This past summer on our way to Florida, Amy and I stopped at the gravesite of Martin Luther King Jr. I had been there before, a number of times. Though it is close to downtown, there is a quiet that persist--obviously this was not the case the other day when President Bush was there--but the times I've been there, although a crowd is present, most are quiet, reflecting.
What are they reflecting on?
Non-violence, peaceful protest, offer no resistence--the teachings of Christ! For what made Dr. King's message different and in the end successful was the apparent failure of it. Like the master he preached--his tomb stands like a cross planted squarely in the middle of the south. The relecting pool surrounding it reflects the faces of humanity who walk around it.
It was Christian faith, radical belief in the message of Jesus that led the civil rights movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sadly that very faith has been forgotten by many who wish to follow in his footprints. But who can blame them when they see the tomb of Dr. King, they see the price of the taking up one's cross and following the master.
We also visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church nearby. I had never been inside the church before--since it was undergoing renovations. Amy and I were both shocked at how small it was--having seen in on television countless times, it seemed large. But alas it wasn't..."if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to that mountain."
There will be many talks given today, that will laud Dr. King and his contribution to our society. There will be many proclamations about the progress we have made and some lamentation about how much further we have to go. But the saddest indictment will not be that we have not moved far enough in recognizing all people as our brothers and sisters--but rather that most of us have forgotten the one Father that we share that makes us all brothers and sisters!
At the Loraine Motel in Memphis, TN where Dr. King was shot there is a historical marker with a quote from Genesis..."here comes that dreamer, let us put an end to him and then see what becomes of his dream." Of course the dreamer spoken of in Genesis is Joseph and his dream was given to him by God and nothing men could do could destroy or keep that dream from coming to fruition. Ultimately God always wins...
Monday, January 19, 2004
Her Silent Fight
Reflections by Father Rob Johansen and Peter Vere on what Terri Schiavo has taught them about the culture of life. Found at Lay Witness
Latest Update on Father Benedict
Father Andrew Apostoli spoke to me and asked that we keep praying for Father. The medcated fog is necessary, he said, to conserve Father's strength to fight off all the trauma that his body has endured.
From Father Glenn's Letter of 1/18/04:
Sunday was for Fr. Benedict what Sunday should be - a day of rest. Today there was no scheduled procedures, at least not medically speaking. Thanks to a quiet and devout layman, Fr. Benedict received some spiritual therapy as he was blest with a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi. It seems that Saint Francis made it to Fr. Benedict's side before Blessed Mother Teresa! Evidently a friend who was bringing the relic from Calcutta got unexpectedly stranded in London. Now guess where he's spending the night? Our friary in London!
The situation with Father is still somewhat the same -nothing too new, nothing too bad - at least from what we can see. There is still no immediate response to stimuli except the slight raising of his eyebrow. Remember, that medicinal "fog" Father's swimming in? Well, this is caused not only by the accumulated sedatives in his system together with the prescribed medicine to ease pain, but it may also be the excess blood from the head wound which still needs to be absorbed into Father's system. This accumulated blood on the brain may be suppressing his ability to readily respond to stimuli like voice commands or touch. So, perhaps when the blood is absorbed things might look better. There is no talk about any neurological damage at this time.
Here's the dilemma: sedatives are necessary to ease the pain which reduces stress on the heart, yet Father needs to break through this thick fog he's in. What to do? While the medical people do their thing, we'll do ours. Let's make our prayer not only sincere, but also clear!
From Father Glenn's Letter of 1/18/04:
Sunday was for Fr. Benedict what Sunday should be - a day of rest. Today there was no scheduled procedures, at least not medically speaking. Thanks to a quiet and devout layman, Fr. Benedict received some spiritual therapy as he was blest with a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi. It seems that Saint Francis made it to Fr. Benedict's side before Blessed Mother Teresa! Evidently a friend who was bringing the relic from Calcutta got unexpectedly stranded in London. Now guess where he's spending the night? Our friary in London!
The situation with Father is still somewhat the same -nothing too new, nothing too bad - at least from what we can see. There is still no immediate response to stimuli except the slight raising of his eyebrow. Remember, that medicinal "fog" Father's swimming in? Well, this is caused not only by the accumulated sedatives in his system together with the prescribed medicine to ease pain, but it may also be the excess blood from the head wound which still needs to be absorbed into Father's system. This accumulated blood on the brain may be suppressing his ability to readily respond to stimuli like voice commands or touch. So, perhaps when the blood is absorbed things might look better. There is no talk about any neurological damage at this time.
Here's the dilemma: sedatives are necessary to ease the pain which reduces stress on the heart, yet Father needs to break through this thick fog he's in. What to do? While the medical people do their thing, we'll do ours. Let's make our prayer not only sincere, but also clear!
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Fear of Pneumonia and Father Groeschel
Here is the latest update on Father Benedict from Father Glenn:
Today is Saturday, January 17, and here is a brief update on Fr. Benedict's condition.
Fr. John Lynch, a close friend and a diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of New York, continues to stay close by Fr. Benedict. He reports to me that Fr. Benedict had "a good day" and is stable in the wake of last night's extensive surgery. The leg was masterfully attended to thanks to the Holy-Spirit guided hands of a wonderful orthopedic surgeon and his assistant. Evidently, the right arm still needs work but it isn't a major concern for his doctor at this time. The incision in the abdomen is now safely closed. As planned, the doctors did place small "screens" or "filters" in the lower abdomen to prevent any blood clots from the lower extremities traveling to the heart, lungs, and brain. The bandages to the head wound were changed. This wound doesn't appear to be problematic at this point.
Fr. Conrad and Br. Sharbel both report that Father's color looks good, and the overall swelling of the face and body has greatly diminished. Father Benedict still remains in a "deep fog" because of the sedatives. The doctors want to slowly but surely diminish the amount of these pain-reducing medicines so that he can begin to respond to stimulus. From what I have been told, this is important; they don't want him to stay in this "fog" too long.
Although Father doesn't immediately respond to simple commands (e.g. move finger, etc.), he did flinch when the head bandage was being changed! Although no one wants to cause Father any pain, his reaction to pain is actually good. He has to in some way, struggle out of his drug induced sleep.
While these are good signs, we all must now turn our attention to an enemy on the horizon -pneumonia. At the time of the accident, like many of us, Father had a cold with some congestion. Also, although Father has been breathing on his own with the aid of a respirator, his breathing has been quite shallow. As he lies still in one place, fluid buildup in the lungs is almost inevitable. The doctors can almost see the enemy ready to attack.
Today is Saturday, January 17, and here is a brief update on Fr. Benedict's condition.
Fr. John Lynch, a close friend and a diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of New York, continues to stay close by Fr. Benedict. He reports to me that Fr. Benedict had "a good day" and is stable in the wake of last night's extensive surgery. The leg was masterfully attended to thanks to the Holy-Spirit guided hands of a wonderful orthopedic surgeon and his assistant. Evidently, the right arm still needs work but it isn't a major concern for his doctor at this time. The incision in the abdomen is now safely closed. As planned, the doctors did place small "screens" or "filters" in the lower abdomen to prevent any blood clots from the lower extremities traveling to the heart, lungs, and brain. The bandages to the head wound were changed. This wound doesn't appear to be problematic at this point.
Fr. Conrad and Br. Sharbel both report that Father's color looks good, and the overall swelling of the face and body has greatly diminished. Father Benedict still remains in a "deep fog" because of the sedatives. The doctors want to slowly but surely diminish the amount of these pain-reducing medicines so that he can begin to respond to stimulus. From what I have been told, this is important; they don't want him to stay in this "fog" too long.
Although Father doesn't immediately respond to simple commands (e.g. move finger, etc.), he did flinch when the head bandage was being changed! Although no one wants to cause Father any pain, his reaction to pain is actually good. He has to in some way, struggle out of his drug induced sleep.
While these are good signs, we all must now turn our attention to an enemy on the horizon -pneumonia. At the time of the accident, like many of us, Father had a cold with some congestion. Also, although Father has been breathing on his own with the aid of a respirator, his breathing has been quite shallow. As he lies still in one place, fluid buildup in the lungs is almost inevitable. The doctors can almost see the enemy ready to attack.
Golden Menorah from Temple in Vatican?
One of the strangest aspects to this story is the claim the golden menorah that once stood in the Temple in Jerusalem is in the Vatican.
My friend, Dr. Lena Allen Shore was present at this meeting. I'll have to ask her about this when she returns.
From CBS 2: Pope Meets With Israel's Chief Rabbis:
"The audience with Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar was the first by Israel's chief rabbis in the Vatican. The pope met Israel's previous chief rabbis in the Holy Land during his visit in 2000.
Before leaving Israel, the rabbis said they would ask to search Vatican storerooms for artifacts such as the huge golden menorah that stood in the temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
But Metzger said they didn't mention the menorah.
'We left it to his discretion to find an object that would be important to us,' Metzger said. 'We don't know if it (the menorah) exists but if it does and they decide to give it to us there will be no greater joy for us.'
They were shown manuscripts written by the 12th century Jewish scholar Moses Maimondes and asked that they be lent to Israel.
John Paul told them that in his 25 years as pope 'I have striven to promote Jewish-Catholic dialogue and to foster ever greater understanding, respect and cooperation between us.' "
My friend, Dr. Lena Allen Shore was present at this meeting. I'll have to ask her about this when she returns.
From CBS 2: Pope Meets With Israel's Chief Rabbis:
"The audience with Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar was the first by Israel's chief rabbis in the Vatican. The pope met Israel's previous chief rabbis in the Holy Land during his visit in 2000.
Before leaving Israel, the rabbis said they would ask to search Vatican storerooms for artifacts such as the huge golden menorah that stood in the temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago.
But Metzger said they didn't mention the menorah.
'We left it to his discretion to find an object that would be important to us,' Metzger said. 'We don't know if it (the menorah) exists but if it does and they decide to give it to us there will be no greater joy for us.'
They were shown manuscripts written by the 12th century Jewish scholar Moses Maimondes and asked that they be lent to Israel.
John Paul told them that in his 25 years as pope 'I have striven to promote Jewish-Catholic dialogue and to foster ever greater understanding, respect and cooperation between us.' "
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Latest Update on Father Benedict's Condition
The friars have all set up a link, so that you can email your wishes to Father Benedict...
From aLetter 1/16/04 by Father Glenn:
"I am getting this message to you earlier than planned since I have been told that Fr. Benedict is being operated on at this moment. The time now is 8:00 pm (EST).
From what I know tonight they are operating on Father's right arm. This will be the second procedure on the right arm. Last night's operation was simply 'step one'. Besides attending to his right arm, the doctors will also work on the right leg which was broken in two places. The doctors will also be stitching up the open incision in his abdomen which was opened when they had to do an exploratory looking for the source of an acid build up. This has been brought to an acceptable level with medication. Finally, they will be inserting small filters to prevent blood clots from traveling to vital organs. So you see how much your prayers are needed."
From aLetter 1/16/04 by Father Glenn:
"I am getting this message to you earlier than planned since I have been told that Fr. Benedict is being operated on at this moment. The time now is 8:00 pm (EST).
From what I know tonight they are operating on Father's right arm. This will be the second procedure on the right arm. Last night's operation was simply 'step one'. Besides attending to his right arm, the doctors will also work on the right leg which was broken in two places. The doctors will also be stitching up the open incision in his abdomen which was opened when they had to do an exploratory looking for the source of an acid build up. This has been brought to an acceptable level with medication. Finally, they will be inserting small filters to prevent blood clots from traveling to vital organs. So you see how much your prayers are needed."
Mr. John Bertolucci
Of all the charismatic leaders of the 1980's, I liked Father John Bertolucci the best. He was a great preacher, had a great television program and was a remarkable evangelist.
He was largely responsible for keeping a segment of the Charismatic movement linked to a more conservative idealogy. I think he also was responsible for the bringing devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary into the movement--a move that split it to some degree.
I thought it was strange, how he just disappeared from sight in the 90's.
Sadly, he is an example that the sexual failings are not a liberal enterprise.
I pray for him and his victims, but at the same time give thanks for the ministry that he provided for the church at one time--a time I might add that was after his great fall (but of course no one knew it at the time).
He is still teaching us a lesson, even now. We are all sinners, we all have failed. We all need Christ. As the Psalmist says, "I have seen the cedars of Lebanon towering, I looked again and they were gone..."
From Albany, N.Y. -- timesunion.com:
"Bertolucci was among the first priests removed by the diocese when the sex abuse scandal erupted in 2002. He had retired before that, and had been a national leader of the charismatic Christian movement.
Bertolucci's appearance at the conference sparked controversy. Bertolucci wore a dark suit, like that worn by priests.
Aretakis and a victims' advocates group said such wearing of clerical garb was in violation of the church's rules on priests removed from ministry for sexual abuse of children.
Diocese spokesman Ken Goldfarb said there was no violation because Bertolucci was not wearing his white clerical collar. 'He was wearing the black suit, but maybe he has only one suit,' Goldfarb said.
The Capital Region Chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests fired off a letter to Bishop Howard Hubbard demanding an investigation.
'When Mr. Bertolucci was removed from active ministry, he should have been told by you, in no uncertain terms, that he is forbidden from presenting himself in any way, shape or form as a member of the clergy. This includes dressing as a priest,' wrote chapter leader Mark Furnish. "
He was largely responsible for keeping a segment of the Charismatic movement linked to a more conservative idealogy. I think he also was responsible for the bringing devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary into the movement--a move that split it to some degree.
I thought it was strange, how he just disappeared from sight in the 90's.
Sadly, he is an example that the sexual failings are not a liberal enterprise.
I pray for him and his victims, but at the same time give thanks for the ministry that he provided for the church at one time--a time I might add that was after his great fall (but of course no one knew it at the time).
He is still teaching us a lesson, even now. We are all sinners, we all have failed. We all need Christ. As the Psalmist says, "I have seen the cedars of Lebanon towering, I looked again and they were gone..."
From Albany, N.Y. -- timesunion.com:
"Bertolucci was among the first priests removed by the diocese when the sex abuse scandal erupted in 2002. He had retired before that, and had been a national leader of the charismatic Christian movement.
Bertolucci's appearance at the conference sparked controversy. Bertolucci wore a dark suit, like that worn by priests.
Aretakis and a victims' advocates group said such wearing of clerical garb was in violation of the church's rules on priests removed from ministry for sexual abuse of children.
Diocese spokesman Ken Goldfarb said there was no violation because Bertolucci was not wearing his white clerical collar. 'He was wearing the black suit, but maybe he has only one suit,' Goldfarb said.
The Capital Region Chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests fired off a letter to Bishop Howard Hubbard demanding an investigation.
'When Mr. Bertolucci was removed from active ministry, he should have been told by you, in no uncertain terms, that he is forbidden from presenting himself in any way, shape or form as a member of the clergy. This includes dressing as a priest,' wrote chapter leader Mark Furnish. "
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