image

April 2016 Philadelphia Chapter of Pax Christi U.S.A.


image


Veni Sancti Spiritu


image


In our home, for entertainment, we often like to watch movies. Chances are that if I go to the video store I'll usually return with a little known foreign film whose plot is usually opaque at best and whose ending is never quite clear. Truth be told, I usually end up falling asleep while the rest of the family endures my esoteric fascinations. Then there are the more popular Hollywood flicks, where more often than not, you can tell the entire plot by just watching the trailers. It seems to me that much of what our social lives, and un-fortunately even our spiritual lives, are constantly waiting for is the Hollywood script writer to come knocking at our door to get 'the story'. You know, the one that follows the pattern of good narration and plot sequence; the one whose protagonist struggles and then finds a clear answer/solution to the problem and goes on to live happily ever after. We tend to want happy endings and stay away from the ambiguous or unfinished endings that leave us wondering what will happen next.


For those of us who are trying to live as though Jesus' invitation to 'come follow me' is personal, we struggle to figure out the where/why/how of that invitation. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to us? He seems to take his disciples to places (both physical and spiritual) they'd rather not go and certainly don't understand. How can the Messiah wash feet, eat with sinners, and constantly be a thorn in the side of the establishment? How can this man/Messiah be condemned and executed as a criminal? Clarence Jordan who was a prophet of the 20th century said, "The resurrection of Jesus was simply God's unwillingness to take our 'no' for an answer. He raised Jesus, not as an invitation to us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that he himself has now established permanent, eternal residence here on earth. He is standing beside us, strengthening us in this life. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home to be with him, but that he has risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick prisoner brothers with him."


It doesn't take long to understand that the reason the poor are God's chosen is precisely because they do not have the happy endings. It is in their need that they are blessed as in the Beatitudes. Richard Rohr would say another translation for "Blessed are you" could be "congratulations'! It is rather counter-intuitive and it is the alternative orthodoxy that Rohr alludes to time and again as 'The Way' that Jesus called us to. It is noteworthy that this has been hidden from the wise and the learned and revealed to the Anawim. And this is precisely why it is good news. God is in solidarity with the poor! The barometer for us as disciples of Jesus is how good is the good news for us? How does it speak to my condition as they say in twelve step programs? How can we live in such a way that NEEDS the promise of Love every day.


We live in the central coast of California in a small farm working community. Over the years I've come to see those we try to serve with food and medical attention as my teachers and the healers of my soul. What I am able to share with them in a physical way, is returned tenfold in a spiritual way. Why? Because the poor have an in with God. They are the keepers of the keys to kin-dom. They somehow know that this life is passing away and that nothing is promised to us except the grace of God. What more do we need?


Jesus' exhortation to ‘be not afraid' both during his life and after his death seem to be a constant. The fear-filled disciples, like us, are constantly doubting that Grace, and crippling our actions. Clarence Jordan used to say, "Fear is the polio of the soul that prevents us from walking by faith". We need to have enough faith in order to ask for more. For the freedom that comes in being released from our own neurosis as we try and prepare, plan and prevent any real life from happening.


I am accompanying now a Oaxacan woman who exemplifies this faith that Jesus is talking about. She and her husband came 5 years ago from Mexico so that they could make a little money working in the fields and be able to return and build a

little house and live off the land. They left their 3 young children in the care of her mother. While here, she got pregnant and gave birth to a boy who has severe developmental delays. At 16 months he is unable to hold his head up. While he qualifies for Medi-Cal the maze and hoops that need to be navigated before he is actually able to see a specialist are exasperating. And while I try to be patient and explain for the hundredth time that, "no he doesn't have regular insurance", she assures me that God will send her son what/whom he needs. She exemplifies the kind of faith and complete trust I've come to see as hallmarks of the Beatitude people.


In Tomorrow's Child, Brazilian theologian Rubem Alves says, "the two, suffering and hope, live from each other. Suffering without hope produces resentment and despair. Hope without suffering creates illusions, naiveté, and drunkenness." It seems to be a symbiotic relationship where by a full life of discipleship can be found. The same cross we so casually bless ourselves with is the same cross that killed our God. Nobody knows this better than those who are being nailed to that very cross today.


The disciples understanding of the resurrection did not happen overnight. They were filled with confusion and fear long after Jesus was resurrected. It wasn't until Pentecost that they were given (by the Spirit) the courage to understand what it meant to have Jesus resurrected. And it was that same Spirit that then gave them the courage to follow him to the very same place that he landed – The Cross. Are we really prepared this Pentecost to say Veni Sancti Spiritu? It's almost a guarantee that the story - our story - will be unpredictable and the ending nobody really knows but, one thing is certain Jesus walked the way paving it for us. It's probably a story I might not even fall asleep on.


image

Spirit Woodcut: R.McGovern


Tensie Hernandez,


Beatitude House Catholic Worker, Guadalupe CA


image


image

Tensi’s husband, Dennis Apel, is sentenced to 4 months in prison beginning May 9th for crossing the green line at Vandenberg Air Force Base during a protest. The judge made the decision after Dennis had failed to cooperate with the 6 months of probation and 200 hours of community service she initially sentenced him to. (He refused out of principle.)


For more on Dennis go to: www.cpfphila.com: