Courage and Compassion

Fifty years ago, a mother of five children saw the horror of Bloody Sunday on national TV. She heard and responded to Dr. King’s invitation to go to Selma. Taking a stand against the evil of segregation and racism and desiring to support and be in solidarity with the African Americans who were experiencing life-threatening atrocities and were denied the right to vote, Mrs. Viola Liuzzo left her Detroit home and traveled to Selma to participate in the voting rights march to Selma and to be of service to her African American brothers and sisters.

On March 25, 1965, while driving from Selma to Montgomery with a young African American, Leroy Moton, she was pursued and shot to death by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Mrs. Viola Liuzzo was a woman of great courage and tremendous capacity for compassion and service. We remember Mrs. Viola Liuzzo's service. She was not afraid to confront the evil of racism.

May we draw inspiration from her great courage, compassion and service so that we might stand against the evil of racism today.

“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” -John 15:13

The Perfume of Forgiveness

Reflecting on Luke’s Gospel message for today (7:36-50) as well as reflecting on my experiences of this week, I combined both in my commute contemplation.

Luke’s Gospel for today is the account of the woman who bathes Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair then she anoints his feet with ointment. All who witness the scene are taken aback and amazed that Jesus forgives her for her sins.

It has been a busy, hectic week. During this week there have been many challenges of malfunctions of computers, machines and people. Yesterday, it felt like I had reached an over-capacity of these challenges. Feeling the weariness of this, my temptation was great to be a malfunctioning person, acting with behaviors that are inconsistent with love and charity. And, I have to confess to slipping several times into a malfunctioning person.

As I pray about all of this, I absorb strength and inspiration from Jesus’ words and behavior as recorded in Luke’s Gospel. I recognize my malfunctions (sins) of this week and tearfully ask for forgiveness from a contrite heart. And, as I do this, I feel Jesus’ forgiveness and can smell the sweet perfume of the woman who anointed Jesus.

And as this perfume of forgiveness permeates me, I feel that I am now able to operate and behave from a place of love and charity for others. I can now forgive all of the malfunctioning others as well as have a sense of empathy and solidarity for their condition. We are all in this together. We were made to love, support and care for each other. And so I pray for the forgiveness of my trespasses and for those who trespass against me. Suddenly, I am in a better place and strengthened by Jesus’ love and forgiveness, I begin a new day.

Let us pray for each other. Let us forgive each other‘s trespasses. Let us ask for forgiveness for our trespasses. Through our prayers and actions, we will enjoy the sweet perfume of Jesus’ forgiveness. We come to know and realize how forgiveness is another way to love.

The Many Disciplines and Cross-curricular of Love

Love is authentic; it is not fickle. Love encourages and builds up; it is not superficial. Love does not tear down. Love is compassionate and lives in solidarity. It does not reject or walk away.

Love is plural and never singular. Love lives and works for agreement and respects and accepts differences of diversity. Love is always inclusive and never exclusive but it does not intrude or invade.

Love is communicative and associative. Love is not divisive. Love multiplies. Love is exponential and has no limit. Love is non-linear and can be complex fractals. Love does not need to be proven. No equation can derive or solve Love.

Love is kinetic energy but can begin as potential energy. Love is also thermal, chemical, electrical and gravitational energy, too. Love is electrons, protons, neutrons living in harmony. Love created every grain of sand, built every continent and filled every ocean. Love created you and me and all the people on Earth. Love created everything that breathes and has protoplasm and DNA.

Love lives in every culture and language. Love finds and feeds the hungry and cares for the poor and sick. Love respects and accepts the diversity of different cultures. Love seeks relationship and does not live in isolation. Love forgives and reconciles. Because love seeks relationship and gives and receives forgiveness, Love is peace and has nothing to do with war. Love can live in political places when politicians agree and can work together for the betterment of all—from the lowest to the highest in the socioeconomic striations.
Love is honest and does not manipulate. Love pays attention. Love recognizes the gifts of others. Love shares and collaborates and cooperates. Love is a team player. Love understands that by doing that—all of the members of the Body of Christ are allowed to contribute and participate in the building of the Kingdom of God.

Love began with Light. Now, a part of that Light lives in each of us. It is seen in the eyes of every person we meet. When we respect the Light of Love, Love thrives in us and emits through our behavior and actions. When all of us can recognize Love, Love will change us and change the world for good.

(inspired by 1 Corinthians 13)

The Way Broccoli Grows

It was a Thursday after a hectic day and a flu shot. As I sat in my recliner looking at the beautiful weather outside, an idea for an adventure and a story came to mind so I grabbed my camera and my bike and rode to learn and document how does broccoli grow on North Magnolia Street.

With my camera strung around my neck and Israel Kamakawiwo’le (google him) singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” from my iPhone, my stiff knees pedaled my bike on my almost-a-mile journey.

As I pedaled and listened to one of my favorite songs, my heart embraced the joy of the lyrics. I noticed that I pedaled to the beat of the song, and I felt my face smile.  The joy of the journey became a balm to my day. I settled in for the ride to where the broccoli grew.

As I turned into the driveway on North Magnolia Street, I noticed that Israel sang the song twice as I arrived at my destination.  Dismounting my bike, I notified the broccoli grower that I came to observe how the broccoli was growing. 

With camera at the ready, I began to shoot the tall, blue-green plants marveling at their height and vigor. Small florets of broccoli were centered and protected by huge, healthy leaves, which grew on thick stalks poking out of the dark earth.

Underneath a fading blue sky and waking crescent moon, two bald eagles flew low over my head. The eagles reminded me of my Jesuit-formed perspective.  Everything comes from God and returns to God.  With my heart knowing and grateful for all of God’s blessings, I thanked God for blue-green broccoli, for eagles, for broccoli growers and for broccoli planters.  God’s blessings included sunshine warming my face. The sunshine provided the means necessary for photosynthesis for broccoli growth.  God’s blessing of nourishing rain watered the broccoli, and it’s branches raised high in rejoicing like arms raised in prayerful praise.

Yes, God helps broccoli grow on North Magnolia Street and everywhere it grows.  God helps us grow, too.  God sends us blessings/gifts to guide and help us on our faith journey and to enrich our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters.

America's Wetland

The wet world of a swollen cypress swamp drinks in nutrients transported by previous rains. Insects are singing. Snakes are slithering and swimming. Frogs are playing hide-and-seek from the birds and the snakes. It’s a happy wetland.

Geese at Northpark

Magnolia Leaf-Sacrifices

Swish. Crackle. Swish. Swish.
On the last day of April, late Saturday morning, I tackled the magnolia leaves that dropped from my neighbor’s tree and blanketed my front yard.
As I worked my arms and back in brisk exercising pace, the sweat began to drip down my face. My hot face told me that it was probably a good shade of red at that point. I had reached the point.
The point at which everything that was on my mind and weighing my heart was gone. My insides were still and ready to listen. I was receptive to God’s voice.
Good conversations are not just about speaking. Good conversations are about listening, too. Listening is very important. When I listen, I learn. When I listen to God, I am changed…converted and reformed. This conversion leaves me strengthened and renewed by God’s grace.
I love nature and the natural world so much so that I studied geology at university. In nature, I feel connected to God. I am surrounded by God’s creation and re-creation. God uses nature to teach me.
On this Saturday, my lesson came from dead magnolia leaves cluttering my front yard. As I raked the leaves, I wondered why they had fallen from the tree now in late Spring. As I thought about Spring, I remembered the beautiful, fragrant Magnolia flower. As I focused on such beauty, my heartstrings connected with my thought process.
God taught me about living faith through the witness of the suffering, sacrifices of magnolia leaves and resurrection of new life found in the life of a Magnolia tree. I noticed that the times of my life where I experienced suffering and pain, God put people in my life that ministered to me as a result of their circumstances. I noticed that my life experiences that involved suffering were life lessons that allowed me to minister to others who experienced similar pain and circumstances. This ministering involved the creation of relationships. In those relationships, I sensed the presence of Christ.
Sometimes, ministry develops from and out of woundedness. As a result of ministry, community is strengthened by the support of each person’s support of another. Christ works through and with everyone in ministry. In this way, Christ’s presence is revealed and felt in community.
What a powerful faith lesson to learn on a late Spring day. …God’s faith lesson taught by a magnolia tree.