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Month: May 2010

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Homilies

Fifth Sunday of Easter (C)

First reading: Acts 14:21-27
Psalm: Ps 145:8-13
Epistle: Revelation 21:1-5
Gospel: John 13:31-35

—I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.—

Christ is risen, Alleluia!
Indeed He is risen. Alleluia!

It’s all about timing:

We all have experiences and stories to tell about timing. Remember the time I was in the right place at the right time? Boy, did he time his stock investments poorly! Ben Franklin picked the right night and the right storm to go fly a kite. A good comedian uses comic timing, rhythm and tempo to enhance comedy and humor.

The Church is illustrating timing in today’s readings. Paul and Barnabas were traveling, moving from place to place. All of us have traveled to one extent or another, and we know, travel involves time and timing. Jesus is with His disciples at the Last Supper. The time came and Judas left. Leaving is a matter of time and timing. Jesus says: —Now is the Son of Man glorified.— Now is a factual assessment of time. In Revelation we hear of the moment in time when all is brought to fulfillment. The heavenly Jerusalem is established on earth. Time is no more. All that is former has passed away.

It takes time to learn:

Jesus’ Last Supper discourse, as recorded by St. John, is lengthy. He talks about many things and tries to give His disciples a comprehensive understanding of all He has taught. He wants them to live a new life in accord with the Gospel message. This passage of teachings, explanations, and exhortations is recorded over five chapters; Chapters 13-17. Can you imagine the time it took? Could we think that perhaps the Disciples didn’t get it all?

Time has passed, and centuries of reading and proclaiming should be showing us the way. The essential message revealed by Jesus, and through the passing of time, is this: If we exist with our focus on time and events we miss the thing that surpasses and is beyond time, love.

A culture of love:

Jesus is defining, in these very few words from that long discourse, what we are to do. We are to —love one another.—

This loving of one another is something in time, but also outside of time. The act of loving is completely present and now.

This makes me think of those sci-fi stories with time travel and experiments that take people outside of time. Imagine traveling through time as a being that exists outside of its constraints. Imagine, if you would, being present at every moment that ever existed, simultaneously.

That is what our being as Christians is — a totality of love, where time is no more; where love exists in and trough all people for all eternity. That love, that culture and life of love, surpasses our mortal selves. We are in the moment of now. This moment is now and it is new.

New love:

Jesus calls this commandment of love a new commandment. He uses a word, —kainos— in Greek, which is only used a few times in the Bible. This kainos, this kind of new, can refer to something that didn’t exist before. It can also refer to something that existed previously, but was not fully known or understood.

The love Jesus speaks of is not new, because it has always existed — God’s love is eternal. Rather, we have been called to understand AND live kainos love, new love, through Jesus.

So obvious it’s boring

Are you bored yet? A friend once told me that he stopped going to church because he kept hearing the same thing over and over. We pride ourselves on our intelligence and learning. For him there was nothing new. I am sure he asked, ‘Why do we have to hear about love over and over.’

The Gospel, the lives of the saints, are replete with love. Open to a page in the Gospels or the Epistles and you’ll likely trip over the word love. The same boring theme, yes, love one another, we heard it in the Good Samaritan homily: We are to love one another as we love ourselves. We heard about the Good Shepherd’s love last week.

The problem we face as we hear this message of love time and time again, from Sunday to Sunday, Holy Day to Holy Day, is not boredom, but getting to the next level. We need to move beyond love as a momentary thing, a set of examples and best practices, a point in time — to love as state of existence. We need to evolve into people of complete, total, unconditional, and overwhelming love.

Continuity

Judas left in time, and Jesus said NOW! In an instant, things changed. In an instant, our state of being changed.

Judas left in time to sin, to initiate betrayal. Jesus would NOW glorify God by His death. In Jesus’ death ‘the Son of Man [is] glorified.‘ John emphasized this theme from the very beginning of his gospel. All references to —glorification— emphasize that the incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection can never be separated as points in time. Jesus is the single expression, the continuum and eternity of God’s ultimate purpose, His ultimate love that is beyond and above time.

Our kainos love, our new love then is to understand that we transcend time and are the people of God’s eternal loving. We are joined in Jesus Christ to the continuum and eternity of God’s ultimate love. Like God, we are to constantly live that love, yes in time, but also beyond time.

Because we are Jesus’ “own,” we are asked to enter into the kind of love that marks the relationship of the Father and Son. Our participation in this relationship will be shown in the same way that Jesus’ is: by acts of transcending love that join the believer to God.

Keeping the commandment of love is our identifying mark because it shows in very real ways at we abide in God’s love.

In action:

If we are to transcend time and live the commandment of kainos love, new love, it will be through our understanding and our living in witness to the world.

Like the early church from Acts —“ we are to share our resources so that no one would be in need (Acts 4:34-35). From Acts today, we hear of the Church together —“ not congregations or parishes, but the Church joined in love across many localities. From Galatians 3:28, we have a picture of a united community that transcends race, economic status, or gender.

With us it must be the same. We must have love that envelops all those within the Church, the old and new members; those who believe that the parish ministry is to its members and those who believe that it is to the unchurched.

As Christians, we are called to love all people beyond the constraints of time — even enemies — in the name of Jesus Christ. We are to hold a special love for spouses, children, and family members. In a similar way, we are to love all our brothers and sisters who proclaim Christ. We are to be a family to one another. We are to love the living and love those who sleep in Christ —“ because while to us they appear to sleep, they live.

During this past week we honored all workers who died in the course of performing their jobs. April 28th was Workers’ Memorial Day. Across the nation, people of faith are taking action to strengthen their ministry with and for workers—”workers within and outside their congregation.

In our sad economy, too many workers are not paid wages and benefits that can support families. Many have their wages stolen, and are treated as slaves. In Arizona, government sees race over justice. Poverty is growing. The rights of people to forge their own destiny, to organize unions, to improve wages or benefits, are met with subtle and violent resistance.

The history of the Holy Polish National Catholic Church is replete with stories of the Church’s stand for worker justice, education, fair wages, and the right to organize. Let us make that stand once again, in this time. Parishes and faith-based organizations are on the front lines of providing soup kitchens and shelters. So too, we must stand on the front lines of justice for workers so that people won’t need soup kitchens and shelters to survive.

Today is about timing, and moving beyond time to the love of the Father and the Son. Taking a stand to live in transcendent love, to love in real ways, and to love proactively is Christian. We are to do that because He told us:

—This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.—

Amen.

Christian Witness, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , , ,

Good shepherds among Poland’s Mountaineers

The blessing of herds and shepherds in Ludźmierz, Poland. The blessing innaugurates the spring shepherding season and the lambing of the ewes. The blessing occurs on or near Good Shepherd Sunday. For more on the shepherding life see the Guardian article: Bleating heart.

Photos from Interia. Note that the chausibles worn by the priests are in the mountaineer style.

Media, Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Station wins Murrow Award for Polish Legacy Project reporting

From WBFO: WBFO receives two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards

The Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) honored WBFO Wednesday with two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.

WBFO’s coverage of the crash of Flight 3407 in Clarence was honored in the breaking news category. Reporters who contributed to our first day coverage were News Director Mark Scott, Assistant News Director Eileen Buckley, Arts Editor Joyce Kryszak, Morning Edition hosts Bert Gambini and Howard Riedel and intern Avery Schneider.

Joyce Kryszak’s piece on the Polish Legacy Project received the Murrow Award for feature reporting.

The RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in electronic journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards since 1971. Murrow’s pursuit of excellence in journalism embodies the spirit of the awards that carry his name. Murrow Award recipients demonstrate the spirit of excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession…

Events, PNCC, , , ,

65TH Annual PNCC/YMS of R Bowling Tournament

The 65th Annual PNCC/YMS of R Bowling Tournament is being held in Scranton, Pa. May 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2010. The host parish will be Saint Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Cathedral. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Anthony A. Mikovsky will be the honorary chairman.

The tournament committee has established the Comfort Suites —“ Scranton as the official hotel of the bowling tournament.

If you desire any additional information concerning the Bowling Tournament, please contact:

Joseph E. Ross —“ General Chairman
613 Willow St.
Scranton, PA 18505
P: 570-241-2772

or

Artie Golembeski Jr.
1208 S. Irving Ave.
Scranton, PA 18505
P: 570-575-5231

The tournament also has a Facebook page. There is still time to sign up, so, save the dates of May 21st, 22nd and 23rd and get your application packet in.

Schedule
Application
Award Banquet Reservations
Rules
Lodging
Directions

Christian Witness, Perspective, Political, , ,

Do not separate work from religious practice

A forum at the New America Foundation finds that discourse on workplace flexibility issues must include religious practices. As issues surrounding workplace flexibility continue to be part of a national discourse, employers and policymakers should include the needs of religious Americans as part of that debate, several speakers said April 8.

At a discussion sponsored by the New America Foundation, several speakers representing various religious communities, along with a workplace flexibility advocate, discussed past religious discrimination cases based on workers who were denied accommodations for their religious practices. The speakers emphasized that legislation and increased information would help alleviate some of the challenges those workers face.

Katie Corrigan, the co-director of Workplace Flexibility 2010, a public policy initiative based at Georgetown University Law Center, said that the White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility, held March 31, had brought to the fore issues surrounding the needs of working Americans for increased flexibility between work and commitments outside of work.

Although issues of work and religious observance had not been directly addressed at the forum, Corrigan said conflicts between work situations and religious practices were similarly practical challenges to other types of work-life conflicts. “Faith is part of the conversation” on flexibility, she said.

Religion as ‘Part of Identity.’

“People of faith should not be required to leave a part of their identity at the workplace door,” said Richard Foltin, the director of national and legislative affairs at the American Jewish Committee.

Although Congress in 1972 amended the 1964 Civil Rights Act to mandate that employers accommodate religious employees if it did not put an “undue hardship” on the employer, various court rulings have made that standard difficult to enforce, Foltin said.

“Where the force of law is not strong enough, many employers recognize the mutual benefit of finding a fit between the needs of the employer and the employee,” Foltin said. Still, he said that religious discrimination claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had increased significantly since the mid-1990s. Although it was difficult to tell how many of those claims were directly related to accommodations, it was likely that they made up a good portion of the total, Foltin said.

Foltin also said that although no bill had yet been introduced in the current Congress, lawmakers had in the past introduced the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which he said would “provide a broad higher standard of protection to people who need accommodations in the workplace” for their religious practices by changing the interpretation of what constitutes an “undue hardship” for employers. The bill may again be introduced in the current Congress, Foltin said.

Meanwhile, Amardeep Singh, director of programs at the Sikh Coalition, highlighted issues faced by Muslim and Sikh workers who need to wear a turban or head scarf while on the job. He mentioned two instances, which he referred to as “back-of-the-bus cases,” in which employees of an airline and a rental car company were removed from public-facing customer service positions because of the religious articles they wore, and were put in other jobs with no public interaction but with their same pay and benefits.

‘Back-of-the-Bus’ Cases Unacceptable

Courts had ruled that such accommodations were acceptable, Singh said, but he argued that they were unacceptable since they labeled certain workers as “undesirable.” The point of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act was to be “integrative,” Singh said, and when courts interpret cases in this way, it undermines the intent of the law.

Nathan Diament, of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, emphasized the importance of information to issues of religion and workplace flexibility. “Many of the problems that are present come from a lack of information,” he said. For example, many people know about Passover seders that take place on the first and second nights of that holiday, but fewer people know that observant Jews also observe two days at the end of Passover, possibly requiring time off from work.

In addition to holy day observances, other issues that may arise include the need of employees to take small portions of a day to pray or take part in other religious observances, along with conscience issues for employees, such as those surrounding health care workers and abortion.

“On the government enforcement side, in the employer community, and among employees, there’s a lot more information that needs to get out and a lot more education that needs to go on,” Diament said.

The panel also included Zainab Al-Suwaij, executive director of the American Islamic Congress, who said that “by coming together to promote religious diversity in the U.S. we will offer an example to countries and societies around the world”; and Barry Bussey, director of legislative affairs at the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, who said that in general, his experience has been that when employers have been willing to accommodate religious workers, there usually is a way to accommodate them in a mutually satisfactory way.

In summarizing the discussion, Corrigan emphasized that in discussing workplace flexibility, employers and policymakers should recognize that “diversity is the norm. It shouldn’t be a surprise that people have religious obligations, just as it shouldn’t be a surprise that people have family responsibilities,” she said.

Christian Witness, Perspective

Religion = Happiness

From Christian Newswire: Religious People are Happier, Study Says

Researchers at Duke University suggest that people who practice some sort of religion are happier than those who don’t. The new study reveals that religious people have more of a sense of purpose in their lives.

One person who can attest to the validity of these new findings is author David Beato. The premise of his new book, The Power of Prayer, Endurance and Truth, is the influential role that religion has played in his own life.

“As a practicing Catholic I find that my religion offers me security, connectedness, fulfillment, joy and direction,” says Mr. Beato. “It has helped me to overcome some truly staggering obstacles and achieve more than anyone ever thought I would.”

In his memoir, David Beato shares the tales of his poor upbringing in Italy during World War II and his struggle to make it as a successful businessman in America. During his life’s journey Mr. Beato has faced many monumental tests of faith including the death of his beloved son, professional setbacks and deceptive family members.

A number of best-selling books underscore the connection between religious practice and happiness such as The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren or Become a Better You by Joel Osteen.

Many studies have concluded that religion positively influences people’s lives and makes it better. According to the research published in Psychological Bulletin, along with being happier, devoutly religious people tend to:

  • Do better in school
  • Be more organized
  • Live longer
  • Have stronger marriages
  • Raise well-behaved children
  • Maintain better self-control and self-discipline

“I believe religion is very important,” says Mr. Beato, “especially in times like these, with all the issues we face–war, economic problems, political disagreements and so on. We need to have faith more than ever.”

Events, ,

Summer Writers Workshop in Brooklyn, NY

This summer, One Story will be offering an intimate 6-day writers workshop to help answer the question its editors get asked most often by emerging writers: Should I get a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) degree? The workshop will be held July 25 – 30, 2010, at The Old American Can Factory, the curated arts space that houses the One Story offices in Brooklyn, New York.

The week will include morning workshops, afternoon craft lectures, and evening panels with writers, editors, agents, and MFA directors. All events are designed to give students the practical advice they need to either apply for an MFA or launch their career outside of academia.

This unique experience, both practical and creative, is for writers who hope for a career in fiction writing. Students will leave with:

  • A workshopped portfolio they can use as their writing sample
  • Advice from MFA directors about what they look for in an applicant
  • A full understanding of the range of MFA and non-MFA options
  • Insight about what an MFA can offer a writer
  • A breakdown of the financial implications of an MFA
  • A community of writers at the same stage of their career
  • Access to One Story editors and authors
  • A look at the wider publishing world from literary agents, editors, and writers

Applications are being accepted between now and May 31, 2010.

Perspective,

Government employees: higher requirements, more work, less pay

The Center for State and Local Government Excellence reports on a research study commissioned by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). The study determined that the pay gap has increased between employees in private, public sectors.

The pay gap between state and local government, and private sector employees has widened in recent years, with private sector workers’ wages and salaries outstripping those of their public sector counterparts, according to a report released April 28 by the Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the National Institute on Retirement Security.

Among the findings in the report, which looked at two decades of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, are that:

  • Wages and salaries of state and local employees are lower than those for private sector employees with comparable earnings determinants such as education and work experience. State employees typically earn 11 percent less and local employees 12 percent less.
  • During the last 15 years, the pay gap has grown as earnings for state and local workers generally have declined relative to comparable private sector employees. The pattern of declining relative earnings remains true in most of the large states examined in the study, although there are some state-level variations.
  • Benefits make up a slightly larger share of compensation for the state and local sector. But even after accounting for the value of retirement, health care, and other benefits, state and local employees earn less than their private sector counterparts. On average, total compensation is 6.8 percent lower for state employees and 7.4 percent lower for local employees than for comparable private sector employees.
  • Jobs in the public sector typically require more education than private sector positions. Thus, state and local employees are twice as likely to hold a college degree or higher compared to private sector employees. Only 23 percent of private sector employees have completed college, as compared to about 48 percent in the public sector.

‘Picture Is Clear.’

“The picture is clear. In an apples-to-apples comparison, state and local government employees receive less compensation than their private sector counterparts,” Keith A. Bender, a report co-author and economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said in a joint statement from the center and NIRS.

“Jobs in state and local governments consist disproportionately of occupations that demand more education and skills. Indeed, accounting for these differences is critical in understanding compensation patterns,” according to John S. Heywood, a report co-author who also is a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Elizabeth K. Kellar, president and chief executive officer of the center, added that in a recent survey of government hiring managers, the center was told that, despite the economy, managers were finding it difficult to fill vacancies for highly-skilled positions such as engineering, environmental sciences, information technology, and health care professionals. “The compensation gap may have something to do with this,” she said.

Beth Almeida, NIRS executive director, said that the new report showed that the pattern of public sector jobs offering better benefits but with lower pay has continued. “What’s striking is that on a total compensation basis looking at pay and benefits, employees of state and local government still earn less than their private sector counterparts,” she said.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, Political, ,

Honor Immigrant Workers in Your Congregation this weekend

Every day, millions of immigrant workers in the U.S. are not only picking our vegetables and cleaning our office buildings, but are an integral part of the fabric of our congregations and communities. On May 1st, people of faith will join marches, prayer vigils and other events across the country to call on our Congressional leaders to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill that will bring millions of immigrant workers and their families out of the shadows, secure our borders and provide labor protections that will benefit all low-wage workers.

Interfaith Worker Justice is calling on people of faith to stand in support of all low-wage workers, regardless of immigration status. They have invited us to join with them and other national organizations, denominations and faith communities to participate in a National Weekend of Prayer and Action for Immigrant Rights on May 1st and 2nd.

Among the ways our congregations can lift up the voices of immigrant workers during this weekend:

  • Invite an immigrant worker to share his or her story during a worship service
  • Incorporate prayers and liturgies lifting up our immigrant brothers and sisters into your services
  • Provide bulletin inserts, informational materials and other action items for your congregation
  • Initiate a study group using IWJ’s resource For You Were Once A Stranger

IWJ has many resources available for congregations to educate, advocate, and mobilize for our immigrant brothers and sisters. You can find IWJ’s board of directors’ statement on immigration reform here and other materials on their website.

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