have here one—and only one– acceptable answer:  Jesus, our Christ. Jesus  took on every aspect of our human nature, underwent every temptation to say to our angry selves: “Hello. I know you — everything about you. Even as you dwell in your dark abode, I have love for you, and I will patiently guide you through every wicked thought, every hopeless feeling. I will fulfill for you, even now, the words of the 23rdPsalm: “Yea though you walk in the valley of death, I will be at your side, to guide you through your anger and temptations to hate, to rage, to despair,” not with condemnation but with redemption. You, too, shall be resurrected. 

Do we think our times are any different from Jesus’ times, or different from any other century “in the course of human events?” Violence, hate, prejudice, fear, human willfulness,  are everywhere and always will be taking hold of us, and others—whenever we are at our most desperate. Fear, lack of trust in God’s timing, God’s providence, frequent failures to acknowledge a vibrant Holy Spirit present amid sin and sadness, instead we lash out, howling  like hungry wolves, losing lost touch with our common humanity. Now is the time we stop justifying our wrath as if we are participating in the wrath of God? The Wrath of God? “Judgement is Mine,” says the Lord, and  Jesus makes clear that “The wrath of God” nothing more than “zeal for souls.”  That’s your soul. That’s mine. 

Jesus  doesn’t condemn us for these thought and feelings, but he does ask us to work with him before we act upon them. Therefore, we need not be afraid to bring even our darkest thoughts and vengeful wishes to Him in prayer, in meditation, and in confession be a priest or anyone we can trust. Saint Paul repeated confirmed time and time again, “Nothing separates from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus.”  Let’s admit, only weeks ago, we cried “Crucify Him, Crucify Him,” and now, in this Fourth week of Easter and Jesus says to us, “Let me Resurrect you. Let me bring you to fullness of life and the peace that only I can give.” He does this by feeding us. He feeds us with His Very Being, in this and every Eucharist.  If we let Him, He will shepherd us today, tomorrow, and the next day, just as He did for the disciples before and after His Resurrection, even as they found, and we, too, may find ourselves in an angry world.

HOLY SATURDAY Meditation from Rachel Held Evans

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An inspirational meditation for Holy Saturday from Rachel Held Evans, from her book Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church:

“Lately I’ve been wondering if a little death and resurrection might be just what church needs right now, if maybe all this talk of waning numbers and shrinking influence means our empire-building days are over, and if maybe that’s a good thing.

Death is something empires worry about, not something gardeners worry about. It’s certainly not something resurrection people worry about.

G. K Chesterton put it this way: “Christendom has had a series of revolutions, and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.” I don’t know exactly what this new revolution will look like, but as the center of Christianity shifts from the global West to the global South and East, and as Christians in the United States are forced to gauge the success of the church by something other than money and power, I hope it looks like altars transforming into tables, gates transforming into open doors, and cure-alls transforming into healing oils. I hope it looks like a kingdom that belongs not to the rich, but to the poor, not to the triumphant but to the meek, not to the culture warriors but to the peacemakers. If Christianity must die, may it die to the old way of dominance and control and be resurrected to the Way of Jesus, the Way of the cross. (pp 225-226)

As the shape of Christianity changes and our churches adapt to a new world, we have a choice: we can drive our hearses around bemoaning every augur of death, or we can trust that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead is busy making something new. As long as Christians are breaking the bread and pouring the wine, as long as we are healing the sick and baptizing sinners, as long as we are preaching the Word and paying attention, the church lives, and Jesus said even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. We might as well trust him, since he knows a thing or two about the way out of the grave.

“New life starts in the dark,” writes Barbara Brown Taylor. “Whether it is a seed in the ground, a baby in the womb, or Jesus in the tomb, it starts in the dark.”

More on Rachel Evans here:

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Rachel_Held_Evans

LIVING IN THE ETERNAL NOW

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GOSPEL OF JOHN 3: “everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

From anxiety to eternity, fear to freedom

At waking, before the demands of the day enter our consciousness, we know who we are and who we are before God. Our being is one with Being, with God, I AM. This is a window into eternity; this is heaven come down to earth. This is eternal life’s prelude. The journey of Faith from Lent to Easter insists we keep cultivating this heavenly reality every day, every week, every month – beyond any liturgical season, every year of our lives.  How can this be done? Not by our own merits, but our openness to grace, to allow ourselves to be caught up in the eternal verities. 

The Scriptures tell us Abraham surrendered in just that way, in the passage about the STARS in THE SKY. Recall:  

GENESIS 15: GOD’S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM

  • But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, if I die childless and have only a servant of my household, Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a servant of my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: No, that one will not be your heir; your own offspring will be your heir.  5 He took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be. 6 Abram put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.[b]

At first, Abram’s encounter with God was all about Abram – Abram’s concerns, what Abram needed, what Abram was lacking. But then he silenced his own voice and listened to God. The vision of the Stars of heaven helped faith take hold.  Hope became a reality to be lived, savored, and returned to time and time again.

In our first reading we heard the misery of the people exiled, strangers in strange lands. Yet they did not become so caught up in their misery not to recognize the voice of God in a new empire arising: Cyrus, the Persian, inviting people to return to their own lands and worship their own God. Some will choose to stay in their misery, some will return and find new life. 

Analogous events are presented to us every day. Not to get so caught up in our woes and misfortunes that we miss the call to choose hope and PEACE in the moment –a vision of eternity accessible in the here and now. Yes, God’s realm, “the kingdom” requires our attention, and eternity will tend to us if we get out of our own way. The Sacraments are our opportunities to experience heaven here and now, and our touchstones to feel heaven’s presence again, later today, tomorrow, and the next day. One hour of peace a week is not enough for anyone! We must surrender to Christ’s peace continually. This is what Saint Paul meant when he wrote “you will be saved by faith.”

This is what the Church means when she says the Sacraments engage us in eternal verities.  Of course, it is not a matter of our concentration alone. No, it is  – far more a surrender to the Christ who knows our humanity better than we do. The best we can do is admit our distractions, worries, fears at Mass, and merge them into our prayer, consciously asking  Jesus for His help in making us present to deeper realities—seeing our needs in a bigger context.  

A PARENT with an infant: first objective may be to get the child to sleep so mom or dad could get back to  paying bills, or cleaning up dinner, or making phone calls. But when the child smiles and stares into their eyes, they have an opportunity for something greater. There’s eternity in the child’s smile, his or her sparkling eyes. All the work to be done can vanishes from their minds if they let it. If they do – and it is always a choice – they will find themselves in the perfect present – that’s eternity’s realm. If they are smart, they will savor it. They will hear Jesus say, “have faith in God, and faith in me, we are engaging you in eternity.” 

And should the child cry uncontrollably, while they are trying everything possible to soothe and comfort, they might do well to think beyond that moment and recognize in one infants’ pain or fear, the pain, and fears of the universe — the cries of victims of war, of hostage, of insult and degradation. 

Perhaps, with this larger image in mind, think and feel beyond their own frustration, their own fears. Then, they may experience both irony and mystery as the parents find themselves crying along with their infant. And with that vulnerability, of feeling out-of-control, they just might allow the voice of Jesus to say again and again: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” That is when the best decisions can be made = be it for a crying child, for the parent, for anybody in distress. 

We must bring the words of Jesus to heart time and time again. Life comprises far more than just our personal thinking and doing. There is Jesus’s words and ways of thinking that insist eternity is waiting for us in the here and now. The Kingdom of God is at hand. 

Remember the words of the biblical Job, who, in the midst of his suffering cries out: “I will see God:27 I will see for myself, my own eyes, not another’s, will behold him: my inmost being is consumed with longing.”   Eternity beckons even in the most difficult of situations. 

Jesus’ words to Nicodemus are for us, too. But we must believe them, internalize them, appeal to them, surrender to them: “so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Lord, we believe! And help our unbelief!  

Valentines and Ashes

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Fr. James DiLuzio’s Meditation for Lent

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day coalesce on the calendar this year. With our Catholic sensibilities, and in the spirit of penance and renewal both of which ground us in love, this confluence of a holy day and one with popular, secular appeal must give us pause.

Shakespeare, for example, mingled concepts of both love and death in Sonnet 116: 

“Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.”

In the 19th century, Lord Byron authored a poem about grieving an unrequited love in the context of his mortality:

“And when convulsive throes denied my breath, The faintest utterance to my fading thought, To thee—to thee—e’en in the gasp of death My spirit turned, oh! oftener than it ought.”

More importantly, recall the biblical book of poetry entitled The Song of Songs:

“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; For Love is strong as Death, longing is fierce as Sheol. Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine.”

Does not Cupid’s arrows pierce us to a kind of death? Dying to self, we are reborn with love for another for whom we are willing to sacrifice all. Of course, romantic love can fill us with self-absorption, but it is the Saint Valentine-inspired love that we are exploring here. As we eschew the romantic notions of the secular holiday, we find its religious source of inherent value. Valentine is the story of the martyrdom of not one, not two, but more than likely three persons named Valentine–each death in a different decade of the Roman Empire’s Christian persecution.[1] These men chose to die for Love of Christ and the Church, to accept death so that others might live. This is an imitation of Christ, who willingly confronted the falsehood of society and culture, its lies, and fears—both religious and secular—trusting that his death would lead him to his glorified exaltation on the Cross. Indeed, the CROSS revealed that sacrifice for Love of God, for what is True, liberates people to heavenly realities even as we live and love and die in this world. Ash Wednesday’s urging that we humbly forbear in charitable giving, fasting, and prayer is, in fact, a kind of death, a “little martyrdom” an invitation to daily sacrifices that prove Ash Wednesday / Valentine’s Day’s juxtaposition is not incongruent at all.

Let’s look at a corollary of our faith found in Music and Art. Richard Wagner’s operas Der fliegende Holländer, Tristan und Isolde, and especially the last scene of his epic Ring of the Nibelungen entitled Gotterdammerung, dramatize a philosophy that we can only experience the fullness of love in an apotheosis—a glorification of love’s essence when it culminates in and through death. This insight implies Love’s perfection is heaven’s achievement, that God accomplishes its fulfillment in Christ’s resurrection from the dead offered to all. God’s extraordinary love in Christ offers us, because of Jesus’ humanity the assurance that the Holy Spirit weaves all human love with its heavenly potential and will bring us into eternal life. Thus, every loving experience we have on earth, be it for a beloved person, or through the daily sacrifices we make to build up the kingdom of God, is meant to culminate in heaven. This is Christianity’s promise: every moment of Grace is everlasting. By God’s design, Grace incarnates love in us to bring us to our ultimate communion with the Saints and with God whose Love is all in all.

The Church marks us with Ashes in the Sign of the Cross, revealing to the world that Christianity does not fear death, nor does it fear confessing our sins, admitting our wrongs. The Paschal Mystery empowers us to let death’s reality humble us and renew our consciousness that all are dependent upon God and God’s mercy, deepening our love of God and neighbor. When we die to sin, we rise to LOVE, tenderness, kindness, patience, and charity–the kind of life experiences that confirm God’s presence in the world, strengthening our belief that everyone belongs, and everything is interconnected. Yes, heavenly realities permeate the earth, justifying the belief in eternal life!

Our Catholic Faith engages us in a “re-creation,” compelling us to die to the devil’s deceptions, and self-serving celebrity, and rise to a better occasion in pursuit and cultivation of a “new heaven, and a new earth?” (Rev. 21:1) Not for nothing does that phrase from the Book of Revelation become explicit in Jesus who invites us to love with a generosity of spirit, engaging us in acts of self-sacrifice that will bring us to an ultimate existence of mutual beneficence. In his humanity, Christ allowed himself to be dependent upon God completely, emptying himself to love and love alone. So, too, must we acknowledge our dependence upon God, and because our lives are not our own, love becomes our only choice. Valentines and Ashes make it clear just how indispensable it is that humanity dies to the illusions of our self-importance as individuals, as family, and as a nation, by dying and rising with the Saints who incarnate, in imitation of Christ, the words in John’s Gospel 12: 24

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”  What wondrous love is this?

[1]From Valentine’s Day – Wikiwand: “Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.[17] The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).[18] Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in 269 and was added to the calendar of saints by Pope Gelasius I in 496 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. The relics of St. Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which “remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV [1288 – 1292]”.[19][20] The flower-crowned skull of Saint Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics are found at Whitefriars in Dublin, Ireland.[21]

Valentine of Terni became bishop of Interamna (now Terni, in central Italy) and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian in 273. He is buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location from Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino). Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas notes that “abstracts of the acts of the two saints were in nearly every church and monastery of Europe.”[22] A relic claimed to be Saint Valentine of Terni’s head was preserved in the abbey of New Minster, Winchester, and venerated.[23]

The Catholic Encyclopedia speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.[24] “

NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT THINGS 

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A Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2024 by Fr. James DiLuzio  

Kate Chopin, a Catholic and early feminist writer of the late 1800’s, authored a short story entitled BEYOND THE BAYOU. La Folle, an African American Creole, is thirty-five years old. She lives alone, self-sufficient working her plot of land, but never crossing the bayou to engage with the world beyond her cabin. Yet she knows, that beyond a stretch of woods, the waterway that she sees is shallow, sometimes nothing more than wet sand. One could walk across it easily. Never mind! She was content, and pleased to welcome people who occasionally came to her home.  

Twenty years before our story takes place, the son of the plantation owner for whom she worked, was wounded in a gun accident in the woods. He ran to her cabin for relief. She nursed the boy into recovery.  

Now fully grown, this boy became the plantation owner himself, and, with life-long gratitude, visits La Folle  often with his wife and children. She becomes exceptionally fond of his ten-year-old son whom she calls “Cherie.” Like his father before him, Cherie goes hunting with his rifle. And he, unlike his father, brings La Folle various game, and, in return, she bakes him cakes which they eat together.  

One day, she hears his cries in the woods. Running to him from her cabin, she finds him gravely injured. His is a wound she cannot heal.  

She picks up the ten-year-old and runs frantically across the bayou for the first time in her life toward Cherie’s family home on the opposite shore. Responding to her screams, the family takes the child from her just as La Folle collapses from exhaustion. The incident leaves her near-death, but in time she recovers.  

Soon afterward, she walks across the bayou, now more casually taking in the scene, appreciating the breeze, the sounds of life all around her. She crosses to  

see Cherie, who is improving, but remains in a state of recovery. When she arrives, his parents tell her he is  

sleeping, but she chooses to wait. It is a Sunday morning, and our story concludes as La Folle sits on the front porch of the family’s house, gazing at the sunrise that hovers up and over the bayou, beyond the trees, above her cabin, smiling as she responds to the golden glow.  

Lovely story, isn’t it? Sometimes it takes a harrowing event, but change will come. Change is inevitable sometimes because of, sometimes despite us. Through necessity or by sheer will, we must claim a new set of priorities for ourselves and others. Jesus tells us repeatedly, “Your vision has to change.”  

The person with leprosy in today’s gospel was ready for change. He saw Jesus in ways that other people did not. And Jesus saw the sick fellow as others did not. One might say this alternate vision, distinct from the commonplace, brought about the person’s healing. Indeed, a different point of view can make a world of difference. 

We have heard today’s Gospel dozens of times, haven’t we? And yet disciples remain startled that Jesus says to the man after he heals him, “Tell no one.”  Why? Why would Jesus say that? The patient is healed. Reborn. Shout it out! Scream “Hallelujah!” No. Instead, Jesus says, “tell no one, “Because he is trying to convey our need to “To Wait.” “Tarry a little.” “To Ponder it.”  

Remember all the nameless people in the Gospels are meant to convey EVERYONE. So, Jesus is saying to the man and to us: 

“Think! This healing is not about You—even though it has begun with you. This healing is not about me—even though it comes through me. Your recovery is an experience of GOD. Everything is about GOD! It is a miracle, but miracles are not ends in themselves; they are beginnings. They are overtures to faith, hope, and love that originates in God.  

So, when we hear a story of a Miracle, know that Jesus is inviting us to look at the world in new way. Miracles are meant to inspire us to new ways of living. Ponder that! 

And while we are pondering this, the Gospel says Jesus tells the man: “Go show yourself to the priest.” In other words, “follow traditions, follow the religious laws and requirements of our faith, but know that even our practices, our rituals are not ends in themselves but God-decreed conduits for change, for something beyond the ordinary. They are vehicles of transportation to a heavenly realm – so that as Jesus lifts us up into a communion with the Saints, heaven comes down to earth, and we see God WITH US in all things.”  

Because God is with us in Christmas and ORDINARY TIME, in miracles and in the mundane, we can see better, live better, choose better. Through sacraments and prayer and lives lived well, Jesus beckons us beyond the world of might makes right, of intimidation, judgments, and cruelty to transform it into the Kingdom of God.  

Franciscan Friar and author Richard Rohr reminds us that the world operates at the lowest degrees of human nature. Societies often employ “the lowest level of motivations to get things going, particularly “rewards-and-punishments.” Jesus knew that this framework can only take us so far. True self-esteem and motivation must come from somewhere else. From someone else. Self-worth comes from God, and knowing each of us are part of God’s grandeur, and a plan for a better world NOW and in the Future, beckoning at every sunrise, at every horizon. 

For only Christ’s love is true love. Only faith in Christ will motivate us to see the true goods there are in this world, and– yes, although there is a lot to discourage us, there is true good here. But we need to tend it, to help it grow. And what is not good, we need to change, and we can, and we will by the grace of God. 

Making a better NOW is the Gospel. The Good News. Dying and Rising is The Kingdom of God. Although we may be afraid of it, it is Jesus’ power of true life. The only fulfilling life. The gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT are in us to reclaim, to activate today, tomorrow, and the next day.  

It is time we see this world of ours as challenging but redeemable. We must LET LOVE HAPPEN. Lent is on the horizon. It is time for a CHANGE. We need to pick up our lifeless world and run with it. Go for the goal beyond the Superbowl. Allow the kingdom of God to take precedent NOW for a better future tomorrow. As you come to the Eucharistic table today, take and eat the Vision that is for you, for me, for everyone: the Kingdom of God is at hand. 

TOGETHER IN HOPE Winter Issue 2023

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Compiled by Fr. James DiLuzio CSP

As we anticipate the oncoming of WINTER in the Northern Hemisphere (I believe all our subscribers are in the Northern Hemisphere) and continue to celebrate Hanukkah, Advent, and prepare for Christmas, and Kwanzaa, I invite us to acknowledge upcoming festivals beyond our more commonly known ones. (Kwanzaa begins 16 December 2023 through 1 January 2024.) More on Kwanzaa? See: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kwanzaa), Before you do, I invite the Christians among us to explore my blog entry: Suggestions for a CHRIST-CENTERED CHRISTMAS (Revised & Updated) But now, here’s this:

The Winter Solstice

21 December 2023  Winter Solstice. (Pagan origins but commemorated in a variety of ways by almost every religious tradition) Actually, scientists designate it as an official “moment” on a particular day and not a “day” at all. What is constant: the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice usually takes place between December 20 and 23, depending on the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the 2023 winter solstice will occur on December 21, 10:28 p.m. EST. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will occur on June 21 at 14:58 GMT which is 10:58 a.m. EDT. Source # 1: https://starwalk.space/en/news/what-is-a-solstice

Source # 2: https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/winter-solstice.html

Source # 3: WINTER SOLSTICE 2023 around the WORLD: https://www.rd.com/list/winter-solstice-traditions/

YULE

22 December 2023: YULE: What we used to designate as “Pagan” religions, are finding a growing number of adherents today. Along with many others, the contemporary Wicca movement celebrates YULE, marking the New Year in the Anglo-Saxon and northern traditions of Wicca. It honors the birth of the god called the “Winter Born King.” It is described as a time for ritually shedding the impurities of the past year, and for contemplating avenues of spiritual development in the year ahead. Source: Multifaith Calendar 2023 published by The Multifaith Action Society https://multifaithaction.jimdo.com/ More on “Paganism” begins with a good definition https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paganism and this website among many others: https://www.learnreligions.com/overview-of-modern-paganism-2561680

BUDDHIST WINTER COMMEMORATION

December 26: Sanghamitta Day–the Anniversary of the arrival of Sanghamitta, daughter of King Asoka, who started the Order of Nuns in Sri Lanka and brought a branch of the Bodhi Tree (which still survives in the ancient capital of Anuradhapura). It occurs on /near the Full Moon day of December

Source: Multifaith Calendar 2023 published by The Multifaith Action Society https://multifaithaction.jimdo.com/ More on this at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree and, for your convenience: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Buddhism

BOXING DAY

December 26: BOXING DAY Does anyone actually remember any of the possible explanations for this observance in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? Hint: it has nothing to do with a sport requiring gloves that takes place in a designated space encircled by a rope. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Boxing-Day

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PRAY FOR PEACE

As we continue to grieve the Russian-Ukranian War, the Israeli-Hamas War, and the pervasive violence evident throughout the world, I offer you this plaintive song by Judy Collins written in 1994 during the Yugoslav War 1991-2001 in the Balkans. Entitled Song for Sarajevo (I Dream of Peace), it conveys the kind of heartbreak all war should invoke along with a prayer of hope. Listening to it keeps me sensitive to human suffering in all of its forms and contexts. It engages me in prayer. Let me know what you find helpful as conduits to prayer in the comment section below.

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A PRAYER FOR PEACE (from Catholic Relief Service)

Lord, Father of our human family,

You created all human beings equal in dignity:

pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit

and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter,

dialogue, justice, and peace.

Move us to create healthier societies,

          and a more dignified world,

          a world without hunger, poverty, violence, and war.

May our hearts be open

          to all the peoples and nations of the earth,

May we recognize the goodness and beauty

          that you have sown in each of us,

          and thus, forge bonds of unity,

          common projects, and shared dreams.

https://www.crs.org/

PLEASE ADD in the comments YOUR FAVORITE CHARITY so we may have an abundance of Multi-faith agencies at our fingertips. Perhaps, in the future, we could pledge to a friend’s agency to honor another faith or denomination’s life-giving efforts.

MORE ON WAR AND PEACE

FREE DOWNLOAD: HOW TO TALK TO JUST ABOUT ANYONE ABOUT ISRAEL PALESTINE: https://www.mybrotherfromanothermother.org/download-guide/

I became aware of this resource through an online event sponsored by https://www.sharingsacredspaces.org/ — a website we all need to “Bookmark” for the many seminars, programs, and educational tools it offers for Interfaith dialogue. The program was entitled “The Israeli-Palestinian Situation: Skills for Conflict Transformation” offered by long-time peace activist Dr. Yehezkel Landau whose website offers a multitude of resources. https://landau-interfaith.com/ AND https://www.mybrotherfromanothermother.org/

SOURCES FOR ONGOING EDUCATION – Engaging in Controversies in Conversation:

HOW DID WE GET HERE? I want to offer you a Terrific Presentation on the Modern History of the Conflict Between the Jews and Palestinian Peoples PART ONE. I attended this workshop offered by Fordham University’s Center for Jewish Studies in New York City “LIVE.” I was in awe of the way these two revered professors artfully condensed and contextualized the essential roots of the trials and suffering of two peoples that began in the 19th century. I think you will find this presentation helpful in distancing us, if only a bit, from the strong emotions the current war invokes in all who want to talk about it. I am confident we all agree that more education will help.

You may contribute to the many efforts of Fordham’s Center for Jewish Studies here: https://www.fordham.edu/academics/departments/jewish-studies/

Here are some more extraordinary websites to add to the conversation:

Dueling Narratives, Shared Histories
https://thirdnarrative.org/narratives/

BOOK CLUB 2024

I continue to ask for input on these choices for next year. WHAT IS GOD? by John Haught. The author suggests five ways of thinking realistically about God by reflecting on profound human depth experiences of the Future (aka ‘Horizon’), Freedom, Beauty, and Truth.  Dates: I will offer morning and evening sessions the WEEK OF FEBRUARY 4 through 9th. Times to be designated after all confirm their interest. Please Respond by Monday, January 15th with your available dates and preferred time frame Morning or Evening.

Available at https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/2754-7/what-is-god.aspx

In JUNE 2024, I propose we try WHAT IS RELIGION? by the same author. In this book, John Haught invites us “to uncover what it is that religions have in common: the archetypal human need to find meaningful routes through life, and to stay in touch with their spiritual potential.”

Available at 

https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/3117-X/what-is-religion.aspx

More about John Haught here: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/John_F._Haught

Suggestions for a CHRIST-CENTERED CHRISTMAS (Revised & Updated)

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 I BEFORE THE DAY BEGINS:  

  1. Invite dinner guests with musical ability to bring their musical instruments
  2. Have family members set DVR to pre-record Football Games; pre-record or purchase/rent CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, or other cartoons, or CHRISTMAS MOVIES.  These will be handy for intervals such as between main meal and desert or as alternate After Meal Activities.
  3. Community Games to Have on Hand:  Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash
  4. Music via CD, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube (See item VIII below)
  5. POST-ITS with #s on them, coordinated to # of guests.  Separate #s for Adults and # for Children.  Have each guest take a #. (Children’s # on one color post-it; adults, another)
  6. Display and have available a Bible & Children’s Bible opened to Luke, Chapter 2.
  7. A Book(s) or Copy of Clement C. Moore’s THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, the poem/song THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, and a BIBLE or a copy of THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, Chapter 2, verses 1 to 20. he Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2 verse 1 to 20. Have these available for After Dinner Activity.
  8. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/visit-st-nicholas
  9. http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_(song)
  10. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=NABRE
  11. Christmas Carol Music Books or Song Sheet or PowerPoint copies displayable on TV (If your TV & computer are integrated, have the “tech” in the family work on this in the weeks prior to Christmas.  Otherwise, make copies of Song Sheets or just the lyrics.)
  12. A book OR website reference with stories about Saint Nichola (Recommendations appear at the end of this page.)
  13. OPTIONAL PLEASE AND THANK YOU GAME with Charitable Component: INVITE GUESTS TO BRING A SINGLE $ 1. BILL for each member of his or her family or party to participated in a PLEASE & THANK YOU GAME. Designate a charity and let them know what the dollars are for in advance OR have everyone vote on one of two or three choices before Grace (E.G, Catholic Charities for Puerto Rico Relief or Catholic Relief Services or Unicef.). Have some extra $1 bills around for those who forget. tab The FIRST TIME anyone forgets to say Please” or “Thank You,” from the beginning of the Meal (after Grace) to end of dinner (i.e. “please pass the potatoes; thank you), he or she gets a WARNING.  The SECOND TIME he or she must surrender their dollar into a basket. Proceeds go to the previously announced charity. At the end of the day, people may contribute the Remaining Dollars or additional $ if they wish to the cause.

I   CHRISTMAS EVE (After Mass) Or CHRISTMAS MORNING MORNIN: Replace the colored Advent Candles from your Advent Wreathe with White Candles, and add a fifth White Or Gold Candle at the center of the Wreathe.  

Prayers for the Occasion available in Catholic Book of Blessings and online at http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/adbless.htm

II CHRISTMAS MORNING: A Short Prayer before Opening Gifts: “Thank you God for the Gift of Christ in our lives. May the beauty of his birth bring new life to our faith and help us to appreciate all life, all children throughout the world. Thank you for the gifts before us.  Fill us with Gratitude for you and for one another. Keep us young at heart.  Amen.” 

  1. If young children are patient, read Luke 2: 1- 21 and Matthew 2: 1-13, Sing “Silent Night” or “We, Three Kings,” otherwise read and sing AFTER Presents are opened.
  2. Sing “God Bless Ye, Merry Gentleman” if all are receptive for another carol.

III  CHRISTMAS DINNER PRAYER: “Dear God, Here We Are–Our family and friends–and these are the feelings we bring to this Christmas Day.  Helps us understand the beautiful way You accept each us as we are. Make us confident in your love so that we may be at peace and feel your presence among us.  Help us to make the most of this meal, this day, and our time together.”  Then invite everyone to join in the Traditional Grace before Meals, OR if your company is of mixed religions, substitute the Christian Grace with this:

Multi-Faith Sensitive Prayer: “Blessed are YOU, Source of Life, God known by so many names, help us to experience Joy this Christmas Day and lead all peoples on to the pathway of peace.   Bless all our family and guests.  Bless our Meal and our Conversation. Amen.” 

IV    FIRST COURSE ACTIVITY (soup/salad), and /or Hors D’oeuvres:

  1. Ask: What do you remember about the First Christmas Story?  Include both the Biblical, Legend and Folk tales if you wish.   Begin with the children by number, then adults by number. Everyone gets “help” sharing the Christmas Story as needed.
  2. Conclude First Course by having someone Read Luke 2: 1- 21 and Matthew 2: 1-13

V MAIN COURSE:

Announce the OPTIONAL PLEASE AND THANK YOU GAME with Charitable Component (Details described above), and, if decided before hand, remind guests that at the end of the meal, people may contribute any remaining dollars or additional $s to the decided upon charity, if they wish. Reassure children they do not have to contribute. They may keep their dollar as a reward for good manners!

  • ASK: What event or circumstance are most significant for me about Jesus’ story today?
  • Invite each Guest to share his or her memories of the best Christmas that they have ever experienced and why it is an important memory for him or her. TRY TO KEEP THE MEAL AS LEASURELY AND UN-RUSHED AS POSSILBE.
  • Any Similarities between Jesus’ story and the Christmas memories shared?

VI   AFTER MEAL BREAK ACTIVITY:  Share Birth Stories during walks & pre-dessert clean ups:

  1. During the break, have all guests recall the story of the day each of them was born.  Allow time for the elders to inform youngsters if they haven’t already. Everyone will be invited to share his or her birth story during desert.

 VII DURING AND AFTER DESERT: Share Birth Stories

  • After each person shares his or her birth story, invite everyone to say “As the Angels Sang for Jesus, the Angels Sang for you, too!  Everyone’s part of the story!  Everyone’s part of God’s plan!”
  • Invite Spontaneous Prayer: “For Whom and for What Shall We Pray for this Christmas Day?”
  • Sing “Angels We Have Heard on High –Gloria in Excelsis Deo!”

VIII AFTER DINNER ACTIVITY: Have everyone participate in Clean-Up:

  • Please and Thank You Option: As dinner concludes, invite guests to contribute any remaining dollars or Make an Additional contribution to the chosen Charity. Once Again reassure children they do not have to contribute. They may keep their dollar as a reward for good manners!
  • Divide Your Guests into Two or Three Teams: 
  • The Kitchen Clean-up Team:
  • The Go-for-a-Walk Team
  • Living Room Team
  • Invite each team to CHOOSE and then collectively memorize THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS OR THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS OR LUKE’S GOSPEL CHAPTER 2 verses 1 to 20. All three teams may choose the same text, or each take a different text — whatever they like.

IX AFTER DINNER & CLEAN-UP:

  • Each team recites collectively or designates a NARRATOR to recite their texts. Anyone and everyone can help should anyone stumble! Designate “An ANGEL” to review the texts as each are recited. The Angel Can Help, too! Which Team Wins?
  • Read one of the many stories and legends about Saint Nicholas or the Story of THE CHERRY TREE CAROL (See Below)

X MORE AFTER DINNER ACTIVITIES

  • Gather ‘round a piano and Sing Carols Together
    • Guess each person’s favorite Christmas Album / Cd and Favorite version and vocalist of any Christmas song
    • Have Christmas CDs (Vocalists/ Choirs) and have people sing-a-long.
    • Conclude with Christmas Caroling in the Neighborhood

XI CHRISTMAS FAREWELL BLESSINGS

Before individual farewells, or as each person or family prepare to leave: BLESS EACH GUEST individually or collectively: “May the Spirit of Christmas remain in your heart—the joy of life, the gift of family, and angels singing your song as you continue to compose it all the days of your life. May your song(s) give God glory!”

INVITE ALL TO SING “WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS”

BOOKS

Catholic Book of Household Blessings

To Dance with God by Gertrude Mueller Nelson features Great Ideas for Family Rituals & Prayers for Feast Days and Holidays throughout the Year

THE BAKER’S DOZEN story of Saint Nicholas by Aaron Shepherd — Appropriate for children and children of all ages!

Other Resources:

THE SAINT NICHOLAS CENTER: This Home Page story is good to share with children https://www.stnicholascenter.org/how-to-celebrate/resources/teachers/stories-classroom/legend-of-saint-nicholas

For more adult sensibilities: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/who-was-st-nicholas/. AND https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/who-is-st-nicholas.html NOTE: Should you choose to share from these websites, the histories note that St. Nicholas Day, December 6, celebrates Nicholas’ death — i.e. entry into heaven as it is with all Saints. Be sure to omit this with young children present OR offer this: “Of course, Saint Nicholas, Santa, is in heaven! How else would he have the power to bring gifts and inspire gift-giving and love everywhere! The North Pole is a magical place with spiritual travel from heaven to earth!” ENTER INTO THIS CONVERSATION WITH GREAT CARE!

Blessing of Advent Wreathe and Christmas Manger : http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/adbless.htm

Advent Prayers and Rituals: http://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=1423

Here’s a fascinating article on THE CHERRY TREE CAROL:

The Origins of “The Cherry Tree Carol”

Suggestions prepared by Fr. James DiLuzio CSP     Updated                     December  2023

Suggestions for a Prayerful Thanksgiving 

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James DiLuzio, CSP

By James DiLuzio, CSP, Director of the Paulist Associates

How can we make THANKSGIVING a truly prayerful AND joyful day for everyone!  Here are a number of suggestions — you cannot possibly observe them all! — but use it as a springboard for your prayer group to gather and share your experiences. Ask: : 

1. What is your best and worst Thanksgiving memory? How might you turn both experiences into a prayer for this year? 

2. Taking the “Best” Stories –FOR CHRISTIANS: How were these “Best of Meals” like or unlike a Eucharist or Lord’s Supper? FOR JEWS: How were these “Best of Meals” like or unlike Passover or Sukkot meals? FOR MUSLIMS: How were these “Best of Meals” like or unlike Ramadan meal celebrations? FOR SIKHS: How were these “Best of Meals” like or unlike Langar? FOR HINDUS: How were these “Best of Meals” for Thanksgiving like or unlike ONAM? FOR BUDDHISTS: How were these like or unlike your New Year celebrations? Discuss your answers with all who are sharing in your Thanksgiving meal. Close with Spontaneous Prayer or a favorite Thanksgiving Prayer in your tradition.

3. Read TRUMAN CAPOTE’S short story THE THANKSGIVING VISITOR prior to your next meeting and share your thoughts and feelings about this very poignant and humorous story. Remember: Paulist Spirituality keeps us engaged in dialogue with our culture. The story takes place in the past but the relationship dynamics are perennial.

Truman Capote reads “The Thanksgiving Visitor” on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CbbJ4iClrWI

Listen to Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Full Soundtrack on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsZBEng7aJM

1. BEFORE THE DAY BEGINS:  

• Set DVR to pre-record Thanksgiving Day parade(s) and Football Games; pre-record or purchase/rent CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING or other cartoons

• Book or Paper Copy of OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOODS by Lydia Maria Child * and other Autumn / Thanksgiving Poems such as The MIST & ALL (Keep aside until DESERT COURSE)

• Community Games to Have on Hand: Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash

• A Card Table with Index Cards & pens/pencils, a Small Basket or Shoebox and One Sheet of Paper with these 2 “Treasured Gifts” Questions printed:

— “What experience this year do I treasure most?”
— “What gift have I received from last Birthday or Christmas to date that I still enjoy?”

• Music via CD, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube (See item IX below) 

2. DURING ARRIVALS and /or Hors D’oeuvres: Invite everyone to print on an index card or post-it their response to this question: 

“What experience have I treasured most this year?” and /or
“What gift have I received from last Thanksgiving or Christmas to date that I still enjoy?”

Place these “Treasured Gifts” papers in a small basket and place the basket on or near the dining table. During the first course, guests will try to guess who wrote what. 

3.  TRADITIONAL GRACE “PLUS”Each guest identifies how they feel today using one “Feeling Word.” (“Happy,” “Sad,” “Thankful,” “Frustrated,” etc.) No judgments allowed! Then, pray: “Dear God, Here We Are — Our family and friends — and these are the feelings we bring to this Thanksgiving Day. Helps us understand the beautiful way You accept each us as we are. Make us confident in your love so that we may be at peace and feel your presence among us. Help us to make the most of this meal, this day, and our time together.” Then invite everyone to join in the Traditional Grace before Meals, OR if your company is of mixed religions, substitute the Christian Grace with this: “Blessed are YOU, Source of Life, God known by so many names, help us to experience GRATITUDE, for gratefulness is the pathway to mutual affection and the road to peace. Bless our Meal and our Conversation. Amen.” 

4. FIRST COURSE ACTIVITY (Soup/Salad/Antipasto): Treasured Gifts: Each person takes a paper and reads it aloud. Guests try to guess who wrote it—i.e. match the statement with its author. Once guessed, invite the person to share why he or she is thankful for this gift. 

5. DURING THE MAIN MEAL:Invite each Guest to share his or her memories of the best Thanksgiving OR ANY SPECIAL MEAL that they have ever experienced and why it is an important memory for him or her. 

6.  AFTER THE MAIN MEAL PRAYER: Thanksgiving is a Day of Gratitude which is a Day of Prayer. Before we take a break, I invite us to share our prayers for one another and others. For whom and what should we pray?” Close with Psalm 121.

7.  AFTER MEAL WALKS & PRE-DESSERT CLEAN UPS:Postpone desert and encourage Physical Activity: walks outdoors or help in the kitchen if weather does not permit, Football fans can catch up on the game; Others PLAY COMMUNITY GAMES and/or access your DVR for the recorded PARADE(s) or Cartoons. 

8. DURING DESERT:  

1. Together recall the Thanksgiving Poem: Over the River and Through the Woods —
After everyone has had a try reciting or singing a verse, pass around the copy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_River_and_Through_the_Wood

2. Invite guests to share any favorite poems, rhymes, riddles or Autumn memories. 

9. EVERYONE JOINS IN FOR FINAL CLEAN UP

(OR, if space limitations in the kitchen, create Two Teams: Those who go for walks and/or into the living room; and those who help in the Kitchen. Try to have each team mixed with all ages, both men/woman/boys/girls if possible. Each team memorizes OVER THE RIVER—as many verses as possible. Afterwards, gather together and see which Team remembers the most. 

10. SOCIAL TIME:

— Community Games to Have on Hand: Charades, Pictionary, Balderdash

— Dancing: Access Music via CD, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube

— Old Fashioned WALTZ; I recommend “O Mio Babbino Caro” sung by Kiri Tekanawa (CD: Kiri Te Kanawa Sings Verdi & Puccini Arias; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRuYQ9KRJms

— Celebrate Married Couples with “I Dreamed of You” by Barbra Streisand: (CD Barbra Streisand: A Love Like Ours; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpp0qjpUyIg

11. FAREWELLSAs each person prepares to leave, ask if they would like a final Thanksgiving Blessing. If yes, the Hosts may place their hands on each guest’s head or shoulders and pray the PRIESTLY BLESSING from the Book of Numbers, Chapter 6: 24-26: The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!  The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! “Conclude with “Safe home! Godspeed! God bless!” 

12. OPTIONAL CHARITABLE COMPONENT TO THANKSGIVING DAY:
INVTIE GUESTS TO BRING A SINGLE $ 1. BILL for each member of his or her family or party to participated in a PLEASE & THANK YOU GAME. Designate a charity and let them know what the dollars are for in advance OR have everyone vote on one of two or three choices before Grace (E.G, Catholic Charities for Puerto Rico Relief or Catholic Relief Services or Unicef.) Have some extra $1. bills around for those who forget.). The FIRST TIME anyone forgets to say Please” or “Thank You,” from the beginning of the Meal (after Grace) to end of dinner (i.e. “please pass the potatoes; thank you), he or she gets a WARNING. The SECOND TIME he or she must surrender their dollar into a basket. Proceeds go to the previously announced charity. At the end of the day, people may contribute the Remaining Dollars or additional $ if they wish to the cause.  

More Details at https://frjamesdiluzio.com/2017/11/18/keeping-thanksgiving-spirit-filled/ 

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video THANKSGIVING VISITOR TRUMAN CAPOTE READS RECORD LP

THANKSGIVING VISITOR TRUMAN CAPOTE READS RECORD LPPreview YouTube video Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Full SoundtrackCharlie Brown Thanksgiving Full SoundtrackPreview YouTube video Kiri te Kanawa – O mio babbino caro – PucciniKiri te Kanawa – O mio babbino caro – PucciniPreview YouTube video I’ve Dreamed of YouI’ve Dreamed of You

The Horrors of Hamas and a Possible Solution

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Rev. James M. DiLuzio CSP

9 October 2023 and REVISED 10 October due to recent events

 On October 9th, I began my post with Prayers for the Jewish People and the Nation of Israel. Hamas’ attack is not only anti-Israel, it evidences true hatred for the Jewish people. I now must call for prayers for all the innocent Palestinian civilians, including so many children and infants, killed by what I believe is Israel’s inordinate revenge. You will note in my post (see below) that I hoped the Israeli government would be far more moderate in its response to terrorism than the USA was in response to 9/11. That has not happened, and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to cut off all water and electricity to the entire Gaza region is a humanitarian crisis in itself.

I still hold to my belief that it remains a tragedy that Gaza did not build its own infrastructure and free its dependence on Israel in much the same way our nation’s states maintain independent infrastructure apart from federal interstate issues. How much the Israeli government and how much Gaza governing bodies are responsible for that crisis, is too complicated to go into here. With that stated, here’s my original post, with some revisions. .

I’ve been thinking a lot about this and here’s what I have to say: The Horrors of Hamas and a Possible Solution Rev. James M. DiLuzio CSP 10 October 2023 REVISED TYPE IN BOLD

The tragedy of Humas and its attack on Israel, over 900 dead at the latest count this morning, makes it evident that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Aligned with hate for Israel along with its confreres in Iran.* Hamas and its counterparts have confirmed that they have a devastating hatred for the Jewish people as a whole –Racism and its violent expressions are among the world’s greatest sins.

Hamas’ leaders, and those who support them from other nations, need to be arrested and brought before an International Tribunal and tried for war crimes, and crimes against humanity. This is what the US should have done after 9/11. Yes, it was fitting that we went into Afghanistan in search of Taliban organizers, but the escalation of bombing there and the subsequent invasion of Iraq proved unwarranted. How much Afghanistan was willing to help identify the perpetrators is not widely known. Still, Hundreds of thousands if not a million or more people died as a result, and US tactics proved immoral in my estimation. With that in mind, Israel and its allies need to respond to the attacks, but I pray, they will do so with caution and restraint, to protect the hostages, and innocent civilians.

In brief, it seems right and just that Israel should use its military power to identify and arrest all responsible for the deaths of civilians, the hostage crisis, and other atrocities, but Israel should learn from our mistakes. Hopefully, perpetrators will soon be arrested, and then the government should bring them before the World Court as an example of what comprises true justice and honesty in human relations. Yes, Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank have legitimate reasons to protest the Israeli government, but now is the time for them to organize peaceful demonstrations, marches, and offer humane steps for compromise and collaboration. Furthermore, it is time Palestinians elect leaders with a deeper sense of humanity, people who can propose policies that offer stability, dignity, and reverence for all.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_in_the_war_in_Afghanistan_(2001–2021)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War

Here’s a little more insight to the bigger picture:

The crimes of Hamas over the decades go even beyond Hamas’ violence, exposing the roots of its loss of humanity. As Thomas Friedman wrote in the NYTIMES (October 7: “Israel’s Worst Day at War”):

“Hamas has been a deadly curse for the Palestinian people since it took over Gaza in 2007. The billion-plus dollars in aid that it received from Qatar alone over the years could have gone into building Gaza into a productive society, with decent schools, universities, and infrastructure, that might have been a model for a future Palestinian state with the West Bank. Instead, Hamas has devoted most of its energies and resources to digging tunnels into Israel and building rockets to try to destroy a vastly more powerful enemy — thus depriving Gazans of any chance to realize their full potential, via a government that is decent, democratic, and productive.”

* Note: In my first version, I added Qatar to Iran as another nation supporting Hamas. I’ve deleted Qatar in this context due to this statement in the Washington Post at 11 am, 10 October 2023: ” Qatar works with Hamas to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in the Gaza Strip, but it does not directly support the group.”

PS: I am posting this opinion on my FACEBOOK Page as well. If you prefer to dialogue there go to LUKELIVE on Facebook. Otherwise, I welcome comments below. Note that a couple have come in already and are worth your consideration.

ECUMENICAL and MULTI-FAITH BOOK CLUB NEWS

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Time to Pick a Book for 2024

The consensus from our 2023 Book Clubgroups (25 people in total, split evenly between SABBATH by Abraham Joshua Hershel and THE LIGHT WE GIVE by Simran Jeet Singh) is that it would be best to choose ONE BOOK ONLY each year to gather more participants. Late January / early February may be the best time with ZOOM possibilities on weekdays – both afternoon and evening. OFFER YOUR SUGGESTIONS to me NOW or CHOOSE from the titles listed below. Please do not delay so we may get started! Send your responses to jamesdiluzio@gmail.com    Here are six book ideas to get us started:

  1. REVERSING THE RIVERS A MEMOIR OF HISTORY, HOPE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS by William F. Schulz  Reversing the Rivers (pennpress.org)   From 1994 to 2006, William F. Schulz headed Amnesty International USA.  Reversing the Rivers: A Memoir of History, Hope, and Human Rights by William F. Schulz, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)
  • THE RELIGION OF TOMORROW: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions – More Inclusive, More Comprehensive, More Complete by Ken Wilbur. This is quite a tome. If chosen, we could discuss half the book in January, the second half in June. The

Alternate Ken Wilbur Book (Much Shorter!) A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYTHING

 A Brief History of Everything (20th Anniversary Edition): Wilber, Ken: 9781611804522: Amazon.com: Books

ALL WE CAN SAVE: TRUTH, COURAGE, AND SOLUTIONS FOR THE CLIMATE CRISIS edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katherine K. Wilkinson One World; Illustrated edition (September 22, 2020). Named one of the best books of the year by Smithsonian magazine. There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration.. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

 

FAITH IN CONSERVATION: New Approaches to Religions and the Environment (Directions in Development) Paperback – August 3, 2003, only 182 pages! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0821355597/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0