MINISTRY ISSUE Beware of Lay Clericalism RUSSELL SHAW OF MANY THINGS Published by Jesuits of the United States n the aftermath of the vile murder, in an execution, or in cancer, or in 106 West 56th Street the Gospels tell us, the disciples AIDS, or war. Now that’s hard. You New York, NY 10019-3803 are bewildered, in shock, angry, want to find God in nature? Try finding Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596 I Subscriptions: 1-800-627-9533 ashamed, numb, empty. Jesus, the one God in a tsunami or a crop failure. www.americamagazine.org in whom they had hoped, is gone. That’s hard. facebook.com/americamag Worse still, most of them had turned Who can blame these disciples twitter.com/americamag and run away rather than face the hour for their doubts? Doubt, after all, is of danger. In the day following Jesus’ not the opposite of faith. Certainty PRESIDENT AND EDITOR IN CHIEF Matt Malone, S.J. burial, some of them are still running; is the opposite of faith. Faith cannot EXECUTIVE EDITORS two have even left Jerusalem, en route be separated from doubt any more Robert C. Collins, S.J., Maurice Timothy Reidy than Easter Sunday can be separated to a place called Emmaus, a town about MANAGING EDITOR Kerry Weber from Good Friday. The Lord himself seven miles northwest of Jerusalem. LITERARY EDITOR Raymond A. Schroth, S.J. After all, why would they stay? It’s all acknowledges this when he says, “How SENIOR EDITOR AND CHIEF CORRESPONDENT over, isn’t it? Did the White House staff slow of heart you are to believe all that Kevin Clarke stay in Dallas after President Kennedy the prophets spoke.” EDITOR AT LARGE James Martin, S.J. died? Of course not. And who could blame us for doubting POETRY EDITOR Joseph Hoover, S.J. We can imagine what these two as these two did? We live in a world not ASSOCIATE EDITOR AND VATICAN CORRESPONDENT might have said to each other in the totally unlike theirs. The world is still Gerard O’Connell couple of hours the trip to Emmaus beset by sin and injustice. How often ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ashley McKinless ASSISTANT EDITORS Francis W. Turnbull, S.J., Olga would have taken: “It wasn’t supposed have we picked up the newspaper, read Segura, Joseph McAuley to be like this. It wasn’t supposed to about another scandal in our beloved ART DIRECTOR Sonja Kodiak Wilder happen this way.” Yes, we can easily church and said to ourselves: “It’s not COLUMNISTS Helen Alvaré, John J. Conley, S.J., imagine saying such things, mainly supposed to be like this. It wasn’t Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., James T. Keane, John W. supposed to happen this way”? Martens, Bill McGarvey, Angela Alaimo O’Don- because we have all said them. And nell, Margot Patterson Finding God in all things is hard, but what the two say next is even more CORRESPONDENTS familiar and poignant: “We were hoping it’s not impossible. The Jesuit Howard John Carr (Washington), Jim McDermott, S.J. that he would be the one to redeem Gray once wrote that “God is found (Los Angeles), Timothy Padgett (Miami), Steven Schwankert (Beijing), Judith Valente (Chicago), Israel.” Like you, I know that voice. It wherever love is needed the most.” If Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M. (U.S. Church) is the voice of grief: “We were hoping.” Father Gray is right, then we know MODERATOR, CATHOLIC BOOK CLUB How many of us have uttered these why Jesus appears to the two disciples: Kevin Spinale, S.J. same words? “We were hoping that They need him. They need his love. So EDITORIAL E-MAIL [email protected] he would live long enough to see his Jesus ministers to them by healing their granddaughter graduate.” “We were wounded hearts. “Then they said to each PUBLISHER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER hoping that they would find a cure in other, ‘Were not our hearts burning Edward Spallone time.” “We were hoping that he would within us while he spoke to us on the DEPUTY PUBLISHER come home.” Like so many of you, I way?’” Rosa Del Saz know from experience that mourning is “Rejoice,” the psalmist enjoins us: VICE PRESIDENT/ADVANCEMENT the loneliest place in the world. “Rejoice! And let your hearts be glad; Daniel Pawlus DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR The Jesuits have a pithy motto that abide in confidence.” For the Lord’s Kerry Goleski is supposed to sum up our approach to promise, the promise he makes to us, OPERATIONS STAFF spirituality: “Finding God in all things.” the promise he made and kept to our Chris Keller, Glenda Castro, Judith Felix In fact, it is this motto that informs forebears on the road, in the upper ADVERTISING CONTACT this special issue on ministry. Yet the room and on the Vatican hill, is nothing [email protected]; 212-515-0102 less than the gift of himself, crucified SUBSCRIPTION CONTACT/ADDITIONAL COPIES phrase is often misunderstood. People [email protected]; will tell me, for example: “I find God and risen, in spirit and in sacrament; 1-800-627-9533 in all things. Like in nature. I find God he is the blessed hope, always ready in the sunset.” Well, that is a beautiful to reach inside and restart our broken © 2014 America Press, Inc. thought, and I find God there too. The hearts, to rejoice in our triumphs and truth though is that just about anybody bear with us in our hopes—no matter where we are on the road to Emmaus. Cover: Catholic Charities helps in Baton Rouge, can find God in a sunset. It’s not that La., after Hurricane Isaac, in September 2012. hard. You want hard? Try finding God MATT MALONE, S.J. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities. Contents www.americamagazine.org VOL. 211 NO. 8, WHOLE NO. 5062 SEPTEMBER 29, 2014 MINISTRY ISSUE 16 GO AND DO LIKEWISE Lessons from the parable of the Good Samaritan Amy-Jill Levine 19 EVERYONE’S VOCATION Calling for an end to lay clericalism Russell Shaw 22 UNSUNG MIRACLES Catholic Charities fights poverty ‘one family at a time.’ Thomas J. Healey 25 LITURGY ON THE HOURS So many Masses, so little time Frank D. Almade COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 16 4 Current Comment 5 Editorial Reconstructing Gaza 6 Reply All 9 Signs of the Times 14 Washington Front Finding Hope in a ‘Messy’ World John Carr 27 Vatican Dispatch Bit by Bit, A World at War Gerard O’Connell 28 Faith in Focus Prison Possibilities Valerie Schultz 39 The Word The Vineyard Grows John W. Martens 19 BOOKS & CULTURE 30 FILM “Last Days in Vietnam” OF OTHER THINGS The Tangled Web BOOKS The Death and Afterlife of the North American Martyrs; Redeemer; A Call to Action; Contested Land, Contested Memory ON THE WEB The debut of ‘America Films’: a video profile of graduation ceremonies at the Red Cloud Indian School on the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota. Full digital highlights on page 21 and at americamagazine.org/webfeatures. 30 CURRENT COMMENT 14th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act by eliminating Belaboring Child Labor voting periods favored by African-Americans. Toxic working conditions, no living wage, 12-hour It is important to make voting more accessible to workdays—a sweatshop circa 1900? In fact, it is the members of minorities and low-income citizens who may economic reality of 2014, not just for adults, but for children, have trouble taking off time to vote during working hours. and not just in the developing world, but right here in the It is a sad commentary on the state of U.S. politics when United States. something as fundamental to the democratic process as A recent report about a 13-year-old girl working in North casting a vote is made a partisan issue. Over the past three Carolina tobacco fields—under conditions even an adult decades early voting has been expanded in the name of voter should not endure—is shocking. More shocking is that it is convenience with little controversy. Today, in Ohio and perfectly legal for her to do so. Today young immigrants and other states where similar issues are being fought over in the children of migrants often perform jobs no one else will do courts, legislators need to reach across the aisle to establish in order to help their families survive in difficult economic early voting regulations, encourage maximum participation times. In 2011 the Obama administration sought to ban and restore confidence in the election process. work in tobacco fields for those under 16, but was thwarted by Republican lawmakers and farm groups. Though some tobacco companies restrict the use of child labor, their Protecting Human Dignity growers, contractors and workers find ways to get around At the end of August, the California Legislature labor and safety regulations. unanimously approved a bill that its crafters hope will set The United States is not the only country where child a precedent for combatting sexual assault on campus.As labor is an issue. One in 10 Syrian refugee children in summarized by The San Jose Mercury News (8/28), Senate Turkey have to work to support their families. And while a Bill 967—nicknamed the “Yes Means Yes” bill—”would U.N. convention sets 14 as the minimum age for work, in require all colleges taking student financial aid funding from July Bolivia became the first nation to pass a law permitting the state to agree that in investigations of campus sexual 10-year-olds to work.