Why the Separation of Church and State Can NEVER Happen

At this time of elections, heated debate, hyperbole, hubris, electrically charge rhetoric and fear, I feel the need to address something that is preventing so much real conversation in our country.  I know that my title may seem provocative, so I ask you to read the whole of my message, weight it, and then comment with an open mind and heart.

Recently I have had some heated discussions about the words of Pope Francis and Donald Trump.  In many of my interactions I have been told that my faith should not be allowed in politics and the reason sited is "separation of church and state".  Even before this election season, I read many social media posts complaining about people of faith involving their religion in their politics.  The reason given was again a separation of church and state.  First we need to look at the Constitution to see what the law is:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This is the basis for all rulings regarding what we now commonly call the separation of church and state.  So, in the simplest form, the government cannot force a religion on anyone, prohibit a person from exercising their religion OR take away the right of free speech.  If we just stop there then it is evident that as a person under the jurisdiction of the Unites States of America, not only can the government not pass a law to establish a religion, they cannot prevent me from exercising my religion and they cannot make a law to prevent me from talking about my religion.  The courts have gone further than this wording by defining what is considered establishment over the years.  I am no legal scholar and do not wish to go down that road. I want to go much deeper than law, I want to go to the heart.  

What is the role of religion in politics?  This is the sticky part.  If you agree with my faith, you will likely give me far more leeway to speak my mind than if we disagree.  If you feel that my faith is infringing on your beliefs, you and I will likely butt heads at some point.  Of coarse our freedom of speech is protected, but there will still be conflict.  The conflict will be greater if I say that I am voting for a candidate or cause based on my religious belief.  Now things can get really ugly.  Let's look at a few that are current and painful. 

"Keep your laws off my body" "Protect the unborn"  "America for Americans - build that wall" "Illegals get out" "Sanctuary City" "No more welfare" "Feed the Hungry" "No More War" "Bomb Syria" "No Refugees" "Refugees Welcome" "Gay Marriage" "God Hates Fags" " Black Lives Matter" "Police Lives Matter" The list could go on forever. 

So what is the answer?  Let's look at the matter from a totally non-religious viewpoint.  

I am a Boy Scout.  I joined when I was 7 and spent 40 years in the organization.  They have law, an oath, a motto a slogan and a set of beliefs. As a Scout I believe in honesty, service to others, good citizenship, loyalty, protecting the environment, being wise with money.  I also believe that the outdoors is a great place to train leaders, being prepared is always a good idea and being helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, brave and clean are among the very best things I can be and do.  Would anyone ask me to leave those beliefs at the door when I vote?  Could I?  These beliefs are who I am, they shaped me to be what I am.  Could I leave them behind and forget them, not let them influence me in my public life, my private thought and my desire for the direction of my country?  I am sure that I could not.  And it is unfair of anyone to ask me to do so. 

Let my look at someone not like me.  An atheist, environmental activist, vegan member of PETA.  They believe that there is no God.  From the standpoint of law, I would argue that under the First Amendment their right to believe that there is no God is also protected.  As an environmental and animal rights activist, they too have been shaped in their deepest level by their associations, beliefs and the platforms of those organizations that they profess an allegiance to.  Is it right for me to expect them to leave all that at the door of the voting booth?  Of course it is not.  They are going to vote their conscience just as I am.  That is the beauty of our system.  

Religion must be seen in the same way.  It is a core set of beliefs, right or wrong in the opinion of others, that I cannot simply set aside.  I cannot set aside the Nicean Creed that I say any more that I can set aside the Scout Oath, the mission statement of the museum I used to run or my love of music, dogs and pizza.  They are all part of what makes me who I am.  We all bring our whole selves to the table when we engage in conversation, political action and work.  Laws, workplace rules and social convention have all placed norms on us to try and grease the skids of social interaction to keep things peaceful.  But,  in the end we cannot abandon who we are or what we believe and that should never prevent us from being active in our political system.  

This leaves the final question: how then do we act?  If we want a system that works, we all need to try and act with civility and understanding to the best of our ability.  We need be willing to try and persuade others while understanding that it is not always possible. We must understand that taking offense at a rebuff only serves to make things worse.  We need to be true to ourselves and out beliefs while respecting that others believe differently.  We need to be more respectful, more thoughtful, more eloquent and more convincing while being more civil at the same time.  We can try and persuade without belittling and trampling on the human dignity of others.  And we need to understand that it is a basic human tendency to want to convince people of your way of thinking; to say otherwise is like trying to sweep back the tide. 

The best change we can all make is to accept that we will differ on opinion and belief but  still be able to respect the human dignity of those who disagree with us.  And in this Year of Mercy we also need to remember to forgiver offenses and bear wrongs patiently.  

  

Want to End Violence? Then Embrace Mercy!

If you are reading this there is a good chance that you are either a Facebook user or at the very least somewhat social media minded.  If so, there is no doubt that you are seeing an ever increasing rise in uncivil behavior.  I mean every kind of uncivil, unkind, violent and hateful behavior.  From mean spirited postings, to vile acts of violence and everything in between.  Why? What can we do?

The fact that we are less half as likely to be killed as we were in 1991, a third less likely to be raped, and half as likely to be robbed (according to complied FBI UCS statistics),  bullying, hate-filled speech and intolerance are still  problematic and in some areas they are growing.  Certainly fear plays a huge role in this, as does the hype placed on everything in a 24 hour news cycle.  When we fear, facts and thought are replaced by feelings and reflex.  The fact that we are in an election cycle only heighten the tension further.  This fear and hype prevents us from entering into relationship with those we disagree with.  That breakdown in relationship further sends fear and isolation ever higher and the cycle repeats itself.

So how do we break some of the tension?  How do we break the cycle?  Mercy!

Pope Francis has declared a Year of Mercy beginning December 8th, 2015.  It could not have come at a better time.  Mercy has the unique ability to ratchet town the tension, break through the fear and bring us back into relationship with one another.  You do not need to be Catholic, or even religious to see the usefulness in such a powerful tool as mercy.  But, I fear, we may not all be working off the same definition of the word.  So first, what is mercy:

According to Webster:


MERCY
1
a : compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power;also : lenient or compassionate treatment <begged for mercy>
b : imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder

2
a : a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion
b : a fortunate circumstance <it was a mercy they found her before she froze>

3
: compassionate treatment of those in distress <works of mercy among the poor>

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mercy

In the Catholic tradition, mercy can be acted out based on the Gospel of the Beatitudes and the life and actions of Jesus.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this in section 2447

"The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.

When we speak of charity (as in charitable acts), we are speaking of love.  Literally, these acts of mercy are acts of love!  As I said in my last blog post, our greatest weapon, our strongest tool to fight evil and make the world a better place is LOVE!  These acts of mercy are acts of just that: LOVE.  

So what can we do to change the world, we can practice acts of mercy.  They are all right there before us.  Imagine the transformation of the world if even a few of us would forgive more and bear wrongs with patience, rather than lashing out.  Imagine a world where consoling and comforting were truly virtues again and widely practiced.  Imaging how much better we could all make the world by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned and sheltering the homeless, just a bit more.   

It is never too late to start, never too late to act.  Can we all commit ourselves to practicing more mercy?  What a change we could make!  Every day we need to look at mercy and choose to act.  Who can we forgive today?  What insult can we bear patiently today?  Can we give something to feed someone today?  Can we cloth someone from our bounty today?  Even just hold a door and say hello? 

Just stop and breath for one moment and think of the world that awaits if, instead of worrying about who is out to get us today, we acted in love to bring one additional act of mercy to the world.  Isn't that the world we all really want to live in?   So please, turn of the TV, step away from the computer and do something loving for someone else.  Do it for your sake, the sake of the one you help and the sake of the whole world.

What 54 more ideas?  Go here!

It is Time to Raise Our Banner and Fight With All We Have!

To all my Christian brothers and sisters,

Now is the time to let go of our worldly attachments, gird our loins for battle and raise the banner of Christ!  Now is the time to join together, despite our differences of denomination, tradition, politics and geography.  Now is the time to act!

Look at our world!  Violence abounds - corruption keeps peoples in poverty and ignorance - politics moves ever farther from the common good - rhetoric has replaced action - knee-jerk action has replaced careful consideration - insult has replaced thoughtful conversation - disdain and offence have replaced dialog

We can tolerate this no more.  It must end with our generations whether boomer or millennial. We must rise as one and put an end to this on the field of battle. and that battle must be first and foremost waged in our own hearts.

Jesus promised us hardships and persecution:

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:10–11)

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you."  (1 Peter 4:12-14)

But do we act "blessed"?  Do we "rejoice"?  I can speak for my self that I, when insulted, have reacted poorly and added to the tension of the world by being offended.  But if we truly believe, if we truly take His words to heart, we must not be offended, we should rejoice and understand our blessings.  And then, we must act: 

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Mat 5:44) 

So how do we do this?  We do not do it by being offended, posting snarky comments on social media, telling others that they are damned, cry out that we are being persecuted, or call others out as hypocrites.  We must rise up to the example of our Lord.  We must come to love those who hate us and care for them as we would be cared for ourselves.  And to do that we must ACT.  Prayer is one action but it is not the only action Jesus himself told us to take.  

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine,even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matt 25 31-46)

As Christians we are called to action.  If we love our enemies, we must feed them.  If we love our enemies, we must care for them.  If we love our enemies, we must treat them with the same respect we would treat Christ Himself!  He commands it.  

So what of the refugees?  We must find ways to care for them: here or there.  We MUST help them, even if they would kill us.  Donate to a relief organization, organize a fundraiser, get a group to sponsor a family.  Something - anything to bring relief.  

What of ISIS?  We must protect the innocent and ISIS is a real threat to peace.  But, we must still see the humanity in our enemy and respect that humanity, no matter how hard.  We must set real examples of both strength and love as we fight so that the ideology can be destroyed.  And we cannot paint all Muslims as the enemy, they simply are not.  

What of mass shootings and violence at home?  We cannot allow ourselves to be drawn into hate.  We must set aside our politics and see the human face behind what is going on.  We must seek common ground and set aside the rhetoric of politics.  We must act as intermediaries to help those lost in ideology (on all sides) see the path to common ground.  

The hard part, we must be consistent, untiring, mutually supportive and courageous in our actions.  We can not longer cry "persecution!", we must instead be steadfast and rejoice.  Let that rejoicing turn us again to action with renewed energy.  

So let us raise the banner, fight with all our might.  Our weapon, LOVE!  

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/47038/#ZjzwGlEIWcyr80VO.99

The Spirituality of the Pen...

"My heart is stirred by a noble theme,
as I sing my ode to the king.
My tongue is the pen of a nimble scribe." 

Psalm 45

In 1985 I was told in a corporate meeting of insurance executives that by the year 1995 all insurance offices would be completely paperless. In 2014 my wife and I changed insurance brokers and went to the office broker's office to get our quotes and sign up for our new carrier. After being handed several papers, we were finally asked to sign several forms made of....paper! So much for a paperless society. Why I realize that paper has been supplanted in many areas of our lives with smart phones, computers and tablets, there is much yet to be said for the lowly pen and paper. And some of what needs to be said may lead us to living our Catholic faith in a more deliberate manner. Skeptical? Please just hear me out.

 
There is great power in the written word. Books, flyers, blogs, articles and even social media attest to this power. But there is far greater power in the HAND written word. Today, as in Christ's day, the Torah scrolls (Sefer Torah)of the Jewish synagogues are hand written by modern scribe. The very task of writing the scroll is considered a religious act; a holy act. The ink, the pen and the parchment must all meet strict standards of Jewish law going back to ancient times. When Pontius Pilate was criticized by the Jewish chief priests for writing a sign to go above the head of Jesus on the cross that said he was King of the Jews, Pilate Replied: " Quod scripsi, scripsi" ("what I have written, I have written") Jn 19:22.  Pilate new the power of the written word.

  Even in the secular world we have reverence for hand written documents.  Our founding father could easily of handed both the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution to the famed printer Benjamin Franklin for printing and signed the printed copies.  They chose not to do so.  The power of a document purposely written by hand,  with out interference of technology, makes a bold statement.  Almost as bold as the famed signature of John Hancock which sits so prominently at the center of the Declaration of Independance!  

Even today, with all of the technology, people still collect the authentic signatures of famous people; both living and dead.  A signature, no matter how imperfect, is a true relic of the person who made it.  In 2013, United States Treasure Jack Lew took a great deal of heat over his totally illegible and non-nonsensical "loopy" signature and changed it to better suit the important task of having his signature on our money.  As  society we could not allow such a poor representation adorn our currency.

We should take pride in our written word, our penmanship and out signature.  It is a part of us in a way that no technological intermediary could be. To set our hand to paper is even more important than what we say, in some ways, and deserves more care.  What we write is a testimony to our words.  When we say words,  they can be  lost to poor memory or the poor hearing of the audience.  When we actually take pen to paper, in our own hand, we make  our own statement: What I have written, I have written! No one can claim it was texted or sent by an unknown hacker, tweeted by someone with a ghost account in order to harm us.  It is ours and any good handwriting expert can defend or prove that.  

How much more does a written note make to the recipient?  To listen to popular culture, nothing.  Yet, a young man came into my office lately and said how much his grandmother's written letter mean to him.  This younger generation seems to be coming around to a greater appreciation of thank you cards. I can personally attest to that.  And if the number of fountain pens recently for sale at my local Staples is any indication, it seems writing is making a comeback in this age of technology.  

Like the Jewish scribe, if we are to write at all we should chose our pen with care.  Disposable cheap pens have always bothered me.  For one thing they are cheap and therefore never seem to give the best feel or results.  They do the job, just not well.  Second, they are disposable.  I dare to say that billions of pens now litter our landfills, sewers, empty lots and sofa cushions because they are of no importance.  They are just junk to be replaced.  Why should we worry about them? If they are lost or tossed, just get a new one. Right?  What a waste of plastic, ink, fuel for shipping, electricity for manufacturing, packaging and all the rest!

  In my desk is my great-grandfather's Eversharp fountain pen.  After nearly 100 years I still use it.  It has been refurbished two times and still writes as well as the day it was bought.  This single pen has been used and treasured by four generations of my family and will be passed to one of my children.  Because it has value, it causes each of it's owners to care for it and treasure it.  Care is taken not to lose it. It does not contribute to waste because it lasts.  Each time it dries up, it is washed and refilled.  And when the bottle of ink has run dry after dozens of refills, it is placed in recycling with the other glass and becomes a new bottle.  One bottle of ink lasts longer than a dozen or more disposables.  

You see for me, there is a spirituality to writing and to my pens.  Because they are of value and meant to last, I am more aware that they are to be cared for.  They are not simply to be replaced due to carelessness or the inability to refill or repair them. If they break, they go to the Pen Hospital In New York for repair.  As Pope Francis reminds us, we are to be good stewards of the earth. I am afraid that our valueless pens are anything but. 

 A good pen, well chosen, is also good for penmanship.  If I am going to affix my signature to anything, it should represent me well.  A good pen means that my signature is the best representation of self that I can make.  And by the same logic, if it means enough to me to write another person so as to truly and deeply share my thoughts with them, in this most intimate way, then they should also get the very best written product I can produce.  They are sons and daughters of God, they deserve nothing less.  

In short, the spirituality of the pen is nothing more, or less, than one additional step towards leading a deliberate life.  One that thinks about what is best for and cares about God's creation: human and planetary.  

Please let me know what you think.  

Ode to a Corn cob Pipe....Finding God in Simplicity

As a son of Missouri, corn cob pipes have always been a part of my life.  In the 1960's and 70's you could not travel the roads of Missouri without running into the obligatory tourist trap filled with the pipes and images of "hill billies" smoking them.  They were an icon of Ozark culture.  To a certain extent, I am sure that this is still true today. As a pipe smoker, I have owned my fair share of these simple pipes, but until today I never really thought much of them.  The words of St. Augustine changed that for me. 

You see, I was running my errands today I was working on my homily for this weekend’s Masses.  Since the Archdiocese of Baltimore celebrates the Ascension on Sunday, that is the subject of my preaching.  To help me with my ideas, I read Augustine's sermon on the Ascension.  He starts by saying:

 "Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth."

As I pondered these words over and over again, I thought about my own life and the journey that has brought me from Missouri, to Maryland, from an insurance executive and museum director to seminary administrator and from non-practicing Catholic to Deacon.

When I was first married, I rarely went to church and my life was truly conformed to the world.  Money, fine cars, nice houses and success in life were my main goals.  Even in my hobbies, I was trying not simply to keep up with others, but to excel and be noticed.  I loved to serve others, but only on my time and in the ways I chose.  Materialism was more important to me than putting others first.  Thanks to my wonderful wife, that all began to change with the birth of our first child.  Irene realized that we were missing God ion our lives and all of the cars, money and acclaim could not truly fill the void. 

Through her calling us back to God, we began to gain strength and peace: a peace that was totally lacking.  In a few short years, I was ready to cut my ties to the family insurance business and try following my love of history and music.  Our financial house fell apart.  There were times over the next four years when we did not know where our next grocery money could come from and yet, we did not suffer.  God kept us together and kept giving us His peace.  Those lean and simple times are some of the most memorable of our thirty year marriage.  We were seeing, for the first time, what it was like to "set our hearts on the things that are above..." God was using my avocations to prepare me for something greater.  He was preparing me for conversion and eventually ordination.

Well, all of this brings me back to that pipe.  As I was hammering out the words of my homily, the idea of elevating hearts to heaven and thinking of that which is above kept rolling through my mind.  I must ascend to heaven with Christ....now!  What holds me back?  The world!  Materialism!  Pride! Sin! The list could go on and on.  It is in the quite of simplicity that we can let the world and ourselves go and ascend with Jesus. 

I started smoking a pipe at 17.  I would love to have a fine Peterson pipe from Ireland.  I would love to have an expensive meerschaum pipe intricately carved and finely finished.  But the whole time I was reflecting in my car, that plain corn cob sat on the seat.  I finally picked it up and said, "You are all I need".  My desire for more is simply an impediment to my ascension!

 When I smoke a pipe I do so mostly when I am with others.  We smoke, in moderation, as a community.  It is the love we share, the charity toward one another that is important.  It is in seeing one another as mutually supportive parts of the Body of Christ that we are drawn together by Him.  It is in our love for God and all His creation that is important. It is how we live our baptismal promises and how we act as Christ's body on earth that matters.  Everything else is a distraction. And when I do smoke alone, I am bathed in quite.  In that quite I can pray, but moreover, I can hear the whispering voice of our quite God.  

So,  I am going to keep my corn cob.  I don't need a finer pipe; I NEED to elevate my heart and mind to heaven. Anyone up for a quiet smoke and some good conversation?