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Month: April 2012

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Homilies

Reflection for Good Shepherd Sunday

Baaaaaaaa!
I’ll be right there.

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me”

Some of us may remember that time where we cried out for our parents only to find that they didn’t come right away. Perhaps we heard them say ‘wait,’ or ‘I’ll be right there.’

Whether we can actively recall that moment or not, just the mention of it makes us uncomfortable. We realized that there would be those times where we will be utterly alone.

Or, so we thought…

Today we are reminded that we are never alone and without assistance. We also become acutely aware that the One who stands with us has done everything possible to heal any brokenness that exists in our lives, curing us of every sin. Today, Jesus comes to us in the form of the Good Shepherd.

Peter and the Apostles standing before the Sanhedrin (the same one that had brought Jesus to Pilate to be crucified) strongly proclaim that the cripple was healed through the power and proclamation of Jesus. They go on to say that no one may be saved except through Jesus’ name. Were they a little afraid? Perhaps, not knowing everything that might happen to them. Yet they acted and spoke with absolute confidence that their Shepherd was at their side, protecting, feeding, supporting, and strengthening them. Their confidence was not their own, but from the One who comes every time we call on Him. The One who listens to us and speaks to us.

So here we are. Perhaps our parents don’t come running every time we cry out. Perhaps we don’t even talk to them about our little (and sometimes larger) hurts. Perhaps they are no longer with us in bodily form. But we do have someone we can always turn to. Someone we should speak to about our joys and hurts, our thoughts and questions. That is Jesus.

Having laid down His life for us, we must know that we are totally valuable to Jesus; that the smallest thing in our lives is of concern to Him.

Jesus promises us that He knows us and that we will know His voice. Listen as He says: “I know mine, and mine know me.” To make this true requires some effort on our part. We have to reach out and talk to Jesus. Then we have to listen. Jesus does speak to us, to our conscience, to our needs, and He does come to render assistance, to give that hug, and to guide us back to the straight and narrow path when we stray. Finally, we need to live like the Apostles we are, with a spirit of confidence. Live with confidence because Jesus hears us and comes to us every time, right away.

Homilies

Reflection for the Third Sunday of Easter

I am soooooo confused!
Let me explain.

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Incredulous – a fancy word. It is one of those words we use when we don’t want to clearly say that a person is disbelieving.

The disciples were incredulous for joy – still disbelieving even though they had already touched Jesus. The two disciples just returned from Emmaus had walked and talked with Jesus, broken bread with Him. Yet they were still incredulous…

Here we are – the disciples still skeptical, disbelieving, unable or unwilling to believe that Jesus was standing with them and that they weren’t just seeing things. They needed to admit and accept that Jesus did rise; that He was standing there, that this was all very real and true. They needed help.

Perhaps the disciples were feeling like we do. Someone has taken the time to explain something, yet we just don’t get it. They can see it on our face even as we nod along saying, ‘Sure, I understand, I get it.’

Jesus had spent three years with His disciples. He revealed so much. He prayed with them. He talked about His Father. He revealed that He is the Son of God and son of man. They heard the Father’s voice; they saw the Spirit descend on Him in the form of a dove. They saw Him raise the dead – three times – something only God can do.

They nodded along the whole time, ‘Yes Jesus, I understand, I get it.’ They loved Him, perhaps they didn’t want to make Him mad by making Him have to explain the same thing over and over? Of course, He knew, He saw the confusion, the incredulity on their faces.

So, Jesus asked for a fish fry and proceeded to eat and teach them – to reveal everything so that they could connect the dots.

The Messiah had to offer sacrificial atonement for our sins. The sacrifice to be offered was the Messiah’s death. Based on His faithfulness, the Father raised the Messiah – and made a promise that all of us would rise too because God reigns over all opposition, even death. Finally, that the Messiah would call a group of faithful and dedicated followers to spread the news – that God came among us, was born, suffered, died, was buried, rose again, and ascended into heaven – all out of love for us.

The disbelief among the disciples was ended. It wasn’t just the fish dinner. They “got it.” They understood and received empowerment in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The world is full of disbelief – but we have the ultimate power to make things clear and understandable. Go out and end the confusion. Connect the dots. End the incredulity!

Events, ,

Downtown Schenectady Merchant Mashup

The New York Folklore Society presents a very special event and you’re invited! Join the Society on Friday, April 20th at the Gallery of New York Folk Art, 129 Jay Street as our guest at Downtown Schenectady’s Merchant Mash-Up!

The Society is hosting Tara Kitchen, a new Schenectady Restaurant which features the cuisine of Morocco. Come join as the New York Folklore Society and Tara Kitchen “Mash Up” to offer you a night of the “taste of Morocco” with chicken kebabs and roasted eggplant and garlic dip. There will be entertainment from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. with music by classical Indian musicians Veena and Devesh Chandra.

Downtown Schenectady’s Merchant Mash-Up pairs a downtown retail establishment with an area restaurant to provide a “taste” of what Downtown Schenectady offers. Last year’s Mash-Up was a great success and this year’s will be just as delicious! Besides food tastings from world cuisines, merchants will be offering specials and entertainment throughout the evening. Come Celebrate!

The performance by Veena and Devesh Chandra is supported by funds from the Schenectady County Initiative Program. The New York Folklore Society is supported by you, our members, as well as grants from the New York State Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the William Gundry Broughton Charitable Foundation.

Homilies

Reflection for Low Sunday

Where’s heaven?
I know, it doesn’t look like it, but right here.

“With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”

It is a typical question children may ask, where is heaven? Truthfully, we all wonder too, where is heaven?

Scripture tells us that God created the universe in six days. Of course, the universe is what we can see and perceive. As human beings, and people who live in a culture where science has helped us so much, we may think that we could somehow analyze how things work and find that place, that part of matter and energy where we might find God and His dwelling.

If we believe, and we should, that God created the heavens and the earth we know that God’s dwelling exists apart from what we can perceive with senses and science. Heaven exists outside the dimensions of both space and time.

God’s revelation in scripture gives us glimpses into what heaven will be like. Jesus told us that He will prepare a place for us. He tells us that it will be like a great banquet. In heaven there will be no sadness, only joy, and it will be a place of light. We also know, that based on what Thomas and the other apostles and disciples experienced in meeting Jesus after the resurrection that our bodies will be imperishable, we will be glorious, powerful, and spiritual.

The problem, of course, is that we tend to perceive heaven as a different and separate place we have to get to. This can be dangerous since we may focus all our energy on getting there to the detriment of building God’s kingdom here as we are asked to do.

God and His heavenly kingdom permeate time and space. God’s kingdom – heaven – is all around us and in us. One day, and we pray soon, they will come together. We will be joined to God, the dead will be raised, and we will live together in an entirely new place, as told in the Book of Revelation 21:1: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.

How do we get there? Through repentance from sin and being regenerated in Him. We must accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Then, by doing the things necessary to build the kingdom of God.

Heaven is here, all around us. To see it, to best get there, we must work to bring people to faith in Jesus. Then, working together, we must do our all to show what the kingdom will be like – by our charity, by love for all.

Like the apostles, that’s how we must bear witness to the resurrection.

Art, Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , , ,

Events at the University of Michigan

Political Science and Music at the University of Michigan
By Raymond Rolak

ANN ARBOR– Two special events will be presented on the campus of the University of Michigan as part of the Center of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. On Tuesday, April 17, at 4 p.m., the former President of Poland, Aleksander Kwasniewski, and former Czech Prime Minister, Petr Pithart, will be speaking at the Rackham Auditorium. There will also be a panel dialogue and both will be on the dais addressing: “The European Crisis: A View from Warsaw and Prague.”

The special guests because of their insight and wealth of experiences will offer their own unique perspectives on recent events in Europe. Highlighted will be the challenges that become associated with political changes and successes in emerging democracies. The program is part of the continuing education series of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies.

On Wednesday, April 18, 12:00 p.m.-1:30 P.M., CREES and the Center for International Studies will have a noontime concert and enrichment presentation on “Jewish Music in the Time of the Holocaust.” The music of Czech-Jewish composer Pavel Haas will be showcased. Haas managed to compose songs while interred at the Terezín concentration camp. Presenters will include: Timothy Cheek, associate professor of voice, Caroline Helton, assistant professor of voice, Kathryn Goodson, piano and Allen Schrott, bass-baritone.

In an unassociated coincidence of music and politics, 120 years ago, Ignace Jan Paderewski made his first of six visits to the University of Michigan campus to perform one of his renowned piano concerts. The beloved Polish patriot did a benefit performance for women’s sports on February 18, 1892.

The former Prime Minister of Poland in 1919 always was open to discuss and lobby for a free Poland. He amassed a large fortune through his musical enterprises, most of which he donated to the service of Poland and the benefit of needy musicians and Jewish refugees.

Poland - Polish - Polonia, Xpost to PGF,

Evan Lysacek names Sports Ambassador

U.S. State Department Names Lysacek as Sports Diplomat
By Raymond Rolak

The 2010 Olympic gold medalist in men’s figure skating, Evan Lysacek, has left for Europe to be a sports ambassador in association with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He will visit Stockholm, Sweden, and Minsk, Belarus.

File photo
Lysacek won the gold medal in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games and was named the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Sportsman of the Year in 2010. That year he was also named the Amateur Athletic Union’s Sullivan Award winner, given to the most outstanding U.S. amateur athlete of the year. The prestigious honor is given for accomplishments, leadership skills, character and sportsmanship. Lysacek did not compete in the U.S. Nationals this year.

While in Sweden, Lysacek will hold ice skating clinics, organized in cooperation with the non-governmental organization, Sports Without Borders. He will conduct clinics with the Skating Union of Belarus in Minsk and speak with students at the University of Physical Culture about the importance of sports in society.

The trip to Sweden will give him a chance to visit old friend Natalia Lopatniuk-Brzezinski. They used to skate together in Chicago. Lopatniuk-Brezinski is the wife of new U.S. ambassador to Sweden, Mark Brzezinski. Mark Brzezinski wrote the 2000 book “The Struggle for Constitutionalism in Poland.”

[AMAZONPRODUCT=0312231962]

Earlier this month, while in Boston, Lysacek spoke about his upcoming trip before the Skating Club of Boston’s Ice Chips show. Lysacek was the headliner at Harvard’s Bright Arena during the 100th Anniversary of the famed skating club’s showcase and extravaganza. Fittingly, the theme of this year’s production was ‘100 Years of Excellence’. “I’ve been checking the weather in Sweden and Belarus every day,” he said. One of the choreographers for the giant ice extravaganza was Tom Lescinski. Lysacek used New York based fashion designer Vera Wang for his costumes.

“As a figure skater, I have always been proud to represent the United States at competitions around the world,” Lysacek said. “I am honored to be named a Sports Envoy and look forward to supporting the goals set by Secretary (Hillary) Clinton through sports diplomacy.”

Spokesperson Shep Goldberg of Northville, Michigan said Lysacek had recently given clinics in Saudi Arabia to overwhelming crowds.

Lysacek has said in skating circles that the 2014 Olympics were his next big goal. The U.S. Figure Skating Association and Lysacek were recently at odds over endorsement contracts regarding product category sponsorships. He is scheduled to perform at Kim Yu-Na’s ice show in South Korea this May. Yu-Na was the women’s 2010 Olympic gold medalist and is a pivotal spokesperson for South Korea’s efforts in hosting the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang.

Michele Kwan was the most recent figure skater who served as a public diplomacy ambassador for the State Department. Since 2005, the U.S. has sent more than 200 U.S. athletes to over 50 countries to participate as Sports Envoy’s in their Sports United programs.

Christian Witness, PNCC, , ,

To comfort in the midst of sadness and violence

From the Chicago Tribune: Family, friends gather at Brighton Park home of slain 13-year-old

On the quiet Southwest Side block where many of the kids spend their days playing outside, faces were grim Sunday as more than 50 neighbors gathered around the steps where 13-year-old Adrian Luna was shot and killed.

“It is very hard to lose a loved one,” the Rev. Jose Rojas told the crowd, warning that the community should come together to prevent such violence from happening again. “Today, it happened to them. Tomorrow, it could be any of us.”

Adrian, whose full name was Roberto Adrian Luna though he went by his middle name, was hanging out with two friends Saturday night on the steps to his Brighton Park neighborhood home in the 4600 block of South Spaulding Avenue.

“Chillen like a villain,” Luna posted on Facebook just before 9 p.m. Saturday.

An hour later, the teenager was dead and two of his friends wounded after two gunmen apparently emerged from a gangway and started shooting at the trio, police and family said.

Adrian’s older brother, Mario Lopez, 29, was a few houses away and ran towards his fallen brother.

“I ran screaming his name. I saw him in a fetal position,” Lopez said, tears welling in his eyes. “… He stopped breathing in my arms.”

Family said the Irene C. Hernandez Middle School 7th-grader was a happy-go-lucky kid who excelled at math and loved horror movies. On Easter Sunday, Adrian had planned to prank his family on by hiding oranges instead of eggs for the hunt, family said.

“He was just a baby,” said Erik Lopez, 28, another of Adrian’s brothers. “They took a kid full of life, a kid full of joy.”

Among Adrian’s close friends are the two others wounded in the attack. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the forearm and thigh, and a 16-year-old boy was shot in the arm, but their relatives said their injuries are not life-threatening.

The mother of one of 16-year-old victim said her son told her one of the gunmen emerged from the gangway next to Adrian’s home and asked the teens what gang they were in. The teens told the gunman they were not in a gang — something police corroborated, though they said the shooting may be related to gang conflicts in the area.

“Even so, he shot them,” the victim’s mother said. “You’re not safe anywhere.”

Police said no one was in custody Sunday evening.

As Adrian’s family tearfully looked out at the gathered crowd, Rojas, the pastor at St. John the Baptist National Catholic Church (Parroquia San Juan Bautista), sprinkled holy water on the steps where Adrian died.

With that, neighbors reached into their pockets and donated money to help Adrian’s family bury the teenager.

“It’s not about revenge,” the priest told the crowd. “It’s about prevention.”

Dale Señor el descanso eterno.
Brille para él la luz perpetua.
Descanse en paz. Amén

Homilies

Easter Reflection

Yippie!!!!!!!!!
Did our team score?

“Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”

Yippie, alleluia, celebrate, rejoice, dance, sing, shout out, jubilate, glorify, praise, laud, revel, feast, exalt, delight, smile, rise up, laugh, cheer, make merry!

Our team has scored, we have won, and we didn’t even have to play.

One person – the God-man Jesus Christ stuck with it the entire time, He sacrificed, fought hard, laid out our strategy for success, and gave His all, His very life so that our team would win.

Jesus’ victory is the reason we celebrate today. On Good Friday He completed the course. His sacrificial death washed us in His blood. We are no longer bound to sin and death, but freed. When the Father looks at us, His children, He sees His Son Jesus in us. He loves us so much – in the very same way He loves His Son.

Today, Jesus has shown us the promise – what we will be like forever. Since we are in Him and He is in us, we know that we will be exactly like Him in the resurrection.

The VICTORY? – The power of death has been overcome. Death is no more. The devil has been crushed and he holds no power over us.

What does this victory, nearly 2,000 years ago mean for me today?

Christ’s victory means all of the following and much more:

  • We will live forever.
  • The world cannot tell us that this is it; there is nothing else.
  • We have nothing to fear.
  • We have true power and freedom.
  • We are beautiful in God’s eyes.
  • We have a path and a plan that makes our lives wonderful here on earth.
  • We have reason to celebrate.
  • We are all family – as God’s children, Jesus’ brother and sisters, and as community to each other for we have one faith and hope.

We have reason to proclaim this message: God came to save us and did redeem us. We have won because Jesus won the ultimate victory. He has risen, death is no more for us, GUARANTEED!

Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Scholarship Opportunity: East European Studies Junior Scholars’ Training Seminar

East European Studies Junior Scholars’ Training Seminar (JSTS) Program Scholarship

Deadline: The deadline for receipt of this year’s JSTS applications and supporting materials is April 15, 2012. Applicants will be notified approximately six weeks later.

Background Information: East European Studies of the Woodrow Wilson Center and the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research are soliciting applications for the twenty fourth annual training seminar for junior scholars in East European studies, to be held during August, 2012. All domestic transportation, accommodation and meal costs will be covered by the sponsors.

Eligibility: These scholarships are available to U.S. citizens. While Southeast Europe remains a primary focus, projects on Central Europe and the Baltic states are again eligible. Projects should focus on fields in the social sciences and humanities including, but not limited to: Anthropology, History, Political Science, Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Sociology. All projects should aim to highlight their potential policy relevance.

Disciplines represented at JSTS 2011 included: anthropology; history; political science; and, sociology.

Program Description: JSTS successfully combines formal and informal meetings to promote a variety of intellectual exchanges.

Additional Requirements: Successful applicants are expected to submit a five-page paper no later than July 1 on the sources and methodology of their report and the wider significance of their work. (In other words, what was researched, how it was researched, and what it all means.) This paper will serve as the basis for discussion at the seminar.

Application Information: To apply for the Junior Scholars’ Training Seminar (JSTS), the applicant must submit the following:

  • – a completed application form a curriculum vitae (which must include social security number and full date of birth, institution where degree is expected or was received, title of dissertation/thesis, and name and department of academic advisor);
  • – a single page, single-spaced statement of the work you wish to discuss – either the dissertation/thesis or another project;
  • – one letter of recommendation from academic advisor.

Please mail application materials for all grants to:

East European Studies
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027

OR send them by E-mail.

Christian Witness, Homilies, ,

Reflection for Palm Sunday

Our Brother did this for us.
No words can express our gratitude.

“Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.”

How would we thank a brother or a sister who gave their all for us, who sacrificed everything? How would we recognize their gift, a gift so wonderful and remarkable that it gave us complete happiness, fulfillment, and a great life that lasts forever?

Our Lenten theme has focused on family. Now we are at the pinnacle of that Lenten journey. We enter Holy Week recognizing already that at the end we will walk away with a tremendous gift – a gift that our brother gave us.

Jesus said many times, “this is what I have come to do.” He came to sacrifice His life so that we would have life. He came to bear our sins in the form of a heavy cross, scourging, nails, mockery, and abandonment. This was NO ACCIDENT.

Jesus came with a plan – to show us that we have a heavenly Father who loves us so deeply that He would offer up His Son for us. He didn’t do this for show, but to create a real relationship, to break down the barriers we create to separate ourselves from Him.

St. Paul worked hard to convince the Romans of the power of what Christ had done. He said:

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Our Brother came at the right time. He came to a family that either didn’t recognize their Father, or thought they were smarter than their Father. He came to a family that didn’t recognize Him. He came to a family that bickered with their Brother, and eventually killed Him. That’s all of us. And in return…?

In return we know we will live forever, are saved, washed clean. We know we are members of God’s family.

Let’s take time this Holy Week to sit with our Brother, to keep Him company in His time of suffering, abandonment, and need. Let’s take this time to whisper a thank you next to His grave so that on Easter morning we can greet the new day – the day we received our Brother’s gift.

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