Searching a Little More Everyday

Buddhist Teacher, Hyon Gak Sunim

2010-02-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

A commenter on a different post alerted me to this Buddhist teacher, Hyon Gak Sunim. I found this interview with Dennis Wholey of the program, "I Believe," and found it to be a good introduction to Buddhist thought. Thank you for sharing this information with me!

Technology in the Classroom

2010-02-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

Painfully accurate parody of how many professors use technology in the classroom:

Spreading the Joy of the Season

2009-12-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

Bells that spread a little joy for a couple minutes and then move on:

Obama's Theology

2009-12-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

President Obama does not attend any church regularly or exclusively (like the majority of Americans), he does attend to theological, religious, and spiritual beliefs and thoughts that do affect his political decisions. This analysis by David Gibson of Obama's speech accepting the Nobel Prize for Peace offers insights into the particular influence of Niebuhr on Obama.

Got Grapes?

2009-09-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am considering the Eucharist today, at least I started to after watching this video about the labor conditions of agricultural workers in California. They pick the grapes that go to making the wine that Catholics believe becomes the blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ during the consecration at the Eucharist. This video points to the ongoing human sacrifice that happens in order that we may eat our meals...including the Eucharist. For more information look into the Courage Campaign.

When Telling the Truth Can be Heard?

2009-08-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Here is another story of a bold truth teller. This time it's Madonna, who told a Romanian audience who came to hear her perform that the discrimination against the Roma people, known also as Gypsies, "It has been brought to my attention ... that there is a lot of discrimination against Romanies and Gypsies in general in Eastern Europe," she said. "It made me feel very sad." Thousands booed and jeered her. A few cheered when she added: "We don't believe in discrimination ... we believe in freedom and equal rights for everyone." But she got more boos when she mentioned discrimination against homosexuals and others."

Should a performer impose their personal political and social views on their audience during a performance? Was this the appropriate moment to preach and be heard?

I ask because I am starting to think that I am being asked to agree with everyone I have business with (i.e. Wholefoods CEO Mackey). Do I really need to agree with everyone I admire, appreciate, and pay money to see for their talents in something other than politics? I would very soon stop being a fan of much classical music and college football of I did.

And yet, I see that she had an attentive audience...and she was, no doubt, seduced into being an activist to help others.

Maybe to be of service with others, one must first live with them and not presume to help anyone...

What do you think?

Bold Truth Teller

2009-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Rev. Roy Bourgeois is a truth teller. He is willing to speak the truth he holds in his heart and is willing to take personal responsibility for the outcome of speaking that truth. Specifically, he speaks his truth about the injustice he sees in the fact that women are not ordained in the Roman Catholic Church. As such, he has endured excommunication from the Church and has responsibily acted accordingly, not wearing his clerical collar, or performing any official acts of ordained priests. But he continues to speak his truth.

Regardless of your stance on this particular issue of women's ordination, what do you think of ordained leaders and their willingness to voice their truth and take personal responsbility for the outcome? For that matter, what do you think of all people of faith and their willingness to voice their truth and take personal responsibilityfor the outcome?

What I find admirable in the case of Bourgeois is his fearless willingness to speak his truth. I experience a lot of fear in the Church these days...ordained leaders who balk at acting on the truth they are willing to speak in private, but are afraid to express publicly either through preaching or active outreach. I hear many priests speak privately of supporting gay marriage, for example. But I've only heard one sermon the came close to openly exploring that issue; and that was back in 2005 or 2006. I undertsand their reluctance. Such an open contradiction to the Vatican's stance would get them into trouble. And they don't want to lose their jobs over this.

What if all ordained priests spoke the truth on the injustices of poverty and inadequate health care? One result could possibly be a personal response to poverty: perhaps priests could start with a reduction in the size of all those liquor cabinets I've seen in quite a few priestly residences, and give that money to the poor. It's just a thought.

Just One Reason I Love Dogs

2009-08-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

This is a lovely story of a dog who saved a baby left for dead:

Non-Violence as Spiritual Practice

2009-08-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

For years I've had a quote from Thomas Merton's Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander as a quote on my email signature: "The rush and pressure of modern life is a form, perhaps the most common form, of its innate violence. To allow oneself...to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. More than that, it is cooperation in violence." (p. 86 where Merton is commenting on Douglas Steere's remarks about activism and overwork as forms of violence.) Some people tell me I need to change it, but about once a month someone returns an email just because they read this quote on one of my emails. They say they needed to read this quote. I do too, although I don't read it often enough and I don't always live by these words.

It's when I get overworked and over-committed, that I tend to live completely in my head and am willing to be overly sharp, impatient, and careless with people. I succumb to violence.

This may seem like an extreme or even inaccurate use of the word. But I do think we plant seeds of violence when we treat one another disrespectfully or with disdain, impatience, irritation, anger...

In his biography of Merton, Jim Forest writes the following: " Nonviolence is a discipline, Merton stressed, of refusing to hate or to be captive by enmity. It is commitment to see the human face of an adversary , and to make every effort to enter into dialogue." (Living with Wisdom. A Life of Thomas Merton, p. 188)

On that same page is a quote from Merton's Blessed are the Meek, in which he writes, "Nonviolence must simply avoid the ambiguity of an unclear and confusing protest that hardens the warmakers in their self-righteous blindness. This means that in this case above all nonviolence must avoid a facile and fanatical self-righteousness, and refrain from being satisfied with dramatic self-justifying gestures...Christian nonviolence...is convinced that the manner in which the conflict for truth is waged will itself manifest or obscure the truth.

These are some of the ideas I was reflecting on when I wrote about the episode with Barney Frank the other day, and it's why I entitled that blog entry, Planting Seeds of Violence.

That nonviolence is a discipline (and a difficult one at that) is where I am focusing my reflection right now. How to cultivate that discipline of nonviolence and still speak one's truth? How to speak one's truth in the midst of angry diatribes and not get pulled in to the angry energy? How to keep one's self contained, especially when others want to pull you into the fracas. How to express one's views even passionately, without letting others control or govern that passion?

I have no easy answers. I am living through this day by day. And so realize that nonviolence is a practice, like meditation.

A Contemplative in the World

2009-08-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

One of the best ways to learn is through doing...I can read all day long and think I know a subject or feel confident I know how to handle a situation, but then I flub up when faced with the reality of a situation.

When to censor? Some of my readers know that I stopped blogging for awhile given the tone of some comments I received that alluded to the intention of violence. I will not support a site that furthers violence to self or others.

Earlier today I received a rash of comments most of which I did not publish because of their violent tone. Some of these pointed to another comment first; even though that comment itself was not offensive, I made the rooky mistake of deleting it. You can see the fall out I'm taking. But more importantly, see here for Peacebang's views. Apologies for going overboard.

Planting Seeds of Violence

2009-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm reading a lot of Thomas Merton now, esp. his anti-war pieces from the '60s. His notions of violence and non-violence have affected how I view this video of Congressman Barney Frank and a constituent who likens the Obama health plan to a Nazi policy:

I feel a teaching moment was really lost here...After being asked, "Why are you supporting a Nazi policy?" Frank asks "On what planet do you spend most of your time on?" As difficult as it is to remain poised when enduring a question like he was asked, at this point he lost the chance to have a real dialogue with the questioner. Her question was disrespectful and extremist. And it makes me wonder if she knows anything about 20th century history. But this was the very moment to break apart the facile connection between Obama's plan to provide health coverage for all Americans and the Nazi systematic program to do the opposite: the Nazi agenda was to kill rather than provide health care. In response Frank admits he has no interest in having a conversation with her. And so we arrive at impasse; mutual vilification...a seed planted for future violence by allowing disdain grow in their hearts.

Don't Know Mind

2009-08-13T12:18:00.001-07:00

As a Christian, I learn deep spiritual lessons from Buddhists. One of the most important lessons is to cultivate "Don't Know Mind." Here is a video that features Rev. Yvette Flunder preaching from "don't know mind." She acknowledges that she feels more peace and more secure in this new stance. I, for one, would like to hear more "don't know mind" in our Christian churches and wonder who might we become as people of faith if we did.

Thankful to be Alive

2009-07-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Photograph: Miguel Vidal/Reuters

Published in today's Guardian, this photo is from Ribarteme, Spain and shows a participant in the annual "Procession of the Shrouds." According to the Guardian, the procession allows people who have escaped death during the year to thank God for keeping them alive. Since they are processed and carried in coffins, it looks to me like it's an opportunity for the people carrying them to also acknowledge gratitude for the lives of those they carry. What a powerful gesture of gratitude and a powerful reminder of mortality.

Learning and Teaching Start with Questions

2009-07-29T13:08:00.001-07:00

I'm a big believer in the role of questions in both learning and teaching. I punctuate my lectures with questions that I intend students to answer right then and there to start a conversation. I never think I have all the right answers. Instead, I hold with conviction that the answers emerge through the wisdom of the group.

Here is a story of a little girl who asked a question: "Why does that man look so sad, and why is he holding a sign in the street?" In the end this five-year-old raised $3,736.30 for the San Francisco Food Bank to help feed those who look sad and hold signs.

What questions are you asking today?

Choosing Homelessness

2009-07-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Increasingly I am hearing stories of men who have chosen homelessness as a way of life. Just the other day I wrote about a man who chooses to live in a cave in Utah. Today on NPR I was struck by the story of Richard Leroy Rogers who died with an estate worth $4 million, and yet he lived his retirement years without a permanent home. As one acquaintance said about him, "He just gave up all of the material things that we think we have to have," Belle says. "You know, I don't know how we gauge happiness. What's happy for you might not be happy for me. I never heard him complain."

I can imagine that having $4 million dollars makes living homeless less tense. But maybe not. He had very few possessions. He used his money minimally. Perhaps the fear that I imagine underpins homelessness is dismantled by facing life in each moment. After all, fear can underpin a life filled with possessions just as well.

Saying Grace

2009-07-27T10:47:00.001-07:00

I'v never been big on saying grace before eating. As a kid my brother and sisters took turns saying it before eating. But I never got into the spirit. I had memorized words and recited them. But I didn't feel those words. As I grew older, I liked the idea of spending a moment in gratitude. But never got into a habit. In part, I didn't want the practice to become obvious to others. I didn't want to make a show of it.

But recently, I have begun to rethink all of this. Maybe it's time to make a show of expressing gratitude for the food in front of me.

Saturday night I saw the film, Food, Inc., a documentary on the food industry in the U.S. I knew I would be sympathetic to the premise of the film. I've been a vegetarian for 27 years in large part as a small, personal effort to reduce the suffering I impose on other sentient beings, including humans.

Most food in the United States is produced through industrial means that cause pain and suffering to animals, including humans. Industrial agriculture is based on the premise, acknowledged by some/denied by many, that animals, plants, the earth, and people are commodities to use in order to produce the largest amount for the biggest profit for the executives. Animals are raised in unhealthy conditions because it's cheap. Humans become expendable when the market dictates.

When I read this story about the town of Mendota in the central valley of California where unemployment has risen to 38%, I couldn't decide which was more gut-wrenching: the story itself, or the comments of people writing in. Few commenters seemed to express concern or care for the workers, many of whom came to the U.S. in order to work for wages below the federally set standard for minimum wage.

Immigrant laborers in the U.S. allow for the inexpensive food enjoyed by many Americans. But they're as disposable as the wrappers on a $1 burger.

The result: inhumanity toward all forms of life.

How we view the food in front of us says a great deal about how we view all that lives around us. Ultimately, in turn that reveals a great deal about our view of the Divine.

Do we eat with a sense of entitlement?
Do we eat with a sense of awareness?
Do we eat with a sense of humility and gratitude?

God help us.

Living without Money

2009-07-22T14:53:00.001-07:00

Truth be told, I've often admired the Swiss Family Robinson-Gilligan's Island idealized notion of living without money in a deserted place. The romanticized version of this becomes all the more potent when you throw into the mix spiritual devotion as a motive, like the desert mothers and fathers.

Here is the story of a man who is living without money in a cave in Utah. He lives alone with other creatures who also inhabit the cave. And he doesn't live completely as a recluse. He has friends down in the town; he uses the public library for internet access (he writes a blog). He acknowledges there are hardships, and those hardships are a good thing.

What are your thoughts about this?

Losing my Religion....not yet.

2009-07-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Illustration taken from TheAge.com.au (Dyson)

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html?page=1

I'll admit that I've thought about it...I've thought of leaving the Church I chose to enter back in 1999. Sometimes the patriarchy, the unskillfull ministry, and the carelessness with people's lives tears at my heart and my soul. But I remain a Catholic because I believe in a God who lived and died and is present among us. I believe in that God so deeply I feel called to make that God known more in this life. And I do that in the Catholic Church.

And I admire Present Jimmy Carter's courageous and painful decision to leave the Southern Baptist Conference to take a stand on the treatment and reception of women in that Church. And I wonder...what if....

Apostle of the Apostles

2009-07-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the question, if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? I want to ask a different question: if a savior dies for us and is resurrected, and no one proclaims it, is there salvation?

I think there is. God doesn't need people to proclaim God's work. But think about how much our own lives of faith are affected by the proclamation of this news.

How have our lives been affected when the news that is proclaimed is hijacked by one group of followers, who undermine the voice of the first person to proclaim the news.

What would our Church look like if the Gospel of Mary Magdalene became part of the canon of Scripture? While the male disciples bickered over control and power (for example, see Luke 9:46-50), Mary Magdalene and many other women quietly voiced the truth of their faith. They were present at the cross and at the tomb, but the men had run away in fear.

Mary was the first witness of Christ's resurrection and proclaimed her experience of reality--that Jesus had risen from the dead--to the men.

What is your truth of faith? And do you hear it proclaimed?

Living For Others

2009-07-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Fr. Floyd Lotito, a Franciscan friar lived his life for others. This obituary relates much about his man's special life. God's peace.

Statement of Catholic Faith

2009-07-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

In the San Francisco Bay Area where I live, in some social circles I move in, there are assumptions about what Catholics believe, and they generally run the range of homophobia to blind obedience to religious authority. Here is a well-written statement of faith by a woman who calls herself a "Catholic under protest.

Respectful Leadership in the Church

2009-07-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

While some Church leaders are showing their ecclesial leadership by shooting boar, others like Joan Chittister, are honestly facing the hypocrisy in the Church. Here she challenges the same American Bishops who had condemned the University of Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to speak at this year's commencement and to receive an honorary degree to be consistent and condemn Pope Benedict XVI for inviting the President to the Vatican on July 10. Chittister's courage to propose the option of real dialogue between people of reason who hold differing views on a subject, whether that subject be abortion or the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Dialogue is an act of respect. Where is our Church heading without dialogue?

Learning Confidence

2009-06-01T12:00:00.001-07:00

I love this show, Smart Girls at the Party. Finally a show that highlights the accomplishments and passions of girls! Pass it on!

Catholic Values and Animal Rights

2009-05-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

In the May 15, 2009 edition of Catholic San Francisco, in the column "On the Street Where you Live" by Tom Burke mention is made of a pleasure trip Boar Hunt taken by a benefactor and a priest. While the online version lacks photos, the printed version of that column a picture shows the smiling benefactor, Dr. Louis Limchayseng (who had won the boar hunt as part of an auction benefit ting Our Lady of Loretto Elementary School in San Francisco), the smiling, rifle-wielding priest, from Our Lady of Loretto Parish in Novato, Fr. Bill Nicholas, and in between them, the dead boar.

I found this display of slaughter as entertainment to be in poor taste. And wrote the following letter to the editor of the column and to the Executive Editor of the paper. Because that newspaper does not publish letters they receive, I publish my letter here:

Dear Tom Burke,
I found your inclusion of the photo featuring Dr. Louie Limchayseng and Fr. Bill Nichols holding a gun positioned on either side of a dead boar to be of extremely poor taste in your “On the Street Where you Live” column of the May 15, 2009 Catholic San Francisco. The fact that a Catholic Elementary school, Our Lady of Loretto elementary School, would allow such an event be auctioned to support their mission is sad enough, but to feature in your publication a photo of a priest wielding a gun and the dead animal indicates a cruelty and brashness that our church, especially the leaders of the church, would do well to dismantle. In the city of Saint Francis and on page 2 of a publication carrying the saint’s name, I am dismayed and deeply disappointed by your editorial decision to feature an animal’s death with gloating men on either side. I don’t think slaughter as entertainment is a Catholic value that you should be so openly promoting.

Sincerely,
Darleen Pryds
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality and Medieval History
Franciscan School of Theology(Graduate Theological Union)
Berkeley, CA

Sabbatical

2009-03-03T11:11:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,
Writing a blog for about a year now has been a great experiment for me. I started doing this in January, 2008 because I was teaching a class on spiritual autobiography/memoir for which I required the students to blog. So, I figured, I should blog too. I didn't really understand blogging until I took up a Lenten discipline of blogging daily. Since then I have learned a lot about the genre of blogging and I have learned a lot from you about life. It has been a great adventure.
I find, however, that I no longer have the personal commitment to blog with any regularity and when I do choose to share articles/photos, I generally share them on Facebook. So, at least for now, I am going on sabbatical from blogging. I may return to it. I may not. That's all to be discerned.

Thanks for your faithful reading!

Can We Just Be Happy?

2009-03-02T13:27:00.000-08:00

Is it possible to be happy with all the stuff we have? I hear the message of simplicity preached all the time, but perhaps it takes a comedian on a late night talk show for the message to be heard.

Bishop Deemed Not Good Enough

2009-02-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

After weeks of controversy, the Vatican now asserts that recently reinstated Bishop Richard Williamson can not serve as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church because of his denial of the atrocities of the Holocaust.

A lingering question I have has to do with bishops who have covered up (read: denied) other heinous behavior within the Church....will they be held to full accountability?

Prayer Break

2009-02-27T10:25:00.001-08:00

Thanks, Katie, for this morning's blog inspiration...These are 2 1/2 minutes well spent:

Teaching Satisfaction

2009-02-26T16:18:00.000-08:00

A professor of Economics at Amherst is teaching his students about buying habits and cultivating satisfaction. By using meditation practices, he teaches students that buying stuff doesn't satisfy, but learning to be mindful can bring about a deep level of happiness and satisfaction. Kudos!

Testosterone and Decision Making

2009-02-20T17:23:00.001-08:00

This article ran in the New York Times on Feb. 8 and focuses on the bad decision-making that has led to the economic situation the nation and the world is in. The point of the piece is that women are the missing link in decision making processes. My favorite line is understated:
“There seems to be a strong consensus that diverse groups perform better at problem solving” than homogeneous groups, Lu Hong and Scott E. Page wrote in The Journal of Economic Theory, summarizing the research in the field.

Naturally, I wonder, if strong consensus among diverse groups can perform better in economic matters, wouldn't the same hold true in the Church?

Indulgences and Practicing Catholic Faith Today

2009-02-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

In 1999 I entered RCIA, the class one takes in order to become Roman Catholic. On the first night of my class, I made a statement about my background and then asked a pointed question: I said, "I'm a scholar of medieval religious history. I am aware of the psychic and spiritual abuse the Church has inflicted through endorsing practices such as indulgences. So I wonder where the Church stands on indulgences today." The deacon immediately took over and said, "It's not an important practice today. Let's talk after class...in the parking lot." Well ten years later, I'm getting a different answer than the one he gave in a hushed voice in a dark parking lot.

Fidelity: Don't Divorce

2009-02-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

I support of fidelity. How about you?

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Humor Break

2009-02-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

So if you have 7 minutes and want to laugh, take a look at this clip from Ellen:

One Way to Calm Down and Be Happy

2009-02-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

As you know, I love beagles. I have loved them since I was a kid. I've already told my husband (who doesn't share my passion for beagles) that when the time comes when I am old and unable to move around (should I live that long), this video is the kind of thing I want to be able to watch. These puppies bring a smile to my face, especially Matilda!

Should Professors and Students be (FB) Friends?

2009-02-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about the subject of professional boundaries ever since I started up on Facebook in January, 2008, in large part because I started my Facebook page only because I was requiring all the students in my Spiritual Memoir/Autobiography class to have one as an experiment in public self-disclosure. Is it a good idea to be Facebook friends with my students, especially present students? Professors around the country are evaluating how they are using Facebook. Here, a law professor poses his dilemma. Some universities, Like Virginia Tech, have a very active FB community with faculty and students, alike. What do you think? What works? What doesn't work? And where are the boundaries for FB relationships in the academic world?

Keeping World Leaders Accountable

2009-02-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

This term I'm teaching a course on the History of Women and Religious Leadership. One of the premises of the course is that women have throughout Christian history taken and been given positions of leadership even when they don't hold any official religious office. Often these women hold those men who do hold ecclesiastical offices accountable. A recent example of this is playing out now on the world stage of leaders. German chancellor, Angela Merkel, does indeed hold an office, but it's a political one. Within the ecclesial world, she's "just" a lay woman. Yet, from the prominent position as lay woman she is holding Pope Benedict XVI accountable for his recent decision to reinstate Richard Williamson to full communion within the Church. She believes that the pope's position on the rehabilitation of this man to the Church has not been adequately distinguished from this man's public denial of mass killings in Nazi camp gas chambers during World War II. I am grateful that this public voice calling for accountability is made. I am all the more grateful and mindful that this voice is that of a lay person. And I am aware that it is a woman who is daring to make her voice heard on this issue while many other political and ecclesiastical leaders are quiet.

Beagle Clones

2009-01-29T17:25:00.001-08:00

Photo: /AFP/Getty Images

This could be a bad nightmare for my husband, but to me it's a miracle: beagle clones! Published in today's Guardian, the story comes from Seoul, South Korea.

Saving Lives

2009-01-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

I find this photo essay from the Guardian touching. It reveals how people care about living creatures to save their lives.

The Decisions Made at the Vatican

2009-01-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

Reconciliation is a basic precept within the Christian faith. And I think it is meant to be done responsibly...When high profile reconciliation occurs, such as recently when traditionalist bishops had their excommunications rescinded, I wonder how and why the decision as made.

For President Bush

2009-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

(Thanks S.G. for the inspiration)

Tha Blasters, "So Long, baby, Goodbye."

Pluralist United States?

2009-01-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

In the United States we like to think of ourselves as increasingly tolerant and pluralist in many respects including religion. Steve Walden makes the interesting point, though, that the United States government has become increasingly Protestant and decreasingly pluralist.

Walden opens the article with a telling comparison: in 1949 at the inauguration of Harry S. Truman, a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, and a Protestant minister were at the podium to deliver prayers. In 2001 at the inauguration of George W. Bush, both clergymen were Protestant.

In addition to desiring a return to the religious diversity represented in mid-20th century, I would like to see that diversity expanded to include leaders of other spiritual traditions, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Native American traditions, and non-institutionalized spiritual ways. And just as importantly, I ask: if we as a society choose to allow the continuation of prayers to be said at state events, then when, oh when, will a clergywoman be asked to lead such state sponsored prayer?

Choosing Life

2009-01-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

In recent months I have posted stories from around the world about chronically ill people who have chosen to end their lives. As a response to these posts, I have in the last day received anonymous comments asking my advice about how one should/could end their life or whether one should end their life. So I take this opportunity to offer these words:

I am a Roman Catholic and heartily believe that life is precious, even as we face terminal illness, pain, and suffering. I pray for anyone who is considering ending their life and urge anyone in such a position to seek professional counseling in person; not through the internet. Clergy of any faith and mental health practitioners can all help you.

Please contact The National Suicide Prevention Center at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Advent Conspiracy

2009-01-02T14:36:00.001-08:00

A little late, but never too late to hear this message. What can Christmas be?

Roman Nativity

2008-12-30T11:14:00.001-08:00

Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

When I lived in Rome I discovered that Romans know how to make many things beautiful. Here workers have placed a nativity scene inside a bulldozer during the holiday. I can see it as kitchy and I can see it as incredibly profound. What do you see?

Spirituality and the Brain

2008-12-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

Recent research pinpoints the place in the brain that accounts for some people revealing more traits associated with being spiritual, notably, selflessness. So if you tend to be spiritual and if you ever encounter skeptics who say "That religion/spirituality stuff is all in your head," you can say, "Yes, you're absolutely right.

A Picture of Faith

2008-12-21T14:05:00.001-08:00

To me this symbolizes faith: the dirty, worn hands, holding on lovingly to the rosary. Anyone who lives a life of faith experiences the trials this life has, but still chooses to love.

Changzhi, China

Photograph: /Reuters

Feast Day: Our Lady of Guadalupe

2008-12-12T15:30:00.001-08:00

A pilgrim in Mexico City.

Photo: Miguel Tovar/AP

Cats Smarter than Dogs?

2008-12-11T20:05:00.001-08:00

I have a few friends who are cat-lovers and who chide me for being a dog-lover. "But cats are so much smarter," they say. So to all of them I offer this rebuttal:

Drinking around the Holidays

2008-12-10T10:42:00.001-08:00

Alcohol abuse exists in my family and goes back at least a couple generations. In recent weeks the problem has once again reared its ugly presence in devastating ways. So, I have real issues with alcohol. I admit it. There are times I weep before going to a social event because I know the alcohol will be flowing and people will be drunk. Alcohol makes me nervous. (And yes, I am seeing a therapist about this.) So I read this article by a recovering alcoholic with interest and admiration. Even after 16 years of sobriety, the author craves a drink, but he chooses to abstain. The holidays are difficult, because of all the social events centered on drinking. If you're throwing a holiday party this year, how about throwing an alcohol-free party? If you and your friends can't celebrate the season without alcohol, what does that say to you?

Assisted Suicide on T.V.

2008-12-10T10:39:00.000-08:00

British television will air a documentary on assisted suicide which includes a scene of the moment a man dies. What do you think? Does this cross the line of decency? Or does this bring to a public forum a difficult subject that we need to discuss openly?

Musical Version of Political Strife in California

2008-12-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

This video has been circulating, "Proposition 8, the Musical." My particular favorite character is Jesus. I always thought Jesus would be like this: "Hey, how's it goin'?"

Advent Calendar

2008-12-03T15:05:00.000-08:00

Looking for an Advent Calendar that will really keep you wondering, watching, and waiting in anticipation? Check out Busted Halo's Calendar.

Obama and the Catholic Hierarchy

2008-12-03T14:35:00.000-08:00

While some members of the Roman Catholic hierarchy would like to compel their parishioners into guilt and dread for voting for Barack Obama because of his pro-choice stance, none other that the head of the U.S. Council of Bishops in his address to the bishops announced the positive significance Obama's election has in our country's efforts to dismantle racism.

Living out One's Faith

2008-11-19T19:34:00.001-08:00

Fr. Roy Bourgeois is a man of conviction. He was instrumental in the annual demonstrations against state-sponsored military training for Latin American squads known to have committed heinous crimes against humanity. Recently, he has been told to recant for his position on the ordination of women, since he has been active in such ordinations. In the face of excommunication, he has said he cannot recant his position on women's ordination. Regardless of your stance on the ordination of women, his story is touching because of the family support for him. His 95-year-old father said, "‘God brought Roy back from the war in Vietnam. God took care of Roy in his mission work in Bolivia and El Salvador, and God is going to take care of Roy now.’ Then he said, ‘Roy is doing the right thing by following his conscience, and I support him.’ ”
They [the family] all wept, said Bourgeois. It was curious, he said, because all of them had worried that the news would be terribly upsetting to his father. “But then this person of great inner strength looked at us and said, ‘God will look after the family, too.’ ”

That is real faith.

A Story about Life

2008-11-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

The Guardian published today a poignant and succinct story about giving life, sustaining life, and believing in life.

Catholics against Hate

2008-11-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

There was Catholic presence at the demonstrations against Prop 8. So I wonder, what will "The Church" do with this? Will individual priests try to keep the sacraments away from these faithful? Will individual priests who support gay rights stand up in defense?

The (ab)use of Power in the Catholic Church

2008-11-14T15:10:00.001-08:00

A Roman Catholic priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greensville, S.C. has "told parishioners that those who voted for Barack Obama placed themselves under divine judgment because of his stance on abortion and should not receive Holy Communion until they've done penance." While such political use of the sacrament is not allowed by the Church, the psychological impact is undoubtedly strong. I wonder if this priest and other like-minded clergy elsewhere have used their clerical office to make similarly strong statements against those who support the death penalty.

Virtual Life and Real Life

2008-11-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

From time to time I have blogged about Second Life, the virtual reality computer program that allows you to take on a different persona and interact through an avatar with other people's avatars. I have wondered how virtual life affects real life. A couple is getting a divorce because of an on-line, virtual affair. would like to know if God ever intervenes in Second Life of if the BVM ever appears there.

Waiting the Anti-Catholic Attacks

2008-11-10T20:17:00.001-08:00

As if the Catholic Church hadn't already been the target of enough (and justified) anger from the sexual abuse scandal, Catholic churches and individual Catholics may soon be the target angry retaliation now that Prop 8 passed in California, the proposition that bans same sex marriage. Because of the outspoken claims of church leaders and the funding they poured into passing Prop 8, all of us members of the Catholic Church are now seen as complicit. I hope and pray that the LGBT community and all its supporters know that not all Catholics voted for Prop 8 or support its tenets. Some church members believe that Jesus taught love and respect. Some church members believe he protected the alienated and disinfranchised. Some church members weep over what has happened. And some church members rage.

Blue is My Favorite Color Too!

2008-11-10T20:13:00.001-08:00

Palin blames Bush policies for GOP defeatAlaska Gov. Sarah Palin looks around her office filled with balloons and welcome home banners after she arrived at her office in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday Nov. 7, 2008, for the first time since she began campaigning as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential running mate. Al Grillo / Associated Press (Al Grillo / AP) Taken from Sfgate.com

Nader on Obama's Election

2008-11-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

I've always thought Ralph Nader was hard hitting, but here he goes over the top and poses the question whether Obama will be Uncle Sam (to the people of the U.S.) or Uncle Tom (to big corporations) as president:

Rice on Obama's Election

2008-11-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

I don't always see eye-to-eye with Condoleezza Rice, but her statement on Obama's election was a class-act:

Dog-loving New President

2008-11-05T12:52:00.000-08:00

I am delighted on many fronts about the Presidential election results, including by the news announced during Obama's speech last night, that the Obamas are getting a puppy! I'm glad to hear that our new president is a dog lover. He will fit into a long tradition at the White House. I hope they get a beagle!

I'm Taking this to the Polls on Tuesday

2008-11-03T18:30:00.001-08:00

Studs Terkel

2008-10-31T15:15:00.000-07:00

I first heard about Studs Terkel when I was in graduate school and listened to "North Country Notebook" on Wisconsin Public Radio. George Vukelich, the Wisconsin writer whose stories were at the center of that show, introduced me to so many writers like Aldo Leopold and Studs Terkel. I'm thinking about all of them today, since Studs Terkel passed away today. These writers were central to forming my young adult persona. So I guess my altar will hold another image this Sunday for All Soul's Day or the Day of the Dead.

Surf Watcher

2008-10-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

I love watching surfers. It's magical how they can move with waves. Here is a stunning photo from Chile (Punta Lobos beach, Pichilemu) showing just how treacherous waves there can get. Oh, I can't wait until Mavericks!

Photograph: Martin Bernetti/ AFP/Getty

A President who Reads

2008-10-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

For the last 8 years I have regretted that we have a President who does not appear to read much beyond the sports page of the paper. Who ever wins this year, one of the changes we can anticipate, perhaps, is literary allusions in presidential speeches. What a nice change that would be.
The candidates have listed their favorite books. So what are yours?

My all time favorite, without a doubt is Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge. I appreciate the ongoing spiritual journey Larry Darryl takes; it's a journey that doesn't end, and never rests long in any institutionalized form of religion.

Obama and Catholics

2008-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Obama has been condemned by some Catholic leaders for his pro-choice position, but many Catholics find his concern for immigration law, poverty, education, peace all put him in a camp which is familiar to Catholics.

This story from NPR highlights Obama's ease with Christian conversation, but specifically zeros in on his work among Catholics and his ability to reach out to Catholics who represent swing voters among Christian voters. I especially appreciate this voter's ability to think past the single issue that plagues some voter's views:

"Doug Kmiec is an anti-abortion Catholic who served in the Reagan and first Bush administrations. He says when he heard Obama's early speeches, he realized that Obama's views on health care and wages, on immigration, war and family, echoed the pope's teachings.
"On almost every topic that Catholics are asked to form their conscience about, Sen. Obama was hitting if not a home run, then a triple into those dead corners of the ballpark," he said.
Abortion was the only issue that troubled Kmiec. But he decided that Obama's plan to reduce abortions was better than the Republicans' failed attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade. It turns out, Kmiec has plenty of company."

American Muslim Hero

2008-10-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

Lest anyone think a muslim cannot be an honorable American who sacrifices all, here is a photograph of two:

Elsheba Khan at the grave of her son, Specialist Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan.

Photographer: Platon in The New Yorker

A Song for when You're Blue and Want Help

2008-10-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to J.C.

Respectful Video of Catholic Church

2008-10-23T15:21:00.001-07:00

Finally, a mainstream media source, CNN, provides a story and video that offers a respectful treatment of a difficult topic within the Catholic Church. The story and video highlight the healing garden which is part of the new Oakland Cathedral grounds. This area outside the church allows victims of sexual abuse at the hands of church officials to sit, reflect, think, pray, and hopefully come to some sense of healing. The video doesn't make the highlighted church officials out to be heinous or unsympathetic clergy. Instead, both Bishop Vigneron and Cathedral Provost, Fr. Paul Minnihan, come across as wanting to provide space for healing. Ms. Terri Light, an abuse victim, offers a poignant and eloquent overview of the space.

This is a welcomed difference from most stories concerning the Catholic Church in the news.

Texas does Everything in a Big Way

2008-10-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Not only are trucks and meals big in Texas, but they like to out-do everyone else with their efficiency in handling death row cases. Within the next 6 weeks, 12 inmates on death row will be executed. When I lived in Virginia, one year in the weeks preceding Christmas there was an execution each week for 4 weeks. I walked around nauseous during those weeks. What Texas is about to do is more than twice as much. I wonder how many Texans consider themselves to be pro-life?

Spot the Spoof

2008-10-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Guardian offers challenging quizzes from time to time on history and politics. Here are a couple that are fun to take: can you identify Palin's words v. Fey's words?

Another side to Dallas

2008-10-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

In sharp contrast to the other photo I took in Dallas posted a few minutes ago, I took this one below, since I found it so smart. Why should anyone be distracted by a cell phone or by texting while driving, especially in a school zone! I just just hope they also have these signs by hospitals.

Photo taken by Darleen Pryds, somewhere in Dallas!

Voting Pro-Life

2008-10-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

Voting against the war and for an economic situation in which eveyone can make a living wage could be one way to vote pro-life. But not everyone thinks that way.

Life in Dallas

2008-10-22T10:42:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Readers, for your patience. I've been away for a few days to visit some of my husband's relatives in Dallas. Without easy access to the internet, I just set myself on observation mode to see what I could see in the Lone Star State. One of the things I couldn't help but notice was the number of high profile sex shops and related businesses. As I drove around I wondered, "If I were a mom, how would I explain this sign to a five-year old; a ten-year-old; or a fifteen-year-old."

Photo take my Darleen Pryds off of Highway 75 in Dallas, Texas.

Playing a Part

2008-10-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

All acting costs money to prepare the staging and costumes. Politics is no different. I think I need to change jobs. Academics just doesn't allow for the great clothes. I get mine from Ross.

Important History Lessons

2008-10-15T10:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo essay offering a historical overview of our economic history since 1929.

Faithful Labor, II

2008-10-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

Photograph: Zheng Shuai/ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

In Fuzhou, China, a remarkable feat of faith and engineering is in process as workers turn the Cathedral of St Dominic 90 degrees and to move it south, making way for urban construction.

Faithful Labor

2008-10-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Photograph: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA

In Myanmar, workers apply gold leaf to the Kyait-Hti-Yo pagoda. The photo I want to see, though, is when they are applying the gold to the other side of the pagoda.

Challenging Political Quiz

2008-10-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

If American newspapers offered challenging quizzes like this one on American politics, perhaps we Americans would become better educated. Take the quiz.

Cutting out Luxuries: Peanut Butter

2008-10-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

In these severe economic days, charities are cutting out all luxuries--stick-on notes, pads of paper, and peanut butter. That such items can be considered luxurious makes me wonder: Why can't the very wealthy share some of their wealth? Is their fear of poverty so great, that they willingly allow others to really experience poverty?

A Prayer for these Days We are Living Through

2008-10-09T17:34:00.001-07:00

Pet Peeve Concerning Professional Ministers

2008-10-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

My first professional job after earning the Ph.D. was an administrative job at a research library. My boss was an atheist who had no tolerance for my interest in things religious. But she taught me an important lesson for both business and ministry: pay attention and spell people's names correctly. One of my jobs was to proofread all of the p.r. materials our office produced and she told me to double and triple check each name. "No one likes to see their name misspelled," she told me probably during my first week on the job.

The advice makes so much sense I am amazed at how frequently I encounter professional ministers--ordained and lay--who pay little attention to this detail. Frequently, the pastor of a church I attend misspells my name. Other colleagues do as well. And so, I wonder: do they even care about me as a person?

The Times We Live In

2008-10-07T17:51:00.001-07:00

One photograph says a lot;

two give a deeper historical interpretation of the times we are living in.

Photograph: Max Whittaker/Getty Images

Above: Homeless Woman in tent city in Reno.

Below: Dorothy Lange's "Migrant Mother"

You Just Never Know where She'll Show up

2008-10-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Virgin Mary is appearing in Springfield, Mass. these days on the second story window of the Mercy Center Medical Center. I'm curious what's happening on the other side of those panes of glass on which she's appearing.

Legal to Die?

2008-10-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

Readers know that I am preparing to apply for hospice training, so the subject of how people prepare to die is one that interests me. Here is an article that poses some of the legal challenges facing those people in Britain who decide to end their life using a professional service in Switzerland. While assisted suicide is illegal in Britain, it has been legal in Switzerland since 1941. To date about 100 Britons have opted to die using the services of Dignitas. But at issue here is what are the legal ramifications for the surviving family members--be they spouse, child, parent, etc.--if they help the person get to Switzerland for this purpose?

What do you think?

Thanks to C.E.D. for forwarding this article to me.

What is Love?

2008-10-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

Vegetarianism Helps Climate

2008-10-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

I've been a vegetarian for 26 years. It was a decision grounded in compassion for other living beings. Now with our earth's fragile condition, there are even more reasons to reduce meat and dairy consumption. If you eat meat and dairy, try this suggestion of reducing meat consumption to four days a week and milk consumption to just a liter of milk a week. And then, breathe in fresher, cleaner air.

Holy Days

2008-10-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

These are Holy Days in many traditions. For muslims the holy month of Ramadan has finished with these days of breaking the fast, known as Eid al-Fitr. Here is a photo essay marking this festival.

Palin Knows how to Stay Informed

2008-10-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see that Palin also reads my favorite news source, the Guardian. Or, so we may presume from her comments.

Faith, Guardian Angels and Bill Maher

2008-10-01T10:03:00.001-07:00

Bill Maher has a film coming out on Friday that ridicules religious faith. He starts trying to goad his guests on religious belief by bringing in an article from USA Today that points to 55% Americans believing in guardian angels (at the 6'45" point of this clip). He brings up Americans' belief in guardian angels as an explanation of why Americans can't solve problems.

But his guests, who included political blogger Andrew Sullivan and musician Will.I.Am, both of whom believe in angels and make intelligent cases for their belief while demonstrating their ability to think clearly and analyze politics.

My question: why is it that intelligent media personalities like Maher (and so many other people in and outside of the entertainment industry) lose their analytical perspective when it comes to religious faith and think all people of faith are evangelicals or politically conservative?

What kind of Bank Account do you have?

2008-09-29T21:36:00.001-07:00

Maybe this is the way to go in this economic climate.

Can you make a living at that?

2008-09-29T21:30:00.001-07:00

If you listen to "Car Talk," you are used to hearing the guys make jabs at art history majors for choosing a major which you can't make any money at. Given our current situation, this cartoon offers a refreshing view at least from the perspective of any of us liberal arts majors:
From the New Yorker

Do You Believe in Guardian Angels?

2008-09-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last week, USA Today did an article on Americans' belief in guardian angels. Bill Maher then used this article to goad news analyst and Catholic, Andrew Sullivan, about religious faith. (The clip lasts about 11 minutes and includes alot about Sarah Palin. For the guardian angel discussion skip to 6'45" into the clip.)

What do you think about guardian angels? I'll be preaching about them on Thursday.

"Crazy Preachers" and Wise Preachers

2008-09-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I would like to see an news article about a wise religious leader, especially one who has the ear of a prominent politician. But for now, here is another unfortunate expose of the Christian faith through the lens of Sarah Palin's faith community and her minister who prays for money to finance her campaign and prays against the influence of witchcraft.

Nearing the End of Anti-Catholic Throne

2008-09-25T16:36:00.001-07:00

England has long had a strong anti-Catholic tradition. Since the 16th century, a Catholic could not legally take the English throne. That may end soon, as legislation allowing a Catholic AND/OR first born female to succeed to the throne.

So if the British Crown can change, I wonder if the Church can change, at least with regard to the role of women?

Preaching from the Pulpit

2008-09-24T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've usually been uncomfortable when I start hearing politics being preached from the pulpit. In large part because I have rarely heard politics that I agree with being preached...but once, just once, I did hear politics I agreed with being preached. After a sermon on Easter Sunday preached by a Roman Catholic priest in Berkeley a few years ago in support of same sex marriage, I found myself in awe at this priest's courage.

So, that makes me wonder, would I want more politics preached from the pulpit if I agreed with the politics being preached? Here is an interesting story about politics from the pulpit that is airing tonight on "All Things Considered."

Remembering Randy Pausch

2008-09-23T16:04:00.000-07:00

Photo: Gene J. Puskar /AP

In Pittsburgh just before a memorial service for Prof. Randy Pausch, hundreds of stuffed Tiggers occupy the seats at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch became an internet sensation with the spread of his 'last lecture.' He died of cancer in July.

Reprieve

2008-09-23T15:59:00.001-07:00

For now Troy Anthony Davis enjoys a reprieve. Scheduled to be executed tonight at 7:00p.m. EDT, he was issued a reprieve about two hours ago, that is two hours before the scheduled execution. The Supreme Court will discuss the case on Monday. Until then, I will be hoping and praying that they do the right thing.