Advent 2013 T How Often I Had Been Mistaken

“Love in all Sincerity” Advent 2013 T How often I had been mistaken. Learning to discipline my children from my own experience of childhood violence, and in a seemingly prudent fashion, attempting to chastise with Dr. Dobson's "Tough Love" approach. "Pain is a marvelous purifier..., It is not necessary to beat the child into submission..., but spanking should be of sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely." he taught. Around 15 years ago, when I became a pacifist, I realized that to discipline my children meant that I was to disciple them. This meant to help them see "To love is to will the good of another." St. in their own lives a sense of vocation. To Thomas Aquinas. Love arises when hear Gods call to them. I believe the values passions or feelings are directed towards of the The Catholic Worker is a good place good. God of course is the highest to start. good. Human will and reason press love Subconsciously I sought out communities onward and guide it's direction. where my values were taught. Hearing from Much of my young adult married life had the American pulpits in the 1980’s, "Wives been formed by my youth, as is the case submit to your husbands", and not with all of us. My perceptions of power, continuing to read on, "submitting to one obedience and violence where often another out of reverence for Christ". Yes, overwhelmingly painful as a child. And as a community is a Good, of the highest newly married husband and father I oft order. But, "He who loves community times sought what I perceived to be good for destroys community, he who loves the myself and my family. And having grown brothers (our wives, our children) builds up with very distorted examples of attempts community". at love, I passionately attempted to love These days, I have learned much about my myself as well, yet very poorly. (Continued on page 2) (Continued from page 1) UBUNTU AND OUR HUMANITY past failings, in fact, they are ever before me. "When I was a child (and even as a Ubuntu is a South African concept and man) I talked like a child, I thought like a philosophy. It’s hard to describe but it’s child, I reasoned like a child." something we all experience. It begins One of my great temptations when Love is with the premise “I am; because of you” absent is to run away. I left America to leave or “People are not people without other the violence of my family home. However people.” It means common goal and mu- the comfort of that environment meant that tual success. Strive for the happiness in my exit vehicle was the US Military, another others and find happiness in yourself. violent institution. It's good to reflect on Ubuntu re-defines the self to be the com- what we do when love is perceived as munity. Treat every person like your absent. How we "act out"? brother to truly see what it is to be human. Recently, I have reflected on the first few It’s impossible to be at peace with hatred chapters of Genesis. After every single thing and distain towards others, defying your that God creates and at the end of each day, inner Ubuntu, no matter how religiously God says, "it is good". Then, for first time in you follow the Bible. God doesn’t care if theological history, after the most you eat pork or work on a Sunday. If you momentous beginnings when Gods creative want the love of God, you’ve first got to word fashions all things, there is something see the love come from yourself. wrong, something that is not good. "It is not In the words of Nelson Mandela: good that man should be alone". This is an “No one is born hating another incredible observation from the divine perspective and not from mans. And one that person because of the color of his should give us hope. Thanks be to God! He skin, or his background, or his reli- has not left us alone. Alleluia. God is with gion. People must learn to hate, us. And like ourselves, in our infancy, our and if they can learn to hate, they childhood, our adolescence our young can be taught to love, for love adulthood and in our sufferings... God is one comes more naturally to the human with us. In communion and community. He heart than its opposite.” alone will never forsake us or abandon us. To me, it’s more important to follow the The Jesus story is, in part, the story of a child teachings of Jesus, what’s inherently who grows into a man. It's a journey we right, than to develop my faith. God’s must all make. To become fully human, not love doesn’t come from worship, that’s being content with the philosophy, the scraps Old Testament, God’s love comes from from the table of those who throw plates of active inspiration, solidarity and compas- pasta across it and onto a wall. But to allow sion for other members of the human ourselves to be like the Samaritan woman race, acting on Ubuntu. St. Paul says who said, "even the dogs eat the scraps from “We’re all members of one body, when the Masters table." We cannot make this one part in in pain, the whole body suf- journey alone. In fact we were not made to fers.” The Catholic Worker Farm express- be alone at all. We were created for es this beautiful vision of interconnected community. “Behold, I stand at your door humanity. and knock. If any man hear my voice and Francis Albrecht open the door, I will come into him and eat with him…” Scott Albrecht 3 WWW.CROWDFUNDER.CO.UK/THECATHOLICWORKERFARM That’s why The Catholic Worker Farm is so The Catholic Worker Farm Funding important. The British Red Cross have Proposal 2013 confirmed that for these women, The Catholic Project Aim Worker Farm is the only place in the South The Catholic Worker Farm is an ongoing East where they can refer mothers and their project to protect and accommodate babies together. Every woman who comes to homeless women and their children in the the Farm is given personal support that not UK. Since 2006 we have helped over 300 only meets their physical needs in relation to women at the Farm, providing everything shelter, food and clothing, but their emotional from housing and food, to school supplies. or circumstantial needs as well. This ensures But most importantly, the women who that every homeless woman who comes to us come to us have a safe place to stay with feels understood and supported as an their children. individual. Since 2006 we have helped over 300 women in this way. Our aim is simply to continue this vital work, providing a lifeline to the most The Catholic Worker Farm Provides: vulnerable, marginalized people living on A safe, warm bed the streets today. Many of the women we Access to showers, clothes, washing and help have battled through horrific cooking facilities circumstances to reach the peace and safety Help with acquiring solicitors and medical that the Farm provides, so it’s crucial that care we keep our doors open. English lessons, Citizenship classes and A New Homelessness Psychotherapy Support with finding voluntary work In the UK more women are made homeless School supplies and school lunches for by circumstance every single day. We have younger children accommodated asylum seekers, trafficked Nappies, baby formulae, baby clothes and women, those exiting prostitution, escaping toys Female Genital Mutilation, domestic A supportive, loving environment within violence. Sadly what they all have in which the guests can recover and work common is that they are not allowed to towards self-sufficiency. work and have been denied state benefits, and so are unable to access basic services Unfortunately, there are only a handful of because of their immigration status. The organizations in the UK that undertake this majority of these women have endured kind of support, so it’s ever more vital that horrific personal trauma including torture, we keep our doors open. We don’t receive rape or the loss of loved ones. And what any government funding for the work we do, makes their situation even more critical, is nor do we take salaries or stipends. Quite that some are pregnant or with young simply, without the generosity of supporters children. like yourself, the support we offer to women Having escaped war, human trafficking or and children would not be possible. domestic violence, these women are often scared and immensely vulnerable, but as Their Need is Our Need yet, there is a distinct lack of provisions to keep them safe, together with their Right now however, we are at crisis point. children. One of our major benefactors has been unable (Continued on page 4) to continue their financial support, leaving us --In economics, private and state capitalism bring without money to renew the lease on the Farm, about an unjust distribution of wealth, for the profit an amount of £12,000. With the winter setting motive guides decisions. Those in power live off the in, we are also in urgent need of heating oil at a sweat of others' brows, while those without power are robbed of a just return for their work. Usury (the cost of £1,700, as well as new kitchen charging of interest above administrative costs) is a cupboards and damp proofing at a cost of major contributor to the wrongdoing intrinsic to this £2,500.

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