Of Many Things 106 West 56th Street iving as I do in a very large glass that exposes the truth of violent origins, New York, NY 10019-3803 Ph: (212) 581-4640; Fax: (212) 399-3596 house, I am reluctant to throw takes the side of the victim and works Subscriptions: (800) 627-9533 stones. In fact, I don’t even permit toward the overcoming of scapegoating www.americamedia.org L facebook.com/americamag them on my property. I say this because as a viable means of social formation.” twitter.com/americamag spring is a good time to take stock of the In other words, the life, death and moral quality of one’s relationships and resurrection of Jesus subvert the whole President and Editor in Chief general environs, to get a better idea of ghastly enterprise of human rivalry and Matt Malone, S.J. Executive Editors how one is or is not a part of the world’s violence. Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy problems. In recent years, in addition to If you’re still reading, then you might Managing Editor Kerry Weber the indispensable, unbelievably patient be interested enough to attend the Literary Editor Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. grace of God, I have come to rely on a symposium advertised on the back page Senior Editor and Chief Correspondent more this-worldly insight in order to of this issue: “Principle and Practice: Kevin Clarke Editor at Large James Martin, S.J. make sense of such things: the thought René Girard, Politics, Religion and Executive Editor, America Films of René Girard, the French-American Violence.” Then again, you might be Jeremy Zipple, S.J. Catholic cultural critic who died last year asking why any of this might matter. For Poetry Editor Hoover, S.J. at the age of 91. Girard stumbled onto an starters, if mimetic theory is true, then we Associate Editor and Vatican Correspondent idea a few years ago that he calls mimetic may need to rethink some of our most Gerard O’Connell Associate Editor and Director of Digital theory. treasured presuppositions. If Girard’s Strategy Sam Sawyer, S.J. First, Girard says, all human desire world is, in fact, the world we live in, then Senior Editor Edward W. Schmidt, S.J. is mimetic. Apart from fundamental the modern notion of the autonomous, Associate Editors Ashley McKinless, Olga biological needs, human beings copy one self-actualizing individual, for example, is Segura, Robert Sullivan another, not just in basic linguistic and nothing more than a romantic myth. Assistant Editor Joseph McAuley Art Director Sonja Kodiak Wilder According to Girard’s theory, the behavioral patterns but in terms of what Editorial Assistant Zachary Davis we consciously want. Strictly speaking, scapegoat isn’t necessarily innocent Columnists Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., then, I have no desires that are original and frequently is not. A person can Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, to me; rather, I desire according to the be a pretty big sinner and still be the Margot Patterson, Nathan Schneider desire of another. Girard’s second insight scapegoat. That counterintuitive fact Correspondents John Carr (Washington), An- is that human conflict occurs when might help explain the sense of self- thony Egan, S.J., and Russell Pollitt, S.J. (Johannes- the desires of multiple people converge righteous satisfaction we derive from burg), Jim McDermott, S.J. (Los Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), Steven Schwankert (Beijing), on the same object, either seen (that throwing stones, even and perhaps David Stewart, S.J. (London), Judith Valente iPad) or unseen (happiness). Third, this especially when we happen to be right. (Chicago) conflict, which he calls mimetic rivalry, And there is a lot of stone throwing at Moderator, Catholic Book Club Kevin Spinale, S.J. the moment, especially in our politics. quickly escalates and can plunge a whole Editor, The Jesuit Post Rossmann, S.J. community into crisis. Such crises are The news is full of tales of individuals Editorial e-mail resolved through what Girard calls the who have done stupid, even sinful [email protected] scapegoat mechanism: One person, things. Many of us like to point to those Publisher and Chief Financial Officer then another, and then a whole group of individuals—prelates, athletes, next-door Edward G. Spallone Deputy Publisher Rosa M. Del Saz Vice President for Advancement people point the finger of suspicion at a neighbors, whomever— and say, along Daniel Pawlus Advertising Sales Manager single individual, the sacrificial victim, with the rest of the group, that there is Chris Keller Advancement Officer Kerry who is then expelled or destroyed. The no way that we could have done what he Goleski Business Operations Staff Khairah Walker, Glenda Castro, Katy Zhou, Frankarlos sacrifice of the scapegoat restores order to or she did. That’s a comforting thought, Cruz Advertising Contact ads@americamedia. the community...until the next crisis. though most likely false. Girard’s theory, org; 212-515-0102 Subscription contact/ Additional copies 1-800-627-9533 Reprints: Admittedly, this is pretty grim news. not to mention revelation and much of [email protected] We are, by nature, not free in the way human history, challenges that smug, © 2016 America Press Inc. that we thought; worse, we are prone self-righteous assumption. We would all to rather brutal forms of violence. do well to consider how. I myself intend Perhaps we suspected all of that. The to do so in the quiet, though expansive good news, however, is that there is a living room of my glass house. way out: the Gospel. In the words of Matt Malone, S.J. one student of Girard, Michael Kirwan, A version of this column appeared in the Cover: A voter at a polling station during the New York presidential primary election on April 19, S.J.: “The Gospel is the biblical spirit issue of March 11, 2013. 2016. Reuters/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Contents www.americamagazine.org Vol. 214 No.18, Whole No. 5130 May 23-30, 2016

articles 15 Values and Voting Francis and our faith-driven responsibility for the common good Richard E. Pates 18 the Key to Everything How contact with the poor shaped a Jesuit’s vocation Fernando Cardenal 22 Portraits of Love A deeper look at “Amoris Laetitia” Robert P. Imbelli • Drew Christiansen • Megan K. McCabe Kevin Ahern • Meghan J. Clark

18 COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 4 Current Comment 5 editorial A Force to Reckon With 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Washington Front The Other Campaigns John Carr 25 Vatican Dispatch Beijing Breakthrough Gerard O’Connell 26 Faith in Focus City of Hope Ronald Landfair 28 Generation Faith Martyrs of Maspero Marina Elgawly 22 38 the Word Real Presence; Mercy’s Healing John W. Martens BOOKS & CULTURE

30 Television “The Path” of other things Life After Birth poem Bearing Witness BOOKS Augustine; The Finest Traditions of My Calling; A Step Along the Way

ON THE WEB Edward Braxton discusses #BlackLivesMatter, and America Media provides video of the funeral Mass of the poet and peace activist Daniel Berrigan, S.J., right. Full digital highlights on page 29 and at americamagazine.org/ webfeatures. 30 CURRENT COMMENT

Indigenous communities in other parts of North A Court That Never Says No America are also suffering. According to a study from the In early May, Reuters reported that the secret court National Center for Health Statistics, suicide levels in the established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act United States have reached a 30-year high, and Native approved every one of the 1,457 electronic surveillance American teens are at the greatest risk. In both countries, applications the government brought before it in 2015. community leaders say that a variety of factors contribute This continues a remarkable streak for the government; to suicides among indigenous tribes, like poverty, inequality the FISA court’s last denial was in 2009. According to and inadequate health services. Both the Canadian and data collected by the Electronic Privacy Information U.S. governments should do more for these communities, Center, the court has denied surveillance orders only 12 beginning with providing greater support for indigenous times since 1979, with an overall approval rate of 99.97 communities to deal with mental health issues. We must percent. Reuters did, however, report a slight increase in not forget these communities; as reminds us, the number of orders the court modified before granting every life “has inestimable value” and should be protected. them, from 19 in 2014 to 80 in 2015. There are also many more requests made to companies without court oversight through “national security letters,” which are usually Reusable Rockets accompanied by a gag order that prevents public discussion On April 8, the world witnessed a great leap forward of the requests. The Federal Bureau of Investigation used for human spaceflight when a rocket landed on a ship such letters more than 48,000 times in 2015. at sea. After delivering cargo to the International Space The government clearly needs the authority to conduct Station, SpaceX successfully landed the booster stage of surveillance, and to be effective that surveillance needs to its Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship. The importance of remain secret. But security must be balanced with some this accomplishment toward changing the economics of degree of transparency to sustain confidence that these spaceflight cannot be overstated. Most of the cost in getting surveillance powers have practical limits and are subject to something into orbit is in building the very expensive meaningful oversight. The recognition that the FISA court rocket, which until now has been a one-shot device. It may almost never denies government requests has exactly the be possible to make several trips into space with the same opposite effect, unfortunately. This is, after all, the same rocket. court that, as Edward Snowden revealed, ordered Verizon to Blue Origin, another commercial spaceflight company, provide records of all phone calls on an “ongoing, daily basis” launched and landed a rocket in November and then to the National Security Agency. relaunched it in January, a significant achievement, even It is exceedingly unlikely that only 0.03 percent of though its flight only reached the edge of the atmosphere government surveillance requests are unjustified or overly rather than orbit. In December, SpaceX successfully returned broad. The court that oversees these requests would inspire a rocket to land. Many of the most useful launch trajectories, more confidence if it involved some kind of adversarial however, do not allow for enough fuel to fly the rocket back process that at least occasionally produced adversarial results. to solid ground. This is what makes the ability to land on a ship at sea critically important. Indigenous Suicide Spike In addition to being an engineering triumph, SpaceX’s Last month in Ontario, Canada, James Bay, the chief successful launch and landing testify to the importance for the Attawapiskat First Nation, declared a state of of effective public-private partnerships. On the edge of emergency after the indigenous community of about 2,000 bankruptcy in 2008, the only way SpaceX survived long people had 11 suicide attempts on a single day, April 9. enough to develop its technology was with a $1.6 billion Sadly, the indigenous communities in Canada have long multiyear contract from NASA to supply the space station. struggled with high rates of suicide. In the Manitoba First The history of massively expensive projects at NASA makes Nation communities, five people have killed themselves it unlikely the government agency could have achieved this since Christmas; and since last fall, over 100 people kind of success entirely in house; SpaceX’s finances made it have attempted suicide in the Attawapiskat community. impossible for the company to do so alone. We should both According to a report from Health Canada, suicide “is the celebrate this success and learn from it, continuing to look leading cause of death for indigenous young people and for similar opportunities to align government priorities with adults up to 44.” commercial engineering expertise.

4 America May 23-30, 2016 EDITORIAL A Force to Reckon With

ost people in Chicago, particularly on the South er civic leaders, especially from and West Sides, did not need another internal within the city’s religious com- Minvestigation to know that the Chicago Police munity, need to step forward to Department has deep problems. Anyone familiar with the shepherd change. stories of the serial torturer Jon Burge, the drug racketeer Archbishop Blase Cupich Joseph Miedzianowski, the crime wave authored by the has distinguished himself in C.P.D.’s Special Operations Section and, sadly, many more Chicago through his activist examples already knew the department has fallen far short stance on many of the city’s most pressing problems. He of what its motto promises: “We Serve and Protect.” has already joined efforts to intervene against gang violence The lowlights from a recent institutional examination and has added his voice to demands for a comprehensive ap- of conscience, nevertheless, still manage to shock. A task proach to gun proliferation. He has also shown willingness force pulled together in December 2015 in the aftermath of to engage further on the issues confronting the C.P.D. the 16-shot execution of the teenager Laquan McDonald by In March he spoke at St. Sabina’s parish on the South a police officer on a South Side street released its findings Side, saying that people should be held accountable for in April. breaking the law, whether they are residents who cross the The report, which offers a disturbing look at institution- line or police who do the same in the execution of their du- al racism inside the C.P.D., was, as The New York Times put ties. But that accountability, he added, “is not to exclude, not it, “blistering, blunt and backed up by devastating statistics.” to deny; it’s an accountability that says: ‘You’re my brother. “C.P.D.’s own data gives validity to the widely held be- You’re my sister. And I want to have joy of addressing these lief the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when issues together.’ That’s hard.” it comes to people of color,” task force members wrote. It is hard, but it is essential. The essence of the prob- “Stopped without justification, verbally and physically lem of racism and excessive use of force within the C.P.D., as abused, and in some instances arrested, and then detained elsewhere, has been the emergence of an institutional “race” without counsel—that is what we heard about over and over that is neither white nor black but “blue”—officers who per- again.” ceive themselves as a community apart from the community This is grim news all around at a grim time for Chicago. they have sworn to protect and serve. But this frank report also offers a unique opportunity for Restoring the wholeness of community is as much a a civic reboot. A wise deployment of resources will be es- spiritual challenge as a structural one. Archbishop Cupich is sential if practical reform and civic rejuvenation, and not uniquely credible as an advocate for that spiritual wholeness. another decade of empty rhetoric and souring community He is positioned, perhaps better than any other leader, to relations, are to be the outcomes. A recent survey by The guide the police—many of whom are Catholic—to a re-ap- New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation found preciation of their vocation as a call to serve fellow members Chicagoans of all backgrounds to be deeply concerned about of their community, not a campaign to intimidate and detain the future of their city and distrustful of police and other “enemies” on the streets. public institutions. Chicago faces a civic crossroads: resto- While this report has brought into focus the acute ration or surrender to the same decline that has haunted need for reform in Chicago, the same issues are of concern in other post-industrial Midwestern cities. police departments all over the country. The Chicago Police So far Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s response to the report’s Department has become one example of the toxic effects of confirmation of an institutional bias that places the public institutional racism. The task force report, however distaste- at peril has been tentative at best. There is a grave danger ful its content, creates an opportunity for the restoration of that this 190-page report will end up on a shelf alongside the department that could make it an exemplar once again— previous indictments of the police force that have not led to this time of a police force that has exorcised its demons and meaningful change. Dramatic reform is called for. It could be embraced a true vocation of protection and service, a police that the mayor is not up to the . If that is the case, oth- force of and for its community.

May 23-30, 2016 America 5 REPLY ALL champion of the Irish peace process, ple of God makes a “private Mass” an describing the leaders of the revolu- anomaly. Jesus instituted the Eucharist Focus on Forgiveness tion: as a community meal. Why turn it into Re “An Astounding Mercy,” by the Rev. They were patriots and visionar- a private snack? Raymond P. Roden (5/2): At least this ies. They were republicans and The parallel later in the article be- version of St. ’s story fo- socialists who saw all around tween a “post-Roe v. Wade” and a cuses on forgiveness and not just her them in the tenement slums of “post-Obergefell v. Hodges” America fighting for her purity, as some inter- Dublin the deeply destructive is a very weak comparison regarding pret it. As a survivor of sexual assault, effects of British rule. And they social ills. How can a ruling that sanc- I know how hard it is to forgive. St. decided to act—not in their own tioned the murder of millions of ba- Maria Goretti, even at her young age, self-interest but in the interests bies and has therefore done irreparable was able to forgive her murderer just as of the Irish people and of future harm to the innocent be compared Jesus forgave those who put him up on generations. with a ruling that harms no one and, the cross. Pray for us, dear little , Robert P. Lynch in terms of social stability, might be that we may also follow Jesus in his ex- Online Comment beneficial? traordinary mercy and learn the heal- The suggestion that the Dominic Tired of Ireland ing that comes with true forgiveness. option is preferable to the Benedict There are far too many articles and col- Maria Szabo Gilson option is, I believe, worthwhile; but I umns about Ireland published in this Olathe, Kan. personally doubt that the future of the magazine. While the emphasis may church lies in communities grouped Resisting Rape Culture play well to America’s East Coast (or around and inspired by celibate males. This entire story needs to be expunged rather New York and Boston) readers, That option worked in many ages of from the church with an apology to the I find it tiresome to focus on the Irish the church, but I hope for a day when murdered fifth-grader, Maria Goretti, and Ireland when there are so many the gifts of all God’s people are lifted and all the millions of young people other injustices in the world. I have up and used as models. who were taught that she “overcame nothing against the Irish but am sim- Michael Marchal temptation” when she resisted her own ply tired of repeatedly reading about Online Comment rape. In not just canonizing her but them in a U.S. magazine. making her a martyr, the church has Raymond D’Angelo Subtle Anti-Semitism? been complicit in so much violence to- Westerville, Ohio In Of Many Things (4/4), Matt ward women. There is no grace here— Malone, S.J., shares a meditation on A Better Option just the sanctification of rape and rape Holy Saturday from “One of the great- The more I read of “City of God,” by culture. est Christian writers who ever lived.” It James Dominic Rooney, O.P. (4/18), Karen Elizabeth Park is an elegant, poetic expression from a Online Comment the more I disagreed. The Second second-century homilist. But I wonder Vatican Council happened, and to the if it also subtly represents a primitive ‘They Were Patriots’ faithful Catholic who believes in the magisterium edging toward anti-Sem- Re “Imposing Independence,” by Holy Spirit, its decrees and its spirit itism. “I was handed over to Jews from Séamus Murphy, S.J. (4/25): The huge are the direction in which God wants a garden and crucified in a garden”— majority of the Irish people would the church to move. Although Father some Vatican-II ears might hear it this reject the author’s tortured revision- Rooney acknowledges the spiritu- way. I did. ism and his attempt to put Catholic al priesthood of all the faithful, a key Leary social teaching, of all things, at the council concept, he also describes his Red Bank, N.J. service of British imperial hegemony “private Mass” on retreat. That practice over Ireland. They would much more evolved in the Western church only Tools of Repression readily recognize their country and during the Middle Ages. Vatican II In “Fair Campaign Funding” (Editorial, its history in the words of the veteran respected that tradition and allowed it 4/4) the editors lament the huge sums resistance leader Martin McGuinness, to continue. But the council’s emphasis of money spent on political races in first minister of Northern Ireland and upon liturgy as the work of the peo- the United States but fail to properly

Letters to the editor may be sent to America’s editorial office (address on page 2) or [email protected] will also consider the following for print publication: comments posted below articles on America’s website (americamagazine.org) and posts on Twitter and public Facebook pages. All correspondence may be edited for length.

6 America May 23-30, 2016 diagnose its actual cause. In my view, same time more divinizing. His view of eventually triumphed over the toxicity “Big Money” in politics is just a logical all reality converging into Christ seeks that occasionally infects its politics. I byproduct of “Big Government.” the oneness, unity and community have hope. Instead of reducing corruption toward which true politics should be Sandi Sinor and protecting democracy, campaign moving. Online Comment finance laws can be used as tools (Rev.) Pat Ipolito An Individual Duty of political repression. In arguing West Falls, N.Y. Re “Property and People,” by Robert the Citizens United case before the Maloney, C.M. (3/7): Compulsory Supreme Court, Malcolm L. Stewart, Voting Values charity is not charity, and collective re- the deputy U.S. solicitor general, actu- In Of Many Things (3/14), Matt sponsibility for individual decisions is ally said that the federal government Malone, S.J., writes of his father “that not justice. Our God-given individu- could prevent the publication of a he didn’t leave the Republican party. ality, our own conscience, defines our book by a corporation if it endorsed The party left him.” I have always been trek through this life, and it is therefore a political candidate. America could a Republican, primarily because of the individual who should be charita- face censorship if government bureau- economic policies. This year, however, bly giving from his or her own heart as crats decide to interpret an editorial or I will vote for the lesser of two evils. moved by the Spirit. To empower a gov- article that discusses an election as an I cannot give up my Christian values ernment to be charitable on your behalf illegal campaign contribution. simply because I have always been a is nothing short of avoiding your indi- It is really sad that in our suppos- Republican. Jesus taught that we are to vidual responsibility and foisting it onto edly free society, so many people who love. Jesus taught that we are to help another. This is categorically immoral. claim to support “democracy” are all the poor and to welcome the stranger. The matter of property and its own- too eager to legally restrict the rights Sadly, some do not yet realize how ership can be similarly understood. It of their opponents to influence public much richer our culture becomes be- should be the individual who deter- opinion, public policy and the election cause of the contributions of those mines ownership, not some bureaucrat of candidates. who have chosen to immigrate here. who has some starry-eyed notion of Dimitri Cavalli Non-Christian values have infected Bronx, N.Y. equality. It is our difference that makes American politics at various times of us who we are, and it is our individual history. The Know-Nothing Party Sacred and Secular responsibility and duty—not that of (also called the American Party) in the The comments on Steven Millie’s article, some government entity—to be con- 19th century was founded on hatred “A Sacred Calling” (3/28), were useful siderate to others. of immigrants—Catholic immigrants and thought-provoking. As an advocate Russ Hamilton in particular. Americans have always of the Teilhardian view of the secular West Orange, N.J. and the sacred, I see the need to contin- ually find ways to integrate and synthe- size the language that we use to express our understanding of both the secular and the sacred. For me there is only one reality—God’s! Politics should be hu- manity’s way of discovering and imple- menting the values that come from God as enumerated in Catholic social teach- ing: the common good, solidarity, hu- man dignity and so on. It is the ongoing forum where honest dialogue between persons and nations takes place to dis- cern the values the Spirit is continually pointing us toward. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s synthe- sis of the secular and sacred is an im- portant step toward helping our politics become more humanizing while at the

May 23-30, 2016 America 7 8 America May 23-30, 2016 SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Middle East uncles and aunts have left the country. We keep in touch on Facebook, and Can Education Slow the Exodus they’re always asking me why we aren’t leaving,” she said. Of Syrian and Iraqi Christians? “But why should we leave? I want to live in my country, become a teacher Student Portraits. Higher learning for Syrian and Iraqi refugees is offered in the university there. I want to stay at Hamdaniya University in Ankawa, Iraq, on April 7. at home and make my dreams come true. We need only safety to return. We have lots of hope but little secu- rity. And so we wait,” she said. While she waits, Khaled studies accounting. One of her classmates sees the fu- ture differently. “We all want to leave here as soon as we can. In Europe it’s safe. There is freedom and no ISIS, no bombs in the streets,” said Alsajed Asaad, a 21-year- old Muslim student who fled Tikrit when the Islamic State captured the city in 2014. “I don’t want to return to Tikrit even if ISIS goes away. My uncle is in Finland, and I have friends who have gone to Germany, Sweden and Turkey. They say life is good there, that they are respected, that there is peace and safety. Of course I want to leave here,” he said. Khaled and Asaad study at s heavy fighting continues across the Nineveh Plain, some Christians Hamdaniya University in Ankawa. It’s displaced by the Islamic State have given up the dream of returning a newly independent version of what Ahome and joined the stream of refugees leaving the war-torn country. was formerly the Qaraqosh campus Others remain in Iraqi Kurdistan, clinging to the hope that they can someday go of Mosul University. To help with the back to their villages. onslaught of displaced students, the “When we fled our convent in Qaraqosh in 2014, we thought we’d be gone just Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of a few days; then we could go home. But now it’s been almost two years, and the Irbil provided land and classrooms so future is uncertain. Some of the displaced want to return home as soon as they that 1,400 students can take classes in can. Others have had enough, and they want to leave for good,” said Sister Maria . Hanna, superior of the Dominican Sisters of St. . The Catholic University launched The Dominican sisters opened a school for displaced children in Ankawa its first classes in December in a sprawl- last August with 500 students. By April, Sister Hanna said, the enrollment had ing new facility in Ankawa. Teaching is dropped to 445. The others have left the country with their parents. And the num- in English and follows an international bers continue to drop. curriculum. Archbishop Bashar Warda “We’re preparing the children for the future, but we don’t know what that fu- of Irbil said it will help displaced ture will be,” she said. Christians and others to prepare better “There are no good choices. And the most poor have even fewer options,” she said. for their future, whether that is back Displaced young people here are not of one mind about their future. home or in exile elsewhere. Rand Khaled, 21, is confident she’ll go home to Qaraqosh, from which she “Just as we’ve helped with shel- fled in 2014. “I have friends who’ve gone to the U.S.A. and Australia. All of my ter and food and health care, it’s our

May 23-30, 2016 America 9 SIGNS OF THE TIMES mission to provide education. And the future, not the past. We only ask “memory transfusion,” citing a phrase once the displaced get a solid educa- that they think twice before they leave. by the Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, tion, that will ensure a better future The new university gives them an al- to remember Europe’s fractured past wherever they end up,” he said. “Most ternative to think about. It gives them when confronting issues that threaten people who leave here leave because of a choice.” again to divide it. “A memory transfusion can free us from today’s temptation to build hast- Europe ily on the shifting sands of immediate results, which may produce quick and Pope Francis Has a Dream of Unity easy short-term political gains but do ope Francis, accept- not enhance human fulfill- ing a prize for pro- ment,” he said. Pmoting European The pope said the unity, on May 6 bemoaned church can play a role in that the continent’s people “the rebirth of a Europe “are tempted to yield to our weary, yet still rich in ener- own selfish interests and to gies and possibilities.” consider putting up fences.” Before the ceremo- “I dream of a Europe ny in the frescoed Sala where being a migrant is Regia, Francis met pri- not a crime but a summons vately with Merkel, as well to a greater commitment as with Martin Schulz, on behalf of the dignity president of the European of every human being,” he parliament and a previous told an audience that in- Charlemagne Prize recip- cluded Chancellor Angela Confidence Booster. Pope Francis accepts the ient, E.U. Commission Merkel of Germany, Charlemagne Prize in the Sala Regia at the Vatican on May 6. President Jean-Claude Premier Matteo Renzi of Junker and E.U. Council Italy and King Felipe VI of Spain. lying positive message, the pope tacitly President Donald Tusk, who also at- “I dream of a Europe that promotes acknowledged a backdrop of a Europe tended the ceremony. and protects the rights of everyone, engulfed in a crisis of confidence, Junker, in his remarks, praised without neglecting its duties toward all. prompted by the threat of terror- the pope for taking three Syrian refugee I dream of a Europe of which it will not ism and surge of migrants, and giving families to with him at the end of be said that its commitment to human strength to nationalistic sentiments his recent visit to Greece. rights was its last utopia,” said the pope. that seek to undermine the notion of a “When you take in 12 refugees, Pope Francis, the son of European united continent. in proportion to the population of immigrants to Argentina, accepted the He also said youth unemployment the Vatican that is more than any E.U. International Charlemagne Prize for was sapping the continent of its dyna- member state—you fill our hearts with his “message of hope and encourage- mism, and he called for new economic new courage,” Junker said. ment.” models that are “more inclusive and eq- The Charlemagne Prize, consisting Echoing the famous “I have a dream” uitable.” of a medal and a citation, is awarded speech by U.S. civil rights leader Martin “There is an impression that Europe annually by the German city of Aachen Luther King Jr., Francis offered his vi- is declining, that it has lost its ability for contributions to European unity. sion of a Europe that cares for children, to be innovative and creative, and that Previous winners include the former the elderly, the poor and the infirm as it is more concerned with preserv- U.S. president Bill Clinton and St. John well as “those newcomers seeking accep- ing and dominating spaces than with Paul II, who received a special edition of tance because they have lost everything generating processes of inclusion and the prize in 2004. The prize is normally and need shelter.” change,” Francis said. given in Aachen but was transferred to Notwithstanding the prize’s under- He urged Europeans to undergo a the Vatican for the pope’s convenience.

10 America May 23-30, 2016 SIGNS OF THE TIMES

The Holy Roman emperor Charlemagne once ruled a large swath NEWS BRIEFS of western Europe from Aachen, near Bishop Donal McKeown of the Belgian border. Derry told hundreds of mourn- Daniela Petroff (AP) ers at the funeral of Sister Clare Crockett, killed in Ecuador Fort McMurray Fire during an earthquake on April 17, that “a life given in loving sac- As wildfires continue to blaze in north- rifice is never wasted.” • Twenty- ern Alberta, churches of all denomina- three new Swiss Guard recruits tions across Canada have been offer- pledged during a ceremony on ing prayers and helping relief efforts. May 6 to “faithfully, loyally and Taking the oath More than 100,000 residents of Fort honorably” serve and protect the McMurray have fled the inferno— pope and, if necessary, sacrifice their lives for him. • The Vatican an- most have lost their homes completely. nounced on May 5 that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Vincent Bishop Paul Terrio, bishop of St. Paul, Long Van Nguyen, 54, a former refugee who fled war-torn Vietnam said: “Even as we still are all in shock by boat, to lead the Australian Diocese of Parramatta. • In an early with the wildfire destruction and dam- morning raid on May 2, Honduran authorities arrested four men age in Fort McMurray, let us give thanks for the murder of the environmental activist Berta Cáceres Flores, to our Lord and God that, with some but family members and Catholic organizations remains skepti- 60 to 70,000 people evacuated from the cal and continue to call the international community to carry out community in a matter of hours, there its own investigation. • In book extracts published on May 3, the has been no loss of life.” Thousands of former president of the German ’ conference, Cardinal Karl evacuees have been put up in sports Lehmann of Mainz, charged that names of candidates submitted to and community centers since the cri- the Vatican as potential bishops are being vetoed by “unlawful out- sis started. Archbishop Richard Smith side influences” in Rome. of the neighboring archdiocese of Edmonton requested that special col- lections be taken up at Masses over the late brother and fellow activist Philip Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria, in the coun- May 7-8 and 14-15 weekends in sup- were men who lived the Resurrection try’s northwest. Only major cities, like port of the people of Fort McMurray. and challenged religious leaders to state capitals, have reliable electricity, Donations are also being collected by know “bomb-blessing has no place in the bishop said on April 29 during a the Archdiocese of Toronto through its Jesus’ self-giving.” Elizabeth McAlister, visit to Washington. Because of the lack website (www.archtoronto.org). widow of Philip Berrigan, ended her of electricity, people cannot do ordinary eulogy with a call to service. “Sisters work without a generator, and genera- Berrigan Remembered and brothers, it is of no service to Dan tors are expensive. The problem is in- or to his memory for us to simply hold tertwined with pervasive corruption. Daniel J. Berrigan, S.J., was remem- him up as an icon, especially in ways “If the lights would come on...the small bered during his funeral Mass as that exempt us from responsibility,” people would get busy,” said Bishop a “fierce, mischievous visionary,” a McAlister said. “How much better Kukah. Often violence in Nigeria is at- “Beatnik Jesuit friend,” a who would it be if we asked for a double tributed to religious conflicts, he said, “taught the sacrament of resistance” portion of Dan’s spirit, and better yet, but “more often it is just a battle for sur- and a loving uncle ruled by faith, not if we acted on it?” vival and a battle over resources.” Bishop fear. More than 800 people packed the Kukah said Nigerians send their chil- Church of St. in New Electric Effects dren to school, and they graduate from York to cheer the life of the Jesuit at college, but then there are no jobs. He Something developed countries take for a festive service on May 6. Berrigan, a said the country has infrastructure, but granted—electricity—could go a long poet, author and longtime peace activ- people cannot access it. ist, died on April 30 at age 94. Stephen way to stem violence often attributed to M. Kelly, S.J., said that Berrigan and his religion, said Bishop Matthew Hassan From America Media, CNS, RNS, AP and other sources.

May 23-30, 2016 America 11 SIGNS OF THE TIMES

dispatch | Los Angeles “You can sit down and catechize someone all day. But what’s going to Going Totally Digital help them believe is a story that wins their hearts.” hey are filmmakers and cod- manage 15 Facebook pages and more There’s enthusiasm among them, ers, journalists and commu- than a dozen Twitter and Instagram a hope-filled, can-do sense of the fu- Tnications experts. Their port- feeds, and they keep 32 separate proj- ture. Someone recently brought in an folios include transforming the sleepy ects going. Oculus Rift, the immersive virtual-real- Facebook page of a radio station into “When we started,” Meeks remem- ity headsets that seems likely to be “the a site followed by 3.6 million people; bers, “the archdiocese’s primary means next big thing”; the group riffed about working on major marketing campaigns of communication were the newspaper, the possibilities. for Hyundai and Warner Brothers whose circulation was about 60,000, “What if we could show Creation,” and films for Michael Bay and Janusz and the media office, which was under- asks Meeks. “‘Let there be light,’ and this Kaminski; and serving as press secre- staffed. Today, the archdiocese reaches big light explodes all around you, while tary for a recent mayor of Los Angeles. on average per week anywhere from Morgan Freeman narrates.” (Everyone Their average age is 28. laughs.) No, this isn’t the staff of the Rather than imposing “We could walk the steps that latest Silicon Valley startup or hot Jesus took,” suggests chief communi- new Hollywood production com- ideas, the digital media cations officer Carolina Guevara, or pany. This is the 12-person digital team would function as the current path of Syrian refugees: media team of the Archdiocese of “What a way to change a person’s Los Angeles. “the servants’ servants.” life, bringing them into that experi- Two and a half years ago, ence,” imagines Meeks. “It’s not just Archbishop José Gómez came to news. ‘I was present on the boat.’” the social media expert Matt Meeks three to seven million people.” Tasked with helping L.A.’s Catholic with a dream: Find new ways of shar- Part of the group’s success is attrib- cemeteries tell their story, they suggest- ing the stories of the faith. “If we’re not utable to the strong original content ed tying in with local Day of the Dead reaching the people of faith now, how created by the team. The look of the celebration. They hoped 500 people can we reach them?” he asked. websites they design— for St. John’s might come to their event at Calvary Meeks was intrigued. He suggested Seminary, for example—is clean and Cemetery. They got 2,000, and the next creating an outside media agency that simple, handsome widescreen photos year nearly twice as many. the archdiocese could contract the work matched with just enough text. The What’s more, staff from all over the to. archbishop’s Facebook page likewise of- archdiocese have pitched in and made Archbishop Gómez wanted more. fers a lovely piece of art or a photo each the effort their own. When this group “We need the young people inside the day with a short spiritual quotation. talks social media, they really want it to building,” he responded. “We need to Most posts are reshared thousands of be social—collaborative, fostering real grow from within.” times and receive hundreds of com- relationships and actual encounters. In So in July 2013 Meeks became the ments. Some, particularly those that their office they keep one desk empty archdiocese’s chief digital officer. But highlight the rich Christian heritages of for anyone from the archdiocese who he kept his agency concept as well. Los Angeles’s many ethnic communi- wants to come and sit in with the team. Rather than imposing ideas on arch- ties, have even garnered followers from The contemporary media landscape diocesan institutions, the digital media other parts of the world. can fill many with apprehension. “We team would function as “the servants’ But the team’s greatest insight is that are in new waters,” Meeks acknowledg- servants,” “hired” by different clients for the most important expressions of faith es, but he encourages people not to be various undertakings. Currently they lie not in their office but in the commu- afraid, to experiment. “The church has nity. “Our goal,” says Meeks, “is to high- always been good about putting out light the inspirational stories that are into the water and going to uncharted Jim McDermott, S.J., a screenwriter, is America’s Los Angeles correspondent. Twitter: already taking place and hope they can places. That’s what we do.” @PopCulturPriest @jmcdsj. be a guide to other people. Jim McDermott

12 America May 23-30, 2016

WASHINGTON FRONT The Other Campaigns

s the presidential race moves On Cuba, Iran, climate change and mandate. Mr. Obama came into office toward nomination of two immigration, he has taken steps to to end wars, but he is sending more Ahistorically unpopular candi- be “a consequential president” (which special operation forces to deal with dates, two other campaigns are under- he said in 2008 that Ronald Reagan chaos in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria way. President Obama is working to was and Bill Clinton was not). He is and cannot close Guantanamo. secure his legacy. Speaker Paul Ryan is seeking to persuade and embarrass We should hope Mr. Ryan can resist trying to offer an alternative to Donald Republicans to act on his nomination powerful forces of nativism, racial re- Trump’s angry messages. of the widely respected Judge Merrick sentment and isolationism in his party. I’ve seen these two campaigns in Garland, which would affect the I hope the president can continue to action. President Obama came to Supreme Court for years. protect immigrants and act on climate Georgetown for an unprecedented Mr. Ryan seems appalled by the change. I also hope both will continue panel on overcoming poverty. He was Republican campaign, breaking his si- to make poverty a priority. I believe that passionate and challenging and sought lence to speak out against if we could lock them common ground as he addressed a pri- Trump for demonizing up for a weekend, they ority he clearly cares about but rarely immigrants and banning Obama could argue and agree on talks about. Mr. Ryan recently came Muslims from entering the and Ryan a much needed biparti- to Georgetown and offered a stark United States, insisting san plan to address eco- contrast with the candidates who now “it’s not what this country often blame nomic, family and other dominate the Republican race, renew- stands for.” He represents each other factors that create and ing his consistent call to take on pov- the antithesis of Senator sustain pervasive pover- erty in the United States. Ted Cruz’s shutdown pol- for their ty in our nation. These two leaders come from dif- itics, reaching agreement inability Both spoke recently ferent parties, ideologies and back- with Senator Murray to on the failures and pos- grounds. Their opposing budgets out- keep government open. Mr. to act. sibilities of politics. Mr. line very different policies. They both Ryan came to Georgetown Ryan told a group of seem driven by ideas and value time to make the case for an alternative interns, “Our political discourse...did with their families over Washington Republican vision, calling for fixing not used to be this bad, and it does not politics and fundraising. But they of- a broken immigration system, over- have to be this way…. We don’t have to ten blame each other for their inabil- coming poverty, an alternative to accept it. And we cannot enable it.” Mr. ity to act. Mr. Ryan blames the pres- Obamacare and entitlement reform. He Obama returned to Illinois to insist, ident’s executive orders for failure of simply ignored the fact that his “party of “We’ve got to build a better politics, one immigration reform, ignoring that it ideas” was about to nominate a leader that’s less of a spectacle and more of a was Republican leaders who blocked who opposes many of these ideas. battle of ideas, one that’s less of a busi- a vote on bipartisan Senate legislation. Both bring ideological baggage. Mr. ness and more of a mission.” Obama often blames the speaker’s Ryan has created and supported bud- As President Obama prepares to House Republicans for gridlock and gets that cut essential programs for the leave and Speaker Ryan begins to lead, policy paralysis. poor but not subsidies for the rich. His they are warning us of how our broken In the last year, President Obama lonely leadership on poverty comes politics undermines the common good. has found his voice and a renewed with proposals that could weaken the Their alternative campaigns lack the agenda, relying on executive action to safety net. The president’s adminis- drama and consequences of the race for overcome Congressional resistance. tration often seems preoccupied with the White House, but these two very cultural issues. The Supreme Court is different leaders are calling us to rise practically begging the administration above the anger, personal attacks and John Carr is director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at to further accommodate religious min- mistrust that dominate this election Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. istries who object to its contraceptive year. John Carr

14 America May 23-30, 2016 Pope Francis and our faith-driven responsibility for the common good Values and Voting

By Richard E. Pates

n January, I attended an international gathering of Catholic bishops in Lisbon, Portugal. I was the only American. The majority came from Africa and Latin America. Upon learning that I was from Iowa, which conducts the first caucuses, the bishops stressed how important U.S. elections are, how they establish a worldwide Political choices. direction for pursuing peace, grappling with widespread hunger and poverty and the Residents of Valley huge migrations of peoples, especially those fleeing Iraq and Syria. City, Ohio, vote in their I primary election on They were astounded at the tenor of our political discourse. Had we Americans not March 15. heard of Pope Francis? What did we think he means when he affirms, “We are one human family. We are all brothers and sisters”? We Americans are called to incorporate our values and beliefs into the political process in a manner that reflects what best serves humanity. But our convictions do not find a readily

comfortable home in either major party. We must engage. But how? REUTERS/A ar on Jo se fczyk

Most Rev. Richard E. Pates is bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa.

May 23-30, 2016 America 15 Pope Francis has emphasized three principal dimensions Let me at this point brag about my home state, Iowa. of our life together that must be addressed if we are to be Iowans have been especially blessed and inspired by leaders concerned about human life and living out Gospel values: exercising conscientious stewardship. Farmers are commit- creation, peace and economy. ted to leaving the soil and the water, for which they are re- Creation. In his address to the United Nations, Pope sponsible, in much better shape than when they inherited it. Francis declared, “The common home of all men and women Wind power has taken off in Iowa. We are now producing must continue to rise on the foundations of a right under- more such energy per capita than any other state; 30 percent standing of universal fraternity and respect for the sacred- of our power comes from this source. Right behind is the ness of every human life, of every man and every woman, installation of solar panels, especially in rural areas. the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the This creates work for people like Justin Doyle, a Catholic unemployed, the abandoned, those engineer in Des Moines, who is prac- considered disposable because they tical and committed to healthy eco- are only considered as part of a sta- nomic development. He transforms tistic. This common home of all men Individual action in old buildings through renovation and and women must also be built on the climate change needs the installation of solar energy, which understanding of a certain sacredness is sustainable and very economical of human nature.” to evolve to embrace operationally. Renewable energy so Pope Francis focused global at- produced in one of his midsize ren- tention on the environment with his political consensus. ovated industrial office buildings is 8 encyclical “Laudato Si’” (“On Care for percent beyond the facility’s needs. Our Common Home”). It is a clari- That is where progress Individual action in climate on call for universal action to reverse will be achieved for the change needs to evolve to embrace ailing Mother Earth’s health condi- political consensus. That is where tion. Evidence abounds: pollution common good. progress will be achieved for the com- and waste, widespread experience of mon good. As Pope Francis insists, radical climate variation, reduction “Unless citizens control power—nat- of safe water and loss of biodiversity. ural, regional and municipal—it will More distressing is the impact on human life—where the not be possible to control damage to the environment.” poor suffer intolerably and societies and cultures are unrav- The Vatican has intervened on the international level, eling. advocating at the Conference for the Environment. In At the heart of this environmental disruption is climate doing so, it emphasizes that all the world needs to be on the change, and the scientific consensus is that it’s for real. The same page and committed to those policies and actions in- pope asserts that this change with its destructive results is tended for the beneficial global outcome of all. caused by human action. Peace. It is the notion of one human family that has driv- “Environmental conversion” is required, preserving that en the vision of Pope Francis to overcome separation and which gives life: air, water, fertile soil. We can do so by be- bring people to the peace table. It is this same vision that has ing responsible in our own situation but also by advocating led the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to advocate for policies that characterize us as grateful “stewards,” so that all renewing diplomatic relationships with Cuba and reaching God created so lovingly thrives. agreement with Iran on its nuclear capability. Diplomacy, We are called to be attentive to the three billion people negotiation and most important, as Pope Francis insists, di- who are suffering and are left behind in a proportionate alogue are far better than hostility and separation. sharing of God’s providence. They represent what Pope Divisions of people create fear and negativity and shroud Francis terms the “throwaway culture.” One of the ways their the goodness in every human heart. The Berlin Wall, for in- lives can be enhanced is by reversing the suffering emanat- stance, perpetuated the artificial separation of two peoples, ing from environmental degradation. We must also provide creating tension and political conflict—a cold war. Aware of future generations with a home that will be habitable, pre- that history, as Pope Francis recently said, we do not need serving the wonder of God’s goodness. At the White House more walls. A wall between Mexico and the United States last year, Pope Francis said: “Accepting the urgency, it seems would speak loudly of our inability to resolve issues like im- clear to me also that climate change is a problem that can no migration, our country’s insatiable appetite for drugs, the longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the ensuing corruption and violence and the unraveling of edu- care of our ‘common home,’ we are living at a critical moment cation in Latin America. of history.” In his visit to the Central African Republic, the pope

16 America May 23-30, 2016 raised the consequential role of weapons merchants who do causes.” He added: “It goes without saying that part of this lucrative business in supplying death machines to opposing great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The military factions that do not have the common good at heart. right use of natural resources, the proper application of In addition, the world still faces the specter of nuclear weap- technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are ons that could evaporate Mother Earth. These threats to essential elements of an economy that seeks to be modern, our humanity demand Christian as well as common-sense inclusive and sustainable.” responses. As we engage these issues, we identify with David as he When I reflect on Christians seeking peace, I recall a U.N. battled Goliath. There are 62 billionaires in the world who official from Benin who was in charge of trying to bring peace have the total wealth of 3.6 billion people, approximately to Côte d’Ivoire after its recent civil war. He demonstrated half the world’s inhabitants, combined. Furthermore, the convictions and values at the heart of our Christian ethic: lack of education, joblessness, hunger, malnutrition, poor forgiveness, mercy, justice, compassion, dialogue, new begin- health and inadequate housing, lack of proper sanitation, nings, letting go of sentiments of hatred. When I expressed corruption, poor government, etc. that the poor endure admiration for his putting into practice his convictions, he seem almost insurmountable. But our Christian convictions simply replied, “I am a Catholic, and my faith compels me to tell us we should engage without hesitation or fear. such action expressing the love of Christ.” It is frustrating, then, that our options for advancing the Economy. “What are we going to do about the poor?” common good are so limited in the current political environ- Pope Francis asked in response to an invitation to the Davos ment. Neither party advocates the entirety of our Christian conference on economic activity in January. His position is ethic. But our response must be practical, pursued through well grounded in the Gospels, in the cultural heritage of a party or candidate with whom, from our perspective, we South America and in the ’s “preferential can attain much of what is at stake for the common good. It option for the poor.” is also necessary to transcend partisan limitations and join He urged Congress to “keep in mind all those people in common cause. In so doing, we pursue that path, enlight- around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too ened by the Gospel, which recognizes the inherent value of need to be given hope. The fight against poverty must be each human person and renders to that person the life and fought consistently and on many fronts, especially in its dignity to which he or she is entitled as a child of God. A

May 23-30, 2016 America 17 The Key to Everything How contact with the poor shaped a Jesuit’s vocation by Fernando Cardenal Fernando Cardenal, S.J., served in the Sandinista gov- ernment of Nicaragua, first as coordinator of a nation- al literacy campaign and then as minister of education. Because canon law forbids a priest to hold governmental office and, conscientiously objecting, he refused to resign, he was dismissed from the Society of Jesus in 1984. He continued to live according to his vows and, after resign- ing from his government post in 1990, was readmitted to the Society of Jesus in 1997.

y formation was similar to that of many other Jesuits in Latin America. We led a fairly quiet monastic life devoting all of our energy to spiritu- al reflection and studies.... We all knew of the con- Speaking at a rally

M y of o r bi s book pho t o co urtes tinent’s poverty and had studied the reports and the statistics, but we didn’t have many opportunities to interact with the poor. The information stayed in our heads did not leave me in peace; undoubtedly it came from God. without touching our hearts or our lives. We lived in large, I wanted to experience some close contact with the poor, secluded monasteries far away from the cities with very little something I had missed during my long Jesuit formation. I contact with the outside world. Although we lived in large- decided to ask the father superior of the Jesuits in Central ly indigenous countries such as Ecuador, Peru and Mexico, America for permission to go to Colombia for the forma- we had few opportunities to engage with the people. The tion course. Previously, the course had been conducted near philosophy school in Quito was at the foot of the Pichincha the city of La Ceja in a three-story building, surrounded by mountain, and on our weekly excursions we would step out beautiful green pastures framed on all sides by spectacular of the kitchen to begin our hikes up the mountain, where in- mountains. Three years earlier Miguel Elizondo, S.J., had digenous people appeared etched in the scenery. We would been appointed tertianship instructor in Colombia. He was greet them and continue on our way. I never once had a con- an ascetic, a selfless person who, even as a young man, had versation with one of them. the reputation of being a saint. At the same time, he was the When I finished my academic formation as a Jesuit, I still most open person I had ever known, with a Gospel freedom needed to take one more course. The course is known as the that made him wide open to change. Father Elizondo was tertianship, nine months of intense spiritual formation to a leader to many Jesuits in Latin America during their for- delve into the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola. Our found- mation in religious life. He had been my novice master in er feared that the long years of study might have cooled the El Salvador; and now, as he coordinated the tertianship in personal relationship with God that is the foundation of our the city of Medellín, he decided to move the course to a very religious life, and thus he appended this formation period at poor neighborhood. This was exactly what I was looking the end. for.... It was a life-altering decision. … In 1968 His Holiness Pope Paul VI was to visit Medellín [At this time] I felt a restlessness, a gnawing feeling that after his visit to Bogotá. The government decided to move the people living in squatter settlements surrounding the city to the Bermejal area—named for its red soil. That is Fernando Cardenal, S.J., a Nicaraguan Jesuit and liberation how the neighborhood Paul VI was founded. When I ar- theologian, died on February 20, 2016. This text is a slightly edited rived, the streets were pure mud, but that was not a prob- excerpt from the first chapter of his bookFaith and Joy: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Priest, translated and edited by Kathy McBride and Mark lem if you had a good pair of boots. The real problem came Lester (Orbis Books, 2015). during the dry season when the mud became dust and got

18 America May 23-30, 2016 Social services were nearly nonexistent, but the most striking lack was the absence of any health center or access to medical attention. There was no school and no electricity. We got by with oil lamps in the bedroom and kero- sene lanterns for the dining room and kitchen. The climate in Medellín was cool, and even cooler for those of us who lived on the top of the mountains. Very often, the food of the people in the neighborhood consisted of are- pas, roasted cornmeal bread and a cup of hot water sweetened with panela, a brick of brown sugar that they scraped with a knife over the cup of hot water. The people’s diet and their suffering made a huge impact on me. I lived in the neighborhood for nine full months Cardenal, left, with organizers and volunteers for the Sandinista literacy witnessing the suffering of neighbors whom y of o r bi s book pho t o co urtes campaign in 1980 I grew to love deeply. Their suffering became enormously difficult for me to bear. It is true that “what the eye does not see, the heart does not feel.” I was seeing the suffering of people whom I loved, and my heart ached. … Although we always looked for ways to participate in the lives of the people, we could not come close to sharing their experience of insecurity. I knew that if I faced a serious health problem, the of the Saint Ignatius School would take me to a reputable clinic in the city. The poor had no one. They were alone and abandoned. No one watched over them. No one would come and save them in an emergency. The people in the neighborhood were permanent victims. Across the street from our house lived the Jaramillo fami- ly, who had eight children. I grew to love these children dear- ly. If I went to say Mass, one of the children would carry the candles, another would carry the stole, another the missal, another the chalice and another the wine. They accompa- nied me everywhere I went. These little bodyguards, as I holic R e po rter ion a l Cat CN S pho t o/Tom B o s w e ll vi a Nat Fernando Cardenal in 2014 called them, had worked their way into my heart. One day, after dinner, I opened the door of our community and found into everything, including the food. The homes were made my little friends, the Jaramillo children, eating out of the gar- of brick. Though they were very small, they were new and bage of our community house. I felt as if I had been punched much better than the previous cardboard shacks. The prob- in the stomach. The impact was overwhelming. lem was that most of the people of the neighborhood were Each of us had chores in the community, and among oth- unemployed, and this had a profound impact on their lives. er things I was chosen to buy the bread. Because there was Seeing the anguish of family members or friends without no bakery in our neighborhood, I had to go down the hill to work, feverishly seeking any job to support their families— another neighborhood. When I walked back up the street this was my introduction to the neighborhood. I began to with the big bag of bread in my hands, children with hun- understand the depth of their anguish. The majority of gry faces began to ask me for a piece of bread. I could not people would spend months and even years without a job. I tell them, “Look, this bread is for the Jesuit fathers who are came to understand the desperate feelings of profound and pursuing very important studies.” I did the obvious. I gave continual sadness in their battle for survival. They had no out pieces of bread to each one of the children. When I got hope for solutions. back to our community I had no more bread. I told my fel-

May 23-30, 2016 America 19 low Jesuits, “You have to make a decision, either you appoint humankind. I entered the novitiate with dreams of dedicat- someone else to buy bread or we decide not to eat bread, but ing my life to serving God by freeing souls from eternal dam- I cannot walk with bread in the midst of hungry children.” nation and in this process saving my own soul. At the time We decided not to eat bread. this is how I saw it. Sin and the fear of eternal damnation One of the young women in the community, with whom had been central themes in my spiritual life from the time I had become a good friends, came to bid me farewell one of my First Communion. I believed in a harsh and ruthless afternoon. I asked her where she was going, and she said she God who was a faraway being. was leaving to work downtown. She said, “I am going to be- Through my experiences in Medellín, I began to have a come a prostitute.” This was another blow. I told her that she new understanding. The danger of people losing their lives was going to fall into a deep hole, and she said that it didn’t in hell had already begun for millions of Latin Americans; matter as long as she got out of the hole she was living in. I they were already living the hell of destitution and extreme talked to her about trampling on her dignity as a woman, poverty on earth. Without changing the fundamental ori- but it was clear I was making no inroads. For someone born entation of my life, I began to think about salvation more in the mire of misery, the concept of dignity was almost un- holistically; salvation meant freedom from sin but also free- fathomable. We said goodbye, and I embraced her with love dom from destitution. Five years later, the synthesis of “the and sadness. I had been a witness to her dreams and ideals, service of faith and the promotion of justice” was officially and now she was abandoning these to live as a prostitute. It embraced by the Society of Jesus as the mandatory standard was a huge blow. I never saw her again. for all our apostolates. No Jesuit should be working only on The suffering became so great that there were times when the propagation of the faith without also working for the I did not want to leave the house. The neighborhood was a defense of justice, and similarly, no one should be working sea of pain, and I felt as if I were drowning in its waves. The only for the promotion of justice without also working for people were submerged in sadness, suffering, sickness and the propagation of the faith. Faith and justice: always together. hopelessness. My heart kept breaking. … I had entered the novitiate in 1952, at the beginning of My reflections during those months led me to rediscov- my last year of high school, after a powerful experience that er the God revealed in Jesus—the God who heard the cry God was calling me to collaborate in the mission of saving of the oppressed and who freed the Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt. That is how God ap- pears in the Book of Exodus. I began to understand more clearly that this same God continued listening to the cry of the oppressed and that Jesus had come to reveal that same God to us: a God who is not neutral in the face of destitution and injustice, but who has taken the side of the poor, of the least, the weakest, the most marginalized and all those excluded from society. In reflecting on the reality of my neighborhood, I was greatly inspired by the recently published document from the Latin American bishops, whose Second General Conference had oc- curred the previous year in the same city of Medellín. The bishops said: “There are many studies about the situation of the Latin American people. The misery and abject poverty that besets large masses of human beings in all of our countries is described in studies and expresses itself as injustice, which cries to the heavens.” I found that these words captured my feelings and my experience. The bishops’ theological analysis was also very illu-

20 America May 23-30, 2016 minating and new to me. They wrote, “When speaking of injustice, we refer to those realities that constitute a situation of sin.” Previously, my concept of sin was something exclusively personal. I had never seen the concept of sin applied to a social and economic situation as in this text. … The words of Pope Paul VI in Bogotá, spoken at the same time as the meeting of the Latin American bishops, also en- lightened me. Speaking to the peasants of Latin America, the pope commented on the misery that overwhelmed them: “Today, the problem has worsened be- cause you have become more aware of your needs and suffering, and you cannot tolerate the persistence of these condi- tions without applying a careful remedy.” He was very clear: “you cannot tolerate.” It was at this same time that I came to understand more acutely that the situ- ation of the poor in Latin America was intolerable, it had to be changed, that it required “a careful remedy.” … My friends in the neighborhood wanted me to continue living with them, and they begged me to stay. We had shared nine months of friendship and had grown to love one another, but I had to return to Central America by order of the regional provincial. My tertianship was over and so I said to my friends: “I am leaving, but I leave you an oath. Before God, I promise you that, wherev- er I am sent in the future, I am going to work for justice, for the building of a new society, for the liberation of the poor in Latin America, for all of those marginal- ized and excluded of the continent. I will do this in any country where I am asked to live, in any task that my religious supe- riors ask of me.” These words—my promise—explain the fundamental decisions that I made in the years that followed. [Father Cardenal concludes this opening chapter of his memoirs with an account of how he was assigned to work at the Jesuit university in Managua, Nicaragua.] A

May 23-30, 2016 America 21 Portraits of Love A deeper look at ‘Amoris Laetitia’

“The Joy of Love experienced by families is also the joy of the paschal mystery of Christ does Christian marriage take on its Church.” So begins Pope Francis’ long-awaited apostolic exhor- distinctive meaning, purpose and fulfillment. tation “The Joy of Love” (“Amoris Laetitia”). The statement An approach to marriage and family life that underscores draws on the conclusions of the Synod of Bishops, which gath- the mystical more than the moral is not less challenging, ered over the course of two years to discuss challenges to the fam- but more. Authentic loving relations are infinitely more de- ily. America asked several experts to respond to this historic manding than rules. The latter can be adhered to lifelessly; document, which was published on April 8. The full texts of the former require ongoing interior transformation. To this their responses, along with additional commentary, can be found transformation husband and wife solemnly and sacramental- at americamagazine.org/joy-love. ly pledge themselves in Christian marriage. Living out “the fraternal and communal demands of fami- ly life” entails, of course, a joyful adherence to the Ten Words The Mysticism of Pope Francis that God gave to to seal the covenant with his people. n the now famous interview with Antonio Spadaro, S.J., Torah is not superseded in Christ, but brought to incarna- (America, 9/30/13), Pope Francis was asked which tional fulfillment. of the figures among the early Jesuits he found most I With such a Christ-centered vision, at once contemplative appealing. He replied, “Ignatius Loyola” (no surprise there!). and concrete, constant and ever new, it is little wonder that But then he mentioned another, less known personage: Peter Pope Francis’ first and last word to the people of God, the Faber, one of the first companions of Ignatius. members of the body of Christ, is joy—laetitia, gaudium, the He said in the interview, “Faber was a mystic.” As such joy of love, the joy of the Gospel. In truth, these two joys are Francis puts Faber in the company of Ignatius himself, who, but one. the pope insists, is “a mystic, not an ascetic.” And then Francis confessed: “I am rather close to the mystical movement” in Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is an the history of the Society of Jesus. Reading “The Joy of Love” associate professor of theology emeritus at Boston College. in this light offers a somewhat different perspective upon the pope’s intent and hope. Francis seeks to probe deeper into the mystery of Christian marriage: beyond mere moralism to its The Progress of Souls mystical heart. He is more the mystagogue than the moralist. n his attention to the desire for moral and spiritual growth, Much of the commentary—both by those who see the Francis follows the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius, who urged document as an “opening” to further modifications not only Ithe early Jesuits to seek always “the progress of souls,” fre- of pastoral practice, but of church teaching itself, and by quently defined as love of God, charity to the neighbor and those who fear precisely this outcome—may have overlooked the growth in other virtues. Pope Francis’ special turn on this what is, in fact, Francis’ consuming evangelical commit- approach to pastoral care is to insist, with strong support ment. Egregiously absent from so much of the commentary from , on the blend of failure and aspiration to date has been any sustained attention to the compelling in most human lives. Christocentrism of the exhortation—a neglect that sadly In traditional moral and spiritual theology, there was mirrors our contemporary catechetical and pastoral plight. a conviction that one had to turn one’s back on a life of sin In this respect it is crucial to read this document in tandem and only then to make progress in the Christian life. Even St. with Francis’ earlier exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel Ignatius made this assumption, presenting in the Spiritual (“Evangelii Gaudium”). Exercises two sets of rules, one for those “going from mor- Both exhortations urgently stress the need to return to tal sin to mortal sin” and another for those advancing in the the church’s foundational kerygma as the wellspring of all Christian life. teaching and pastoral discernment. Only by fixing one’s con- Francis believes, however, that realism in pastoral care and templative gaze upon the living Christ, only by “looking to the pastoral example Jesus has given suggest that spiritual as- Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Heb 12:2), does the piration is at work in those who might be regarded as sinners: Christian life finds its sure foundation. Only centered in the “Following this divine pedagogy, the Church turns with love

22 America May 23-30, 2016 to those who participate in her life in an imperfect manner: she seeks the grace of conversion for them; she encourages them to do good, to take loving care of each other and to serve the community in which they live and work” (No. 78). Appealing to Aquinas, the Second Vatican Council, the assemblies of the Synod of Bishops in 2014 and 2015 and stan- dard moral theology to substantiate his arguments, Pope Francis believes men and women can fall short of the moral “ideals” (that TAKE THESE GIFTS. A family brings forward the offerings at a Mass for the Family at St. is what he seems to pre- Peter’s Basilica in December 2015.

fer to call them), and still REUTERS/Al essa nd r o B i a nchi bear within them seeds of a Gospel life. These seeds may be found in natural marriage, in the marital practices of roles as socially constructed and distinct from biological sex. other religious traditions and cultures and in imperfect mar- Francis rejects this view, maintaining the perspective that bi- ital situations. ological sex and gender are not the same but are deeply relat- Pastors, the pope teaches, “are not only responsible for ed. Still, when he discusses masculinity and femininity, he is promoting Christian marriage, but also the ‘pastoral discern- critical of gender stereotypes that would limit a person’s way ment of the situations of a great many who no longer live this of being in the world. He explains that “masculinity and fem- reality’” (No. 293). In dialogue with parishioners they must ininity are not rigid categories” (No. 286). Women have the discern in marriages and family life “elements that can foster capacity for leadership, and men have to take on tasks in the evangelization and human and spiritual growth.” family in order to “accommodate the wife’s work schedule.” Here he seems to be breaking down gender roles that place Drew Christiansen, S.J., is Distinguished Professor of Ethics and women in the home and men in the world that gender com- Global Development at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a former editor in chief of America. plementarity would seem to support. These small tonal shifts offer a subtle development in the way the church relates to feminism. In “The Joy of Love,” the Francis, Family and Feminism pope offers hope and belonging to many women who feel n “Amoris Laetitia” Pope Francis clearly states the import- pain about belonging in the church, or who may have one ant contribution of feminism to the world and church. He foot out the door. sharply condemns any view that would blame “women’s I Megan K. McCabe is a doctoral candidate in theological ethics at emancipation” for the many ways in which women’s bodies Boston College. Her dissertation is on “Sex, Power, and Violence on the are reduced to objects, including surrogacy, commercializa- College Campus: Rape Culture and Complicity in Evil.” tion and sexualization in the media. The pope maintains these attitudes are the result of male chauvinism. The commodifi- cation of the female body, then, is the result of sexism. In his The Listening Pope reaffirmation of the church’s stance against all forms of abuse moris Laetitia” reflects Pope Francis’ Jesuit spiri- against women, the pope writes, “we must…see in the wom- tuality in its call for a more listening and discern- en’s movement the working of the Spirit for a clearer recogni- ‘A ing church. While he only references the Spiritual tion of the dignity and rights of women” (No. 54). Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola three times, Ignatian spir- Further, he seems to take the teeth out of the idea of com- ituality is deeply present as he proposes a pastoral response plementarity. Some forms of secular feminism see gender to challenges facing the family. Chapter 8, for example, in-

May 23-30, 2016 America 23 vites the church to adopt a “process of accompaniment and listening and discerning church that he believes can address discernment,” which would include assisting families in “an many of the problems facing the family today. examination of conscience” (No. 300). Francis also includes dozens of references to documents Kevin Ahern, an assistant professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, is the author of Structures of Grace: Catholic Organizations produced by Vatican offices, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Serving the Global Common Good (Orbis, 2015). Augustine. For me, however, the most surprising references in the text are to non-Catholic sources. In No. 129 he refer- ences a scene from the “film Babette’s Feast, when the gener- Look to the Margins ous cook receives a grateful hug” as an example of the need n “The Joy of Love” Pope Francis is attentive to the pres- to cultivate and share love. In No. 149, Francis refers to the sures and struggles of families living in poverty, but “teachings of some Eastern masters who urge us to expand Ihe also highlights another group on the margins: vic- our consciousness.” Several times, he draws from the work tims of domestic violence. According to the World Health of poets and writers from the last century, including Jorge Organization, “One in three (35 percent) of women world- Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Antonin-Gilbert Sertillanges, wide have experienced either physical and/or sexual inti- O.P., Marcel and Mario Benedetti. mate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in But it is perhaps his inclusion of two Protestant figures their lifetime.” that will surprise and inspire many. In his reflection on Christianity, according to Francis, has no place for views the meaning of love, Francis offers an extensive and pow- of marriage in which women are subjugated. In a partic- erful quote from Martin Luther King Jr., whom the pope ularly honest and critical treatment of St. Paul, he rejects describes as meeting “every kind of trial and tribulation any interpretation of Ephesians that subjugates women or with fraternal love” (No. 188). Later, in Chapter 9, Francis legitimizes sexual submission (No. 156). Subjugation and quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer in laying out a deeper spiritual- manipulation lead to violence, which frequently escalates; ity of “exclusive and free love.” according to the World Health Organization, “Globally, as By engaging the experiences and wisdom of sources be- many as 38 percent of murders of women are committed by yond the traditional reference points of Scripture, an intimate partner.” and , Francis models in “The Joy of Love” the type of Questions of domestic violence also affect the larger so- ciety. Pope Francis’ condemnation of the logic of the mar- ket (No. 201) is reminiscent of “The Joy of the Gospel,” in which he argued that inequality spawns violence. This violence infects society, but often begins at home (No. 59- 60, 51). As brothers and sisters, we must accompany and stand with survivors of domestic violence and child abuse. We need greater support and pastoral training for priests, lay ministers and community members to recognize and re- spond to these situations of violence. Pope Francis also upholds the dignity of survivors, rec- ognizing that “in some cases, respect for one’s own dignity and the good of the children requires not giving in to ex- cessive demands or preventing a grave injustice, violence, or chronic ill-treatment” (No. 241). This separation may not just be “inevitable,” but “morally necessary.” Pope Francis is clear that it is not acceptable to sacrifice women subjected to violence in the name of “traditional” and “indissoluble” marriage. The substance on this subject is not new, but the prominence and strength of the pope’s statements are im- portant. Embracing the full dignity of women and girls be- gins in the home. In “The Joy of Love” Pope Francis reminds us that violence against women is a family issue.

Meghan J. Clark is currently a Fulbright scholar and visiting lecturer at Hekima Institute for Peace Studies and International Relations in Nairobi and an assistant professor of moral theology at St. John’s University, Queens, N.Y.

24 America May 23-30, 2016 VATICAN DISPATCH Beijing Breakthrough re the Holy See and China on the mainland today. (Beijing claims and communities, Rome’s response to close to reaching an agreement over five million are members of the the eight illegitimate bishops, the nor- Aon the nomination of bishops? open or officially recognized church.) malization of the situation of Bishop That is the question many are asking, At the end of 2015, there were 112 Thaddeus Ma Daqin of Shanghai, the both on the mainland and outside it, Catholic bishops in China (99 in active release from prison of Bishop James Su as they see the two sides continue their ministry, 13 not). Seventy belong to the Zhimin and the question of Taiwan. dialogue. open church and are recognized by the Francis has made clear from the be- Rome and Beijing are talking, and government, while 29 are underground ginning of his pontificate, and on several sources say the key issue at the heart of and not so recognized. (Most of the occasions since, that he ardently desires their conversations is the nomination 112 bishops are recognized by Rome.) to normalize relations with China not of bishops in China. Beijing redrew the ecclesiastical borders only for the good of the church, but also We know that since Francis became and recognizes only 97 dio- for peace in the world. pope on March 13, 2013, delegations ceses to the Vatican’s 138. He is prepared to go the from Beijing and the Vatican have met The Holy See is under Francis extra mile to reach this on at least three occasions, and presum- no illusion when it comes desires to goal, and wants to meet ably there are ongoing contacts. The to the vexed question of President Xi Jinping. He first meeting took place in the Vatican the nomination of bishops. normalize assigned the lead role in on June 27-28, 2014. The second was It knows that Beijing holds the quest for this nor- held in Beijing on Oct. 11 to 16, 2015. the upper hand, the knife in relations malization to Cardinal The most recent one was hosted in the hand, so to speak, be- with China Pietro Parolin, the secre- the Vatican on Jan. 25-26 of this year. cause there are now some tary of state, who in 2009 These talks, conducted by midlevel 40 dioceses without a pas- for peace in came close to brokering a officials, are shrouded in secrecy. It is tor. If the two sides fail to the world. Sino-Vatican agreement. worth noting, however, that the close- reach an agreement on this Not everyone is hap- ness of the last two meetings, plus the central question, Beijing py with this approach. meeting by a lower-level working group could, and probably would, ordain 10 According to UCA News, Cardinal in late April, suggests a speed-up in to 20 bishops without papal approval. Joseph Zen told a symposium in Hong the process and could reflect a mutual Such a move could mean that in addi- Kong in mid-April that some Vatican desire to move forward without more tion to the eight illegitimate bishops officials believe negotiation and com- delay. This thesis would be confirmed if already in China, there would then be promise with the Chinese government another Sino-Vatican meeting were to 20 to 30 more. This would in fact be will ease the sufferings of the church in take place before the summer holidays. a schismatic church. Rome wants to China. But he argued, “This is a mis- It’s important to see the question of avoid such a scenario and is investing take. Catholics in China are not afraid the nomination of bishops within the much effort in the dialogue. of suffering, but they fear the Vatican’s wider framework of the situation of the Right now, Rome and Beijing are ambiguous attitude.” Cardinal John church in China today. According to divided on many issues, but informed Tong-Hon, on the other hand, believes the latest statistics from the Holy Spirit sources say it is necessary first of all to “dialogue brings hope” and claims there Study Center in Hong Kong, the most reach agreement on the nomination of is “improvement and a better atmo- authoritative research center on the bishops; only after that will it be possi- sphere” now. Catholic Church in China, there are be- ble to address the other questions, some In the midst of all this America has tween nine and 10.5 million Catholics of which are easier to resolve than oth- learned that progress is being made in ers. One of the easier questions involves the Sino-Vatican talks, both sides are Gerard O’Connell is America’s Vatican agreement on the number of dioceses. drawing closer and an accord seems correspondent. America’s Vatican coverage is sponsored in part by the Jesuit communities of The difficult issues include Beijing’s rec- possible before the year’s end. the United States. Twitter: @gerryorome. ognition of the underground bishops Gerard O’Connell

May 23-30, 2016 America 25 FAITH IN FOCUS City of Hope Wondering how to be church in hard-hit Flint By Ronald Landfair n the year 2525 if man is still Flint’s experience represents some- 2012. Such disasters provide images alive…” went the old song. thing different. The changes in Flint and sound bites that are the stock of ‘IAdapting it to Michigan today, today versus the Flint of 10 or 20 years media coverage. But how do you con- the refrain would be: “In the year 2025, ago have not been as dramatic. Flint vey the steady diminishment of a com- if Flint is still alive....” I certainly think has not been suddenly altered by a munity’s economic base, its job market, that Flint is going to still be around a catastrophic event. It never endured a housing stock—even its water supply decade from now, but the key question full-blown civic uprising like those of and delivery system? How do you cre- is: “What will it—and other similarly 40 years ago in Detroit or Chicago or a ate the sense of urgency necessary for distressed cities—look like?” cataclysm like that in Los Angeles fol- a response? In the life of a city, a decade can lowing the Rodney King verdicts. Nor Flint and other small, declining matter a lot. I was born in Detroit in have we seen widespread civil unrest in cities confront steady disintegration February 1957, and it had a distinct Flint like that in Ferguson, Mo. through decay, far less dramatic than look and flavor to it then, one of bur- Flint’s experience has been one of the sort of crisis that might provoke geoning middle-class prosperity and slow, inexorable decline, less dramatic a comprehensive response. Time will comfort. Ten years later, newer cars were on its streets and a few white citizens Tyrone Chatman, left, executive director of the Michigan Veterans had moved out, but it was a city I still Foundation and Vicky L. Schultz, recognized. Six months later, however, Catholic Charities president/ the riots would put an end to that fa- C.E.O., at the Center for Hope Warming Center/Soup Kitchen. miliarity. Fast-forward another 10 years. In 1977, wholesale changes had taken place in some Detroit neighborhoods and regrettably little had changed in others, which remained mired in post-riot poverty or worse. The pace of departure from the riot’s center had quickened. Many families, including my own, had moved to presumably safer, more stable areas. When I look at the circumstances but nonetheless qualitative and quan- tell if the current water emergency will facing Flint in 2015, what’s missing tifiable, felt as well as measured. The prove compelling enough to inspire is the crisis-urgency of an event like city’s decline resembles more the effect the intervention from government and the Detroit riot in 1967 or similar of erosion on a river bank or the steady community members that Flint des- upheavals that transformed urban ar- drip of a rivulet of water upon a stone perately needs. eas during that tumultuous period in or rock in its path. American history. Frequently what captures our A Challenge for Evangelization minds and hearts is the immediate I am not prescient. I cannot foresee crisis—the attack on the Twin Towers the decade ahead. If you had asked Ronald Landfair is director of multicul- tural ministry for the Diocese of Lansing and in 2001, the terrorist attacks in me in 2005 if I could have imagined coordinator of its Faith in Flint initiative. last year or the tsunami in Japan in an African-American president of

26 America May 23-30, 2016 the past. That is the true challenge of evangelization (whether it is called old or new) in 21st century America. While some feel the decline of Flint has become irreversible, that does not have to be the case. The past is un- changeable. It is Flint’s future we must concern ourselves with. Events like Back to the Bricks (the city outdoor auto show), the Crim Festival of Races (a 25-k run/walk event) and other civic celebrations put the emphasis on people gathering together in peaceful, positive contexts. Flint needs more of them.

Faith in the Future Above: The Mission Makeover project renovates a playground at an autism The future is made up of the decisions center in the Flint area. Below: Brent and Laura deliver water for we make today. Our faith calls us to Flint families that was collected by LEAP, the Lansing hope, not despair; trust, not skepticism. Economic Area Partnership. The program Faith in Flint requires just that: faith. Those who believe in antee of Christ, so too will the Holy the future of Flint need to make an Spirit be with us always, so hope is al- investment in it today. Faith is born of ways with us. trust. Are we a people of hope, trust and The Book of Proverbs reminds us, faith and, most important, the Holy “Without vision, the people perish!” Spirit? Can we creatively and collabo- (29:18). In Rom 8:25 we hear, “But if ratively reimagine our community, rec- we hope for what we do not yet have, ognizing that there is no one answer to we wait for it patiently.” Faith is engaged Flint’s problems, but perhaps a multi- because of hope. Without hope, there the United States or gay “marriage” or tude of them, lacking only our prayer, is no expectation that anything can im- a dozen other social or cultural con- imagination, determination and force prove for individuals or communities. structs, I might have said, “Not in my of will to make them a reality? There must be a restored vision lifetime!” U.S. Census data indicates that Flint for the future of Flint. There must be But I think I can foretell the future faces a dwindling population that is in- something in which the people can for a community like Flint if something creasingly nonwhite and less educated place their hope, their trust, their time, does not change soon. That is why ef- than previous generations of residents. their talent, their treasure and their pa- forts like Faith in Flint, which I coor- How will a dynamic church meet this tience. dinate for the Diocese of Lansing, are challenge in the coming years? How In her autobiography, St. Thérèse of so important if a 10-year vision that is will we raise up lay and religious leader- Lisieux, a whose positive and hopeful is to be realized. ship through our Catholic schools and “little way” continues to inspire mil- Faith in Flint is an initiative connect- parish faith formation activities? Who lions, wrote, “What matters in life is ing the whole diocesan community are we evangelizing, and what are we not great deeds, but great love.” with the people of Flint—focused on evangelizing them to? Join me and countless others in this hope, trusting in the Holy Spirit and The city’s changing demographics Faith in Flint initiative. Let us adopt St. encouraging the application of some simply mean that, as in many cities Thérèse as our patron. Let us be those much-needed civic elbow grease across across the country, this urban faith “action heroes” that our faith calls us the city and across parish borders. called Catholicism must be preached, to be, a people not of great deeds, but The poor, the gangs, violence, drugs ministered and lived by, in and for per- of great love. A people of hope, trust and crime will always be with us in sons who are different from urban com- and vision, who indeed do have faith in 21st-century America. But by the guar- munities ministered to by the church in Flint. A

May 23-30, 2016 America 27 GENERATION FAITH Martyrs of Maspero

How could I reconcile my faith with the suffering I witnessed? By Marina Elgawly

grew up quietly. angrier with God. It My mother was was God who had Ian unswerving vol- formed these peo- unteer at the Coptic ple in their mothers’ Orthodox church, and wombs. It was God I was a Sunday-school who ordained that teacher throughout my these people be born teen years. Our par- in a developing coun- ish priest was a great try that recognized inspiration of mine. I them as sub-par citi- believed in God and zens. It was God who the four walls of my allowed these people room and my parents to be born under an and my friends. That oppressive regime. was all I knew and that It was God who, at was all I needed and I God’s disposal, could was content. I learned have prevented such Bible verses. I studied a thing from happen- Coptic hymnology. I ing. Worst of all, 18 told myself I was going years of Christian ed- to become a deaconess. ucation told me I had Things changed to love the men who after the Maspero at- drove the army tanks tacks. Months after that flattened and the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, then had gathered to peacefully protest the crushed the bodies of those innocent the president of Egypt, the air of the destruction of a church in Aswan. The youths. January 25 Revolution, as it is known peace did not last long. “They are martyrs now,” my priest locally, still hung thick in Cairo. It As a senior in high school, I said. “They have their reward in heav- was October 2011 when the media watched with my fellow church vol- en.” A fellow Sunday-school teacher released brutal footage of the Copt- unteers as Egyptian state forces ran said, “They should have rallied in front led protests at the Maspero building, over peaceful Coptic protestors with of the Lord instead of in front of peo- which houses the state-run Egyptian military vehicles. Their crime: demon- ple.” My mother simply said, “This was Radio and Television Union in the strating against the government’s fail- God’s plan.” Their answers, however, Egyptian capital. Proceeding past hos- ure to provide protection and against did not do justice to the nature of this tile Islamist crowds, a group of Copts the church attacks. The massacre injustice. I was not at peace. Issues resulted in the death of 27 Copts. of heaven, free will, politics, religious Marina Elgawly is a senior at Fordham Fourteen of them were crushed by pluralism and exclusivism all had a University’s Lincoln Center campus in New military armored vehicles. name: Maspero. The same faith that York, where she is pursuing a double major National news networks aired the had remained so vibrant and unshak- in international relations and theology. This en throughout my years of Egyptian essay is the first-place winner inAmerica ’s footage until they tired of it. Each : M ich ae l Kra ig er

Generation Faith essay contest. time I saw it I became angrier and Orthodoxy showed signs of crum- A rt

28 America May 23-30, 2016 bling in a matter of months. I began bloody deaths and my God who let to show doubt was not to lose faith. The asking myself questions about every this happen. simple Arabic of the Coptic monk had concept I knew. This past summer, before my senior pushed me to regain my trust in God. Why did God allow this to happen? year of university, I paid a visit to the I stayed for five days at St. Antony’s. Because it was God’s plan. Orthodox monastery of St. Antony. Every day, Brother Mina asked me Why was this his plan? My mother was elated, but I just want- if I wanted to attend a liturgy service God’s ways are mysterious. ed to interview monks for a research in the morning, and every morning I Why? paper I was writing. As I sat down to kindly declined. It was my last day in God is divine and those his ways. speak to Brother Mina, he asked me the desert when I finally knocked on Where does it say that? the last question I wanted to hear: “Do the brother’s door and told him I want- In the Bible. you love your Christ?” (Bethabey rabe- ed to pray. We walked together to the Why do I believe in the Bible? na? in Arabic). I wanted nothing more church and he began the Twelfth Hour Because it’s God’s word. than to bleat out a Sunday-school re- prayer of the Agpeya, the Coptic Book How do I know that? ply of “Yes!” and be done with it. But I of Hours: Because it says so in the Bible. could tell that the monk already knew When I entered university, I my real answer. Without warning I With my voice to the Lord I took a class called Faith and Critical collapsed and cried in front of him and cried; with my voice to the Lord Reasoning. It never occurred to me told him I knew nothing. It was there in I made supplication. I will pour until then that the believers of faiths the middle of a desert in California that out before him my supplication. outside of Christianity had the same everything came undone. My affliction I will pour out be- reasons for believing in their faith as Under tired eyes, the old Egyptian fore him, when my spirit was I did for believing in mine. I rebelled monk looked at me and said, “My fainting within me, and You knew against the faith of the minuteness of daughter, faith can only exist in a my paths. my childhood and cursed my Sunday- pained world.” It was like the snap of a school lessons and their Jesus stories rubber band. All these years of internal It was the first time I had prayed in and my priest who accepted their struggle, I needed to be reminded that almost four years. A

from our blogs It’s Commencement Controversy Season! Jim McDermott, S.J. Lebanon Shows Christians and Muslims Can Live Together in VIDEO Peace in the Middle East On May 6, America Media livestreamed the funeral Gerard O’Connell Mass of the poet and peace activist Daniel Berrigan, Why White Guys Are Wary of S.J., at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York. Clinton on Economic Issues Robert David Sullivan

What You’re Reading EVENTS Conferences on the works of the late theologian Daniel Berrigan’s ‘Ten Command- René Girard will be held in New York City, ments,’ James Martin, S.J. Boston and Holland, Mich., on May 24, 25 and 28, An Astounding Mercy respectively. The Rev. Raymond P. Roden Poet and Prophet, Luke Hansen, S.J. RADIO The Spirituality of Money: Author Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Ill., discuss- Q&A with Heather King, es the place of the church and black Catholics in the Sean Salai, S.J. #BlackLivesMatter movement. A Man of Peace, Editors

“He was a truly a transformative and disruptive presence in our imperial world.” —John Fitzmorris, “Daniel Berrigan’s ‘Ten Commandments’”

May 23-30, 2016 America 29 Books & Culture

any doubts about that choice—which | Television Jim Mc Dermott is a far cry from what viewers will feel while watching. We first meet our main Lost in a Dark Wood characters at a Sunday meal of Sarah’s Finding a path through life in a cult extended family; holding hands for grace, it might look like we’re in store for something akin Michelle Monaghan and the to “Parenthood” or “Brothers cast of “The Path” and Sisters,” some nostalgic embodiment of our dreams of family. But their words are not some simple prayer of thanksgiving, but a sort of “New Age meets Gospel of Success” doxology about “ascending the ladder of en- lightenment, so that some day we may be free of these earthly forms and live as light together in the garden.” And just like that, it’s clear that this is not TV’s typical ide- alized family, but something stranger and maybe a little scary. That initial moment en- capsulates both the possibil- ity and the problem of “The ecently in Los Angeles unusual within their confines. Path.” On the one hand, the show takes billboards have popped up all What keeps people there? Is there life in this community seriously. It Rover town. “To my loved one in any possibility of real fulfillment with- spends real time trying to get to know Scientology,” they read, “Call me.” in such a suffocating structure? And if and understand these characters and The work of two former not, as most suspect, what is it like to the way they think about their lives. As Scientologists, these advertisements try and get out? Sarah walks around wearing a device push back against the intense pressure In Hulu’s new show The Path, we to measure the movements of her en- Scientology, which is headquartered meet Eddie and Sarah Lane (Aaron ergy, or Cal (Hugh Dancy), the group’s in Hollywood, puts on its members Paul and Michelle Monaghan), mem- de facto leader, talks about the coming to permanently dissociate themselves bers of the Scientology-like Meyerist end of the world, there’s no winking at from family members and friends Movement who live with their two the audience, no “can you believe these h at who are not fully supportive of the children in the group’s upstate New guys”? Much like HBO’s “Big Love” organization. As much as recent doc- York compound. Sarah, who works did with polygamist Mormons, “The umentaries, tell-all books and gossip as a counselor in the organization, has Path” fights to be true to these people columnists have tried, it remains diffi- been a member since birth. Eddie, like and their choices. cult to fully understand what it is like many members, found the organiza- a c e book/h u l .com/ t h p inside organizations like Scientology, tion at a difficult time in his life. The Panoptic’s Progress

P ho t o:f let alone to grow up or raise a family And until recently, he has never had The problem is a show about people

30 America May 23-30, 2016 who have convinced themselves to live apocalyptic cult after a decade in cap- gone through periods of unthinking under the conditions Meyerism im- tivity to produce not a drama but a obedience, suppressing ideas and voic- poses is very difficult to watch. Many comedy. (As wrong as that concept es asking essential questions, and with of the scenarios are the same as any sounds, the show is actually wonder- terrible consequences. What keeps us “normal” family: the Lane’s son, Hawk, ful.) from becoming the smiling nightmare gets in a fight at school; Eddie and “The Path” is a great idea, with a hellscape of a cult? Sarah have marital issues. But every strong cast and a fine pedigree. The “The Path” seems to suggest that moment of the show is fraught with show’s creator, Jessica Goldberg, it may be less about having the right menacing subtext. To deviate in any was a writer on “Parenthood,” and rules or leaders—though both are ob- way from the set scripts of their com- “Parenthood” and “Friday Nights viously essential—and more about our munity—happy family member, un- Lights” creator Jason Katims is an ex- individual and communal willingness questioning Meyerist—is to feel those ecutive producer. “The Path” also rais- to be in an ongoing, personal relation- around you stepping back, looking es interesting questions for believers. ship with God. upon you and evaluating whether you Our own church, which to some seems can be trusted. It’s not a coincidence populated with its own share of crazy Jim McDermott, S.J., a screenwriter, is that every Meyerist building has an ideas (like worshipping a crucified man America’s Los Angeles correspondent. Twitter: enormous wood carving of an eye hung or dining on the flesh of God), has @PopCulturPriest. in a prominent place. The compound is Foucault’s Panopticon as suburban community. Consequently every scene in “The Bearing Witness Path” comes highly pressurized. Sarah loves her husband, but when she thinks he’s cheating on her, she has no trouble I’m tempted to call the woman, say I did not see her car accident, turning him in to Cal and their whack- but will listen to her version, find out why she needs a witness. adoo treatment program. Hawk feels so bad when a fellow student pressures him into trying meat that he vomits as Three telephone poles, three hand-scrawled signs soon as he gets home. plead for someone who saw the silver Lexus hit her Honda. Television dramas depend on great characters, but we also like an interest- ing world. People came to “Mad Men” Her signs remain a week. I imagine she vents to family, friends, insurance in part for the advertising, “Breaking Bad” for the science, “Downton reps—the hit and run she’ll replay for years. We all have stories Abbey” for its upstairs/downstairs community. we can’t part with. Something reminds us, and we spool In the case of “The Path,” though, that world is so monolithically bur- them out—like a whiskered mudcat you struggle dened by its internal psychosis that watching it can be claustrophobic. to reel in, only to release, follow The second episode briefly introduces a local FBI agent and just being with its flash through sun-stroked river, its lunge him and away from the Meyerists for a few moments is a great relief. What I wouldn’t give for someone with a sense under roots wedged against a moldered log. of humor, a Maggie Smith to offer the occasional wry and devastating quip. Karen George It’s interesting that Netflix’s Karen George received her M.F.A. from Spalding University. Her books include “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” The Seed of Me (2015) and The Fire Circle (2016). Her work has been published in whose second season began on April Adirondack Review and Louisville Review. She is co-founder of the journal Waypoints. 15, traverses the similar terrain of an earnest young woman freed from an

May 23-30, 2016 America 31 of other things | KERRY WEBER Life After birth

ne day after our first child part of me thought: The hard part is the first weeks of his life is an amazing was due to arrive but two over. But later that night, as I lay in a and rewarding privilege. It is not some- Odays before he actually did, hospital bed at 3 a.m. holding my hun- thing I take for granted (and I appreci- my husband and I had run out of ways gry, hysterically crying infant son, yet ate America’s just parental leave poli- to prepare. We had packed the hospi- unable to get him to breastfeed, I re- cy). But it is important to acknowledge tal bag and set up the crib, purchased a alized I had been mistaken. So it was that for many people this time can also boppy and a breast pump. But we did with some sympathy, but also a sig- be exhausting, frustrating, painful, iso- not yet have the baby. So, in an effort nificant deal of frustration, that I read lating and terrifying. In my son’s sec- to encourage our little one along, we the now infamous article ond week of life, he and decided to watch “Lucy Goes to the published last month in I had a combined total of Hospital,” the episode of “I Love Lucy” The New York Post ti- A ‘socially five doctor appointments in which Lucy gives birth to Little tled, “I want all the perks plus one emergency Ricky. The episode is the conclusion of of maternity leave— mandated room visit and a session a story arc that begins with one of the without having a kid.” time and with a lactation consul- show’s more controversial episodes: In that article Meghann tant. “Lucy is Enceinte.” This famous epi- Foye, a novelist, discuss- space for Being on leave has sode manages to tell the story of how es her inspiration for given me time to grapple Lucy informs her husband, Ricky, that writing her new novel, self-reflection’ with all these challenges. she is pregnant without using the word Meternity, which tells the it is not. But a “socially mandat- pregnant, which was deemed scandal- story of a woman in her ed time and space for ous for television by CBS. early 30s who decides to self-reflection” it is not. Nearly 65 years later, it is safe to say fake a pregnancy in order When it comes to that the mere mention of pregnancy is to get maternity leave. discussing the details of far less taboo than in Lucy’s day. Still, The Post article de- these difficulties among our culture has yet to become fully scribes the author’s own friends or family, many comfortable with the realities of preg- real-life efforts to find people hesitate, perhaps nancy and childbirth. The Hollywood work-life balance after re- out of embarrassment version of childbirth often involves alizing that if she did not or a fear of seeming un- a woman clutching her stomach and ever have children, she grateful or unloving. So definitively declaring, “It’s time!” This would never have maternity leave and many people were surprised by the often is followed by an idealized birth- therefore “that socially mandated time candor of a recent tweet by the model ing scene in which a woman, barely and space for self-reflection may nev- Chrissy Teigen following the birth of glistening with sweat, gives a push or er come.” While Foyer’s larger message her first child: “no one told me i would two before being handed a clean, neatly about the need for better work-life bal- be coming home in diapers too.” Her swaddled baby. Meanwhile, the real-life ance is a worthy one, likening mater- public tweet emphasized that such version often includes far less comical nity leave to a sabbatical understand- topics should not be confined to new screaming and far more bodily fluids. ably rubbed many readers, including moms or parenting forums. A wider, And there is no glamorous Hollywood me, the wrong way. The Internet was more honest conversation about the version of what happens afterward. quick to point out that during mater- challenges of childbirth likely would Nearly three weeks into my own nity leave—a time that, in fact, is not help not only to dispel the myth of ma- maternity leave, I admit I didn’t have available to a large number of wom- ternity leave as a type of vacation time; a full understanding of what this time en—mothers must care for a newborn it could also help employers see it as would involve. When the beautiful, while at the same time recovering from a necessity and new parents to realize bloody body of our son emerged and vaginal tearing or a C-section, cleaning they are not alone. When it comes to the doctors dropped all 10 wriggling stitches or taking sitz baths, trying to open conversations about pregnancy pounds of him onto my stomach, a tend to a bleeding, cracking, leaking, and childbirth, we’ve come a long way aching, sleep-deprived body. since Lucy’s days, but we’ve still got a Kerry Weber is America’s managing editor. I know that caring for my son in long way to go.

32 America May 23-30, 2016 books | George T. Deas that revelation: Augustine the teenager fully employed his testosterone het- The Real Man erosexually in many ways. Fox has no patience for those authors who would AUGUSTINE teens with Mani and his teachings as try to minimize Augustine’s lustful Conversions to Confessions they were current to the lad Augustine indulgences. While it is true that at By Robin Lane Fox 100 years after the master’s death. one point Augustine decided to be Basic Books. 688p $35 Fox gives a most satisfying exclusively faithful to his concubine, and comprehensive accounting of the mother of his son Adeodatus, he Out of his vast knowledge of the an- Manichaeism. His purpose in doing enjoyed her favors liberally and, Fox cient world, Robin Lane Fox, an emer- so is to explain how much of that sect’s contends, with care to avoid another itus fellow of New College, Oxford, discipline Augustine knew and accept- conception. Eventually, he broke with has drawn a remarkable picture of ed for years of his life—from age 18 to her—she is never named—when he Augustine—the child, the teenager, 30. He was a “hearer,” not one of the became affianced to an underage girl of the youth, the man. His method is not elect, but a true believer while also a wealthy family and high social stand- unlike the contemporary quest for the considered to be a “semi-Christian” ing when he was 30. That marriage was historical Jesus. He situates Augustine i.e., unbaptized and not yet fully cate- intended to assure him of position, in his time and place(s), comparing and preferment and sex. In the waiting pe- contrasting him with well-document- riod, he took another concubine. ed lives of men his age. This is especial- The subtitle of this book, ly effective in discussing Augustine’s Conversions to Confessions, is in the plu- earliest years. Fox points out that the ral because Fox maintains there were only source for Augustine’s childhood essentially three of these couplings in is Augustine himself in his Confessions, Augustine’s life journey: first, from and that account is far from complete. teenage pragmatism, i.e., study for the To fill it out, he uses parallels with two sake of getting a good job, to philoso- figures who are roughly contemporar- phy, a love of wisdom for the enrich- ies of Augustine and thereby develops ment of the interior man; second, from social, cultural, familial and religious a sort of half-baked semi-Christian lines of mutual concern. at age 18 to become a hearer and an Libanius, 40 years older than advocate of Manichaeism; and finally, Augustine, was born in Antioch in from a disenchanted Manichaeism to Syria. He was a pagan, a lover of all a total commitment to Jesus Christ in things Greek with a disdain for all the faith, for which his mother Monica things Latin. Synesius, younger by prayed with copious tears for many about nine years, was from Cyrene in years. It meant for him a total renun- Libya, also Greek but with some re- ciation of worldly ambition and, espe- gard for Latin. It is a tryptych, as Fox cially, all sexual activity, living a celibate calls it, a device that works well to de- chized. He was an avid proselytizer of life. lineate the central figure, Augustine, that sect, able to persuade some close Recounting this last phase of for whom Fox clearly has a fondness friends and others to accept it in spite Augustine’s conversion to confession, and admiration, though certainly not of its rigorous strictures about hu- Fox’s writing, profuse and thorough, a worship. man sexual activity. (With a sly sense was thrilling. He takes us through all From his earliest years, Augustine of humor, Fox reports the claim of the persons, books, lectures, sermons had a primordial sense of good and Manichaeism that there is a redemp- and friends who influenced Augustine evil, leaving no room for a morally in- tive value in human flatulence.) to seek baptism from St. in different or neutral explanation of the In his Confessions Augustine reveals Milan. simplest human behavior—like the to God how sexually sinful he had been The quest for meaning, the search angry cry of an infant. No guilt is im- in the first part of his life; he prayed, for truth, the hunger for an ultimate puted where there is no will, but the rather famously, for the gift of chasti- love were possible of attainment at last action is evil nonetheless. It’s no won- ty—but not yet. Our author, carefully and with them peace and freedom of der he found a fascination in his late and respectfully, explores this aspect of mind and heart.

May 23-30, 2016 America 33 Blessed John Henry Newman in preaching and writing about the love reform, electronic health records and his Apologia Pro Vita Sua achieved of God. It is true, however, that in his population health. We obsess over the same, though from a very different masterful first encyclical “Deus Caritas quality improvement measures and ev- perspective. Newman’s aspiration was Est,” Benedict laments the noxious idence-based practice. We invest in pro- “not to sin against the light.” Vowed influence of Manichaeism (and the grams designed to bring the humanities by himself to celibacy long before his later Jansenism) on Catholic life and back into education, to wed the art with conversion to Catholicism, Newman thought. the science of medical practice. was never credibly accused of sexual Professor Fox reveres Augustine The author suggests, “The advanc- misconduct. It was a quotation from the saint and generously pays tribute es in knowledge in twentieth-century Augustine—Securus iudicat orbis ter- to his holiness and spiritual inspira- medicine began…when physicians be- rarum: “the judgment of the univer- tion, remaining all the while the his- gan to see like scientists. And I suspect sal church is certainly true”—that, in torical biographer and never the hagi- that medicine will advance once more his word, “pulverized” Newman’s Via ographer. His delectable prose, laced only when physicians change their Media and impelled him further to at times with wry humor, will engage self-perception again.” The sine qua Rome. the scholar and scholarly student with non for us to realize medicine’s future More than a third of Fox’s work is copious notes and references to prima- is this new vision—or, perhaps more devoted to Augustine the baptized ry sources. Serious but casual readers, correctly, it is an old vision, renewed. Christian, the priest, the bishop and like myself, will find inspiration, rich Throughout the work, Nussbaum the most prodigious writer of ancient insights and more information than is is refreshingly self-aware of both his times. There is a large corpus of extant needed—but never without interest. own limitations and those of his pro- material and, according to Fox, more is Worthy to be chewed and swallowed, fession. For example, he criticizes the being discovered. this tome could be delightfully tast- white coat ceremony that is now stan- Augustine’s thinking has had and ed by the speedreader and the bed- dard at U.S. medical schools, acknowl- continues to have an enormous influ- and-beach readers. One telling effect edging that the ceremony was initially ence on Christian life and teaching. I believe it can have is to promote a intended to connect incoming students Newman, called by one historian of desire to reread the Confessions of St. to their patients and foster the virtues religious thought the greatest intellect Augustine, newly armed with up-to- of compassion and humility. It did of the 19th century, favored Augustine date information, profound insights not take long, however, for the cere- over Aquinas. Joseph Ratzinger, the and holy aspirations. It’s a good book. mony to be co-opted by, rather than future Pope Benedict XVI, a great challenging, the profession’s prevailing theologian of our time, embraced Msgr. George T. Deas is a pastor emeritus narrative of professional distinction. Augustine’s approach to learning, in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. Nussbaum offers the same rigorous honesty when he reflects on his own Michael D. Rozier moments of confusion and failure with patients over the years. Hidden in the text is the author’s A Call for Reform unspoken question as to whether the The Finest Traditions of receiving scant attention. call to practice medicine is a profession My Calling In The Finest Traditions of My or a vocation. Truthfully, it seems that One Physician’s Search for the Calling, Nussbaum offers the author wants the benefits of both Renewal of Medicine a plea to see that true reform of the and the costs of neither. He hopes to By Abraham M. Nussbaum, M.D. health care system will be possible renew a sense of vocation and ser- Yale University Press. 320p $28.50 only if we also seek a renewal of the vice, yet never speaks of the sacrifice physician’s practice. With compelling of autonomy that must accompany it. It may be difficult to believe a profes- narratives from his own experience as I suspect the work of a physician is sion that commands the salary and a psychiatrist, Nussbaum’s entreaty is both a profession and a vocation, but social status of U.S. physicians is in easy to believe. the latter cannot be reclaimed without crisis, but there is widespread and The author’s central argument rests critiquing how the former’s privileges growing discontent within this guild. on the premise that none of the inno- may drown out one’s call. While serious reform is afoot for the vations currently being discussed can To accompany his own narrative, health care system writ large, the cli- truly transform medicine. We tinker Nussbaum calls upon luminaries of nicians at its center (or at its top) are at the edges with value-based payment medicine’s past. His appreciation for

34 America May 23-30, 2016 the profession’s history is laudable. not only in 1948, but in nearly every into the unresolved problems of mod- and William initiative from Franklin D. Roosevelt ern health care. Unfortunately, the title Osler, Paul Farmer and many others to Bill Clinton. Nussbaum certainly and the first two chapters set the read- do not just provide stories to lean upon knows this history, but many of his er up for something that is ultimately but also offer the kind of physician colleagues may not. While the book not delivered. self-perception Nussbaum is hoping rightly calls upon the finest traditions The profession of physicians fac- to foster among his peers. of medicine’s past, a vision for the fu- es a crisis in the United States. Will Despite the book’s sub- ture must also reckon something interrupt the march toward title, there is little new in- with its less admirable greater efficiency and standardized formation a reader with a history. care? Few have connected the two cri- serious interest in med- It is easy to de- ses, but the vocation of physicians has icine’s renewal will find light in this text. faced a crisis of its own. The insight in this text. The author’s Nussbaum’s narrative Nussbaum provides is that the profes- claim that renewal will approach is full of sion of medicine can best be saved if it not come in any of the heart. His critiques reclaims its vocation. system-level innovations of the health care sys- As the Affordable Care Act con- currently being adopted tem and the forma- tinues to change the landscape of U.S. is in all likelihood correct. tion of physicians are health care, we will not be in short Even more, the thesis that thoughtful, balanced supply of innovations. However, The true renewal will come by and often deeply mov- Finest Traditions of My Calling offers changing disposition is ing. It is not hard one of the few that has the potential to also quite possibly correct. to imagine that this actually work. But what would a resi- text will stand along- dent’s on-call schedule in Nussbaum’s side the works of Atul Gawande and Michael D. Rozier, S.J., is in doctoral humanistic medicine look like? How Abraham Verghese for its ability to studies in health management and policy at the can we allow for deeper relationships draw fellow physicians and lay readers University of Michigan. with patients without extending work- days for physicians or slashing their compensation? There is too often a lack of “construction” in this attempt at con- structive criticism. To those familiar with the history of U.S. health care, it is hard to ig- nore the fact that the physician crisis we now face is largely one of the pro- fession’s own making. Nussbaum ac- knowledges this, but does so in a way that would have the readers believe physicians were passive recipients of changing culture that now bears down upon them. He briefly mentions the American Medical Association’s role in defeating national health insurance in 1948, but offers little else on the role physicians played in shaping our mod- ern health care system. Physicians are the ones who demanded fragmented payment for physician care and hos- pital services. Medical doctors have strategically prevented nonphysician clinicians from expanding their scope of work. The A.M.A. opposed reform

May 23-30, 2016 America 35 Dennis Leder and generosity of Dorothy Day repre- sent the model of hospitality. Mother Disarming Fanaticism Teresa’s life of service to the suffering poor represents the model of com- A STEP ALONG THE WAY Pope is a professor of theology at passion. Martin Luther King Jr. rep- MODELS OF CHRISTIAN SERVICE Boston College, but his book is not resents advocacy in his tireless struggle By Stephen J. Pope a comprehensive theology of service against racism and war. Bishop Oscar Orbis Books. 224p $25 nor a comparison with how other re- Romero`s loyalty to the oppressed of ligious traditions address the subject. El Salvador is a model of solidarity. Studies in positive psychology con- His intention is not to Pierre Claverie, O.P., firm that a life of service creates a more win converts or defend represents the model lasting sense of well-being than the the faith, but to profile of witness. Born and “good life” of comfort and pleasure. six different lives and raised in , in Given the pivotal place of service in suggest that each rep- an isolated French- the New Testament, contemporary resents a key feature of speaking communi- Christians might wish to reflect on Christian service: stew- ty, Claverie gradually how their faith, their community life ardship, hospitality, became aware of the and their openness to the Spirit’s grace compassion, advocacy, “colonial bubble” in can enrich human service and give new solidarity and witness. which he had lived. meaning to Christian life. This is the The majority of His transformation led focus of Stephen Pope’s fine book on Pope’s chosen subjects him to the Dominican models of Christian service. He identi- are emblematic figures friars; later he was fies his intended audience as believing of the model they rep- named bishop of , Christians whose faith is a motivation resent. Dorothy Stang, Algeria. He dreamed for responsible action. Without un- of the Sisters of Notre of an inclusive society derestimating the selfless dedication Dame, represents stewardship, taking where Christians and Muslims could of many nonbelievers in their service care of what has been entrusted to be friends, based on respect, openness, to humanity, the author contends that us. For nearly 40 years, she immersed objectivity and truthfulness. He was “something is lost if we avoid religion.” herself in poor communities of rural convinced that dialogue could “disarm He prefers to reflect on “the richness Brazil, blending creation spirituality the fanaticism, both our own and that and complexity communicated in re- and liberation theology as tools for so- of the other.” ligious symbols, stories, and practices.” cial justice and ecology. The openness As often happens with Christian service, models tend to intertwine. There is advocacy in stewardship, compassion in hospitality. Faith is the underpinning of all the models, a faith based on trust, discernment, attention to mind and heart and concrete action. Four of the six lives suggested by the author gave “the ultimate testimony to the power of their faith—a willingness to die rather than to abandon the truth to which they had devoted their lives.” Within their particular model of ser- vice, each exemplifies what it means to be a witness. Stephen Pope’s book is impressive for its systematic organization. After defining his theme and purpose, he introduces the “six exemplars or role models of Christian service.” In the bi- ographical sketches of these lives, Pope

36 America May 23-30, 2016 takes pains to avoid presenting them plementary, one model of service adigmatic form of service, with love as as heroes or saints but rather as hu- might cause conflict with another: its unifying virtue. All the models of mans, touched by some important per- “Solidarity within our community Christian service and the virtues that sonal experience that sent their lives in might be at odds with challenging the support them find a personal expres- a new direction. choices of some of its members.” He sion in the community of faith, whose The second half of the book is a also notes the thorny issue of inter- responsibility it is to clarify political more detailed study of each of the pretation of service: a Christian who decisions in terms of justice, human six models of Christian service. The defends the just war theory will find rights and the common good. Service, author looks at the biblical roots of little inspiration in the nonviolent ser- in its most excellent form as witness, each model, adds a theological reflec- vice of Dorothy Day or Martin Luther mirrors God’s compassion and love. tion and ascribes a moral virtue to King Jr. Those who continue to accuse Service is an essential part of each model. He suggests temperance Bishop Oscar Romero of being the Christianity. Without it our faith is as the moral virtue linked to steward- cause of El Salvador’s past war and dead. The six models of Christian ship and generosity as a virtue linked division will be hard-pressed to see service that Pope presents are “a kind to hospitality. He then proposes how him as a model of Christian solidari- of inventory of values.” Committed we might grow in that virtue and out- ty. Pope recognizes that our interpre- Christians will find them to be a help- lines the temptations associated with tation of service “is inevitably shaped ful gauge in personalizing their ser- each model. Advocacy’s moral virtue by the larger religious and political vice, incorporating new challenges and is courage; misdirected advocacy can framework within which we act.” He growing in faith. easily become fanaticism. suggests that gender, politics and the- Before concluding his study Pope ology are areas of “strong impact” when Dennis Leder, S.J., is director of the devotes a chapter to evaluating the thinking about service today. Central American Institute of Spirituality in models. While being essentially com- Pope places compassion as the par- Guatemala. 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fill all the promises embedded in the figure of . Here we find Real Presence a sense of the eschatological, of what Body and Blood of Christ (C), May 29, 2016 God is still to do when Christ returns. Readings: Gen 14:18-20; Ps 110:1-4; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Lk 9:11-17 But in Melchizedek’s feeding of Abram, God’s constant care for the “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and needs of his people is also denoted, the blessed and broke them” (Lk 9:16) presence of God with us, as a sign of he solemnity of the Body and future glory. unity and a bond of charity. In Luke Blood of Christ emerged as The biblical readings attest to each Jesus is himself present, feeding the a feast in medieval Europe of these elements of the eucharistic crowd in which all ate and were filled. T In this miracle, in the presence of Jesus through the urging of St. Julianna feast. In the words of institution Paul of Cornillon, a Belgian mystic and hands on to us, we receive the words with the people, we sense the eschato- prioress who had visions that direct- of Jesus, who interprets his own logical reality of the paschal banquet ed her to strive to establish a feast in sacrificial death on our behalf yet to come and the which greater devotion was focused and speaks of the real presence sense of memorial on the real presence of Christ in the when he breaks the bread and presence, as Jesus Eucharist. Because of her own caution says: “This is my body that is instructs his dis- as to the significance of her visions, for you. Do this in remem- ciples to carry out and the ecclesial and political intrigues brance of me.” And in the last this same act on his which she suffered, it would take many phrase, Paul notes Christ’s in- behalf. Jesus guides decades before the feast became es- struction to participate in the his disciples to par- tablished throughout the church, ulti- supper as a memorial, making ticipate in the work mately with the guidance of the papal present perpetually Christ’s sac- theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. rifice, as we eat the bread and drink PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE The feast focused from the begin- the wine “in remembrance.” For par- ning on the Eucharist as “the very sacri- ticipation in the body and blood of Be present with Jesus as he feeds the multitudes. How do you receive the real fice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Christ is a remembrance of Christ’s presence of Christ in the sacrament of the Jesus which he instituted to perpetuate death “until he comes.” Eucharist? How else are you discerning the the sacrifice of the cross throughout “Until he comes” alerts us to the body of Christ? How are you making the the ages until his return in glory. Thus eschatological dimension of this presence of Christ known to others? d u nn e : ta he entrusted to his Church this me- feast, in which we gain a foretaste art morial of his death and Resurrection. of the heavenly food, the messi- It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, anic banquet, already prefigured in with him, “You give them something a paschal banquet, in which Christ the person of the priest Melchizedek, to eat,” making Jesus present whenev- is consumed, the mind is filled with “king of righteousness.” In Genesis er his disciples feed the people physi- grace, and a pledge of future glory is 14, Melchizedek feeds Abram with cally and spiritually. given to us” (Catechism of the Catholic the heavenly food; in Psalm 110, a In discerning our communion with Church, No. 282). The real presence messianic psalm, Melchizedek points our brothers and sisters in the faith, is the central theological dimension of forward to the establishment of God’s we find Christ’s real presence. In our this feast, but the catechism notes nu- kingdom by the coming messiah. By loving communion with all those merous other elements of eucharistic the time Jesus was born, Melchizedek who need food, we find Christ’s real theology in the feast, like memorial, was already a focus of theological spec- presence. As we wait in hope for the sign of unity, bond of charity, paschal ulation in Judaism, especially in the heavenly banquet, we anticipate the banquet and eschatological pledge of Dead Sea Scrolls, concerning his role real presence, when God will be all in in the messianic kingdom to come. For all. All of these, faith, hope and love, Christians, as seen in Chapters 7 to 9 are present when we participate in the John W. Martens is a professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn. of the Letter to the Hebrews, Jesus is real presence of Christ in the sacra- Twitter: @BibleJunkies. the one who has fulfilled and will ful- ment of the Eucharist.

38 America May 23-30, 2016 Mercy’s Healing Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (C), June 5, 2016 Readings: 1 Kgs 17:17-24; Ps 30:2-12; Gal 1:11-19; Lk 7:11-17 “O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me” (Ps 30:2)

he account of Jesus raising life, the widowed mother faces a future and their sons to demonstrate that God from the dead the only son of a without grandchildren and being cared is the God of the living, not the dead, Tmother, a widow, recalls a sim- for by her family. Since the boy who dies and to point to life eternal. God’s gift of ilar story of the prophet healing in the Elijah narrative is also unmar- life to these only sons is a sign of God’s the only son of a mother, a widow, in the ried, he, too, is most likely a child; and abundant and surpassing mercy to First Book of Kings. The fact that the his mother faces the same losses in the come, of the gift of eternal life that we women are widowed is an important present and for the future as the widow cannot offer ourselves, no matter how piece of information for understanding of Nain. much we wish it. their situations, especially since they are This is the real, human loss, for even Yet it is also a sign of what we can do without any children. A widow in an- if these widows were women of means, for those who are in emotional, spiritu- tiquity could suffer terrible economic they have lost their families. It is not al, psychological and physical need. All hardship if she did not have an extended money they mourn but the love of their of us at one time or another face loss, family network or personal resources; children and all the joys that come with stress, crisis and distress, even if we are for those without economic resources family life. This sorrow is what Jesus not alone or are not suffering poverty. or male family members, a life of pover- sees when he gazes upon this scene, for When we recognize our own need for ty could be expected. The mercy of God “when the Lord saw her, he had com- in these stories includes alleviating dire passion for her and said to her, ‘Do PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE poverty and social marginalization, but not weep.’” The verb used here refers Reflect on the suffering of the widowed we should not reduce mercy merely to literally to being moved in one’s bow- mothers and God’s compassion for them economic suffering; God’s mercy reach- els, like saying today that one’s heart and their sons. How has God shown es out to heal the ravages of broken was moved. Jesus is filled with com- compassion to you in the past? How can you show mercy to those in need? hearts and human suffering. passion and pity for her because of Where do you see a need for mercy and We see this mercy in Jesus’ response her great loss. compassion most fully in your community to the funeral procession in which the Jesus heals her great loss, demon- and church? widow’s son is being carried out in strating God’s mercy when he speaks the midst of a large crowd from Nain. the words, “Young man, I say to you, compassion and how friends, family, While both the New American Bible rise!” and the boy is alive. When Elijah’s neighbors and strangers have cared for and the New Revised Standard Version voice is heard by God, the widow of us in those times, the actions of Elijah describe him as a “man,” that word is not Zarephath’s son arises. Elijah brings and Jesus point us to do what we can present in the Greek text. Jesus will call the child down to his mother and says, do. We can care and comfort people him a neaniskos later in the text, which “See, your son is alive.” Both of these in distress, offering mercy and helping can refer to a teenager or “young man”; cases indicate that mercy is at the heart them find the aid they need. God’s ac- that no wife is present indicates his of God’s dealings with humanity, espe- tions in these miraculous events is in- youthfulness, since at this time Jewish cially with those who have the greatest tended to demonstrate God’s mercy in males were usually married around human need. It ought to be at the heart concrete instances, the same mercy and age 18. Apart from the loss of her son’s of our dealings with humanity as well. compassion that God has for each of So what do these stories indicate us. So, too, we are called to show mercy for us? In both of these accounts God to all in need. reaches into the lives of these women John W. Martens

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