Dear Friends,
I write to you at about 8 PM on Sunday, the 25th, three weeks to the day since my last letter. I feel sometimes like I have lived a full year and maybe more between these letters! I am too busy to write more often.
Anyway, I am happy to say we are finally receiving some substantial rains, and the grass and flowers already look much better. We have been warned about El Nino and its expected damage, but so far we have not had anything like that. I love being under the covers and hearing the rain hit our roof, whether when going to sleep or when waking up before the alarm goes off.
I am finally seeing many of the roses I fertilized some six weeks ago bear abundant blossoms. My God, they are out of this world in color, and their aroma too is intoxicating if you get close. At the end of one of my lengthy bed of roses is an amarylis in full bloom, with brilliant red trumpet-like blossoms. Just this morning it opened up fully, and so we will get to enjoy its beauty for another 10 days or so. What takes the prize, however, are the jacaranda trees filled with clusters of lightly shaded purple bells. We have a number of them on our grounds. These blossoms last for some days and then they drop one by one on the ground under the tree and form a carpet of purple. The trees are a good 50-60 feet high and when viewed from a distance fill the skyline with their stunning beauty. How lovely, how divine! Their blossoms will be with us for another month or so. In our backyard, standing over all other trees and flowers is a tree more than a hundred years old, probably closer to two hundred years old. It is about 120 feet up, and its roots are enormous, at least the part of the roots that is above the soil line. It is something else to walk on our concrete pathway that passes under the far-reaching limbs of this tree. It is part of the whole landscape that is abut two and a half football fields in length, end to end. All this grass and open field makes for a perfect place for retreatants to walk, to sit on benches and just be quiet while staring at the range of Appalachian-like mountains some 25 miles in the distance. We have quite a place here, a veritable Garden of Eden.
For the last three weeks I have followed very closely the synod of bishops which concluded today in Rome. I have followed it with great interest and with much prayer because I know well how this meeting will prove to be a major turning point in the way the Catholic church relates to its married members and those raising children, also to those members whose earlier marriage ended in divorce. It is rather clear to me that some leaders are compassionate and some are not; some have listened to the stories and sensed the pain of many members while some are caught up in a legal ideal that shows little or no appreciation for the place of compassion and mercy as the number 1 teaching of Jesus, more important than every other teaching He gave. I suspect history will show that while what was taught at this three-week gathering is important, what is more important and has farther reaching consequences on the life of the church is the WAY that teaching is applied. In other words, their is an attitudinal shift taking place toward certain very challenging pastoral situations. Some get it, some don't--just like in the public square. Some are people-sensitive and listen to what life is like for those different from them and so grow in understanding, patience and compassion. And then there are those who for a lot of emotional reasons cannot get into the experiential world of people different from them and will apply their law as the only response they know how to give.
Tomorrow's gospel reading of the woman bent over for 18 years and cured by Jesus on the sabbath is a good example of what I am talking about. Jesus cures her, feeling her pain and caring enough to take the initiative to go out to her and heal her. The synagogue official, however, harshly criticizes Jesus and says there is a law against doing what He did on the sabbath, that He should wait and come back another day to do what He did. Jesus, shaking His head with much dismay, appeals to any innate sense of compassion in this official. He speaks up for this woman, a daughter of Abraham He calls her, and asks the official to think again and put people before laws. The pope did the same today. During his homily in the mass that closed the synod he strongly challenged certain bishops who "bury their heads in the sand of doctrine", rigidly applied, and thereby close the doors of Christ's church to many hurting people, failing thereby to show mercy and sensitivity to the situations of many hurting members who hold on with a shred of hope that maybe God will help them find forgiveness and peace as well as a sense of being loved, of being wanted and cared about. Pope Francis is leading the way to a church much more Christian, much more faithful to what Jesus taught, yes with truths to be lived but also with a mercy to be shown toward each and all. Trouble comes when people divide reality into the good people and the bad people, the pure and the impure. Trouble comes when the self-declared pure ones see themselves as worthy and eligible for God's gifts and others not worthy; yet they are blind to their own sinfulness and need for forgiveness and mercy like everyone else. Everyone of us is the lost 100th sheep that in various ways wanders away. No one is really among the 99 sheep. Everyone of us needs to be found by God's never-ending love and lifted onto the shoulders of the Good Shepherd and brought back home. This is what Pope Francis is emphasizing because it is what Jesus emphasized. And like what was done to Jesus, some are terribly threatened by Pope Francis and tried just this last week to undermine his credibility by starting a silly, later disproven, rumor that he has a brain tumor--implying that he is mentally 'off' and is an incompetent leader. One bishop at the synod even implied that Pope Francis has allowed the stench of Satan to enter the hallways of the synod; this is so like the Pharisees accusing Jesus of being a son of Beelzubub, a name for Satan in Jesus' times.
Last Monday I took a copy of my book ("More Than You Could Ever Imagine: On Our Becoming Divine"), autographed in Spanish, to the bishop's residence here in Nairobi and asked the bishop to give it to Pope Francis when he comes to Kenya next month (November 25-27). I left my 'business card' in the book just in case. The bishop and I talked for 5-7 minutes. He was quite cordial and said he looks forward to reading it himself before he gives it to the pope and promised he would not spill coffee on it.
A week from this evening I leave for Rome, Italy. I will be starting a pilgrimage in Italy on November 8-21 for about 35 Americans, most of them from the Detroit area. We begin in Venice and end in Rome. Between November 2 and 7 I will stay with some very close friends who live on the north side of Rome. The husband, Giorgio Abate, is the licensed guide for the pilgrimage, while I am the chaplain. This will be the fourth pilgrimage he and I have teamed together in the last ten years. He is very, very good at it, and such a cheerful, upbeat man who keeps the pilgrims loose and happy. His English is excellent, so too his singing voice. Eight years ago this coming November 3 he and his wife (Maria Pia) lost their only child, a son 19 years old. Simon Peter is his name. Simon was playing goalie in a soccer game and one of his own teammates went back to defend with his head against the incoming ball and accidentally hit with the back of his head their son in the chest bone. The son dropped to the ground, sat up momentarily to say he could not get his breath, and then lay down and died from cardiac arrest. Every 3rd of the month, Giorgio and Maria Pia have had a memorial mass for their son. On this, the 8th anniversary of his death. there will be a special memorial mass at their parish, St. George, and they have asked me to come early, prior to the start of the pilgrimage, to join them in that memorial mass. Of course I will be there for this unique moment. Every December through mid-February since this tragedy, Giorgio and Maria Pia have visited an orphanage in Agra, India (where the Taj Mahal is) to be with little children and disabled teens, to love them, play with them, care for them and set up a play area with slides, teeter-totter, sandboxes, etc. Last December they went with two of their parish priests to Albania to help build a house for an extremely poor family with two small boys. So their tragedy and loss has moved them to extraordinary trust and love of the Lord in these most unfortunate children. What a perfect match: a couple now with no children, and orphans now with no parents! I am quite blessed to know them and share in their lives to the degree I can.
I must go to bed now. I am in the midst of guiding each day five people here for 8 days to process with me their prayer and their life journeys with God. 45 minutes each day with each of the five. It is a lot of listening and sometimes gets to be emotionally exhausting. Some of what I am hearing from them is truly heart-wrenching, so much evil yet the almost unbelievable power of God's healing mercy, even for the perpetrators of such evil. I am haunted at times by the saying of Jesus, said of His murderers while He hung on the cross: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Again, I am overwhelmed at times by the power of mercy. It has happened in the personal life of Pope Francis and I am sure it is God, after humbling him so, has inspired Francis to emphasize this radical, sometimes scandalizing and upsetting message of Jesus. Only because of this can we have any realistic hope for our world that is violent, cruel, and full of hate, yet with so many amazingly good people who love and sacrifice for its future.
Pray for me, please, and for Giorgio and all of us on this pilgrimage in Italy, November 8-21. Thanks very much. I should have some great stories to tell you about this trip once I return.
Bernie Owens
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Dear Friends,
Today is Sunday, October 4. It is 3:15 PM while I am beginning this. The weather is phenomenal, with lots of sun and fluffy white clouds in a beautiful blue sky. The afternoon sun is strong and direct. Temps are in the 80s. Spring is definitely here. We still wait for the rains, which are supposed to be really heavy sometime this month.
And after five weeks the teachers' strike is finally ending. Kids have been home all this time but will return to school starting tomorrow morning! Can you imagine!!?? The courts that ordered a pay-raise of 50-60% five weeks ago have now ordered the teachers' back to school, with a 90-day period for negotiations between their unions and the government. In the meantime, the opposition party has begun impeachment procedures toward the president for disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court. All of this highlights the fiscal stress in this nation.
I have just finished a long period of teaching people who were here at the retreat center for the last week: 52 of them, 18 in a course to learn how to guide people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and the rest involved in learning to be guides for the spiritual life of people. These were two separate groups here at the same time. I had numerous talks to give, they were all received well, and then I had my weekly spirituality course on Wednesday mornings at the nearby seminary. I get lots of energy when doing something like this, because, I think, I so enjoy doing this, but when it is over I just crash! I sleep extra and try to 'veg' by digging in the ground, caring for the roses, etc.
Also, yesterday evening a group of us here joined approximately 150 others at a mass and dinner at the seminary for a fellow Jesuit who was professing his final vows as a Jesuit. He is from Burkina Faso, a small nation in West Africa near Ghana and Togo. I very much enjoyed the music at the mass. It was led by a group of seminarians, some of them my students. The keyboard, the electric guitar, especially the drums, and then the distinctively African melodies and rhythms made it special. There was lots of joy on the faces of these young men as they sang and sang, while swaying their bodies and hands in keeping with the beat of the music. They make liturgy unforgettable and a very human, joyous expression of love and reverence for God. During the meal, I sat at a table with nothing but male friends of the Jesuit taking vows; they were all from his native land, Burkina Faso. One was a Muslim, the rest were Christians. They spoke mostly in French and then would switch into English to include me. I did enjoy myself with them and the delicious food.
Of course, the biggest event of these last three weeks since I wrote you last was the visit of Pope Francis to the USA. I watched on the Internet and listened closely to his talk given to the US Congress. I saw and heard it live. It was 5 PM here, 10 AM where he was when he gave his talk. I was very pleased by it, with the issues he addressed, and especially with his appeal to all of us for a more respectful way of relating, conducting dialog, and in conducting government and living together as a nation. There were so many very impressive moments during his six days in the US. I was particularly touched by his observation when coming to New York City that there are so many people in big city life who are always forgotten, are left nameless, are never acknowledged, are even shoved aside, yet God lives and acts in them, knows them, each of them, as His children, cares deeply about them, and gives abundantly to them His Spirit. This has to be a little jolting to those who are rich and comfortable, 'successful' and secure. His comment on this is a way to alert us to where God especially 'shows up,' especially among the vulnerable and those who are counted as nothing or unimportant.
I hope those who are social workers and 'pro bono' counselors took notice of what Pope Francis said regarding the mystery of the Divine staring them in the face through such people, in their daily work. Maybe some of them sensed with a renewed appreciation of how 'vocational' is their work, how much God really values it, how their lives and service are much more than just a career. St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is today, would heartily agree. Francis' encountering the leper, at first repugnant to him, and then his resisting those first impulses and then going to receive and even kiss the leper, proved to be one of the big turning points of his life and how he would relate to people, especially the poor. He continues to be a challenge and powerful example to all of us in our own days about how we would relate to the 'lepers' of our own day. I think Pope Francis had this same effect on many of the USA during his visit. He is controversial, as Jesus was controversial. He challenges by his actions, even more so than by what he says in words. Some people don't like him, they are afraid of him, reject him, criticize him . . . just as the people of Jesus' day expressed their dislike and criticism of Jesus and what He said and did. Maybe this is why many of us do not want to risk doing what we know is the truth: it is controversial and we risk being disliked, criticized, and rejected.
These next three weeks in Rome will be historic. Pope Francis today opened a three week synod or meeting of major leaders in the Catholic church. (I saw the mass for this opening on EWTN. I was very impressed by his homily and hope soon to obtain a copy of it.) Some cardinals and bishops are afraid of Francis, but he does not care about that. While he wants them all to have the freedom to say what they think, it seems very clear that he is determined to emphasize that in whatever the bishops come up with in their final statement on family life, above all, the church has to be like Jesus, merciful while being clear about what Jesus teaches--passing on more that just WHAT Jesus teaches but doing so especially in the WAY Jesus communicates and applies His teachings. Francis wants to make every effort to step away from a legalistic, rigid, cold application of Jesus' teachings. Rather, he sees this to be a critical time for Christians, especially its leaders. to meet people where they are at, in their human situation, to be compassionate and understanding of their struggles and efforts to live in the Spirit of Jesus, to call them to the best of what they can be, and to do this with patience and encouragement, without judging them at the level only God knows their stories and burdens, to do this with a genuine love and respect, and then to show a special care for those who have felt rejected, like 'lepers' in today's society and especially in the Catholic church. I think you know the people I am referring to; Real ministry that is convincing, that imitates Jesus' way, begins with listening at length to the personal stories of people, especially closely to those who carry crushing crosses. One has to feel something of what those who feel so rejected and misunderstood are feeling. Like the nameless, faceless people Pope Francis says are living in our big cities, also in our prisons. Otherwise, harsh judgments come out of our mouths, and are stated as if they were God's judgments. Nothing could be more unlike Jesus' way. These situations reveal whether we really know Jesus or not, whether we really buy into His way of relating, whether we are willing to wrestle with and confront our fears and judgments that keep us separate from Him and from each other.
The question that Jesus puts to Peter and His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" is more cogent and relevant today than ever. We need a critical mass of people who dares to live and relate differently than what our world, so violent, so self-righteous and so self-centered, counsels if the world is going to change at all for the better, to renounce war and become compassionate. We need to have time for each other, to know and care about the stranger, the rejected, to "find Christ" right there in those people, maybe in the lonely ones living in our own house or community, and in so doing really know Him for the first time, like Francis of Assisi did when he met the leper and kissed him, only to notice that when the leper walked away, Francis saw the risen Christ walking away. Francis had seen the Lord, and it really, really changed the way he would live the rest of his life. Believe me, this attitude and approach to those around us will change the world. Does anyone hear this?? I pray that I am able to recognize the lepers around me and to be Jesus to them. I wish the same for you who read this. The way of Jesus is direct and daring. I think that is what Pope Francis was modeling to Congress, to the UN, to those who gathered with him at Ground Zero and at the Family gathering in Philadelphia, so too in the prisons he visited. May we in our own way can be ready and willing to go out to those around us who are in need of understanding and genuine care. Our lives are precious to God and to the world. Let us support each other in making the most of what has been given to us, for the sake of the world and for each other. And if we can, let us pray with confidence that the Spirit of Christ Jesus will come upon the gathering of the bishops in Rome during these next three weeks and that in the midst of their deliberations, maybe chaotic at times, the voice of God and Jesus can be heard and obeyed.
Bernie Owens
Today is Sunday, October 4. It is 3:15 PM while I am beginning this. The weather is phenomenal, with lots of sun and fluffy white clouds in a beautiful blue sky. The afternoon sun is strong and direct. Temps are in the 80s. Spring is definitely here. We still wait for the rains, which are supposed to be really heavy sometime this month.
And after five weeks the teachers' strike is finally ending. Kids have been home all this time but will return to school starting tomorrow morning! Can you imagine!!?? The courts that ordered a pay-raise of 50-60% five weeks ago have now ordered the teachers' back to school, with a 90-day period for negotiations between their unions and the government. In the meantime, the opposition party has begun impeachment procedures toward the president for disobeying the orders of the Supreme Court. All of this highlights the fiscal stress in this nation.
I have just finished a long period of teaching people who were here at the retreat center for the last week: 52 of them, 18 in a course to learn how to guide people through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and the rest involved in learning to be guides for the spiritual life of people. These were two separate groups here at the same time. I had numerous talks to give, they were all received well, and then I had my weekly spirituality course on Wednesday mornings at the nearby seminary. I get lots of energy when doing something like this, because, I think, I so enjoy doing this, but when it is over I just crash! I sleep extra and try to 'veg' by digging in the ground, caring for the roses, etc.
Also, yesterday evening a group of us here joined approximately 150 others at a mass and dinner at the seminary for a fellow Jesuit who was professing his final vows as a Jesuit. He is from Burkina Faso, a small nation in West Africa near Ghana and Togo. I very much enjoyed the music at the mass. It was led by a group of seminarians, some of them my students. The keyboard, the electric guitar, especially the drums, and then the distinctively African melodies and rhythms made it special. There was lots of joy on the faces of these young men as they sang and sang, while swaying their bodies and hands in keeping with the beat of the music. They make liturgy unforgettable and a very human, joyous expression of love and reverence for God. During the meal, I sat at a table with nothing but male friends of the Jesuit taking vows; they were all from his native land, Burkina Faso. One was a Muslim, the rest were Christians. They spoke mostly in French and then would switch into English to include me. I did enjoy myself with them and the delicious food.
Of course, the biggest event of these last three weeks since I wrote you last was the visit of Pope Francis to the USA. I watched on the Internet and listened closely to his talk given to the US Congress. I saw and heard it live. It was 5 PM here, 10 AM where he was when he gave his talk. I was very pleased by it, with the issues he addressed, and especially with his appeal to all of us for a more respectful way of relating, conducting dialog, and in conducting government and living together as a nation. There were so many very impressive moments during his six days in the US. I was particularly touched by his observation when coming to New York City that there are so many people in big city life who are always forgotten, are left nameless, are never acknowledged, are even shoved aside, yet God lives and acts in them, knows them, each of them, as His children, cares deeply about them, and gives abundantly to them His Spirit. This has to be a little jolting to those who are rich and comfortable, 'successful' and secure. His comment on this is a way to alert us to where God especially 'shows up,' especially among the vulnerable and those who are counted as nothing or unimportant.
I hope those who are social workers and 'pro bono' counselors took notice of what Pope Francis said regarding the mystery of the Divine staring them in the face through such people, in their daily work. Maybe some of them sensed with a renewed appreciation of how 'vocational' is their work, how much God really values it, how their lives and service are much more than just a career. St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is today, would heartily agree. Francis' encountering the leper, at first repugnant to him, and then his resisting those first impulses and then going to receive and even kiss the leper, proved to be one of the big turning points of his life and how he would relate to people, especially the poor. He continues to be a challenge and powerful example to all of us in our own days about how we would relate to the 'lepers' of our own day. I think Pope Francis had this same effect on many of the USA during his visit. He is controversial, as Jesus was controversial. He challenges by his actions, even more so than by what he says in words. Some people don't like him, they are afraid of him, reject him, criticize him . . . just as the people of Jesus' day expressed their dislike and criticism of Jesus and what He said and did. Maybe this is why many of us do not want to risk doing what we know is the truth: it is controversial and we risk being disliked, criticized, and rejected.
These next three weeks in Rome will be historic. Pope Francis today opened a three week synod or meeting of major leaders in the Catholic church. (I saw the mass for this opening on EWTN. I was very impressed by his homily and hope soon to obtain a copy of it.) Some cardinals and bishops are afraid of Francis, but he does not care about that. While he wants them all to have the freedom to say what they think, it seems very clear that he is determined to emphasize that in whatever the bishops come up with in their final statement on family life, above all, the church has to be like Jesus, merciful while being clear about what Jesus teaches--passing on more that just WHAT Jesus teaches but doing so especially in the WAY Jesus communicates and applies His teachings. Francis wants to make every effort to step away from a legalistic, rigid, cold application of Jesus' teachings. Rather, he sees this to be a critical time for Christians, especially its leaders. to meet people where they are at, in their human situation, to be compassionate and understanding of their struggles and efforts to live in the Spirit of Jesus, to call them to the best of what they can be, and to do this with patience and encouragement, without judging them at the level only God knows their stories and burdens, to do this with a genuine love and respect, and then to show a special care for those who have felt rejected, like 'lepers' in today's society and especially in the Catholic church. I think you know the people I am referring to; Real ministry that is convincing, that imitates Jesus' way, begins with listening at length to the personal stories of people, especially closely to those who carry crushing crosses. One has to feel something of what those who feel so rejected and misunderstood are feeling. Like the nameless, faceless people Pope Francis says are living in our big cities, also in our prisons. Otherwise, harsh judgments come out of our mouths, and are stated as if they were God's judgments. Nothing could be more unlike Jesus' way. These situations reveal whether we really know Jesus or not, whether we really buy into His way of relating, whether we are willing to wrestle with and confront our fears and judgments that keep us separate from Him and from each other.
The question that Jesus puts to Peter and His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" is more cogent and relevant today than ever. We need a critical mass of people who dares to live and relate differently than what our world, so violent, so self-righteous and so self-centered, counsels if the world is going to change at all for the better, to renounce war and become compassionate. We need to have time for each other, to know and care about the stranger, the rejected, to "find Christ" right there in those people, maybe in the lonely ones living in our own house or community, and in so doing really know Him for the first time, like Francis of Assisi did when he met the leper and kissed him, only to notice that when the leper walked away, Francis saw the risen Christ walking away. Francis had seen the Lord, and it really, really changed the way he would live the rest of his life. Believe me, this attitude and approach to those around us will change the world. Does anyone hear this?? I pray that I am able to recognize the lepers around me and to be Jesus to them. I wish the same for you who read this. The way of Jesus is direct and daring. I think that is what Pope Francis was modeling to Congress, to the UN, to those who gathered with him at Ground Zero and at the Family gathering in Philadelphia, so too in the prisons he visited. May we in our own way can be ready and willing to go out to those around us who are in need of understanding and genuine care. Our lives are precious to God and to the world. Let us support each other in making the most of what has been given to us, for the sake of the world and for each other. And if we can, let us pray with confidence that the Spirit of Christ Jesus will come upon the gathering of the bishops in Rome during these next three weeks and that in the midst of their deliberations, maybe chaotic at times, the voice of God and Jesus can be heard and obeyed.
Bernie Owens
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