What Do We Do Now?

It is the day after the day after the election.  In my state, a change in partisan control took place in the Governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature.  An incumbent U.S. Senator lost.  Those that support the party that will soon control most of the elected offices in my state are quite gleeful.  Their mantra is:  The people want change. 

Those that support the party that lost control of most elected offices in my state are saying they are happy.  They argue that the other party will now have the responsibility of cleaning up the mess they created.

I have always argued that campaigning and governing are two different animals.  One party ran a system of campaigns that was effective.  However, the supporters of this party now have to hold the feet of the newly elected officials to the fire.  The electoral courtship is over - the campaign to get the newly empowered party to the altar has been successful.  We will soon get a more accurate picture of the party we "married" - warts and all.  If the new spouse doesn't do what they promised (aka:  to govern), we can count on another divorce in two years.

Spring Break In October

Earlier this week, we had frost every night.  However, we are now entering into a very mild stretch of weather with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s (far above the average for this region at this time of the year). 

Unfortunately, I am not able to fully enjoy this wonderful weather environment.  I am stranded in my own home.  Earlier this morning, after my wife left for work, I heard and felt a thud in the house.  My initial assumption was that the beloved canine knocked something over.  I did some investigating and found a sleeping dog and no signs of mischief.

All was going as usual until I pressed the button for the garage door opener and nothing happened.  I pressed it again and still nothing.  Then I noticed that the spring that makes it possible to lift the door had snapped in two.  That was the thud I felt and heard earlier.  This has happened before.  The garage door is down and is not moving.  My car is inside and is not moving, either.

So, here I sit.  Fortunately, I am able to connect to the computer server at work and can accomplish quite a bit.  However, it is a strange feeling to know that I just cannot go get into the car and drive somewhere.  While I don't have to face such challenges very often, many people with disabilities face the challenge of being "stranded" at home every day of their lives.  They cannot come up with the idea of going to a movie and then just go.  They have to make arrangements to find transporation.  If transportation is available at all, it is often difficult to coordinate and is very expensive - even in the large university city where I live.

A Foxy Challenge

A friend that is a priest of St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere, WI, was recently playing a bit of tennis for some exercise.  Lo and behold, his tennis match was "crashed" by one of the residents of the abbey property.  Father Andrew was able to snap a photo of the "crasher".

A Good Batting Average

My sister-in-law, Jane, passed away last month.  Jane was a free-spirit.  She left her husband and two small sons many years ago to pursue the party life that she thought would make her happy.  She never did find much happiness.  She passed away after a pretty tough battle with cancer.

Yesterday, the family got together to fulfill Jane's wishes regarding her mortal remains.  It was a pretty tough family reunion, as many of the members still harbor bitter feelings toward Jane for turning her back on her husband and two small sons.  We can all question why Jane did some things she did and whe she didn't do things she should have done.  Thirteen family members were at the informal memorial service.  If it weren't for Jane, five of those people - her former husband, her two sons, her daughter-in-law, and her young grandson (whom Jane was able to hold two weeks before she died) would not be part of our family. 

In spite of many questionable things Jane did and didn't do during her earthly journey, she made it possible for five wonderful people to be part of our family (and made it possible for three of those five people to exist).  That's a pretty good batting average.

It's Not What You Know, But Whom You Know

I was delivered by the Green Bay Packer team physician two days after a game.  In those days, hygiene wasn't what it is today.  I could very well have Packer blood in me.  I was born too late to remember the Packer "glory years" of the 60s.  For most of my youth, we considered a Packer loss by less than 10 points to be a victory.  Even with that factored in, the Packers still lost most of the time.  My family had (and still does have) season tickets.  I think I went to 7 games before seeing a victory.

As the years went by, I always hoped I would live long enough to experience the Packers winning a Super Bowl.   That really was one of my top hopes for life.  Along came the mid-90s.  The Packers became one of the dominant teams in the NFL.  They were on a roll.  My father and I went to many playoff games.  When it looked likely that the Packers would go to the Super Bowl, the Packer organization held a lottery.  The few winners would have the opportunity to buy tickets to the Super Bowl at face value.  My father's name was picked!  I could not believe my good fortune - I was going to the Super Bowl and might actually see the Packers return to glory!

Fast forward to the Monday after the Super Bowl.  That Packers won.  Time spent in New Orleans was amazing.  I saw more people I knew from my hometown there than I would have walking around my hometown.  I had seen the Packers win the Super Bowl!  My hope was realized. 

However, I was given much more than what I hoped for.  Yes, I saw the Packers win the Super Bowl.  What was more significant was that I saw the Packers win the Super Bowl with my father.  At that time, he was close to 70 and retired.  On the tour we took to the Super Bowl, we had to stay at a hotel that was 90 minutes away from New Orleans.  At my father's suggestion, we took the first shuttle bus into New Orleans on each of the three days we were there and the last bus back.  Yes, we left at 8:00 am every morning and returned at 3:00 am.  We experienced all that New Olreans has to offer.  Several times during the trip, my father said something like "Don't tell your mother about this." 

I saw the Packers win the Super Bowl.  More importantly, I experienced that event with my father.

I was thinking about this earlier today while attending the funeral for Sylvia, a 90 year old woman that I have gotten to know over the past year during weekly visits to bring Communion to people at a nearby assisted living and rehabilitation center.  Although suffering from dementia, Syvia became crystal clear whenever I brought her Communion.  Invariably, she would say, "Thank you so much.  You don't know what this means to me".  Sylvia experinced many things in her life.  She was very well-educated at a time when many people felt that educating women beyond high school (except for teachers and nurses) was a waste of time.  Sylvia earned a Ph.D. in English Literature and Communications.  She taught for many years as a full professor at a major university.  Given all that she achieved, one might think her obituary and eulogy would be full with a list of professional milestones.  However, at Sulvia's request, these were the words that were shared.  "I have enjoyed many highlights during my life.  My family, friends and students comprise those highlights.  Thank you all for sharing this journey with me."

It is not what you know, but whom you know.

On The Clock

I just learned that the father of a good friend passed away recently.  His mother passed away lassed year.  So, he is experiencing the feelings one has when both parents have passed away.  Two weeks ago, I attended the wake for the mother of another friend.  Her father passed away last year.  She, too, is discovering the feelings one has when both parents have passed away.

Like my friends, I am experiencing what it is like when your parents are no longer living.  Fortunately, like my friends, both of my parents lived long and productive lives.  While there remains a deep sense of loss for all of us, we share the joy knowing that our parents lived full lives and are now on another journey (and reunited with other loved ones that have passed away).

I guess I have to get ready for this.  I am of an age where most of my friends still have both parents that are living.  In a few years, that will no longer be the case.  A few years after that, most of my friends will have no parents that are still living.  A few years after that, an increasing number of my friends will pass away due to natural causes.

This does not have to be a morbid thought.  All of this is part of both the earthly and spiritual the life cycles.

Who Cares?

LeBron James is hosting a one hour special that will be aired live on ESPN to announce which NBA team he plans to join as a free agent.

Would Nelson Mandela or Mother Teresa have held a televesion special to announce the next cause(s) to which the would devote themselves? In twenty years, LeBron James will be remembered by those few people that memorize sports statistics. Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa will be remembered as being being a part of positive world history for centuries to come.

Why My Musical Tastes May Seem Strange

...and it is not because ABBA is the greatest pop/rock group of all time. That is obvious.

However, let's harken back to 1982. For that year, the #1 song of the year was "Physical" by Olivia Newton John. The #1 song at my (all male Catholic) high school was "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band.

My number #1 song for 1982 is one of which the vast majority of people have never heard. The singers are, for the most part (especially in the U.S.) unknown. The music production in the song isn't the greatest. The lyrics are not too deep. However, the strength of the tune (of which the vast majority of people should be familiar) is the glue that brings numerous weak features together in a manner that makes the song work.

Another Reason Why Others Might Dislike The U.S.

While walking the beloved canine this morning through a "swanky" neighborhood, we got caught in a downpour.  Still, we continued our walk...right past a property that had automatic lawn sprinklers going full tilt.  I am sure the millions of people suffering in the world from lack of water would feel better knowing that this property owner's lawn was getting a double dose of water.

Why Others Might Dislike The U.S.

Would the media in other countries cover an event like a hot dog eating contest?  On the holiday that celebrates the birth of our county, ESPN had live coverage of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.  I am sure all of the starving people of the world that have no food or televisions could not wait to learn that Joey Chestnut won the contest by eating 54 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

A Better Way

I am currently taking an online course through the University of Notre Dame on Emerging Models of Catechesis.  The course discusses the differences between traditional faith formation models (those that use classroom learning techniques targeted to age specific groups) and intergenerational faith formation models (those that bring a broad range of people from a faith community together to be both learners and teachers).  Most of the other people in the course have some formal role in catechesis at their parishes.  I am one of the few in the course that do not have such a formal role.

I think I caught some of the catechesis veterans off guard when I mentioned that this method of learning/teaching is not special to faith formation.  What is the best way to learn a language?  Immersion.  One can learn a language in a classroom with vocabulary and grammar drills.  However, things don't "sink in" until one has the opportunities to apply the language - conversations with other people in the language, reading magazines in the language, seeing movies in the language, etc.  The idea is to get people to apply what they have learned about a language without really thinking about it.  That can only come about with exposure to diverse opportunities to use the language.  That further comes about only through contact with a diverse group of people.

Why should one not expect the same with faith formation?  I can read and memorize the Catechism.  However, unless I have access to experienced mentors that can help me apply what I have learned to my daily life, I haven't learned anything - I have just memorized some information.

Between A Rock And A Hard Place....Again

Poor Penny.  I have written about her before.  She is a thirty year old African Amercian woman with developmental disabilities.  Although she has such disabilities, she is fairly high functioning.

Penny has been in jail or in a mental health institute since the middle of April.  She broke into an apartment to seek things to steal for her "husband".  This man is not her husband, but a man that takes advantage of Penny for sex and money.  He has a lengthy criminal record.  He has treated Penny in every horrendous manner imaginable.  Yet, Penny's primary desire is to seek the "love" of this main.  In doing so, she has become an addict and a criminal.

When Penny was arrested and jailed over two months ago, there were questions about her competency to stand trial.  An outpatient evaluation was ordered by the Court.  The "expert" physician could not figure Penny out.  So, Penny was shipped of to a state mental health institute for inpatient evaluation.  After two weeks, they could not figure her out and asked for another two weeks.  The extension was granted.  The report for Penny stated that she was incompetent to stand trial, but likely to gain competency with 3 to 6 months of treatment.  Along with Penny's attorney, I argued that it was unlikely that Penny would regain any level of competency.  The Court agreed, but didn't drop the charges.  The prosecuror argued that, if released from custody, Penny posed a significant risk to herself.  All of us on Penny's support team agree.  Penny has diabetes that is not closely monitored.  Penny has refused all efforts to provide her with more community-based supervision (such as living in an adult family home).  Because of this, Penny has been languishing in institutions for over two months. 

The issue will be addressed at a hearing later today.  My hope is that everyone will agree to drop all charges and release Penny from custody with the understanding that, if she ends up in court again, the prosecutor will have no alternative but to petition for an involuntary commitment to a mental institute.  To her credit, the primary concern for the prosecutor is Penny's safety.  She worries that Penny will end up dead from complications related to diabetes, being shot when breaking into someone's home or from an overdose. 

Both the human service system and the criminal justice system have done a tremendous disservice to Penny.  Penny does not belong in an institution and she is a huge risk to herself when left unsupervised in the community.  Penny rebuffs most of the assistance offered to her.  So, Penny falls through the cracks.

I fear that the day will soon come when I get a call that Penny is dead.  If that day arrives, the cause of Penny's death won't be diabetes, trauma or an overdose.  The cause of death will be chronic asphyxiation by the "system".

Mid-Year Resolution

I never make New Year's resolutions.  I think that if I really wanted to accomplish something, I wouldn't have to wait until the turn of a year to make a commitment. 

Which leads me to this:  A few of the millions of readers of this blog have said that they enjoy reading most of my posts.  I even admit that I struggle to come up with something worthy to write.  However, I am making a public (at least in the blogosphere) commitment to have at least 5 posts per week.  For faithful readers, this means that you will likely encounter an increased number of both worthy and unworthy posts.  I promise to do my best to help ensure a high ratio of worthy to unworthy posts.

One quick tidbit for the day:  With all of the media coverage of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, one has to wonder if developments in technology get ahead of ways to ensure such technology is safe and effective.  This was brought home yesterday when I came across an incident that required a response from law enforcement.  One of the other observers asked if anyone had texted 911.

Knowing Where To Look

My wife's sister passed away early this morning.  She had been battling cancer for many months.

Many years ago, my wife's sister simply walked out on her husband and two small sons.  She wanted to lead the party life.  The party life proved to be a tough road with many challenges.  There was very minimal contact between my wife's sister and family members for decades.

A couple of weeks ago, my wife's sister called one of her sons "out of the blue" to let him know that she was coming for a visit the next day (she lived in a different state and had to fly).  She was barely healthy enough to fly.  However, she likely sensed that her earthly journey was nearing and end.  It is good that she had the opportunity to spend some time with each of her sons.  She also saw her only grandchild for the first time.

My wife's sister spent decades pursuing happiness, the same happiness for which all of us long.  She didn't have too much success in her pursuit.  She didn't know where to look for the happiness.  My hope and prayer is that God has provided her with the opportunity to finally enjoy the happiness she could never find on her earthly journey.

Persistence Pays Off

For over a decade, I have been discerning a vocation to the permanent diaconate in a diocese that does not yet have an ongoing permanent diaconate formation program.  One class of deacons was ordained several years ago (I just missed that class).  Since that ordination, there has been little activity related to continuing a permanent diaconate formation program in my diocese.

About a year ago, I was ready to join a parish in a neighboring diocese so that that I could continue my discernment.  I was very frustrated after a decade of running into brick walls and it didn't appear that I would ever get the opportunity to pursue being a deacon in my home diocese.  Fortunately, I crossed paths with Father A and Monsignor B.  Father A suggested that I let someone at the diocese know of my plans to join a parish in another diocese in order to be in a position continue my discernment.  Father A suggested that I meet personally with Monsignor B, a diocesan official.  Monsignor B was very understanding of my frustration.  He suggested that I hold off on any transitions until he had the opportunity to discuss my situation with our Bishop.  He suggested a plan that included getting my pastor involved and remaining actively involved in my parish.  He also supported my efforts to learn more about permanent diaconate formation programs in nearby dioceses. 

Recently, I received permission from my Bishop to seek application to a permanent diaconate formation program in a neighboring diocese with the intention of being ordained for service in my home diocese.  I really wondered if I would ever reach this point - even though I understand there there is a significant portion of the discernment journey in front of me. 

Taking A Pulse

Last week, I had a conversation with a person about priests.  The person mentioned that it would be nice if priests had "real world" experience.  The implication was that priests could not understand the struggles that most people face since priests don't have the responsibilities related to having a spouse, a family, making a living, etc.  I was a bit taken aback and mentioned that priest didn't just "fall of the turnip truck" - that they experienced family life, the demands of college and seminary, the challenges of running a parish, etc.

After giving some thought to this exchange, I came to the conclusion that I missed the boat.  I have had the good fortune to have crossed paths with many priests.  Virtually every priest I have known has a much better handle on "real world" issue than I do.  Yes, I struggle with a fair number of the challenges most non-priests face - maintaining a strong relationship with a spouse, paying a mortgage, dealing with work issues, etc.  However, the length of the list of my "real world" challenges is nowhere near as long as the list of such challenges in which priests are deeply involved.  Priests regularly do the following:  help people prepare for the final portion of their earthly journey, help families through the grief process, help couples work through significant marriage challenges, help people work through addiction issues, help people work through depression related to a job loss, guide people struggling in their spiritual life, assist couples dealing with infertility issues, etc.  And this list is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. 

The next time someone mentions to me that priests have no "real world" experience, I will be in a better position to assert that most priests have far more "real world" experience than most non-priests.

Annointing of the Sick

1) I could have used it.
2) Bea really needed it.
3) We need more priests.

For the past several days, I have been under the weather.  It started with fatigue and nausea early last week.  It moved into a fever.  Over the weekend, it hurt so much to swallow that I gave up on swallowing - I walked around with a plastic "spit" cup.  I went to urgent care on Sunday.  The physician assistant said I had all the signs of Strep throat, event though the thtoat culture swab test came back negative.  I am now on one of those many medications with "mycin" at the end of its name.  I will get better.

Earlier today, I got a call from a nearby assisted living center to inform me that one of the Catholic residents, Bea, has entered the active process of dying.  I bring communion to about 25 people there each week.  Well, I contacted Bea's home parish.  The pastor was out of town and nobody really knew how to reach him to see if Bea has received the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick.  Obviously, he would not have been able to administer this Sacrament to her.  I contacted both Catholic parishes in town.  Both parishes have two priests.  Of those four priests, three were enjoying a well-deserved day off (many priests take off on Mondays to rest from a weekend of Masses, weddings, baptisms, funerals, etc.).  The other priest was at an appointment.  I left voice-mail and e-mail messages with all of the priests.  All four got back to me - two of them almost immediately.  One went immediately to administer the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick to Bea.  Bea will get better, too - especially if she dies.

Hardball?

I have never been a huge fan of the Survivors' Network of Those Abused By Priests (SNAP).  Like many organizations that started out with good intentions, SNAP now seems more interested in generating publicity for itself and its leaders than in assisting victims of priest abuse and seeking effective ways to minimize priest abuse.  However, one of their recent publicity-seeking missives got me thinking. (By the way, the comments about the story are fairly amusing and misguided).

SNAP is alleging that a lobbyist with some connection (but not an lobbyist registered by the organization) to the Wisconsin Catholic Conference put pressure on Wisconsin State Senator Jim Sullivan to oppose legisation that would extend the time window in which abuse allegations could be brought against Catholic priests (my guess it that the window would have applied to allegations of abuse by a broader group, but the target was Catholic priests).  In its statement, SNAP suggests that the lobbyist and Senator Sullivan discussed the legislator's desire to continue to receive Holly Communion.  Of course, SNAP representatives saw an implied threat to withhold Holy Communion if the legislator did not oppose the bill.

While I have grave reservations about withholding Holy Communion from individual Catholics, I feel that any Bishop must have the ability to do so within his diocese in cases where individuals publicly oppose basic Catholic theological doctrines and will not stop their public opposition.  In the case of Senator Sullivan, the issue was NOT his possible opposition to a theological doctrine of the Catholic Church.  The issue was a matter of civil and criminal judicial procedures.  So, if what SNAP implies is accurate (and that is questionable) about the Senator Sulivan situation, I would be terribly disappointed.

Who's On Third?

Two of us left the house on Mother's Day to visit a dog breeder that lives three hours away.  Three of us came back.  The third is Chauncey.  When I refer to my beloved canine companion from this point on, I will be referring to Chauncey.  My beloved human companion and I are very happy.  Chauncey seems to be happy, too.  However, it is an adjustment for all three of us. 

I promise to return to more "newsy" theological issues.  However, the past couple of weeks have included some major life moments.

8 Days A Week

It has been a long and difficult week.  My wife and I didn't expect that the loss of our dog would have created such an unbalance in our lives.  While we aren't one of those crazy families that treats their pet(s) like a human, we have come to realize that much of our life was focused on our dog without us knowing it.  For instance, when I wake up in the morning, I still have the sense that I need to take the dog out for a walk.  I still hurry home from work to take the dog out - even though, for the time being, there is no dog.

In the past 9 months, I have been at the side of my mother when she passed away and by the side of our dog when he passed away.  Both passed away very peacefully.  When my mother passed away, there was a definite sense that her soul had separated from her body.  I could feel the presence of both her soul and her body, but I knew that her soul was no longer contained in her body.  Although it was a sad experience, I knew that while her body finished a journey, her soul was beginning another journey.  I did not have that same feeling when our dog passed away.  There was a finality to his passing.  This is likely due to the fact that dogs don't have souls (sorry you crazy dog lovers).  However, pets do have something that other animals don't have - something that I can't explain.  While they do not have their own souls, they have some of ours that we share with them.  So when a pet dies, the part of the soul that our pet had returns to us.

This experience has led me to ponder how I would reply to a child that asks this question:  Will I see my pet in Heaven?  Since dogs don't have souls, I don't feel safe in saying that people will see their pets in Heaven.  However, I feel safe in saying this:  Our earthy interactions with our pets have given us great joy.  In Heaven, we will have that same joy multiplied infinitessimally in intensity.  Does that mean we will see our pets?  I don't know.  But anything, including that which we cannot begin to comprehend, is possible with God.

On Sunday, my wife and I are making a journey to visit a breeder that has several young adult dogs and some very young puppies.  Prior to learning that our dog was very sick, we made plans to see other dogs that we might consider bringing into our family as a young sibling to our older dog.  We had planned to make the visit last Saturday, but the breeder had to postpone the visit because the puppies arrived on Friday evening - a week early.  The delay was fortuitous, as our dog passed away the following day.  So, we will visit some dogs and puppies.  If there is a connection that develops between any of the young adult dogs and us, we won't let any grass grow under our feet in our efforts to make that connection permanent.  We will be bringing a dog crate, a leash and collar, a blanket, some dog food, some water and the checkbook - just in case.  While we won't get our hopes up, if there is a connection, it would make for a wonderful Mother's Day for my wife.

Archie, April 18, 1999 - May 2, 2010

ARCHIE

April 18, 1999 - May 2, 2010

Archie passed away peacefully on May 2, 2010 after a wonderful journey through life.  He was born on April 18, 1999 in Grand Rapids, MI.  On June 18, 1999, two crazy humans came, pulled him from his canine family and brought him to another state.  Archie screamed so loudly during this trip that the male human threatened to turn the vehicle around and return to Grand Rapids.  On arriving at his new home, Archie promptly peed on the carpet. 

In Archie's early years, he kept himself busy by chewing walls, making regular visits to his canine cousins and chasing non-existent squirrels.  He had the joy of being skunked on two occasions.

Archie enjoyed daily walks in the nearby park, weekly visits to doggy day care and weekday midday visits from his nanny.  He enjoyed trips to his human relatives, especially his human grandparents.  On one such visit, he fell out of the back of a pop-up camper during the middle of the night and was "none the worse for wear" after the incident.

Archie enjoyed a fairly long and healthy life.  He is survived by his human parents, his canine mother, his canine brother (Best of Breed in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show) and many family and friends - both canine and human.

The Cafeteria Line Starts Here

Well, all those Republican First/Catholic Second folks that hate the fact that a Democrat is in the White House are really squirming now.  They came up with many sound bites against health care reform.  One of the authoritative entities they leaned on to back up their sound bites was the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  By God, if the Bishops were against it, they had to be, too!  NO OBAMA CARE!  Of course, most of these folks ignored the part of the USCCB statements that clearly expressed a need for comprehensive health care reform.

Well, now the Republican First/Catholic Second folks are stuck - a recent post on the blog, PewSitter indicates this..  The Bishops must be off their rockers by expressing opposition to Arizona's new law against immigrants.  According to the Republican First/Catholic Second folks, these dirty Mexicans come across the border to steal our jobs, take our women and fill up our prisons.  Thank God that the Bishops see the situation just a bit differently. 

The Irony Of It All

A couple of weeks ago, I made mention of my attempt to complete an Iron Man competition over the span of a month.  Thus, I would run 25 miles, bike 112 miles and swim 2.4 miles of the course of a month.  The event began at my health club on April 15th.  About 10 minutes ago, a completed a 14 mile bike ride that put me "over the top".  Since April 15, I have run about 26 miles (actually, I did a very light jog, as a bum knee keeps me from running), biked about 113 miles and swam about 2.5 miles.  I accomplished this majestic feat in two weeks and quicker than did any of the other 29 event participants (the swim portion appears to have done most of them in, but they still have time). 

One More Season?

This morning, my wife and I were ready to put our beloved canine companion to sleep.  Given the prognosis we received yesterday from the vet, things looked very grim.  Earlier this afternoon, I left a message at the animal hospital that, if our dog's condition didn't drmatically improve, we would come in to do what had to be done ASAP.

Just after I left that message, the phone rang and, from caller ID, we knew it was th animal hospital.  It appears that our dog has a condition in addition to chronic kidney disease.  This additional condition is known as Brett Favre-itis.  To the surprise of everyone, our dog responded quite well to fluid treatments.  Yes, his kidneys are still failing and remain a concern.  However, with a special diet and some medications, he should be OK for the foreseeable future.  He comes back home on Monday morning.

My wife and I have never gone from such a deep depression to incredible joy in such a short period of time.  We know we may still face the time when we have to make a difficult decision about our beloved dog, but this weekend helped to prepare us for when that time comes.  It has also convinced us that we should not rule out the possibility of bringing another dog into the family (yes, a two-dog family).  We came close to doing that several months ago, but the breeder found a good family to match with the dog.  However, we have been made aware of another dog - the same breed as our dog - that may be looking for a good home.  This dog has been pushed hard to be a show dog, but doesn't seem to have what it takes to succeed in that arena.  However, he likely has plenty to offer a family that is looking to bring a dog into their home.  Because he is a bit older (7 months), he will be more difficult to place than a puppy.

To prove that I am not kidding about Brett Favre-itis and that our dog (left) could easily get along with another dog (notice the wagging tails), check out this photo:

That Dreaded Day Is Near

The millions of readers of this blog know that I make regular reference to events I experience with my canine companion.  His name is Archie.  As I write this, Archie is in an animal hospital.  While he looks fine and is in no pain, his kidneys are barely functioning and it appears that the situation will not improve much.  He will reamin in the hospital for a couple more days to see if fluid therapy might help stablize things.  Even if there is improvement, it will only be temporary.  However, he may improve enough to come home for some final events - a final walk in the park, a final night sleeping on his favorite bed, etc.

Obviously, my wife and I will have to put Archie to sleep sometime in the not-too-distant future.  This is no easy thing to do.  My wife and I just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.  Two months after our wedding, Archie joined our family as a puppy.  The three of us have been through many experiences together.  Given the inevitable loss, it seems that a perfect three-legged stool is now a terribly out-of-balance two legged stool.

A True Tea Party

...or make that "tree" party.  After a work meeting, I had the opportunity to stop home for a walking lunch with my beloved canine companion.  We happened upon three deer friends enjoying the shade of a tree.  Sure seems much more peaceful and useful than the tea parties I have been hearing about recently.

The Fall Guy

Earlier today, there were reports in the German media that the former Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich anbd Freising claims that he was forced to publicly accept responsibility for reassigning a priest with abuse allegations in 1980.  That priest went on to abuse children after being reassigned.  The Archbishop at the time was Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope Benedict XVI.

Obviously, the more media outlets will pick up on this and claim the the former Vicar General's recent statement is proof that Pope Benedict was directly involved in sheltering a priest that was known to sexually abuse children and that the Pope used his influence to get the former Vicar General to take the fall.

We do not really know the details about the priest in question.  It could very well be that then-Archbishop Ratzinger was not actively involved in the reassignment of this priest.  The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising is a pretty large archdiocese. 

Having been involved in politics for many years, I would suggest the follwing likely scenario.  Then-Archbishop Ratzinger was not actively involved in the reassignment of his priests.  In most dioceses, the Vicar General does have primary responsibility for coordinating priest assignments.  Yes, the Bishop may sign off on the assignments.  However, that is more a formality than anything else.  The fact that Archbishop Ratzinger might have signed off on an assignment does not mean he was activley involved in the assignment. 

As one might expect, the Vatican communications machine might be a bit jittery these days.  My guess would be that a few mid-level "Vaticancrats", in a panic and without the knowledge of Pope Benedict, took action to make sure that there would be no evidence of a direct link (a link that likely never existed) to this priest being reassigned and the current Pope.  Thus, to be safe, they made sure that the former Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, was commanded to "take one for the team" by publicly stating that the reassignment of the priest in question was his responsibility completely and that then-Archbishop Ratzinger was in no way involved, accept for possibly signing off on a list of assignments that include the assignement of the priest in question (and there is no evidence that even that happened).  My guess would be that the situation described by the former Vicar General was accurate.  However, now that there may be evidence of pressure on the former Vicar General, we will have a circus main event for a few more days.

On This Very Day

On this very date in 1930, my mother was born.  This is the her first birthday to be celebrated after the successful completion of her earthly journey.

On this very date in 1999, the mighty Packers of Green Bay selected Antuan Edwards in the first round of the NFL draft.  Oh yes, that reminds me...on that same day in 1999, yours truly was united in Holy Matrimony to a wonderful woman whose only possible flaw may be judging suitors.

Ferrous Bueller's Day Off

In a raging fit of who-knows-what, I signed up to run 26.2 miles..........and to bike 116 miles..........and to swim 2.4 miles.  Yes, I signed up for an Iron Man challenge at my health club.  That is the bad news.  The good news is that I have a month to complete all three phases.  I completed this same challenge a few years ago in just 4 days.  I was the first person (out of about 30 that signed up) to finish.  My body is still recovering from that experience.  I am now much more mature.  My plan it to complete this year's challenge in about 20 visits to the health club.  I'll do a little running, biking and swiming just about every day for the next month.  This will be an exercise (pun intended) in discipline.  I'll keep you posted.

Not So Fast

When I visited a permanent diaconate formation weekend this past weekend, the formation director reminded all of the deacon aspirants/candidates that it will not be easy being an ordained representative of the Church, especially given the recent priest abuse scandals.  Little did I know that I would be tested on this so soon.

I provided keyboard accomaniment at two Masses at our parish on Sunday.  After the 10:30 am Mass, I got into a discussion of Church issues with one of the choir members.  He made somewhat of a passing remark about the "Nazi Pope".  I had to gently stop him before he went on and remind him that being German is not the same as espousing Nazi beliefs.  I have had several unfortunate experiences where people have suggested that, as a person of German heritage, I must have some affinity for Nazism.  Has Pope Benedict made some mistakes and committed sins?  Of course - he is human.  However, he and his family, like me and my family, continue to have nothing but disdain for Nazism.  Like Pope Benedict's father, my grandfather physically moved his family to get away from the growing influence of Nazism in Germany in the 20s and 30s.

While I have come to expect to read about Pope Benedict being a Nazi in many media outlets, I would prefer to not come to the point where I expect to hear it from people that just participated in the Mass.

Running on Fumes

I have to learn how to say "no".  The music director at my parish took a well-deserved vacation after Holy Week.  She had asked if I could fill in for her at the Masses this weekend.  Even though I knew I would be out of town and tired, I agreed to fill in at the two Sunday Masses.

Not having the talent to sit down and play a piece of piano or organ music, I have to spend a fair amount of time practicing.  I arrived home from an out of town event late last night, spent four hours practicing, slept for four hours and then got up to go to church.  Even though I was tired and would have loved to have gotten in much more practice, the music was just fine at the two Masses.

Even though I was running on fumes, I was able to "wow the crowd" in an appropriate way and at an appropriate time.  The final hymn at both Masses was "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You" (based on the famous tune, Ode To Joy, by Beethoven).  Knowing that the people at this church have not heard an organ "opened up" for nearly a year, I improvised a very joyful postlude based on that final hymn.  About half of the people in the pews stuck around to listen.  Of those that did, half suck around because they wanted to listen and they other half were likely in shock.  I would not have been able to play this improvisation if it were not for the gift of crossing paths with an excellent organist, teacher and friend many years ago.  This good man and priest remains an excellent organist, teacher and friend to this day.

They Haven't Said Yes and They Haven't Said No

I just returned from spending last evening and all of today participating in a permanent diaconate formation program in a neighboring diocese.  God bless my wife for her willingness to spend most of a weekend in a monastery that is over two hours from our home.  She is not the one sensing a call, but she is supporting me as I discern.

The millions of readers of this blog know that I have been discerning a vocation to the permanent diaconate in a diocese that does not have a permanent diaconate formation program. However, there is hope. The leaders of my diocese are aware of my discernment and knew of my plans to attend the formation weekend.

There is much to "soak in" from the experience of this weekend.  I may now be "falling through the cracks" in a positive way.  The formation director in the neighboring diocese spent a fair amount of time discussing details of formation with my wife and me.  He knows that my bishop must still authorize me to apply for formation in another diocese.  The formation director seems to think that such authorization will be forthcoming.  After learning that I have had a fair amount of theological education, the formation director also suggested that, if I am allowed to apply for formation and am accepted, I not follow the normal track for academic formation.  He thinks I should consider pursuing an MA in Theology and is willing to incorporate that into my formation.  I would take all of the same courses as other deacon aspirants/candidates.  However, my academic formation would focus on courses that I would take online and I would not be required to do the assignments related to the regular formation program academic courses.

So, maybe this will finally happen.  Several leaders of the national deacon community have mentioned that my discernment may be "one for the record books" due to the length and many twists and turns the journey has taken.

Victory

Last night, I was at a local watering hole until well past the time when my car should have turned into a pumpkin.  I attended the victory party for several local polictical candidates.  While I am a political junkie, I am not a partisan junkie.  I was very interested in a couple of the races.  My neighbor is one of the two city council representatives for our region.  When we had serious flooding issues that included raw sewage in the street and some of our basements, he never bothered to even respond to requests for assistance.  So, I had no problem putting up a sign for his opponent in our yard - knowing that our neighbor would have to see it every day.  Well, the challenger beat my incumbent neighbor.

The other race in which I was interested was for our county supervisor.  The incumbent wasn't running again.  I got to know one of the challengers.  While we differ significantly in political philosophy, he is a good guy and I felt he would represent our area well.  He has served on our city council and has always been very active in our community.  Everyone except him was confident that he would win.  He looked very nervous when he arrived at the party.  When returns from three of the four wards in his district showed him well ahead, he still thought he would lose since his opponent lived in the ward that had yet to report results.  People at the party were doing other things when my pal got a call.  He went off to the side so that he could hear the caller report that he had more votes than his opponent in the final ward.  With that, he shouted, somewhat surprisingly, "I won!".  It was a good night.

However, only 8% of eligible voters turned out.  What would Jesus do?  He would vote and encourage others to vote.  "Give to Ceasar that which belongs to Ceasar".

Coming In Like A Lion

We are enjoying very nice weather in our region. The normal high temperature is 50 degrees. A couple of days ago, we hit 81 degrees. This has been a wonderful time to enjoy the outdoors. While doing so this morning, I came across a lone lovely yellow flower in the park across the street. Its bright beauty caught my eye. Yes, I found the first dandelion of the year. Continuing my walk after seeing the lovely sight, I could not help but think that dandelions have an undeserved negative reputation. Sure, they are weeds. However, as weeds go, they look pretty good. If they weren't weeds, people would be planting them all over the place. And really, what harm do they do? Unless surrounded by weak growth, dandelions can't really take over any space. Nevertheless, we spend large sums of money and effort trying to eradicate these lovely yellow flowers.

A Glimmer Of Hope

Violent vandalism and partisan threats after the vote on health care reform...The growing priest abuse scandal...Korean ships sinking...terrible auto collisions in Kentucky.

My non-canine companion and I were talking about the current dismal state of affairs in our world. She alerted me that there is a glimmer of hope. In fact, she read about it in an online article. There just may be a reunion of the former members of ABBA in the works after all!

The millions of readers of the blog are well aware of my fondness for the four musical Swedes. However, reunions are successful only if they provide answers to the following questions: Do you remember when we did (fill in the blank)? What are you doing now?

If a reunion were to take place (I am not holding my breath), the event won't be what many people expect. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid cannot put on jumpsuits featuring cats, jump up on a stage and sing/play. Things were different 35 years ago. The stars aligned for a few brief years. Even if they could still do now what they were able to do then, the environment has changed. However, it would be nice to see them perform together. I recall watching a fairly recent documentary that featured Anni-Frid (the brunette) seeing a practice for a stage performance of "Mamma Mia". For many years, she refused to listen to any ABBA music and she rarely sang. There was a scene in the documentary where she is alone in a room watching the cast sing "Dancing Queen" through a window. When she began to sing one of the alto lines, there was a brief spark of magic - a second when the stars were aligned.

Much has happened in the lives of each of the former members of ABBA in the past 35 years. Bjorn and Benny have remained very active in the music business. They have collaborated on several musical projects, including Chess, Mamma Mia and others. Benny still performs with an orchestra. Annifrid is active in environmental causes and Agnetha remains somewhat of a recluse. They are no longer ABBA. Were they to perform again, it should not be as ABBA, but as who they now are. Of course, they should sing some songs from the ABBA days. They should also consider singing other songs, including some that Bjorn and Benny might compose for a reunion event.

No matter how depressing things may seem, there is always hope!

The Pain That Keeps On Giving

The Holy See is in a "lose-lose" situation. Should the Vaticans public relations experts continue to dodge around a frank response to cases of sexual assaults by priests around the globe, the pain will never go away.

Are the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI being unfairly targeted? Of course they are. Many of those that are "stirring the pot" are more interested in bringing down the Church than in providing support to victims and working to ensure such abuse does not happen again? The SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) is only secondarily interested in securing justice and comfort for victims. SNAP's primary interest is in generating publicity for their organization. Of course, the media is biased against the Roman Catholic Church. We see multiple articles about the recent priest abuse scandals in newspapers. We see very few articles about the huge outpouring from Roman Catholics to the people devestated by the earthquake in Haiti. We never hear about the many priests that are regularly called away, often during the middle of the night, to provide comfort and reassurance to those that are struggling with the challenges of life and/or are near death.

Recent remarks by the Vatican press office claim nothing new: that SNAP is a publicity-mongering prostitute of an organization (my words, not the words of the Vatican) and that the Roman Catholic Church is being targeted by a scandal-loving media.

The only way to work through the pain of this situation is for the Vatican to, once and for all, admit to being human. Priests have sexually assaulted people, including minors. Church leaders at every level have mishandled many situations related to the sexual assaults of minors. The Vatican needs to clearly state that there are consistent guidelines that must be followed in the handling of allegations of sexual assault by any church/school employee, deacon, priest or religious. Those guidelines should be made public.

Do the continuing scandals bother me? Of course they do. However, the Roman Catholic Church is a reflection of the full humanity and divinity of Christ. Being comprised of humans, the Church suffers greatly and has for 2000 years. However, through the grace of God, the Church has remained strong for 2000 years. No institution has provided the level of care, be it health care, education, pastoral care, etc., than has the Roman Catholic Church - and the Roman Catholic Church often provides such care in areas where nobody else dares to go. The Roman Catholic Church would not be able to do this if she did not share in the suffering of humanity nor enjoy the divine grace of God.

30 Years

Thirty years ago today, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador was killed while presiding at a Mass at a hospital in San Salvador. As a teenager trying to figure out the world, I could not comprehend how anyone could kill a priest, especially while the priest is presiding at Mass. Nearly everything Archbishop Romero did, including dying a martyr's death, "oozed" of saintliness.

Looking To The Bishops

Many people have been waiting for some type of response from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  That response came out earlier today. 

In spite of the efforts of many "Catholic" bloggers, radio show hosts and television hosts to give another impression, the USCCB has recognized the need to reform health care in our country.  Cardinal George could make that point any more clear.  Yes, the USCCB has significant concerns about the health care reform law and urges vigiliance to ensure that promises made to pro-life legislators to garner their support are honored during implementation of the law.  The USCCB neither supports the new law nor supports an overhaul or repeal of the legislation.  The bishops feel that the deficiencies in the current health care reform law can be addressed by additional legislation.

Spring Swing

I have heard about people that cannot remember the 60s or the 70s.  I can do them at least one better.  In two of the past four days, I cannot remember the 30s, 40s and 50s!  When the faithful canine took me out for a walk this morning, the thermometer read 28 degrees Fahrenheit.  We recently completed a quick early evening walk.  The thermometer is at 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  We had a similar temperature swing two days ago.

It is somewhat amazing to wake up and have to put on a couple of layers of winter clothing prior to going outside to walk on a frost-covered and hard dirt path.  About twelve hours later, the same outdoor excursion can be comfortabely done while wearing shorts and a long-sleeved tee-shirt.  These really have been days comprised of three seasons of weather.

The Day After

The negative hooplah surrounding the passage of the health care reform bill last night is indicative of how polarized U.S. society, not just politics, has become.  Why is it that when Democrats made their way to the Capitol to vote on the landmark proposal, they were screamed at and spit on?  Why is it that Members of Congress resort to calling each other "baby killers"?  Why is it that, within the span of 90 minutes, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) went from being a "sane voice in the Democratic Party" to being this generations Lucifer in the eyes of ultra-conservatives? 

Why can't people treat each other with the respect and dignity they deserve when disagreeing on issues, including major issues? 

I am glad that a health care reform proposal was passed.  As a manager of a non-profit organization with 15 employees, the costs of health care is a huge challenge.  An even bigger challenge is the number of people I personally know that would like access to health insurance coverage, but cannot afford it or have a pre-existing condition that makes them virtually ineligible for any type of coverage.

Too bad that we can't pass some type of proposal that could help minimize the negative impacts of increased polarization in our society.

Hoos Missing?

For the past several weeks, my faithful canine and I have had regular interactions with a couple of owls in the park across the street.  Every evening, we hear two owls softly hoo-hoo-hoo at each other.  One has a very low tone and the other a much higher tone.

Now that most of our snow is gone, the faithful canine and I have been able to make our way on some deer paths along the edge of a wooded area.  Every morning, we "scare up" our owl friends.  When we get close to where they are pontificating from the top of a tree, they swoop down on us and make their way to another nearby tree.  These are not attacks, but efforts to let us know that our feathered friends are keeping their eyes on us.

For the past two mornings, we have not come across our friends.  The faithful canine and I will keep our ears open at night and our eyes open in the morning.

No Single Cause

Well, it sure didn't take long for the increased publicity of sexual assaults by priest to lead to calls for eliminating mandatory celibacy for priests.

This just in:  Mandatory celibacy is NOT the reason why a priest sexually assaults anyone.  Any sensible person realizes that sexual assault is NOT a crime of sex.  It is a crime of power.  For every article about a priest that has sexually assaulted a child, there are several articles about teachers/coaches sexually assaulting young people in our school systems.  There are numerous articles about boyfriends sexually assaulting the children of their girlfiends. I see such articles several times a week.  These perpetrators are not under a vow of celibacy, yet they still sexually assault young people.

The Tip of The Iceberg

I just read a report in the Sunday newspaper that claims the priest sexual assault issue is creeping ever closer to Pope Benedict himself. 

This may be the proverbial "tip of the iceberg", but from a different perspective.  I serve as legal guardian for several people with developmental disabilities.  One of these people is a convicted sexual offender.  His victim was a minor.  I have written about him before.  His offense was in no way predatory.  However, he does have issues of concern.

Many years ago, before there was a statewide sexual offender registry and notification requirements when a registered offender was to move into a neighborhood, I knowingly approved of the transfer of this man to a neighborhood where many minors resided.  On the surface - the "tip of the iceberg" - one could question why I would approve such a move.  Wasn't I just leading the fox into the hen house?  I was not.  A team of people put together a plan to address the ongoing issues of this man and provide him with the opportunity to live as full of a life as possible, while ensuring the safety of people around him.  He did have ongoing counseling.  He had someone keeping eyes on him all the time.  His team has been able to nip many potential disasterous situations in the bud.  He has shown no signs of seeking to sexually offend in many years.

Without looking at the rest of the iceberg, the "tip of the iceberg" would show that I authorized a sexual offender to live in a neighborhood with children.  However, the rest of the iceberg puts things in perspective - that we recognize concerns related to this man and have put together a plan to address those plans in a manner that recognizes the dignity and safety of the people surrounding this man AND the man himself.

I worry about many people making judgements related to priest sexual assault issues based on a perspective that is limited to seeing the "tip of the iceberg".  Did sexual assaults take place?  Yes.  Did some Church leaders know about it?  Yes.  Did some Church leaders cover up sexual assaults?  Yes.  One will accurately come to those conclusions by looking at the "tip of the iceberg". 

Is nearly every single Catholic priest a decent man seeking to serve God in the best way possible?  Yes.  Is nearly every single Catholic priest a man that has not sexually assaulted anyone?  Yes.  One will accurately come to those conslusions when looking at the entire iceberg.

I think it is critical that, when looking at individual accusations and the "big picture" related to sexual assaults by priests, one looks at the entire iceberg.  Neither individual cases of sexual assaults by priests nor the entire scandal can be appropriately addressed without the utilization of a broad perspective.

Some People Never Leave

It happened this weekend.  We were alerted to it beforehand.  While going out to get the Sunday newspaper, I spotted the "House For Sale" sign in our next-door neighbor's front yard.  We have been next-door neighbor's for nearly 16 years.  Several years ago, I took one of their kids on a roller-blading trek around the block and brought him home with a boken collarbone.  I played midnight hockey on Fridays nights with the father.  When I moved in, the oldest of their three children was not yet a teenager.  Now, all the kids have left home - the reason for putting the house on the market.

The "old" neighbors are moving to a new home that is not too far away.  We will still have regular contact with each other.  I don't know that I am up to "breaking in" a new family next door, especially if they have children.

Not Always As It Seems

In recent weeks, there has been several violent clashes between Christian and Muslim groups in Nigeria.  Hundreds of people have been slaughtered in various attacks.  I noticed that most of the news reports portray the clashes as being based on religious affiliation.  In Pope Benedicts prayers and comments related to the situation, he seems to specifically stay away from any reference to the clashes being based on religious affiliation.  In a recent report from ZENIT, Archbiship Onaiyekan of Abuja provides some clarification.  He states that the clashes are based on economic issues and are classic confrontations "between farmers and herdsmen, only the Fulani (herdsmen) are all Muslims and the Berom (farmers) all Christians".

Archbishop Onaiyekan may be right, but I am still not quite at the point of holding my breath.

The Bishops vs. The Talking Heads

Yes, I listened to that big Republican blowhard on the radio this morning.  He was ranting about how terrible health care reform would be and how President Obama and the Democrats cannot be trusted.  I got so sick of hearing this that I turned to another station and hear the same things, but from the mouth of Rush Limbaugh.  Yes, the first radio station that I listened to was a "Catholic" radio station.  If one didn't recognize the voice of the host, one would have had to wait for a commercial to realize that the station claims to be "Catholic".  It is no wonder that a rift is growing between the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and many well-known "Catholic" media outlets.  Many of these outlets have taken significant liberties in their interpretations of the USCCB's positions, especially those related to health care reform.

I'll save you the time and anguish involved in trying to learn about the Catholic perspective on health care reform through "Catholic" media outlets.  Stick with the Bishops on this one, folks.

http://usccb.org/healthcare/position.shtml

Signs Of The Times

Where I live, people are getting sick of winter.  Many people are looking for signs that spring is on the way.  A few weeks ago, thousands of people gathered around a groundhog in our area to await his prognostication for the arrival of spring.  This past weekend, forecasters predicted that a huge snowstorm would strike on Monday morning.  We got a "dusting".  However, on Tuesday morning, we had an unexpected snowfall that caught street and highways crews "off guard".  I just drove through unexpected blizzard conditions.

Why do we look for the signs and announcements of things to come - even when those signs and announcements are often inaccurate?  Whether or not the groundhog sees his shadow or a robin is spotted, spring arrives, without fail, at about the same time - give or take a couple of days - every year.  Knowing what type of weather to expect can be helpful, but not as helpful as always being prepared for any type of weather. 

We have to be careful about paying so much attention to the "signs" of upcoming events that we fail to even recognize the actual events.

Faith, Inc.

Recently, I attended a presentation by a nationally known speaker on a "hot" theological topic.  I won't give the name of the speaker or the topic, but those of you with any sense of current theological issues could probably guess the speaker and the topic.

The topic was an issue with which I have some familiarity.  The speaker was quite entertaining.  Even if one knew nothing about the topic, one would still find the speaker interesting and entertaining.  However, after listening to the speaker spend two hours talking on the issue, I realized I would have gotten just as much out of the presentation if the speaker just handed me a brochure with about 10 points on it.

I sensed that the speaker is genuinely interested and expert in the topic that was presented.  However, I also sensed that when the profits from selling books and seminars related to the topic dip below a certain level, the speaker will move to another "hot" topic that will lead to increased speaking engagements and book/DVD sales.  The presentation was not about spreading the word about a theological issue.  It was about selling merchandise.

Everything about the presentation was choreographed by the speaker and his entourage:  the lighting, what the speaker wore, the timing of the presentation, the regular plugs for costly seminars, books and DVDs, etc.  It was interesting to note that, after the presentation, there where plenty of books authored by the speaker available for sale.  However, the main book source on the topic, a book that is not published by the speaker's publishing house, was conveniently sold out.

The presentation was simply to "slick" for me.  While driving home from the presentation, I felt like I had just endured a time-share presentation.

Of Olympic Proportions

I don't watch many sporting events on television.  I will watch the mighty Packers of Green Bay trounce their National Football League foes (or their attempts to do so) on a regular basis.  Other sporting events are not of much interest to me - with the exception of the Olympic Games.

There is something to be said about athletes that are competing for the sake of competing.  Sure, they realize that success will likely lead to lucrative contracts.  Yet, I sense that the goal for most of the Olympians is to stand on the podium with a gold medal around your neck while the anthem of your country plays.  There is a certain "pureness" to the Olympics that does not exist in other sporting events.

It Could Have Been Me

While driving home from my voting site yesterday, I found myself behind a small scooter.  Given that it was under 30 degrees, I had to question the judgement of the person operating the scooter.  Two wheels and ice are not a good combination.   As I waited behind the scooter at a four way stop, I could not help but think that what I was seeing was a kooky exception.  I had that thought a second before the large and loud Harley Davidson motorcycle pulled up to the interesection.  Just like deer, when one sees a two wheeled vehicle on a wintery road, one has to be on the lookout for other two wheeled vehicles. 

In the seconds after seeing the motorcycle, I was reminded that my own scooter and motorcycle riding history includes short trips around town in every calendar month of the year.

Negative Compound Interest

The situation in Haiti is evidence why it is so important to work to eradicate poverty in the world.  It was bad enough that such a poor nation would have to suffer the consequences of such a terrible natural disaster.  Now we see the aftershocks that are the work of humans, rather than nature.  We see and hear reports about people taking advantage of the situation:  stealing, raping, enslaving, etc.  Somehow, Haiti went from bad to worse.

What would have happened if a similar earthquake struck the U.S.?  Think of the earthquake that struck California during the World Series several years back.  A bridge overpass collapsed onto the freeway below it.  We went nuts about that!  Aid rushed in immediately.  Other structures were inspected to ensure that they were safe.  Haiti had no such response, even though the devastation they are suffering is far more intense that what happened after the California earthquake.  In Haiti, suffering leads to more suffering.  It seems that is how people that make money off of Haiti want it.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Yesterday, I watched the movie "Marley and Me", a movie based on a non-fiction book from a few years ago.  The book was based on the columns written over several years by a newspaper writer.  Since many of his columns were related to dealing with his rambunctious and large dog, several people suggested that the writer pull the "Marley" columns together into a book.  In a nutshell, the book presents the story of a young and growing family from the eyes of the pet dog - from the time the couple adopts the "clearance puppy" to the time many years later when the writer makes the decision to put Marley to sleep after a long life.

As a person with a wife and a dog that has been with us since just after we were married over ten years ago, the movie certainly struck a chord with me.  I do not look forward to the time when our beloved dog completes his journey with us. 

About 30 minutes after I finished the movie (I was still recovering), my wife blurted out "They got a dog!"  The "they" are my sister's brother and his family.  In the past few months, they experienced the death of their dog of nearly 15 years, the death of a father/grandfather, a job loss and a child leaving home for college.  They certainly could use a nice addition to their lives.  It appears that this addition arrived last week in the form of an English Springer Spaniel puppy by the name of Jackson.

A Loss For Words

I am a person that does not like drive-thru windows.  I make every effort not to use them - much to the chagrin of my wife.  I like walking into a fast-food restaurant to place my order, even if I plan to return home with the food.  I also like to walk into my local credit union branch even if I am just withdrawing some spending money.  Over the years, I have built a relationship with staff at local fast-food restaurants and my credit union.  While we are not close, these people and I have come to know a bit about each other over the years.

Yesterday, a woman walked into my credit union branch, told the teller that she had an explosive device and threatened to detonate it if she was not given a bag full of cash.  I learned about this while reading the morning newspaper.  I also heard a news report on the radio.  I have been so upset that I have felt ill. 

Earlier today, I had to make a deposit into my credit union account.  What does one say to staff on the day after an armed robbery?  

I walked in.  I could sense that the environment was different than usual.  As it happened, I ended up being served by the teller that I have known the longest - I knew her even before she began working at the credit union many years ago.  All I could say was, "I am so sorry for and upset about what happened.  I hope everyone is doing OK.  Let's leave it at that."  She completed my transaction and thanked me with a tear in her eye.

I will do all I can to help the staff at my credit union branch to return to not seeing everyone that walks in the door as somebody that may attempt to rob them.  Unfortunately, it will likely take years for many of them to get back to that point.

Great Scott Will End Abortion

U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown will save the pro-life cause in America - and it will have nothing to do with how he votes on any abortion issue.

Until Scott Brown won the Senate seat held for decades by Edward Kennedy, the biggest fear of the Republican election machine was that Roe v. Wade would be overturned.  Yes, you read correctly - Lunchbox Joe has not been drinking (at least not too heavily).  If Roe v. Wade were to be overturned, what major issue would Republicans run on that gives the perception of a difference between them and Democrats?  What major changes on abortion issues took place under 3 years of Nixon/Ford, 4 years of Jimmy Carter, 8 years of Ronald Reagan, 4 years of Bush 1, 8 years of Clinton, 8 years of Bush 2 and into year 2 of Obama?  No major changes took place, even though Republicans had the "big kahuna" for 23 of the 37 years since Roe v. Wade.  While the Republicans claimed there would be a difference when it came to abortion, there was no difference.

The election of Scott Brown creates another major issue on which Republicans will run:  health care reform.  Now, the abortion issue is no longer seen as the most critical issue on which a Republican must run.  Health care reform is the issue.  The abortion issue can no go away and likely will within a few years. 

Even if Scott Brown votes pro-choice, he has saved the pro-life cause.

He Just Doesn't Have It Anymore!

That is how my father would describe Brett Favre.  My father began using this description about the time that Brett Favre was winning three consecutive Most Valuable Player awards in the National Football League.  In fact, one of his last vocalizations related to his usual description of Brett Favre.  A few days before my father passed away (several years ago), the Green Bay Packers were enduring a poor season.  The Packers pulled an upset against the Atlanta Falcons, from whom the Packers aquired Brett Favre.  When I informed my father of the Packer victory, his response was "Brett Favre...he just doesn't have it anymore!"

Well, my father just may have been right.  Favre's last pass with the Packers was a completion - to a player on the New Yourk Giants in an NFC championship game.  After the interception, the Giants kicked the winning field goal in overtime.  On Sunday evening, what may very well be Brett Favre's last pass as a Viking was a completion - to a player on the New Orlean Saints - when the Vikings were preparing to attempt a field goal to win the game in regulation.  The game went into overtime, the Saints got the ball and marched right down the field to kick a field goal.

My father was right!

Penny's From Heaven

In my professional life, I serve as legal guardian for several people with developmental disabilities.  One of these people is Penny.  Penny is a young black woman living in an economically challenged neighborhood.  In the past, she has had some minor run-ins with the law.  She has had a tough upbringing that includes being sexually assaulted by one of her mother's boyfriends.

A couple of years ago, Penny really pulled her life together.  She started a small business that involved teaching groups of people how to dance.  A local advocacy organization presented her with their annual award for self-advocacy.

Penny is now out of jail on bail.  Last year, she was diagnosed with diabetes.  She has not been monitoring her diabetes very well.  She has been arrested several times for theft, prostitution and disorderly conduct.  She cannot keep an apartment.  She has been living with various relatives.  She does have a human service team that works to support her.  However, she is not very open to accepting support.

A couple of weeks ago, the support team met to discuss the possibility of "pulling the plug" on Penny's human services.  We have tried virtually everything.  The main problem is that Penny really does not want any structure in her life.  She likes to come and go as she pleases.  She hangs around with the wrong people that often take advantage of her in many ways.

On Friday, there was a settlement conference to discuss consequences related to Penny entering a man's apartment (at random) and looking for items to steal.  The man awoke and subdued Penny.  The district attorney is offering a deal of 18 months of probation.  We are struggling with the possibility of asking for some jail time - as that would force some structure on Penny (and at least temporarily control her diabetes).

Many on the team feel that we have let Penny down.  It is very difficult for us to try to figure out how Penny went from doing so well to doing so poorly in a little more than a year.

Regardless of the outcome for Penny, we need to stick by her.  She is a major pain in the rear end to all that are trying to help her.  However, like all of us, she is a dignified child of God.

Pray For Haiti

It is always difficult to come to grips with the aftermath of events like the earthquake in Haiti.  Who knows how many are dead?  Since there was never an accurate census of Haitian residents, we may never really know how many have died.  The Archbishop of Port au Prince is dead and many of the seminarians are unaccounted for.  At times like this, it can be difficult to explain how a benevlolent God could allow such suffering.  I am no theologian, but I don't think God "allows" or "disallows" suffering.  A core part of our humanity is suffering.  However, another core part of our humanity is free will.  We are free to do all we can to provide relief to those who suffer.  Sometimes, we are called to share in their suffering.

While most of the readers of this blog cannot head down to Haiti to look for people to comfort, there is a simple way to provide assistance.  Please consider a contribution to Catholic Relief Services.  They have updated thier website to make it very easy for people to make a donation to help the people of Haiti.

At Last, The Pole Position

Last month, I read "A Pilgrim In A Pilgrim Church:  Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop" by Rembert Weakland, OSB, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  In it, Weakland mentions the strength of the Polish community in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  The Polish community has a history of mistreatment in the Archdiocese.  Archbishop Sebastian Messmer (1903-33) placed many Polish parishes, pastors and the Polish Catholic newpaper under eclessiastical penalties.  He set up his own Polish Catholic newspaper.  The papers feuded for many years.  There seemed to be hope in 1911 when Messmer agreed to ask Rome to appoint a Polish auxiliary bishop in Milwaukee.  However, he went on to officially request a non-Polish auxiliary.  The Polish Catholic community in Milwaukee is still steaming.  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included a related article in today's edition.

Some of that steam will be let loose tomorrow when Archbishop Jerome Listecki takes the helm of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  The Polish Catholic community in Milwaukee will now be led by one of their own.

New Year's Hope

It wasn't a very happy beginning of the new year for the families and friends of close to 100 Pakistanis that were killed in a suicide bombing.  News reports indicated that the Taliban-coordinated attack targeted people that were organizing pro-government groups. 

After hearing the message of hope that was the focus of many presentations in churches and synogogues during the past month, it can be difficult to come to grips with what happened in Pakistan.  In classic western movies and professional wrestling, the good guy always wins in the end.  There are always periods where it seems certain that evil will triumph.  However, divine will that comes to fruition on earth through human will (even in a professional wrestling ring) is no match for evil. 

There will be more attacks similar to the one that took place in Pakistan.  However, there will be good people that will refuse to sit idly by and watch the attacks take place.  Some of these people may very well be people that had previously been involved in planning and carrying out such attacks, but have come to their senses.

As long as there are humans in the world, there will be evil.  The message of the past thirty days remindes us that there will always be hope, as well.

Move Over, Mr. Lombardo!

The newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame extend their warmest New Year's wishes.  (Even though I may be biased, this is one of their better pieces of music.)