Unveiling the Light

Today’s news is all about the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It recaps how bad this disaster was and how much of the damage remains in New Orleans. Interspaced with this we have new hurricane watches as the nation braces itself for the next disaster. It this does not get you nervous enough, recent programs have speculated about killer tsunamis off the West Coast, levee collapses in Northern California, earthquakes, and even a super volcanic eruption in Yellow Stone. We seem to be a nation braced and waiting for disaster.

The reality is that we live in one of the most peaceful eras of our history and that our standard of living and economy have never been so good. We are a prosperous nation that is growing in strength. Our young people are able to plan out their lives without consideration of involuntary service in the military and with little chance of catastrophic economic or world events interfering in their lives. We are living longer, retiring earlier, and have freedom that is unmatched in the world to go where we want, when we want, and to do pretty much what we want. Yes, we have had some major disturbing events such as 9-11 and the Iraq war, but these pale in comparison to what past generations have faced up to.

Why then does it seem that we look at the world with fear, waiting for the next disaster to occur? Why are we so unable to enjoy our blessings but keep looking to what might go wrong? We have little faith in our government with both the presidency and congress receiving near record low approval ratings. We have even less faith in those that report the news and seem to expect that those wielding power are corrupt and inept. How did past generations make it through world wars, nuclear bomb scares, epidemic sicknesses and social upheaval when we seem to have such a hard time accepting what is, by comparison, golden years in our country’s history?

Along the same lines, why do so many Americans mourn so loudly for the loss of a celebrity? When Princess Diana died, many reacted with deep grief, as if they had lost a dear friend. The same happened with John Lennon and other great celebrities. These people were popular and part of our culture, but we did not have a personal relationship with them and they, for the most part, were unaware even of our existence; yet we mourned as if we had lost a brother or sister.

Could it be that when we fret over possible disasters, we allow ourselves to feel helpless and victimized? Certainly we did not cause the disaster that could affect us so much. But while we join in the suffering of the small minority actually affected by disaster, we allow ourselves the indulgence of victim hood even while we fail to take action in these areas of our lives where we could head off disaster. We excuse ourselves where we can make a difference and fall victim to circumstances we cannot control.

By "suffering" at the loss of celebrities we find a safe means of expressing ourselves without risking true emotional pain. Our feelings cannot be labeled inappropriate by celebrities who do not know us and we are able to control the emotions to save ourselves from feeling real pain. It is easier to feel frightened for the fate of thousands of people on the opposite end of the country than to examine our own relations with spouse, family, and friends. It is easier to feel loss for a social icon than to examine and realize the loss of people who are or should be truly important in our own lives. We protect and excuse ourselves by concentrating on those things we cannot control and which do not affect us directly, while avoiding issues and people with whom we have real influence and who can make us vulnerable to true pain.

This all comes down to the lack of family and community relations so prevalent in the West. We have constantly held high the idea of stoicism, the philosophy that we can individually bear and endure all, without depending on others. We have isolated ourselves in our homes, cars and private offices and shun public events that call for us to get involved. "Leave me alone with my life," seems to be our motto. So we live within ourselves, enduring problems alone and keeping our emotions to ourselves; until a celebrity faces tragedy or a disaster hits somewhere. Then we allow ourselves to feel part of something that has little to do with us. We retain full control and when we express our inner feelings it is in a controlled and safe manner. How much safer can we be than when we align ourselves with people who have no relations with us?

One of the tasks of the Church today is to reconnect people with each other. We are called to live in connected families, within supportive communities. We are called to be part of something larger than ourselves. This means we have to extend ourselves towards others and lend ourselves to those in need. Such action means giving up some control or perhaps realizing that our attempts at control are futile anyway. Life is full of surprises and challenges. By engaging them on a personal basis we allow ourselves to grow as human beings. By seeking unity with others in real relationships we are challenged to grow and obtain new understandings. Life is a continual learning process and only those who engage in this education will find true happiness.

In the Church we follow the lead of Jesus who is always found among disciples, crowds and the needy. Jesus allowed himself to become part of the lives around him. He extended himself and made himself vulnerable as He sought out the good in people. He suffered for doing so but never strayed from his path. Where would we be if Jesus kept to himself and only mourned events happening far away? Where would we be if He decided to retain full control and not become vulnerable to the people around him? There would be no crucifixion, no Resurrection and no hope for human kind.

Jesus is the example we are supposed to follow. By fully engaging life, close and personal, we learn about ourselves and those who journey with us. When we realize that life is not ours to control, we begin to place our trust where it belongs, in God. "Let go and let God." This fine slogan tells us to let go of control so that we can allow God to work in our lives. It tells us to not be afraid to engage life. Indeed, we need to embrace it all; the good and the bad; the joy and the pain, the life we are given and the death that awaits us. It is all good if it is all lived to the fullest in God. Then we have no need for false mourning, exaggerated danger or other escapism techniques. We will have God and life and that is all we need. That is what life is all about.

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have been out of the blog loop lately. In fact, I have been out of most loops lately. Instead, I have been experiencing a lesson God seems to give out so well, for the betterment of myself and others, so long as we accept the lesson and are open to God's will. Least I become overly satisfied with myself, my work or my influence, I can now reflect that all of my plans, all of my intentions, and even all of my anticipation of an upcoming vacation; all of these things tumbled down and were disrupted due to the efforts of a single, lowly spider.

What I thought was a touch of flu and a sore ankle was slowly revealed to be the effect of a spider bite which became infected and landed me in Feather River Hospital for 10 days. After cutting my vacation short and returning from Oregon, I stopped at the emergency room at our local hospital and found myself feverish, tired, being pumped full of antibiotics, and finally undergoing an operation on my ankle to clean out the wound and infection. I am now released and at home but only with home health care continuing to change the bandage on the wound which had to be left open and with twice daily infusions of antibiotics. During my enforced absence I discovered that not only can the world operate just fine without me, but so can the wonderful staff and volunteers at my parish. Of course, the blog world hardly noted my absence.

I don't want to overstate this with false humility. The parish staff and volunteer boards are happy to have me back, even on a limited basis and I have stayed involved thanks to their great communication; but I have also come to better understand just how any success I may have is due to these people who dedicate themselves so much to the work of God, are willing to share their competence with their community and their willingness to take on more responsibility and work in my absence.

In my sickness God gave me several lessons. He taught me that I can back off more and trust others to get things done ... often better than I could. He demonstrated that I need to take better care of myself. God also revealed to me just how blessed I am to be part of the community of St. Thomas More and the wider community of Paradise and Magalia. Also, once again God reminded me of just how dependent I am on others and that I need to trust them even more. Yes, it makes one vulnerable to being hurt and to things not going exactly as we might have wished, but it also opens up entirely new possibilities that only come about when others are empowered to act on their faith and skills.

As usual, it is in sickness that I found my strongest connection to God. It is in this vulnerable condition that I place myself entirely into His hands and allow God to work through those around me. Sickness allows me to understand that I am part of something much bigger than myself and that if God wants it done, it will be. If I am working only from my own agenda, then all the prayer in the world only serves to further block me from God's Grace. My sickness reminded me that it is God's will that will be done, not mine.

I imagine that many others have experienced the same feelings during time of serious illness or major change in their lives. The key is for us to remember these lessons and to carry what we learn into our life, perhaps especially when we are feeling good about ourselves or our work. We need to remember that nothing we earn, create or work for in this world is truly ours and that that we bring none of it with us when our time here ends. That means that the only things that really count in life are its intangibles.

Thus it is not what we build but how we build it, not what we accomplish but how we do so. Do we include and empower others? Are we looking for the good of many or the glory of a few? Do we make long lasting friends? Do we keep our priorities on families and on those who depend on us? Are we going to leave this world in better shape that when we entered it? Do we do noble things with our lives, take sometimes unpopular stands for the truth, and always seek justice and peace in our affairs with others? These are the things that make life good and these are the things that not only enrich our lives but enrich all the lives we come into contact with.

Don't wait for illness or approaching death to reveal what is important. Those things of most importance are the relationships of our lives and the people we share our lives and faith with. It is the love we share and the trust we give. What is important are those things that can seem to make us more vulnerable as we become more connected with those around us; but which in reality expose us to the good in the world and God's love at work. God is good and God cares. God may not react the way we hope and expect but God does love us and does look out for us, although sometimes in mysterious ways.

I finish this entry by giving thanks to God for the blessings in my life. I thank God for the many friends I have made here who have made me realize just how rich I have become once I let go of the need for material richness. I thank God for the caring nurses, aids, doctors, custodians and staff at our local hospital. I give thanks that our small community is so well served by Feather River Hospital and I give thanks for God opening my eyes to see how He is constantly at work in this community which I have come to love so much.

I thank God for the healing that he has given me in my life, and for the physical healing I am undergoing at this time. Mainly, I thank God for being God and for making me part of His creation. I am not a god; I have no reason to want to be one. I have a God who loves me and reaches out to us all. It’s just that sometimes we need a little tragedy in our lives to understand our blessings. So as I now recover from this bout with infection, I give thanks to God for revealing to me once again the blessings in my life: the blessings of people who care, who share their love and who seek to heal and do well. Thank you God for making me sick so that I could experience your healing where and when I was not even looking for it! Help me to make the most of it. Help us all to have this realization of your presence and blessing and help us all to make the most of it.

God bless you all,
Father Steven Foppiano

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you have a strong heart and haven't eaten yet, take a look at the blog, EUReferendum at http://eureferendum.blogspot.com. Look up the article, "Who is this Man." The author gathers pictures of the Quana massacre and the time the pictures were taken and analyses the people involved. He shows how the dead children are being "posed" for pictures. In all of the pictures, which made the headlines across the world, the same "rescue workers" are pictured, sometimes in different dress. Once the man's camouflage and body armor were showing, and sometimes he had different roles in various pictures.

The papers involved have issued a rebuttal but I am still unconvinced that these children and women were not put into this shelter knowing that it would be hit. There were no men in the shelter. Where were they? Whether the time line on the pictures holds up or not, it is clear that the terrorists are exploiting these deaths for their own propaganda use. This is especially true as they are using civilians as human shields in hopes of holding off strikes by Israel.

There are a lot of issues at play in the Middle East but what bothers me about the situation is the utter lack of regard for human life shown by the terrorists. Any people who would turn their own children into human bombs or use their deaths for propaganda have gone beyond my imagination for human behavior. One could say that the Jewish forces are showing a lack of regard for Lebanon deaths but at least they are targeting military sites and are even allowing Lebanese to use Jewish hospitals.

One side is intent on killing any Jews, regardless of the slaughter it causes among its own people while the other is trying to save its people while adapting methods to minimizing the deaths of innocents in a hostile nation. The rockets used by Hezbollah cannot be precisely aimed. Like the V-1 and V-2 rockets of Hitler, they are imprecise and thus are weapons of terror to be used against civilians.

What bothers me is how do we negotiate or deal with a people with such hate in their hearts? Recently they held another “Day of Rage,� a common practice to build up the hate of the people towards the Jews. How does peace have a chance in such an environment? I have no doubt that there are issues of justice and opportunity that need to be addressed for the Palestinian and Lebanese people but how do you address such issues with someone who wants nothing more than to kill you? Syria is a backer of the terrorists and has a long history of breaking agreements and outright lying. Iran spews nothing but hate and destruction towards Israel and the entire West, especially the United States. Who do you negotiate with? Who is the voice of reason on the other side?

Posted by Fr Steven Foppiano at 03:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)