No. 9 THE April 2019 CABRINI COMMUNICATOR A newsletter by and for the St. Frances Cabrini Community Cabrini Confirmation Candidates Share Their Impressions, page 26 We the people of St. Frances Cabrini are a searching community of wounded healers. We are called by God to live the non-violent love of Christ in our community action and personal lives. We exercise active leadership in the life of our community. We express and understand ourselves in Eucharist, worship, religious formation, and social consciousness and action. – The St. Frances Cabrini Mission Statement Ramblings About Hope n her article entitled, “Hope Isn’t a long pause, Warren asked, ‘Would you does that leave the bewildered believer Only About the Future,” published agree that true happiness is to enjoy the who cannot see the future and whose Iin the Sunday edition of the New York present without anxious dependence on lantern casts light only backward, onto Times December 30, 2018, author Kate the future?’” the path she has already taken?” Bowler stated, and I quote, “Christian Now, allow me to pause here and Kate Bowler’s article forces each of theology has rich categories for the ask you, the reader, to simply raise your us to look at ourselves and ask, “from future, about the kingdom of God hands high, after I repeat this question whence comes my hope?” turning the world on its head . my for you, if you think your answer to Now, this surely seems a totally fellow believers assured me that my this question would be “YES.” So, here unrelated and perhaps even silly interrupted life would be finished in goes the question she was asked, but I allegory, but in that same New York heaven. Satisfaction guaranteed!” End repeat it for you: “Would you agree that Times Sunday paper, just below Kate of quote from Kate Bowler. You see, true happiness is to enjoy the present Bowlers’ article, my attention was Kate Bowler at age 35, had just been without anxious dependence on the grabbed by another headline, “Saving diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. Her future?” Bees with Mushrooms.” There’s HOPE! new diagnosis, as she states it, “. did Now when Kate Bowler was asked A mycologist, an expert in mushrooms, not point toward the future anymore.” that question by her reverend-doctor had discovered that we could save our Kate Bowler was at that time an friend Warren, who even wore his dying honey bees with an extract from associate professor at Duke Divinity clerical collar on Tuesdays, she did not some of the 140,000 different species of School, and she had authored a book answer him, but rather she asked him mushrooms. Hope. I felt hope for the entitled, “Everything Happens for a a question as her answer. She said, world, because if we save our bees, the Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved,” “I’m really hoping you are going to tell bees will save us from starvation—bees and she was host of the podcast me that Jesus said that,” and then she are responsible for pollinating a huge called “Everything Happens.” Most immediately asked, “This is a trap, isn’t proportion of our food supplies! There’s of us would regard her as quite an it?” HOPE! There’s a hopeful future! accomplished woman with so much The Reverend Doctor Warren On the same page, another article hope and promise for a long bright replied, “That was Lucius Seneca, was headlined, “India’s Women Rise future. the ancient philosopher of Stoicism,” Up!” There’s hope for Indian women. And her Christian friends’ “version and, after laughing a bit, Dr. Warren Female journalists had denounced one of hope,” as she states it, “was an act of stated, “Look, it takes great courage of their male colleagues who had preyed deferral to a time and a cosmic place to live as if each day counts. That was for years on young female reporters. were God would make all things right.” a fundamental insight of Stoicism. But Their persistence forced him to But... she wrote, “...the sicker I became, we Christians are a people who must resign from his then position as a the more ‘hope’ was a word that live into the future.” I repeat: “...We cabinet minister! There’s HOPE! pointed to the unbearable: a husband Christians are a people who must live A group of Indian nuns stood up and a baby left behind, an end without into the future.” for one of their own as she accused a an ending. I was confident that hope The Stoics considered time to bishop of sexually assaulting her; these had its uses, but I began to think of it be cyclical, an eternal recurrence of nuns forced the church hierarchy and as a kind of arsenic that needed to be motion from fire through the creation the police to take the crime seriously. carefully administered. As far as I was of elements back to fire again; the They gave victims HOPE! concerned, it poisoned the sacred work Enlightenment saw time as the arena Devotees of one of southern India’s of living in the present... I wanted to be of progress, a moral motion toward most popular Hindu pilgrimage sites alive until I was not.” improvement and perfectibility. Much organized protests to open the shrine As Kate Bowler shared her views of Christian theology rests on the to women! There’s HOPE! with her friend Warren, who she image of God as the ultimate reality Even Bollywood stars have dropped describes as “the reverend doctor beyond time and space, the creator of the glittery façade, sharing their stories who even wears his clerical collar on a past, present and future where all of harassment and abuse! There’s Tuesdays,” she told Warren that she’d exists simultaneously in the Divine HOPE! “given up on the future.” Then, “... after Mind. But, Kate Bowler asks, “Where 2 Ramblings About Hope Again, on the same pages where Care About the Climate!” There’s Kate Bowler’s article ended, yet HOPE! Friends another article stirs up HOPE for In polls of both Democrats and the future! Sarah Jaffe, author of the Republican voters, not politicians, but Denny and Kenny were fraternal book, “Necessary Trouble: Americans voters, the polls all demonstrated that twins, with rhyme being the in Revolt,” states, “...discipline sustains not only a wide majority of Democrats only thing they had in common, organizers who often grind away but also at least a 52-56% majority, a like puppies from a rescue unseen for years. This is, most of the simple majority yes, but a majority litter. Denny kept the packs of time, what unions and working people’s nevertheless, of Republican voters are cigarettes we thugged in his white organizations do: make connections... worried about and WANT our Congress canvas newspaper bags securely wrapped around the handlebars and HOPE the sparks they light will to do what we have to do to both on his Schwinn where Gene catch and burn,” and spread—HOPE! mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic and Esther never cared to look. On December 15, 2018, 50,000 climate change, to reverse what we’ve Big Bob appreciated the security people marched in the streets of Los been doing to utterly destroy the planet of remote storage. Though the Angeles alongside the nation’s second we believe God gave to us, to live in, to largest of all of us, becoming largest local teachers’ union. These thrive in, to love and praise God. Now, All City Tackle, he was afraid to teachers are fighting not just for a for me, that’s what? That’s HOPE! sneak them home under Lou’s higher wage but also, unapologetically, So, I leave you with the question nose; not a worry as his dad for racial and economic justice. You see, the Reverend Doctor Warren, the couldn’t smell much after a day their schools are 95 percent minority theologian and pastor who even wears on his route delivering fresh and over 85 percent low income. his clerical collar on Tuesdays, when he frozen fish. I always left mine They’re fighting for what their students asked Dr. Kate Bowler: by the cedar bushes next to the deserve: Schools with nurses and “Would you agree that true happiness garage where they were handy. counselors, arts funding, smaller classes, is to enjoy the present without anxious Doug smoked too, but in his ethnic studies programs, and enough dependence on the future?” Eagle Scout uniform encrusted with all the achievement badges, school supplies so that teachers don’t – Bill Christ have to spend their own money to buy he looked silly. Bikes soon turned supplies for their students. You see, they to hot cars, made even hotter by have HOPE for the future! Larry who brought his Dad’s tools You might be thinking I’m only from their garage on the East side marketing the New York Times. NO, I of town saving us a lot of money in stripped gears and blown am not! But I love the NY Times for its clutches that none of us could truth-telling. It gives me HOPE! afford otherwise. Eventually, they So, to that end, ONE more example, A Prayer left for The Jungle, one by one, if you will, please. with their Marlboros rolled up That same December 30, 2018 God grant me the Serenity to accept my in their sleeves, James Dean like, Sunday New York Times newspaper leaving their cars up on blocks, had yet another article that gives me tremor and imbalance.