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Curbing fuel-ish driving

24 May 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalm for the Solemnity of the Ascension describes "cries of gladness," while the reading from the Acts of the Apostles speaks of how Jesus "was lifted up." Environmentalists were glad to see their movement receive a lift as tough new federal fuel and emission standards were announced Tuesday. In an unusual show of unity, auto industry executives, state leaders, and environmentalists all signed off on what some call the most important action the U.S. has taken to date against global warming. The new fuel-economy standard, 35.5 miles per gallon (MPG), is to be achieved by 2016. Autos will need to average 39 MPG and light trucks 30 MPG. The changes will likely result in lighter, smaller vehicles and greater use of alternative fuels and electric power. The new standard will save an estimated 1.8 billion barrels of oil through 2016, the equivalent of taking 177 million cars off the road. By some measures the new standards will create a car and light truck fleet in the U.S. that is nearly 40 percent cleaner and more fuel-efficient in 2016 than it is today. The average price of a car will increase $1,300, but consumers will recoup that within three years through greater fuel economy, said President Barack Obama in announcing the new standards. Source: An article by John M. Broder for the New York Times and an editorial in the Tacoma, Washington News Tribune

Ascension barack obama fuel efficiency fuel-efficient solemnity of the ascension emission standards fuel

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Tough year for clergy’s tarnished reputation

29 Dec 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The magi came from the east to the newborn Jesus, the Epiphany Sunday gospel relates, because they “saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” A generation ago Americans paid homage in very high numbers to the honesty and ethics of members of the clergy, Gallup polls dating back to 1977 indicate. The clerical star has fallen in recent years, however, and this year for the first time since Gallup began asking the question, fewer than half of those polled said clergy have “high” or “very high” moral standards. Overall, 47 percent of respondents to the survey gave clergy “high” or “very high” ratings, a sharp drop in confidence from the 67 percent of Americans who viewed them this way in 1985. This year clergy took a back seat to nurses, pharmacists, schoolteachers, medical doctors, members of the military, and police officers. The overall trend for clergy has sloped downward since 2001, with Gallup pollsters attributing the slide to scandals involving the sexual abuse of minors. “The Catholic priest abuse stories from the early 2000s helped lead to a sharp drop in Americans’ ratings of clergy, a decline from which the profession has yet to fully recover,” Gallup Managing Editor Art Swift wrote about the poll. Rev. J. C. Austin of Auburn Theological Seminary, however, suggests another reason that the clergy’s reputation has suffered. Too often, he said, divisive clergy overshadow those working toward the common good, especially when it comes to “hot button” issues like gay marriage and abortion. Nurses are the most trusted profession and have been nearly every year since Gallup added them to the poll in 1999, with 82 percent of people saying they rank highly or very highly on the ethical spectrum. Clergy came in seventh of the 22 professions ranked this year. Homily hint: No one has to tell a preacher that being a member of the clergy is a tough job. Talking with the faith community about what it feels like to be on the other side of the pulpit would make for an engaging sermon and might go a long way toward building a supportive familial bond in the faith community. Source: An article by Lauren Markoe for Religion News Service

Trust professions catholic priests gallup poll clergy Honesty ethical standards
Tough year for clergy’s tarnished reputation

05 Jan 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The magi came from the east to the newborn Jesus, the Epiphany Sunday gospel relates, because they “saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” A generation ago Americans paid homage in very high numbers to the honesty and ethics of members of the clergy, Gallup polls dating back to 1977 indicate. The clerical star has fallen in recent years, however, and this year for the first time since Gallup began asking the question, fewer than half of those polled said clergy have “high” or “very high” moral standards.Overall, 47 percent of respondents to the survey gave clergy “high” or “very high” ratings, a sharp drop in confidence from the 67 percent of Americans who viewed them this way in 1985.This year clergy took a back seat to nurses, pharmacists, schoolteachers, medical doctors, members of the military, and police officers. The overall trend for clergy has sloped downward since 2001, with Gallup pollsters attributing the slide to scandals involving the sexual abuse of minors.“The Catholic priest abuse stories from the early 2000s helped lead to a sharp drop in Americans’ ratings of clergy, a decline from which the profession has yet to fully recover,” Gallup Managing Editor Art Swift wrote about the poll.Rev. J. C. Austin of Auburn Theological Seminary, however, suggests another reason that the clergy’s reputation has suffered. Too often, he said, divisive clergy overshadow those working toward the common good, especially when it comes to “hot button” issues like gay marriage and abortion.Nurses are the most trusted profession and have been nearly every year since Gallup added them to the poll in 1999, with 82 percent of people saying they rank highly or very highly on the ethical spectrum. Clergy came in seventh of the 22 professions ranked this year.Homily hint: No one has to tell a preacher that being a member of the clergy is a tough job. Talking with the faith community about what it feels like to be on the other side of the pulpit would make for an engaging sermon and might go a long way toward building a supportive familial bond in the faith community. Source: An article by Lauren Markoe for Religion News Service

Trust art swift j c austin professions catholic priests gallup poll priests clergy Honesty ethical standards

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Homily stories

25 Sep 2011 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

When I taught high school, I spent a number of years coaching the freshman soccer team. Then I became a soccer referee. That was back when I could still run up and down a field for an hour blowing a whistle. What I liked about the game of soccer and especially about reffing was that no arguing with the referee was tolerated. If you tried it, the ref would give you a "yellow card," holding it up to your face without speaking a word. It was your only warning. Do it again and he would "red card" you, kicking you out of the game if you were a player or off the field if you were the coach. It was the ref's way only. It taught players patience. It taught them to concentrate on the game and not blame the officiating for their problems. It taught us all to keep our mouths shut. Consequently, when I became a referee, I took the responsibility to be fair and accurate seriously. Scripture reminds us that God is just and forgiving. But our actions and our choices will ultimately decide our fate. We can argue all that we want and say what we think needs to be said as we compare ourselves with others. But it is to no avail. God judges us by God's standards and not by our perceptions.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

fairness coaching referee standards just forgiving

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