Generation X, Y, or Z.
They probably aren't interested in the presidential campaign, or voting, for that matter.
I wouldn't count on them to be at the public rally at 23500 West 7 Mile Road, Detroit, 48219, September 23 at 3:30 pm hosted by the Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSESmi@mosesmi.org), entitled, Fire of Faith: Rekindling Democracy.
Or, at a Catholic RCIA/C growth group for recovering the beatitudes, or coping with attachment disorders (addictions), or viewing Nick Nolte's "Peaceful Warrior" startings September 10 in Sacred Heart Church (lower level) and continuing on Mondays through Pentecost Sunday in June of 2013, at 18430 Utica Road at Gratiot in Roseville, MI., 586 777 9116.
I bet they meet online, on the U Tube, or Tweet, for sure, however.
Good for them.
But physical presence to one another, unless sciping is considered visual, is so vital to ongoing relationships that grow and foster, no?
I would like to include them and invite them October 22nd at 5-7 pm for a town-hall-like session 50 years since the start of the ecumenical Vatican Council II that I know they were not around, or, even a thought in their parents eyes who may not have even met yet in October, 1962, when this historic council called for "full, active and conscious" participation and a collaborative, and, an engaging Catholic Church. THe council invited all the charisms and gifts of people to be employed. How are we doing People of God? Are your gifts engaged, solicited, asked for? Or, are you feeling excluded?
Are we there yet Generation X?
You see, I'm of the babyboomer generation when babies were booming the way Muslims now are fruitufl and procreate as the Good Book suggests.
Boomers from 1946-64 began the rejection and redefinition of traditional values.
Boomers consider them "special" as my boss' aide must have when he worked out a "special assignment," cryptic as that seems, withe me for the AOD,.MI.
Drastic social change came with my generation with experimental, go-it-alone, free spirited, cause oriented, caught up in modern marvels like technology, and the first to grow up with TV, a man on the moon, a Cold War era, risk of draft in Vietnam with my brother killed there with 58,000 others, let alone all the South Vietnamese, the start of the women's movement in '68, the assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and much more.
I'm not sure what we're leaving is a legacy of dignity and worth, is it generaton X,Y, and Z?
But, I think Vatican II's countercultural call of the Church, a good thing, is directed to boomers, and, is a call to all people, no?
Perhaps the unique boomer subcultures of the Beats and Hippies, to name a couple, will recall.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
MSU Horror of Hate Crime Against Jewish Zachary Tennen
Condemnation of the assualt against Michigan State University student Zachary Tennen must be pronounced loud and clear, and, in unison with the the interfaith community, among other citizens.
Today, the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion called on "law enforcement and MSU faculty and students to bring justice to Tennen, a journalism sophomore allegedly attacked early Sunday morning after being asked if he was Jewish."
A sign of solidarity at a press conference is in order in the next couple days.
To stand up while others choose to sit and say nothing is the right thing to do.
"We must stand up for the other at times when they are most vulnerable and discriminated against,"
said president and CEO of the MRDI.
For more information, visit www.miroundtable.org.
Today, the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion called on "law enforcement and MSU faculty and students to bring justice to Tennen, a journalism sophomore allegedly attacked early Sunday morning after being asked if he was Jewish."
A sign of solidarity at a press conference is in order in the next couple days.
To stand up while others choose to sit and say nothing is the right thing to do.
"We must stand up for the other at times when they are most vulnerable and discriminated against,"
said president and CEO of the MRDI.
For more information, visit www.miroundtable.org.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
School Bells Ring Out: Will Purpose Persist for Our Children?
With 9/11's eleventh anniversary that remembers thousands to perished in that act of terror, and rising "loners" massacres mounting, school bells chime once more.
Parents must wonder what awaits their youngsters in fledgling schools that seem to have lost their way, or, at least sufficient supplies for students.
"The only foundation for a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments," said Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence and member of the Continental Congress.
Liberty is held hostage by those who lack purpose, meaning, and, an aim for daily living.
Government can't fix issues of the soul and inner core of one's conscience.
More mandates and laws don't seem to be the solution to problems we face.
Divisions in our hearts, land, streets, and in Washington, D.C., run rampant. All battles, evil begins within the recesses of one's soul.
People have to mend these moral issues of the soul.
Joblessness, unemployment, babies born out of wedlock, high school drop outs, deaths in and outside the womb with war, and more, must morph from within.
Awakening of a sleeping nation now is a need in a culture that has lost its way.
Standing up while others choose to sit will alone help to solve these issues. Government cannot heal our souls.
Faith can. Religion will.
Virtue will see us through.
And, all along the way, children will be watching adults.
They will.
And, they may turn out just like dad or mom amid single-parent homes.
Meaning helps one to get through almost any obstacle, history shows.
Parents and teachers can give aim, purpose and meaning to children by motivating them to be their best in the classroom, at home, and in the community. Parents are the first teachers.
We all can do better as bells ring out for school once more.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Sunday's Short Sermon: Labor Day
A Short Sermon for September 2, 2012 / Homily by Lawrence M. Ventline, D.Min., Based on Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
=================================================================
Take only one cookie.
Leave it the way you found it.
Flush.
Do your homework.
Bless the food and family before eating.
Speak your truth in love. And, make sure it's God's version, not my own.
Miss Manners would be pleased with the reminders in today's Good News: Wash your hands before eating. Wouldn't she?
Imagine that causing conflict among people in the ancient biblical world.
Jesus calls into question the scrupulous tradition about washing before eating, however.
"Listen to me, all of you and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."
The Bard of Avon knows that. There is "nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
And, the twelfth century Francis of Asisi, Italy noted that one should preach with his or her life and use words only when necessary.
Not bad advice!
Walk the talk then, today.
Labor Day reminds us also of the importance of the fruit of our work and the virtues and strengths that make us congruent, that is, living on the outside what we already know deep inside the recesses of our heart and mind.
Fair wages with an honest day's work coupled with the virtues of justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance amid faith, hope and charity.
There is something about the oneness and union of what we think and what we do in communion and solidarity with those we live with, the neighborhood, and the world for that matter.
=================================================================
Take only one cookie.
Leave it the way you found it.
Flush.
Do your homework.
Bless the food and family before eating.
Speak your truth in love. And, make sure it's God's version, not my own.
Miss Manners would be pleased with the reminders in today's Good News: Wash your hands before eating. Wouldn't she?
Imagine that causing conflict among people in the ancient biblical world.
Jesus calls into question the scrupulous tradition about washing before eating, however.
"Listen to me, all of you and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile."
The Bard of Avon knows that. There is "nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
And, the twelfth century Francis of Asisi, Italy noted that one should preach with his or her life and use words only when necessary.
Not bad advice!
Walk the talk then, today.
Labor Day reminds us also of the importance of the fruit of our work and the virtues and strengths that make us congruent, that is, living on the outside what we already know deep inside the recesses of our heart and mind.
Fair wages with an honest day's work coupled with the virtues of justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance amid faith, hope and charity.
There is something about the oneness and union of what we think and what we do in communion and solidarity with those we live with, the neighborhood, and the world for that matter.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Pause and Prayer
Creator and Maker of All:
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
For sure, O Maker.
I need your help.
When so much fracture and division abounds as this culture finds its path anew, I implore you to assist us.
Don't enable us, however.
We need to shape up or ship out, as they say. Don't know where, however.
All the guns blowing away people daily got to go.
And, you tell us to not kill. And, who do we think we are to outguess you and shoot anyone?
Efforts to ignite the conversation on limits on automatic weapons failed, as you know.
No one seems to want to talk while an election year clogs this culture and wastes so much cash.
In and outside the womb, people are angry it seems and acting out.
Confict stirs almost everywhere it seems as people fight.
How do you manage this world, I wonder O God? How?
I think of praying for you yet know that you are the Creator who needs not our prayer.
Rather, you need our faithfulness to your way, truth and life, no?
You need good fruits to flow from each of us from the youngest to the eldest.
What a wonderful world that Louis Armstrong sings still awakens me each day after my psalms are
reviewed and explored as all your feelings unfold for me.
It is a wonderful world.
Yet, we need you now, more than ever perhaps.
The urgency of the hour requires us to surrender to you now.
Help me, others to bow in faithful surrender to You.
Will you help me ask your Mother, Mary, to help. When the young married couple ran out of wine Mary told the stewards to do whatever Jesus told them.
Maybe we could start doing whatever Jesus tell us.
Amen.
So be it.
Our help is in th ename of the Lord.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
For sure, O Maker.
I need your help.
When so much fracture and division abounds as this culture finds its path anew, I implore you to assist us.
Don't enable us, however.
We need to shape up or ship out, as they say. Don't know where, however.
All the guns blowing away people daily got to go.
And, you tell us to not kill. And, who do we think we are to outguess you and shoot anyone?
Efforts to ignite the conversation on limits on automatic weapons failed, as you know.
No one seems to want to talk while an election year clogs this culture and wastes so much cash.
In and outside the womb, people are angry it seems and acting out.
Confict stirs almost everywhere it seems as people fight.
How do you manage this world, I wonder O God? How?
I think of praying for you yet know that you are the Creator who needs not our prayer.
Rather, you need our faithfulness to your way, truth and life, no?
You need good fruits to flow from each of us from the youngest to the eldest.
What a wonderful world that Louis Armstrong sings still awakens me each day after my psalms are
reviewed and explored as all your feelings unfold for me.
It is a wonderful world.
Yet, we need you now, more than ever perhaps.
The urgency of the hour requires us to surrender to you now.
Help me, others to bow in faithful surrender to You.
Will you help me ask your Mother, Mary, to help. When the young married couple ran out of wine Mary told the stewards to do whatever Jesus told them.
Maybe we could start doing whatever Jesus tell us.
Amen.
So be it.
Our help is in th ename of the Lord.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Impressive and Active Outreach and Fraternal Organization
They're impressive.
And, they reach out, and, have been since 1882 when a pastor founded the fraternal society that helps a lot of people all over America, from Royal Oak to Cheboygan, Michigan, and beyond.
In fact, just the other day at least a half dozen of these men were hovering over a roasted turkey that needed carving for a benefit that Wednesday evening last week for enhancing the local school's internet program.
Cheers to them!
I thought that these guys cook and clean more than the gals did in the "old days." My mother and sisters seemed to do all the work of cooking and cleaning while I was growing up on Detroit's east side.
Sure hope the local bishop there applauds these guys for the distinguishing charity and fruit of their labor.
Not only did I witness their cooking, another group was busy mopping and waxing the floor of their hall for an upcoming wedding today, beyond that benefit I enjoyed with a full turkey dinner and ice cream also.
For the dinner they simply requested a free-will donation.
They claim that people always give more this way than tagging a designated price for it.
Thanks to the awesome Cheboygan Knights of Columbus on M-27. For more information, or, to become a member, contact info@cheboygankofc.com, or write me at sacedheartroseville@saintly.com, or (586) 777 9116.
Fruitful Christian outreach that goes unnoticed often, not that they want to be recognized. But, affirmation goes a long way especially in the Catholic community, praise God!
Honoring the K of C some day soon with a supper like the events honoring women mushrooming across this Nation these days as the start of Vatican II fifty years ago this October is celebrated is worth setting up and scheduling for this Fall.
Anyone want to help me please?
You go guys! Way to go again and again tirelessly doing the revered spiritual and corporal works of mercy that Jesus spoke about as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25 - lone marks we'll be judged by one day by the Maker, I'm told often.
And, they reach out, and, have been since 1882 when a pastor founded the fraternal society that helps a lot of people all over America, from Royal Oak to Cheboygan, Michigan, and beyond.
In fact, just the other day at least a half dozen of these men were hovering over a roasted turkey that needed carving for a benefit that Wednesday evening last week for enhancing the local school's internet program.
Cheers to them!
I thought that these guys cook and clean more than the gals did in the "old days." My mother and sisters seemed to do all the work of cooking and cleaning while I was growing up on Detroit's east side.
Sure hope the local bishop there applauds these guys for the distinguishing charity and fruit of their labor.
Not only did I witness their cooking, another group was busy mopping and waxing the floor of their hall for an upcoming wedding today, beyond that benefit I enjoyed with a full turkey dinner and ice cream also.
For the dinner they simply requested a free-will donation.
They claim that people always give more this way than tagging a designated price for it.
Thanks to the awesome Cheboygan Knights of Columbus on M-27. For more information, or, to become a member, contact info@cheboygankofc.com, or write me at sacedheartroseville@saintly.com, or (586) 777 9116.
Fruitful Christian outreach that goes unnoticed often, not that they want to be recognized. But, affirmation goes a long way especially in the Catholic community, praise God!
Honoring the K of C some day soon with a supper like the events honoring women mushrooming across this Nation these days as the start of Vatican II fifty years ago this October is celebrated is worth setting up and scheduling for this Fall.
Anyone want to help me please?
You go guys! Way to go again and again tirelessly doing the revered spiritual and corporal works of mercy that Jesus spoke about as recorded in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25 - lone marks we'll be judged by one day by the Maker, I'm told often.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Friends for a Reason, A Season, A Lifetime: This Sunday's Sermon
August 26, 2012 / Joshua 24:1-2a,15-17,18b Ephesians 5:21-32 John 6:60-69
St. Claude Chapel, 7 pm Mass, located on Beaconsfield, north of 14 Mile Road, in Clinton Twp., MI.
Friends Who Follow, Those Who Forget, Those Who Flee From Us.
Friends for a reason.
Those for a season.
And, those for a lifetime.
Yes!
Faithful and forever with fidelity in vows said and commitments chosen.
We have a few friends and many acquaintances, no?
Friends fail, flee, forget us. Friends are human like the rest of us.
And, those who are faithful and forever are fans and followers.
Hell in C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, is envisioned as a dismal town where pople dwell after crafting homes at whim. They don't enjoy each other. They grow apart. Division dwells there.
In his Brittish way, Lewis tells of one resident in hell who wants to see a famous sinner.
But, all the famous sinners moved hundreds of miles away from anyone else.
Nevertheless this person figured out where Napoleon lived and spent months treking him there.
When he arrived and found him, he noticed a huge mansion flooded with light.
Peeping in the window, he saw Napoleon marching up and down the halls muttering:
"It was Josephine's fault. It was Wellington's fault. It was Lafayette's fault. . ."
Always and forever the blame game for failed, even frutifless friendship, fledgling relationships.
It can't be me! Can it be me?
Yet, grumblers finally desert and flee and forget us . . . and Jesus, in today's hard gospel about "eating my body and drinking my blood." Go figure!
I may be among them at times. Maybe. Maybe not.
Believers in God trust God. Friends trust us despite seeming paradoxes, no?
The longest journey is within, warned Dag Hammershold.
It is.
Befriending God, and my friends begins within.
Deep within my heart. There within I connect with the Creator, and, the Created friends first.
Deserters rely on themselves alone.
"Lord, to whom shall we go?" Peter asks Jesus. "You have the words of eternal life."
Difficult dealings in relationships. In life. In friendships also.
Life is like that. Ups and down, betrayal, abandonments, twists and turns. . .consolations, desolations, blessings, even deserters who abandon us and leave us alone.
Friends for life and those for a season or a reason only. There are.
I rely on Jesus and trust in him the Way, Truth, Life!
My friendship with him develops deep within where all connections emerge and start. It takes time. A lot of time.
My source, resource is God.
When I depend on myself and my resources alone, I fail and fumble in fidelity, faithfulness, and friendships. I do.
Hard sayings of Jesus remind us that we are spiritual beings who thirst and long for meaning and more. When I have meaning and purspose I have everything. And, I can bear most every travail and obstacle.
Cheers. To the Source!
To life. To the Friend. And, friends. Life! La Hayem! La Vida!
St. Claude Chapel, 7 pm Mass, located on Beaconsfield, north of 14 Mile Road, in Clinton Twp., MI.
Friends Who Follow, Those Who Forget, Those Who Flee From Us.
Friends for a reason.
Those for a season.
And, those for a lifetime.
Yes!
Faithful and forever with fidelity in vows said and commitments chosen.
We have a few friends and many acquaintances, no?
Friends fail, flee, forget us. Friends are human like the rest of us.
And, those who are faithful and forever are fans and followers.
Hell in C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, is envisioned as a dismal town where pople dwell after crafting homes at whim. They don't enjoy each other. They grow apart. Division dwells there.
In his Brittish way, Lewis tells of one resident in hell who wants to see a famous sinner.
But, all the famous sinners moved hundreds of miles away from anyone else.
Nevertheless this person figured out where Napoleon lived and spent months treking him there.
When he arrived and found him, he noticed a huge mansion flooded with light.
Peeping in the window, he saw Napoleon marching up and down the halls muttering:
"It was Josephine's fault. It was Wellington's fault. It was Lafayette's fault. . ."
Always and forever the blame game for failed, even frutifless friendship, fledgling relationships.
It can't be me! Can it be me?
Yet, grumblers finally desert and flee and forget us . . . and Jesus, in today's hard gospel about "eating my body and drinking my blood." Go figure!
I may be among them at times. Maybe. Maybe not.
Believers in God trust God. Friends trust us despite seeming paradoxes, no?
The longest journey is within, warned Dag Hammershold.
It is.
Befriending God, and my friends begins within.
Deep within my heart. There within I connect with the Creator, and, the Created friends first.
Deserters rely on themselves alone.
"Lord, to whom shall we go?" Peter asks Jesus. "You have the words of eternal life."
Difficult dealings in relationships. In life. In friendships also.
Life is like that. Ups and down, betrayal, abandonments, twists and turns. . .consolations, desolations, blessings, even deserters who abandon us and leave us alone.
Friends for life and those for a season or a reason only. There are.
I rely on Jesus and trust in him the Way, Truth, Life!
My friendship with him develops deep within where all connections emerge and start. It takes time. A lot of time.
My source, resource is God.
When I depend on myself and my resources alone, I fail and fumble in fidelity, faithfulness, and friendships. I do.
Hard sayings of Jesus remind us that we are spiritual beings who thirst and long for meaning and more. When I have meaning and purspose I have everything. And, I can bear most every travail and obstacle.
Cheers. To the Source!
To life. To the Friend. And, friends. Life! La Hayem! La Vida!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)