See No Evel

Robert Craig Knievel passed away earlier today. People under the age of about 35 will have no idea who he is. Those of us that are over 35 know him as Evel Knievel.

Evel Knievel rose to become the most famous daredevil of all time by jumping his motorcycle over buses, pools full of sharks and cages of tigers. His feats were regularly featured on ABC's "Wild World of Sports" (another thing unknown to people under 35). He was a one-man circus....and he played the act all the way to the bank.

Evel never made much money on his motorcycle feats. Agents and other handlers took most of the money. However, he made over $34 million on his Evel Knievel motorcycle toy (I went nuts when I got one for my birthday).

In a few years, divorces, bad investments and addictions left him bankrupt. He beat up a guy with a baseball bat and went to jail. He developed liver disease likely related to alcoholism.

In later years, he turned his life around. He told people that he was just a showman that happened to have the right gimmick at the right time. He reconciled with his son and urged him to stop jumping motorcycles. He developed several stable relationships.

In the end, he could not overcome his earlier life of addictions and injuries (he broke nearly every bone in his body during several failed motorcycle jumps). However, God is a very keen "clock manager". It would have been a shame if Evel had died during the height of his fame (which seemed likely given his stunts). However, he was given the opportunity to reconcile with family, friends and his own legend. Evel took advantage of this opportunity and died in peace.

There can be goodness in Evel.

The Rest of the Story

24 year old NFL star Sean Taylor is shot dead in what appears to be an attempted armed robbery. Trent Lott resigns from the U.S. Senate and will not fulfill his current term.

What do these events have in common? When I read a bit about each of the events, I could not help but think that there is much more going on than what has been reported. I feel badly for the friends and family of Sean Taylor. Since becoming a father, he has apparently settled down. However, the reported events surrounding his death don't seem to add up. If he plays for the Washington Redskins, what was he doing at his Miami home? Why were the phone lines to his home cut? Don't armed robbers know that people have cell phones? There is something about this situation that doesn't add up. Regardless, this is a tragedy.

The resignation of Trent Lott is not a tragedy. He has long been the model of the "good ole' boy" political hack. The only people that deserved him were the people of Tennessee that voted for him. Unfortunately, their votes ensured that all of us would have to put up with the likes of Sen. Lott. Why did he suddenly resign? Does he have a lobbyist gig lined up when the "waiting period" that prohibits former elected officials from lobbying ends? Is there a personal scandal looming? As with the situation surrounding the death of Sean Taylor, things just don't add up.

The prayers of many people have been answered with the news of Sen. Lott's resignation. Let's make sure those prayers now go to the family of Sean Taylor.

The Miracle of Snow

My wife and I drove about 125 miles to spend Thanksgiving Day with my mother. On our drive there, we experienced a fair amount of snowfall. It wasn't accumulating, but it made the drive a bit on the treacherous side. The roads weren't slick, but visibility was terrible.

When we returned home yesterday, we noticed that our hometown had a bit more snow on the ground than was the case at my mother's town. The same snow that diminished visibility on our way to my mother's had the opposite impact when I took the dog our for a walk this morning. When looking down at the snow, I saw all kinds of signs of beings - the very large boot prints of a human, rabbit tracks and even a couple of deer prints. Thanks to this snow, I could now "see" things that I would never see without any snow cover on the ground.

I always like the first snowfalls of the year - especially because of the now visible signs of so much life - life that we don't see otherwise. It reminds us that winter is not a "dead" time.

The Black Market

I visited my aging mother for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. On Friday evening, she uttered the words that I feared - "I want to go to the department store." The LAST thing I wanted to do was go to a department strore on "Black Friday".

The experience wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. My mother didn't want to go shopping. She needed a couple of items, including a new heating pad. We found them right away. There were no crowds.

However, I am always amazed that so many U.S. citiezens spend the fourth Thursday of November gearing up for the opportunity to show that we are complete gluttons and in control of the merchandising/marketing industry. Stores now open at 4:00 am on the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. Most newspapers have pictures and stories of people being nearly trampled when the doors of stores open.

Why do we do this? How foolish can we be? Why don't we just save money and time by sending a check to Walmart or Best Buy?

High In"Fidel"ity

In the spirit of Thanksgiving Day and the Feast of St. Cecilia, I want to express my gratitude to an individual from my past. As I entered high school, I was completing my 7th or 8th year of piano lessons. After so many years, the lessons can seem like somewhat of a drag. I also questioned how "cool" it was for a high schooler to take piano lessons. I was considering giving up the lessons.

I lived a fair distance from my high school and, as a result, took a school bus to and from school. For all of my four years in high school, the same man drove the bus. He was a dead ringer for Fidel Castro and he ruled the bus like a dictator.

Since I was often the last person to be dropped of after school, I had the chance to talk with "Fidel". In addition to driving the bus, Lee (his real name)was a fairly well-known piano player at local dinner clubs. After learning that I took piano lessons, he constantly encouraged me to continue. I sensed that he knew I was thinking about discontinuing the lessons. He told me stories about famous pianists ranging from Beethoven to Liberace. He always reminded me of how music played such a significant positive role in his life. He also insisted on dropping me off at the home of my piano teacher on my lesson days (her home was a significant distance from my home).

Although he never gave me an instrumental music lesson, Lee certainly gave me many lessons about music. Given the significance of this particular day, it is only appropriate that I express gratitude that Lee encouraged me to continue my music studies over 30 years ago. If not for Lee, I would have given up my music lessons. I would have never been in the position to have been taken under the wing of an incredible organist, teacher and friend a few years later. I would not have played a bombastic organ piece prior to my wedding. I wouldn't be playing the piano and organ at the two churches to which I belong. I would not have been able to play Christmas music for my family this morning.

Where is Bangladesh?

I recently searched for a map of Bangladesh. I knew it was near India. I found out it is virtually surrounded by India.

A cyclone ripped through Bangladesh last week and killed at least 3,100 people that we know of. Hurricane Katrina killed at least 1,800 people that we know of. The cyclone in Bangladesh made front page news for a day or two. Hurricane Katrina made front page news for months. Sure, one can argue that Hurrican Katrina happened in the U.S. - not on the other side of the world. Thus, Katrina deserved front page news in the U.S. media for months.

However, how often does a ferry capsize in New Orleans and several hundred people lose their lives? Fortunately, not too often. If it happened once, it would be huge news for weeks. Ferries capsize in Bangladesh on a regular basis. Hundreds of people lose their lives. Sometimes, I find a paragraph about such incidents near the back of the second section of our state's main newspaper.

Why should we care about the people of Bangladesh? They live on the other side of the world. There are millions and millions of people living in Bangladesh. What is the big deal about a few hundred or even a few thousand perishing? The people of Bangladesh are poor. Dying young will save them from a life a struggles.

We should care because they are our brother and sisters in humanity. We should care because Jesus provided us with His example and command to care for them.

Giving Thanks

When I was five years old, a sibling passed away after a lengthy and difficult battle with cancer. This sibling and I were close to being twins - the sibling was 13 months older than me. As one might imaging, there aren't many, if any, events that are more difficult for a family. My parents and older siblings were completely devastated.

It would have been easy for our neighbors to pretend that nothing happened to our family. They knew what happened and they knew it was difficult for the family, including me. Most of our neighbors were getting up in years. They had other things to do than worry about the chatty little neighbor kid. However, the Clarks always made sure that whenever they got a toy with their cereal, they gave it to me. Mr. Clark was an expert woodcrafter and would make me various toys. Mr. and Mrs. Rich would always make sure to invite me over for special events when their grandchildren visited. Dr. and Mrs. O'Reilly did the same. Mrs. Euless taught me how to golf at an exclusive country club and would invite me to sit with big shots and NFL games.

These neighbors took an interest in making sure that a devastating and tragic incident in early life would not lead me down erroneous paths. If they saw me doing something wrong, they yelled at me and told me to stop. They didn't tell my parents - they didn't have to. I respected them as authorities just as I repected my parents. I did not want to disappoint any of them.

I am eternally grateful that these people were part of my life.

Patch of Red in the Desert

Later this month, Pope Benedict XVI will create 23 new Cardinals. This group consists of 20 archbishops, two priests from religious orders and one other individial, Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly.

The elevation of Patriarch Delly sends a strong message across the world. For nearly 20 years, he served as an auxiliary bishop in Baghdad, Iraq. He had a brief retirement beginning in 2002 until he was elected patriarch in 2003.

For many years, Patriarch Delly has been the voice of the suffering of the entire Iraqi nation, not just the small Christian community. He has vocally advocated that all nations embrace fleeing Iraqi citizens and not force them to return to Iraq.

Patriarch Delly has already turned 80 and won't be eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. However, his being elevated to the College of Cardinals is a clear indication that the Vatican recognizes not only the ongoing struggles of Christians in the Middle East, but recognizes the entities that have created the obstacles that have led to such struggles.

As Patriarch Delly receives the red hat, let us all pray for our brothers and sisters struggling in the Middle East.

Politics as Usual

A couple of weeks ago, Christian Broadcasting Network founder and chairman Pat Robertson announced that he would support Rudy Guliani's campaign to become the next U.S. president. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,308997,00.html)

This event reminded me of a conversation I had many years ago with a fellow novice. He claimed that the Republican Party was far more moral than the Democratic Party because the Republican Party platform included a strong stand against abortion. I argued that neither party was more moral than the other and that either party would sell-out on any issue if it meant the party gaining or maintaining political power.

Well, the cash register is ringing loudly for the Republican Party. This supposedly moral and family-friendly party may very well nominate an adulterer that supports abortion, gay rights and contraception. Why this support? Because they feel that Rudy, regardless of his positions, may offer the best chance for the Republicans to keep control of the White House.

Lest you think of me as a liberal hack, the Democratic Party is no better - as I argued with my fellow novice a generation ago. In politics, power trumps morality.

The East-West Connection

I have several close friends that are Greek Orthodox. They own and operate a couple of restaurants. I regularly stop by for a meal and the chance to talk with them. We often talk about our families, sports, jobs, etc.

They are very active in their church and I am very active in mine. We often talk about the differences and similarities between the our various rites and celebrations. My friends and I recognize that we won't see reunification in our lifetimes. However, we pray for the time when I can attend services at an Orthodox church and they can attend services at a Roman Catholic church and our attendance will be recognized by our respective churches as attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist.

A few week ago, a very critical meeting was held in Ravenna, Italy. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0706519.htm Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders went so far as to discuss church authority. This is a huge breakthrough in the dialogue. Authority remains the main issue in the 1000 year separation of the churches. In the past, conversations would focus on nearly everything but authority. It appears that leaders of both churches have recognized the need to finally get to "the meat of the matter".

While these events represent significant progress, it would be foolish to think that the two churches, after 1000 years of differing histories, experiences and cultural developments, can work out all of the differences in a few years. It will take time. It won't happen in our lifetime. However, reunification no longer seems to be an impossible dream.

By George I Think He's Got It

Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago, was recently elected president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops. This has the potential to be a very big deal.

During the conclave of 2005, may Vatican insiders suggested that there were only three Cardinals that were truly qualified to be elected Pope. One of those Cardinals, Joseph Ratzinger, was elected Pope. The other two Cardinals were Cardinal George and Cardinal Martini, Archbishop Emeritus of Milan. Supposedly, Cardinal Martini received some votes in the conclave and may have been the only other candidate, other than Cardinal Ratzinger, to receive a fair number of votes. However, Cardinal Martini suffers from Parkinsons and will not receive any further consideration if a conclave takes place in the next few years.

Cardinal George is 71 years old - about the prime age to become a Pope. He speaks 6 languages and holds two doctorate degrees. He leads one of the largest and most influential archdioceses in the U.S. - an archdiocese that gives a ton of money to the Vatican. Given his election as president of the USCCB, his name will be in the headlines. He will likely take the lead in coordinating Pope Benedict's visit to the U.S. next year.

What does this mean? Cardinal George is now in position to be the United States prelate that has the best chance ever to become Pope. He will likely receive a fair number of votes if a conclave takes place in the next five years. However, huge obstacles to an American Pope remain. To many Vatican insiders, the U.S. is seen as a moral cesspool that those same insiders would like to jettison if it weren't for all of the money that comes to the Vatican from the U.S. Also, there is an increasing interest in the possibility of the next Pope being from Latin America, where a tremendous number of Catholics live.

Keep an eye on how Cardinal George does in this new leadership position. His performance could make the next conclave extremely interesting.

Papa to Come

The Vatican recently confirmed that Pope Benedict will visit the U.S. in April of 2008. Tentative plans are for the Pope to address the United Nations, visit Ground Zero and celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium.

It will be interesting to see what happens with the U.S. policies and involvement in the Middle East between now and April of 2008. If the U.S. is gearing up for a preemptive strike against Iran, the Pope's message to the United Nations could be very critical. White House and Pentagon officials may be somewhat cool to the Pope's visit.

Hopefully, His Holiness will have some time to celebrate His 81st birthday and third anniversary of His election as Successor to Peter.

Although the visit to the U.S. is scheduled to be very short, it may turn out to be the most influential trip by Benedict XVI.

Iran So Far Away

Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando and chair of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Committee on International Policy, recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Rice urging that the U.S. exhaust all possible diplomatic means to resolve the nuclear threat in Iran prior to initiating military action. You can read a report from Catholic News Service at http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0706411.htm

The letter recognizes that the prospect of Iran having nuclear weapon capabilities is unacceptable. This shouldn't be an earth-shattering idea since the Vatican feels that it is unacceptable for any nation, including the U.S., to have nuclear weapon capabilities.

The most fearful message is that the Vatican, through the United States bishops, has a huge concern that the U.S. is in the planning of another preemptive strike against a Middle East nation. In terms of knowing what is going on in the world, there are few other entities that are in a better position than the Vatican. This seems like "deja vu all over again". In thinking about the U.S. action in Iraq, I wonder how our nation's leaders would respond if Dr. Phil asked "And how did that work out for you?".

The best thing to do when going the wrong way down a one-way street is to get off the street.

Chasing Amy

In the early 1960s, a girl was born to a family in Indiana. The girl was born with significant health issues, including developmental disabilities. Her family was offered a choice: send her to an institution and forget about her or take her home and try to raise her with no help. Although this wasn't much of a choice, the family took her home.

The birth of this girl started a tremendous movement. The family moved to another state. Based on their experience in the struggles to provide a decent life for their daughter/sister with special needs, the family reached out to other families that had members with special needs. The family fought for public school special education programs in which their daughter and thousands of other children with special needs could attend. The family fought for community-based services so that people without special needs could live and work outside of large institutions. This girl's mother went on to head the state agency that advocates for people with developmental disabilities. Almost ten years ago, the mother resigned her position to spend more thime with the daughter that was near death.

Obviously, the daughter rallied. She had an incredibly sharp wit and a permanent mischievious smirk. She was pals with nationally known politicians, including Hilary Clinton. National, state and local officials knew her personally. In short, she was a true inspiration to a large circle of people.

Amy died last week. She kept claiming that she was "going to check out" on Halloween. She passed away at about 2:30 am on November 1. There is now a huge void in the life of many people. I attended the visitation. I saw pictures of Amy with many famous politicians and actors. I noticed flowers from a well-known U.S. Senator. While saying a prayer at the side of her coffin, I had to laugh. The smirk was still on her face.

Amy provided tremendous lessons to many people, including me. I hope to meet this teacher again.

Beyond the Bishops

Well, just when one thinks we have heard just about everything related to the priest sexual assault issue, along comes a situation with a different twist.

Recently, a fairly well-known priest from a religious order was kicked out of the order. This priest was one of Mother Teresa's spiritual directors. He would often travel around the world to give presentations on spiritual direction. He often travelled with adolescent boys. Several of these now young men have made allegations that the priest abused them. The allegations have been substantiated.

Most of the allegations related to incidents that took place in the 1990s. This priest's religious superiors claim that they didn't know of his actions. However, several copies of letters from parents of this priest's victims to the order's leadership have turned up. Many of the letters are dated prior to the dates of many of the sexual assaults. Obviously, the leadership of the order had a pretty good idea of what was going on and did not do enough to stop it. As a result, this priest was allowed the opportunities to victimize numerous boys.

The victims of these crimes are numerous: the boys that were assaulted, their families, those that trusted the priest, those that trusted the order and the order's superiors, etc. I feel sorry for the many incredible Roman Catholic priests I know. Many have made sacrifices for me that have greatly improved my life and made me a better person. There are many such priests that have done the same for millions of people around the world. While I maintain that far too much focus on sexual assaults of children has been placed on priests, the terrible actions of very few priests and their leaders have tarnished the reputation of the priesthood in general.

The bottom line: the priest and the order's leaders that knew what was going on should go to prison and pay restitution to the victims. If religious leaders do not want to "air their dirty laundry" in public, then they should clean the laundry in prison.

It's About The People

In the summer prior to entering the novitiate of a religious order, I worked in a well-known resort area. The owners of the resort where I worked were very fundamentalist when it came to religious beliefs. I believe they were Baptists. They knew of my desire to enter a religious order.

On morning, one of the owners, in an attempt to "needle" me, informed me that the Catholic Church had completely screwed up his family. I told him that, if his family was as screwed up as he claimed, the Catholic Church had nothing to do with it. The actions of screwed up people, some of whom may have been Catholic, led to his screwed up family. Did the Baptist church screw up Jimmy Swaggart's family? No - Jimmy Swaggart screwed up his family. I told the owner in no uncertain terms that actions of his own family members likely led to his family being so screwed up.

The Catholic Church isn't perfect. Never has been and never will be. The Catholic Church is comprised of imperfect humans. Some of these same imperfect humans fight civil authorities in an effort to serve the homeless in Green Bay. Some of these same imperfect humans publicly assail our government's use of torture and targeting innocent civilians.

It's all about the people.

Having No Connections

I just went through the wonderful experience of moving a small office. We only moved about two miles away. However, we still had to pack everything up.

As with every move, I knew there would be glitches. As expected, we had problems with our phones and internet. At first, I viewed the situation as a major headache. However, after a couple of days, I rather enjoyed not having to figure out how I was going to work my way through the well over 100 voice-mail and e-mail messages I receive daily.

My feelings were bittersweet when I figured out how to fix the phone problems. Our technology guy has me connected to the internet, but my e-mail isn't quite working. I can receive messages, but can't send any.

This experience reminds me of those one or two winter storms we get in the midwest each year. Everything shuts down. Nobody can go anywhere. Once people get over the inconvenience, they simple learn to deal with it. What are the options?

So, I will be fully connected in a day. I have enjoyed the break and highly recommend that everyone become disconnected for a couple of days each year.

Remembering Lou

I had the opportunity to grow up in a pretty close-knit neighborhood. Even though it was a pretty nice area, there were remnants of some goofy informal neighborhood policies. For example, the man that owned most of the lots in previous years was "open minded". He sold some of the lots to Jewish families. However, those lots were limited to a small part of the subdivision - a part that was off to the side.

Like many Catholic kids, I grew up thinking everyone was Catholic. I was a very social little kid and spent a tremendous amount of time walking around and talking with neighbors, including Lou and his family. Lou and his wife were extremely nice to me, as was their son, Tom. I think I remember someone telling me that they were Jewish, but I thought that must have been a "sub-group" of Catholics.

In second grade, one of the teachers informed me that Jewish people did not believe in Jesus and were going to hell. I was crushed. How could this be? My Jewish friends were so nice. Tom even gave me rides in his hot rod car and on his mini-bike.

Little did I know that Lou was a very prominent and wealthy businessman. Yet he and his family always took the time to talk with the young neighbor kid that never seemed to keep quiet. Lou always waved and smiled whenever I saw him drive by in his car.

Lou passed away last week after a long and fruitful life. Although my second grade teacher might disagree, I have no doubt that Lou has met his eternal reward.

A Personal Conversion

I try not to reveal to much personal information or experiences in this blog. However, I really need to share an amazing story of conversion.

Readers of this blog may recall the following from previous blogs: I am Catholic and my wife is Lutheran, my wife and I went to Rome earlier this year and that close family members were in a motorcycle crash this summer. Those seemingly unrelated things have lined up to form a marvelous situation.

My wife is not only Lutheran, she is a WELS Lutheran. When we were married, we wanted an ecumenical service, but her pastor would have nothing to do with it. We were married in a Catholic ceremony over eight years ago.

Skip ahead to early June of this year. While in Rome, we visited the tombs of the Popes beneath St. Peter's Basilica. When we approached the tomb of Pope John Paul II, there was a woman kneeling on the tomb, crying loudly and dropping flower petals. She was obviously a family member or close friend - nobody else would have been allowed past security. My wife was really struck by this scene.

Skip ahead a few days. On our last day in Rome, I bought about a dozen Pope Benedict XVI mini-rosaries (the ones that are one decade) as small gifts for Catholic friends back home. I bought them at my wife's suggestion.

Skip ahead a few more days. Shortly after returning from Rome, my wife's parents were in a freak motorcycle crash hundreds of miles away. My wife's mother was not expected to live. My wife drove out to be with her mother. On a quiet evening when she was alone at her mother's bedside, my wife took out one of the Pope Benedict mini-rosaries. For some reason, she felt compelled to bring it with her. She didn't even know what to do with the rosary. Even though it was a Pope Benedict rosary, my wife, recalling the scene at his tomb in Rome, prayed for the intercession of Pope John Paul II on behalf of her mother. Although she did not make a "prayer deal", she asked that her mother survive and, should that happen, my wife would take that as a clear sign that she should convert.

Skip ahead to the present. Within the next week or two, my mother-in-law will be returning home after over four months in various hospitals and rehabilitation centers . Two days ago, my wife completed her second RCIA class.

A Home in Green Bay

Here is yet another good story about a parish doing the right thing. St. John the Evangelist Church in Green Bay has planning to open a COTS program for homeless people. I do not know what COTS stands for, but I assume it as a somewhat standardized program to serve homeless people. Well, the "good" neighbors of the church expressed concerns to the City of Green Bay. The city said that the parish could not open the church for such a program. The "good" neighbors of the church didn't want those "undesireable" homeless people in their neighborhood.

The City of Green Bay stated that, if the church opens the program, the city could fine the church $600 per day. The church and the Diocese of Green Bay replied with a rousing "So what?!" The director of administration for the Diocese of Green Bay went so far as to publicly state that it is unconstitutional for the City of Green Bay to deny the diocese and/or any parish from working to fulfill its mission. The church plans to implement the COTS program with or without city approval.

Obviously, the leaders of the City of Green Bay and the "good" neighbors of St. John the Evangelist Church missed the sermon on compassion.

Out of Bloggy Experience

Will technological marvels never cease? This is the first post I have made from a remote wireless location. I just feel so enabled. I have yet to determine whether this experience is positive, negative or a bit of both. While it is certainly wonderful to be able to make a post while waiting in a hotel lobby to give a presentation, I now sense a new level of pressure to make regular posts to the blog.

This does represent an opportunity to do something creative, such as a "Where in the world is Joe Lunch Box?" contest. Here are some clues to my current location: fairly large city, Great Lakes, fermented malt beverage and Mile.

O'Brien Speaks Out

Archbishop Edward O'Brien, formerly the Archbishop of The U.S. Armed Forces and recently named as Archbishop of Baltimore, recently gave a speach in which he stated that military chaplains should do all that they can to advocate against using torture and targeting civilians. Archbishop O'Brien was particularly concerned about the documented torture by U.S. forces against detainees in Iraqi prisons.

While I continue to have significant concerns about the hierarchy of the Catholic Church (concerns that are no greater or less than those I have with civil leaders), I must give Archbishop O'Brian a significant amount of credit for publicly stating his feelings on a very controversial issue. Given that he is no longer Archbishop of the U.S. Armed Forces, he might have felt a bit more freedom to question some of the policies of the White House and the Pentagon that relate to how our forces treat (or mistreat) prisoners of war and other war detainees.

Archbishop O'Brien is right on this issue. However, most of the members of the Conservative Right will argue that he is wrong.