Fr Jim's (old) Blog

Last weekend I preached on "White privilege" as part of exploring how Jesus moved beyond his own Jewish-only worldview to embrace the Canaanite / Syro-Phoenecian woman as an individual, a woman of faith, and worthy of his attention  (Matt 15:21-18). White privilege isn't meant to be a perjorative term. Rather, it is a humble acknowledgement by white / Anglo / Caucasian people that there are privileges which I am often unaware of in my culture. Or rather, there are obstacles which others have to overcome which I don't have to consider, which make life easier. Naming and owning my sense of privilege (which can also be male and heterosexual) helps me to become more compassionate to others who don't share this privilege. Author Peggy McIntosh who coined the phrase's article is here , including 50 signs of white privilege, some of which I used in the homily.

These are photos taken by our parishioner John Lovell of a rare halo cloud, perfectly poised above the church on August 16th.

Yesterday I went to my friend Eric's Lutheran church where he is pastor. It was great to see him in action again presiding at a service which has the same liturgical format as a Catholic Mass, but a little more informal. The most touching thing is that he doesn't preside from a presider's chair at the front, but its in the front row with his wife and small daughters. It makes  me think about our married deacons and how we can make space for them to worship with their families as well as minster at the altar. Eric is a great preacher. He preached on the feeding of the 5000 and referred to the the common idea that God invites our cooperation in his work. But he did it so well. He made the scripture account alive, painting a picture of the scene and emphasising that Jesus didn't push the disciples out of the way saying "step aside, I've got this covered I' m going to do a miracle". He told them to "give the people something to eat yourself", ...

For some people a flight is a time to watch films, read a novel, or sleep. But I discovered another opportunity on my three and half hour flight from Omaha to Seattle: a mini retreat. The last two days at Creighton were a rush: final classes, final essays due, then, even before we'd finished those we were packing down kitchens and common rooms, people were packing their bags, and then started leaving. Some of them rushing and running down the hallway to get to a flight on time. There wasn't much of a sense of closure or finality. So the time on the plane was time to, as we say at Creighton, "gather the graces", that is, to reflect on all that has happened, to see God's hand in it all, and to give thanks. I felt a rush of sadness as the plane taxied toward the runway, wishing I could stay just one more day. But there's nothing there to stay for. The people who make the experience have already dispersed. The experience of Creighton is a confluence of people ...

 One of my classes this term has been The Spirituality of Social Concern. It overlaps with other courses on Catholic social teaching which I've done previously, but it goes further, in that it looks at the spirituality which underpins and animates the rich heritage of the Church's social justice teaching. The Church is more known for its teaching against abortion and divorce, but for more than 120 years there have been official statements by popes, councils and conferences of bishops on economic, political, social, racial and environmental issues. The Second Vatican Council reinvigorated the Church's sense of its place in the world, being an agent of the Kingdom of God, to be used by God for the transformation of the world, not as a refuge from the world. Fr Rutilio Grande SJ In the 1960s the bishops of Latin America got together and made a bold statement that the majority of the peoples of Latin America were poor and oppressed, and that from now on the Church woul...