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The inner word

16 Dec 2012 - Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle C

Though it was near a notable place, Ramah, where one of the matriarchs of Israel, Rachel, had died, “Ephrathah” was, as scripture tells us, virtually “too small” to be noticed. Yet, the prophet Micah says it would be the place of a new king in the line of King David. Have you ever experienced how great things can come from small things? Where can you find something that while starting small grew into something grand with your efforts to cultivate it?

Micah King David

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The inner word

18 Dec 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B

In today's first reading, King David learns that honoring God can sometimes mask an attempt to put God in a box. If we substitute honoring for surrendering, it can become a form of idolatry. Do I let my plans for God and God's people get in the way of being open and responsive to God's plans for me? Mary is the model for letting God be God. Though she was confused and didn't understand what was being asked of her, she simply remained open to what God had in store. In what ways am I like David, and what ways am I emulate Mary?

Mary King David submission

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Cholera call to action

14 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's first reading the prophet Isaiah proclaims glad tidings to the poor and liberty to captives. As the people of Zimbabwe, trapped in poverty and virtual political captivity, suffer a growing cholera crisis, world aid organizations and church and political leaders are starting to call for the forcible removal from power of President Robert Mugabe. The World Health Organization said Sunday that close to 14,000 cholera cases had been reported in the African nation, and 589 people had already died. This week the United Nations Children's Fund in Zimbabwe said it was preparing to deal with a possible 60,000 cases of cholera in coming weeks. Raila Odinga, the Kenyan prime minister, urged the African Union to call an emergency meeting to authorize sending troops into Zimbabwe and said Mugabe's actions deserved investigation by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, the second highest figure in the Church of England, said: "The time to remove them from power has come. Robert Mugabe and his henchmen must now take their rightful place in The Hague and answer for their actions." U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak endangered the whole of southern Africa. "I am still really appalled at the inability of the international community to deal with tyrants. Robert Mugabe should have gone a long time ago," she said. Zimbabwe Health Minister David Parirenyatwa spoke against politicizing the outbreak. "Cholera affects everyone and it does not chose between Zanu-PF and MDC supporters," he said, referring to Mugabe's party and the Movement for Democratic Change led by his rival Morgan Tsvangirai. Source: Articles by Tristan Stewart-Robertson for The Scotsman, Agence France Press, and Ekklesia.co.uk

zimbabwe condoleezza rice john sentamu international criminal court raila odinga united nations childrens fund world health organization robert mugabe cholera david parirenyatwa

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The hopes and fears of all the year

28 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Nearly two years ago, in April 2007, an undergraduate art student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago unveiled a papier-mache sculpture of Barack Obama as a messianic figure, titled "Blessing." David Cordero, 24, made the sculpture for his senior show after noticing all the attention Obama had received since first hinting he might run for the presidency. Run Obama did, and win he did, and his election was overwhelmingly voted the top news story of the year by U.S. editors and news directors polled by the Associated Press. But as we prepare to celebrate the Savior's birth, Obama must contend with the almost messianic-like hope that many people hold for his presidency. Artist Cordero's explanation for creating his sculpture may prove a healthy cautionary tale: "All of this is a response to what I've been witnessing and hearing, this idea that Barack is sort of a potential savior that might come and absolve the country of all its sins. In a lot of ways it's about caution in assigning all these inflated expectations on one individual, and expecting them to change something that many hands have shaped." As Obama prepares to take office in a few weeks, he inherits a number of daunting challenges not of his own creation, not least of which is the nation's financial meltdown-voted the number-two story of the year in the AP poll. Obama will also be handed the long-running war in Iraq, another top-ten story of the year, not to mention the even longer-running war in Afghanistan. If that were not enough, the U.S. as well as other nations face the ongoing threat of terrorism, as demonstrated by another top story, the recent terrorist attack in Mumbai, India that killed 164 people. The historic political campaigns of two women-Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin-also made the list of top-ten news stories. Though their campaigns were not victorious, both women finished the year with their political futures intact-Clinton as Obama's choice for U.S. Secretary of State, and Palin as a leading light of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. China and Russia were home to top stories of the year as well. China made the list for a triumph, its largely successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics, as well as a tragedy, a powerful earthquake in May that left more than 70,000 dead and led to the collapse of about 7,000 classrooms in shoddily built schools. The five-day Russian-Georgian war in August rounds out the list, a further reminder that Obama will inherit a number of complex and potentially volatile foreign-relations concerns. Stories that almost made the top ten included Cyclone Nargis, which killed more than 84,000 people in Myanmar; Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, which wreaked deadly damage in the Caribbean and on the U.S. Gulf Coast; and the seesaw fate of same-sex marriage in California, where a court ruling approving it was later overturned by a ballot measure. Several write-in votes were cast for two developments that occurred too late to be included on the AP ballot: the indictment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the efforts of struggling U.S. automakers to get a federal bailout. The alleged financial scam involving Bernard Madoff also was revealed too late to make the ballot. Several of the editors who voted commented on how two transcendent developments dominated the news in 2008. "As far as I am concerned, there were only two stories this year," wrote Linda Grist Cunningham of the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star. "Global economy collapses (sending every country into financial, political, and personal chaos) and Obama elected U.S. president, changing the way the America does business-financial, political, and personal." Source: Articles by Joel Roberts and David Crary for the Associated Press

automakers russia beijing olympics georgia cyclone nargis myanmar hurricane gustav hurricane ike same-sex marriage california bailout bernard madoff china sarah palin hilary clinton rod blagojevich barack obama david cordero school of the art institute of chicago associated press savior iraq war afghanistan war top-ten news stories terrorism mumbai global economy

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Controversial statements and reinstatements

01 Feb 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"World Day for Consecrated Life" celebrated this year on the 8th is intended "to help the entire church to esteem ever more greatly" those in religious life, Pope John Paul II said at its inception in 1997. This week, however, controversy surrounding the reinstatement of an excommunicated religious leader may overshadow the celebration. Jewish groups from around the world and Catholics from a number of quarters said they were shocked by Pope Benedict XVI's decision to overturn the excommunication of British-born Richard Williamson, one of four traditionalist Catholic bishops whose excommunications were lifted last Saturday. Williamson has made statements denying the full extent of the Holocaust of European Jews. The move is a "serious blow for Jewish-Vatican relations and a slap in the face of the late Pope John Paul II who made such remarkable efforts to eradicate and combat anti-Semitism," said Rabbi David Rosen, the international director of interreligious affairs for the New York-based American Jewish Committee. Williamson told Swedish television in an interview broadcast a week ago: "I believe there were no gas chambers" and that no more than 300,000 Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps, rather than 6 million. In attempting to heal the rift, Benedict expressed his "full and unquestionable solidarity" with Jews during his weekly audience on Wednesday. The German-born pope said the attempt to exterminate Jews in the Holocaust should remain a warning to all humanity. Recalling his visit to the Auschwitz death camp in 2006, Benedict condemned the "pitiless killing of millions of Jews, innocent victims of blind racial and religious hatred." Elan Steinberg, vice-president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants, said: "Clearly the damage remains. As welcome as the pope's remarks are they contain a glaring omission, the demand by the Vatican that Williamson renounce his heinous views." Elie Wiesel, the death camp survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, said Benedict had given credence to "the most vulgar aspect of anti-Semitism" by rehabilitating Williamson. On Wednesday Israel's chief rabbinate severed ties with the Vatican in protest of the pope's reinstatement of Williamson. The Jewish state's highest religious authority sent a letter to the Holy See expressing "sorrow and pain" at the papal decision. "It will be very difficult for the chief rabbinate of Israel to continue its dialogue with the Vatican as before," the letter said. Chief rabbis of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews were parties to the letter. Source: Articles by Philip Pullella for Reuters, Ian Deitch for the Associated Press, and Ecumenical News International

society of pope pius x john paul ii benedict xvi richard williamson david rosen american jewish committee holocaust elan steinberg elie wiesel chief rabbinate world day for consecrated life

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Printless in Seattle, but Rocky Mountain high

22 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

If ever he forgets the Lord, the psalmist says this Sunday, "let my tongue be silenced." A longstanding voice in the world of print journalism fell silent this week with the final print edition Tuesday of the 146-year-old Seattle Post-Intelligencer (P-I). The Hearst Corporation, owner of the venerable daily, failed to find a buyer for the paper, which has been losing money. The P-I will shift entirely to the web. "It's a really sad day for Seattle," said P-I reporter Angela Galloway. "The P-I has its strengths and weaknesses but it always strove for a noble cause, which was to give voice to those without power and scrutiny of those with power." Seattle follows Denver in losing a daily newspaper this year. The Rocky Mountain News closed after its owner, E.W. Scripps Co., couldn't find a buyer. In Arizona, Gannett Co.'s Tucson Citizen is set to close Saturday, leaving one newspaper in that city. And last month Hearst said it would close or sell the San Francisco Chronicle if the newspaper couldn't slash expenses in coming weeks. Four newspaper companies, including the owners of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Philadelphia Inquirer, have sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in recent months. Still, the loss was palpable in the P-I newsroom. "A daily newspaper tells the stories of a community and lets the people of a city know who they are, who their neighbors are, and the life and issues they share," said Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist David Horsey. "When you lose any one newspaper, you lose a piece of that." On the hopeful side, with backing from three entrepreneurs, staffers of the recently shuttered Rocky Mountain News in Denver plan to start an online news publication if they can get 50,000 paying subscribers by April 23-what would have been the News' 150th anniversary. The local venture, InDenverTimes.com, will go live on May 4 if backers meet their subscription goal. Former news reporter Tillie Fong is among those who would be hired at In Denver Times if enough subscribers sign on. "I want to be a journalist. This is 'what I want to be when I grow up,' " she said. "When the Rocky closed, it was traumatic, shocking. It was a hard blow. It was a death. This is sort of like a phoenix." Source: Articles by the Associated Press

newspapers in denver times indenvertimescom david horsey philadelphia inquirer chicago tribune los angeles times san francisco chronicle tucson citizen gannett co ew scripps co the rocky mountain news denver angela galloway hearst corporation p-i seattle post-intelligencer tillie fong

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Some Fighting Irish are fighting mad over Obama invitation

05 Apr 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

President Obama is widely acknowledged to be an eloquent speaker--to possess "a well-trained tongue," as the author of the Book of Isaiah puts it in this Sunday's reading. Some Catholics are not pleased, however, that he has been invited to deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame graduation ceremonies this May. Notre Dame's decision to invite Obama to speak has sparked protest from some Catholics because his stances on abortion and stem cell research are at odds with Catholic Church teachings. Notre Dame's overture to Obama is in keeping with the university's record of seeking newly elected presidents from both political parties as commencement speakers. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush spoke to Notre Dame graduates months after taking office."This has sparked something beyond the usual right-left controversy," said David Gibson, a Catholic author of books on Pope Benedict XVI and the U.S. church. "Whether you're for or against the decision to invite him is morphing into kind of an X-ray of where everybody stands in the Catholic Church." Rev. Hugh W. Cleary, superior general of the Congregation of Holy Cross, which founded Notre Dame, wrote a letter to Obama on March 22 asking him to rethink--through "prayerful wrestling" with his conscience--his positions on abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research in the weeks leading up to his speech. Cleary said the decision to invite Obama wasn't his but said the visit should be a "teachable moment" for all. Rev. John Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, said Obama is being honored as an "inspiring leader" facing challenges from the economy, two wars, health care, and immigration and health care reform.Jenkins also singled out Obama, the first black president, as a healer of racial wounds. That is of special significance at Notre Dame because retired university president Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, 91, linked arms with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and served on the first U.S. Civil Rights Commission.The Obama invitation, Jenkins emphasized, does not condone or endorse Obama's positions on stem cells or abortion but the visit is "a basis for further positive engagement." Past Notre Dame invitations have drawn protests as well, said Douglas Kmiec, a Catholic law professor and former Reagan administration lawyer whose endorsement of Obama last year was controversial. Kmiec, who taught at Notre Dame for 20 years and supports the invitation to Obama, called it a sign of a mature university and further evidence that religion is now firmly part of the public discourse."Religion has been invited into the public square," Kmiec said. "Our voice is being heard. But we now will presume to exclude from the religious venue the public voices that have the duty and responsibility to people of many different faiths and no faith at all? That seems to be an ironic way to return a favor." Source: Articles by Eric Gorski and Tom Coyne for the Associated Press

barack obama theodore hesburgh john jenkins congregation holy cross hugh w cleary david gibson stem cell research abortion commencement notre dame university of notre dame douglas kmiec

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Judgment day arrives

05 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

For decades investors looked at the returns financier Bernard Madoff was able to deliver with admiring words that echo this Sunday’s gospel question: “Where did this man get all this?” Having lost their fortunes, they now know they were victims of a monumental scam. Madoff, 71, was sentenced Monday to 150 years in prison. Federal District Judge Denny Chin condemned his crimes as “extraordinarily evil” and imposed a sentence that was three times as long as the federal probation office suggested and more than 10 times as long as defense lawyers had requested. Tearful victims told the court of the damage he had caused, describing him as a “psychopath” and a “monster” who had destroyed their lives. Michael Schwartz, who said Madoff had stolen money set aside to sustain his disabled brother, expressed the hope that “his jail cell will become his coffin.” Madoff apologized for the harm he inflicted on his clients, his employees, and his family. “I’m sorry,” he said, turned to the courtroom crowd. “I know that doesn’t help.” Madoff’s accountant, David Friehling, is the only other person charged so far in connection with the Ponzi scheme. But the ongoing investigation of the $65 billion fraud may implicate as many as 10 other people, officials said. Those pursuing the investigation are focusing on close associates of the convicted con man who insist they didn’t know of any wrongdoing. Articles by Patricia Hurtado for Bloomberg.com and Diane B. Henriques for the New York Times

bernard madoff ponzi scheme bernie madoff denny chin michael schwartz david friehling

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Healthcare reform suffers from hypertension

23 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We hear in this Sunday's first reading that when Joshua questioned the religious loyalties of his fellow Israelites, they responded, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord." President Barack Obama's recent signals that he would be willing to forsake a "public option" on healthcare insurance for the sake of bipartisan support has led to an outcry among the president's more liberal supporters. Administration officials insisted that they have not shied away from their support for a public option to compete with private insurance companies, an idea they said Obama still prefers to see in a final bill. "I don't understand why the left of the left has decided that this is their Waterloo," said a senior White House adviser. "We've gotten to this point where healthcare on the left is determined by the breadth of the public option. I don't understand how that has become the measure of whether what we achieve is healthcare reform." When the Obama campaign first crafted its healthcare proposal, the creation of a government-sponsored insurance option "was not the most important thing," said David Cutler, a Harvard University economics professor and campaign adviser on healthcare issues. Obama, like Cutler, embraced the concept because it would afford consumers more options, Cutler said. But while the idea has given conservatives an opening to attack Obama for allegedly supporting government-run healthcare, "to the left it's become this unholy grail" without which any reforms would be inadequate, Cutler said. In a further ratcheting of tensions in a highly charged debate, some Democratic leaders Tuesday accused Republicans of reflexively opposing healthcare reforms in an attempt to score political points against the Obama administration. "The Republican leadership," said White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, "has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama's healthcare proposal is more important for their political goals than solving the health insurance problems that Americans face every day." Those leaders say the time for bipartisanship has passed and they now intend to pour their energy into mustering sufficient Democratic votes for the proposals. Source: Articles by Michael D. Shear and Ceci Connolly for the Washington Post and Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny for the New York Times

barack obama health insurance health care reform public option david cutler rahm emanuel

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Justice Department to question the questioners

30 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's first reading Moses admonishes the people of Israel to observe carefully the statutes and decrees he was setting forth so that other nations could say of them, "This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people." Critics say the U.S. government's apparent flouting of internationally accepted interrogation policies in secret detention centers in Iraq and Afghanistan hurt U.S. standing around the world. Amid revelations that Central Intelligence Agency interrogators threatened terror suspects with handguns and an electric drill, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Monday appointed a prosecutor to conduct a preliminary review to determine whether criminal prosecutions are warranted in some detainee abuse cases. The threats against the detainees, who were hooded, shackled, and in some cases naked, were among new details in volumes of documents released Monday by the Justice Department. The records included a 2004 report by the CIA's Office of Inspector General, which noted that some of the interrogation tactics used by the agency were "inconsistent with the public policy positions that the United States has taken regarding human rights." Holder's decision to investigate further, coupled with the release of the graphic details about interrogation practices that President Barack Obama ordered halted when he took office in January, ignited a political storm at a delicate time in Washington. Leading Republicans denounced Holder's appointment of John H. Durham, a career prosecutor, saying it will hinder intelligence-gathering in the fight against terrorists, while some Democrats criticized the investigation as too limited. They renewed calls for an independent review of most of the controversial anti-terrorism policies adopted by George W. Bush's administration. "The documents underscore how closely supervised the program was by officials in Washington," said Jameel Jaffer of the American Civil Liberties Union, whose Freedom of Information Act lawsuit forced disclosure of the records. "Any investigation that began and ended with the so-called rogue interrogators would be completely inadequate." Tom Parker, policy director for counterterrorism and human rights at Amnesty International, USA said the documents were "chilling." "They show how deeply rooted this new culture of mistreatment became," he said. But defenders of the program say the tight rules demonstrate the government's attempt to keep the program within the law. "Elaborate care went into figuring out the precise gradations of coercion," said David B. Rivkin, Jr., a lawyer who served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. "Yes, it's jarring. But it shows how both the lawyers and the nonlawyers tried to do the right thing." Source: Articles by James Vicini and Jeremy Pelofsky for Reuters, Paul Kain and Carrie Johnson for the Washington Post, Peter Eisler for USA TODAY, and David Johnston, Scott Shane, and Mark Mazzetti for the New York Times

iraq tom parker jameel jaffer john h durham detainees amnesty international interrogation justice department eric h holder jr american civil liberties union central intelligence agency afghanistan george bush barack obama david b rivkin jr

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