Newman notes, Summer
Posted on: Monday, June 22, 2009
12 SUNDAY, ORDINARY TIME JUNE 21, 2009 A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up (Mk 4:37). 1. SUNDAY AT MASS: Mass at 10:00AM ONLY. 2. CONCERNING THE PARKING ISSUE –AN EMAIL RECEIVED: Jeff, On Sunday mornings they can park in any open parking space near the chapel, including the student conduct spaces, reserve parking, and handicap if they have tags. The only thing we ask is that they do not park in the loading dock. The signs for reserve and specialty parking (except handicap) are meant for business days 5 AM to 5 PM. Randy Randy Vercauteren Director: Parking, Transportation, Custodial, Special Events, Shipping & Receiving, Waste Collection Rochester Institute of Technology Facilities Management Services 120 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 Rochester Institute of Technology Office: 585-475-6006 e-mail: rpvcps@rit.edu OK, so this means that Betty and Helen can park anywhere in back except in the loading docks. I suggest the parking spaces next to where the catering van can park by the fenced-in area. That’s the next best thing to parking at the loading docks. 3. DEATH OF A STUDENT: Second year student in the Interior Design program of the College of Imaging Arts and Science, Kristina Keeley passed away last Wednesday. May she rest in peace. Christina was not a member of the Newman Community. Summer is the time for developing programs for the Fall, so the next two items are there for your consideration and feedback. 3. http://tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/ [Follow up on this: Fr. Richard is signed up to attend a program, Training the Trainers, at Nazareth and will be out of office Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 3. His attendance at the program is paid for by the Center for Religious Life, and its purpose is to train students in conducting interfaith dialogue –a program developed by the Blair Foundation. We will be undertaking this kind of dialogue in conjunction with the other colleges in the area and through a grant received by Nazareth.] In the Religious Life Center we are exploring how we can develop interfaith dialogue both on and off campus and we need to start with student interest in such programming. So far Lutheran pastor Larraine Frampton has organized a group of students representing the various religious communities active in the Religious Life Center. They get together for discussions and have sponsored a number of campus-wide programs drawing on student interest in various religious topics. Nazareth College through a grant received from local business leaders is developing a program that will draw nationally on ecumenical religious resources as well as what is being done locally to create a conference this coming academic year that will be open to all the universities in the area. Fr. Richard was attracted to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (you can reach them at their website above –please check it out) as a possible vehicle for a program at RIT. As you may know, Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and after leaving that position has developed this Foundation. This is the way the Foundation sums up its mission: The Tony Blair Faith Foundation aims to promote respect and understanding about the world's major religions and show how faith is a powerful force for good in the modern world. At Yale University, Blair developed and has taught with others an interdepartmental academic course on Globalization and Religion. He sees religion as the key factor in resolving the multitude of issues that face the international community and the need for dialogue between people at the grassroots level as foundational. One possibility would be to develop an academic program on campus that could concentrate on Globalization, Technology, the Arts and Religion. Another possibility would be to engage in the Foundation’s Face to Faith telecommunications program that could network RIT students with other universities around the globe to discuss a series of designated topics that would make clear the ways religion could assist in resolving the issues that arise from our increasingly unified world. Another way of being involved in the Foundation is through Faiths Act Together a program to stop malaria, which takes the lives of over a million people every year. This involves providing bed nets for those living in areas where malaria is rampant. The possibilities are endless on this. Fr. Richard is looking for feedback –especially from students -on projects the Center might develop. 4. CHRISTIAN LIFE COMMUNITY - http://www.clcyya.org/ Fr. Richard is interested in exploring the development of a CLC group within Newman at RIT. We already have, in effect, all the living parts of a CLC group on campus, we are just not joined up with an international group of students that are involved in their faith. The CLC is Jesuit developed, and based on the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and his Spiritual Exercises. Fr. Richard, as a college student was in the predecessor of the CLC (the Sodality of Our Lady) and found it to be the most formative experience of his years in college. It’s an excellent program. This is how CLC describes itself: CLC is a lay world community of people who meet weekly or biweekly. CLC groups are usually comprised of 6-12 peers from their university to pray, reflect, and discuss issues of life and faith. CLC Young Adult groups typically gather for campus-wide activities: social events, service projects, prayer, and open conversations about following Jesus in today's world. The Christian Life Community is a great opportunity to connect with others in a deeper way. CLC fosters trusting relationships grounded in faith and a supportive environment. We encourage each other along our journeys of faith by living out the values of spirituality, community, and service. The Christian Life Community way of life invites us to encounter God in all the various aspects of our everyday life, reflect on these experiences, become more aware of God’s activity in these experiences, and respond in ever more authentic ways to God’s desire within our individual lives and our communal lives. CLC follows the inspiration of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. As with Ignatius, we strive to find God in all things and to discover our calling in life. We share this vision with members of CLC's in almost 60 countries around the world. + + + + + + + FR. RICHARD’S SUMMER QUARTER OFFICE SCHEDULE: ROOM 1412 in the Center for Religious Life. Tuesday –Friday, 11:00-12:00am to 8:00-9:00pm. Monday is Fr. Richard’s usual day-off. Sometimes Fr. Richard is in meetings, teaching, the gym or off-campus outreach. It’s best to phone or email for an appointment. Contact information is in the header of Newman Notes. Be sure to check the Summer Calendar below for times when Fr. Richard is away on vacation or retreat. INDIVIDUAL SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION: Take your chances and Drop-in, or arrange to be there by phone or email to see Fr. Richard at his Center for Religious Life office (right across from the chapels), Room 1412. He’s usually there afternoons and evenings (see below). SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION: Contact Fr. Richard if you are interested in preparing to receive a sacrament (Confirmation, Matrimony, First Communion, First Reconciliation) or if you have questions or are interested in becoming a Catholic (including Baptism). + + + + + + + BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST 2009 As youngsters we had ways of sealing the bond of friendship with our best friends. Girls would exchange friendship rings, pledging undying loyalty, while guys would make a small cut on their finger and then mingle their blood with their buddy’s to signify the unbreakable bond between them as “blood brothers.” Today’s readings contain the same symbolism of blood bonds that can’t ever be broken. In the first reading we got Moses sprinkling half the blood of a sacrificial animal on the altar and the other half on the people. The blood signifies the life force that seals the commitment between the Holy One and Israelites. Not only are God and the people bound together irrevocably, but the people themselves are united to one another. The twelve pillars erected at the foot of the mountain represent the whole of the people. They acclaim with one voice their loyalty to all the words and ordinances of God. In the same way Jesus’ blood, shed for all, reaffirms God’s unbreakable bond with us. What Jesus says and does at the Last Supper is the culmination of an entire lifelong pouring out of himself in love. The words and gestures echo God’s life-sustaining self-gift to Israel in the wilderness, symbolized in feeding them manna and later Jesus feeding the hungry multitude. All of these manifestations of God’s commitment to us reach their climax in Jesus’ gift of self. In Gospel we hear that he is celebrating the Passover meal, recalling how the blood of lambs smeared on the doorposts kept the Israelites safe from the angel of death. So when we do this in memory of him, Jesus’ flesh and blood sustains, protects and frees us as a people, who then embody for others his unbreakable commitment of love. His blood seals this covenant for all people. Four times in describing the preparations for the meal Mark uses the word math’ai, “disciples,” signifying all the women and men who have followed Jesus, and who have ministered with him –that’s us. In the words over the cup, Jesus says his blood “will be shed for many.” This reflects a Hebrew idiom, where the contrast is between “one” and “the Many.” “Many” does not mean that some are left out; instead it signifies the totality; it means it includes everyone. This blood bond is a right-now reality for us, yet it also points to a perfect fulfillment, as Jesus’ final words in today’s Gospel point out. While in our eucharistic gatherings we make present again Jesus’ gift of self, we also celebrate a foretaste of the eternal feast, where we will experience perfect oneness with the Holy One and with one another. This really sank into me in dramatic action when I was reading an article last Tuesday by a mother whose son had gone to Iraq for two tours of duty. After graduating from a Jesuit high school and Georgetown University, he decided that serving in the Marines would enable to follow the Jesuit tradition of being a “man for others.” His Mom’s main concern and prayer was that her son Mauro would return to his family in one piece. She says he was stationed in Ramadi, in the heart of what was called the Sunni Triangle –a nightmare. When he first arrived he called home to say, “It’s beautiful here. Full of color! By the way send cat food, and don’t ask questions.” He had adopted two sets of kittens. “Should I send cat litter too?” she asked. “No, Mom,” he laughed. “The whole country is a sandbox!” Within weeks the banter about kittens ceased and the emails became irregular and cryptic. “You won’t hear from me for a few days. I’m busy.” He was transferred to another base to replace a commander who’d been badly wounded. As casualties mounted his Mom became addicted to the news and obsessed about calculating survival rates. Mauro didn’t tell her when his college roommate had been killed. She cried for weeks. He returned from his first tour and said very little. In a single attack on Mauro’s platoon, one Marine was killed and six others lost legs. Mauro went to Walter Reed hospital to visit those who had been maimed. His mom found out from a journalist that her son had saved the life of a journalist, pulled two Marines out of a burning vehicle and dismantled an IED. He wanted to go back, saying, “You have to fix what you break.” She saw that Mauro had changed. He had lost his bravado, but not his commitment. He thought we were going about the whole thing in the wrong way and what needed to be confronted was the root cause of the insurgency, the need for economic development. He studied Arabic and read extensively on the Middle East and Islam. Although he was met with skepticism at first, he was able to convince his superiors to divide his platoon into units of ten, each of which would be embedded in an Iraqi detachment rather than operating from a U.S. base. By living and working closely with the Iraqis, he believed the Marines would develop a healthier relationship with the people. He also thought this might also facilitate some new economic development projects that would stabilize conflicted areas and give the people a vested interest in keeping things calm. When Mauro returned to Iraq he found Ramadi was less violent and chaotic because the Sunni leaders were now convinced that they had more to gain by working with the Marines than with Al Qaeda with its constant diet of intimidation and killing. Still, at first there was great distrust. The people averted their eyes and walked on when they met soldiers on the usually empty streets. Mauro encouraged his men to build relationships with the Iraqis. That meant getting used to new customs like eating on the floor and scooping up food with their hands from a common dish. Mauro fasted for Ramadan and broke fast every evening with a different family. He bought livestock to be sent to the mosque to feed the poor. He observed that Iraqi men hugged and kissed each other and he had his men get used to it. Mauro directed his men to buy all their supplies in the marketplace, and with that local people began to assume that security had improved and they began to venture out to the stalls. By the time he left the biggest challenges at the marketplace had become traffic and parking. Mauro tells of a neighborhood tailor who didn’t care much for Americans. One day Mauro stopped by the shop and ordered a suit. The tailor made a nice looking, well-cut garment out of fine English wool. Other Marine’s started ordering suits and before long he was showing up regularly at the big American base with bolts of fabric. The thing is, the tailor got the opportunity to use his skills and sell a product and restore his sense of self-worth. Then there was the barber that refused to deal with the Americans. Mauro kept going back to his shop and asking for a shave and a haircut, but he always refused. One day Mauro just sat down in the chair. Now you have to realize that Iraqi barbers use straight razors, so he was taking a calculated risk. It paid off. After that the barber’s attitude softened and he started cutting the hair of many of the Marines. Mauro was convinced that these small moves created big changes because news travels by word of mouth. The tailor and the barber talk to their friends that the Americans aren’t so bad after all and everyday signs of friendship and bonding were evident. The same happened with a sculptor named Yahia who had given up on the possibility of every making beautiful things again. Mauro asked him to make a copy of the platoon’s emblem and expected a rough likeness on a little piece of wood. Instead he got a gorgeous emblem as large as a tabletop on stained wood. There were dangers, but Mauro found that the average Iraqis yearned for peace and normality. The Marines cleaned up the streets, initiated reconstruction projects, fixed sewers and water pipes. Schools that had been closed because of the violence were refurbished, replacing broken windows and painting the walls. Slowly the people came to see what a new Iraq could look like. The hospital in Ramadi had been devastated and many doctors fled to Syria. Mauro began paying visits to patients and before long new rules were established which meant that patients were not denied services, and doctors accepted shifts. People began to feel secure and respected and started restoring their homes. Woman were introduced in to city council meetings and provided with public transportation. While it’s impossible to know what the lasting effects of all of this will be. Challenges remain. But the recognition by a “man for others” clearly turned a corner and for Mauro it was a spiritually transformative experience. By working with the civilians he was able to appreciate the humanity of people he had previously seen as enemies. Mauro’s story was a reminder to me that in the sacred meal we celebrate Jesus’ total gift of himself for the “many,” and that means no one’s left out. That’s our covenant with the God of love, and that’s our mission and our challenge, to live that love for all those we meet. And that’s the meaning of this feast day as well. + + + + + + +
Faith is vitally important to hundreds of millions of people. It underpins systems of thought and of behaviour. It underpins many of the world's great movements for change or reform, including many charities. And the values of respect, justice and compassion that our great religions share have never been more relevant or important to bring people together to build a better world. But religious faith can also be used to divide. We have seen throughout history and today we still see how it can be distorted to fan the flames of hatred and extremism.
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation is a response to these opportunities and challenges. We will use the full power of modern communications to support and step up efforts at every level to educate, inform and develop understanding about the different faiths and between them.
At the same time, the Foundation will use its profile and resources to encourage people of faith to work together more closely to tackle global poverty and conflict. By supporting such inter-faith initiatives, the Foundation will help underline the religion's relevance and positive contribution.
The Foundation will not duplicate, let alone seek to replace the many successful initiatives by faith groups already taking place. The aim instead is to promote and enhance this work.
But where the Foundation believes more can be done, we will work with partners to fill the gap. This means that the Foundation will keep evolving. But its core principles and priorities have been set. You can find out about them on this website. We ask for your help to realise them.
