Blog (Page 34)
Rethinking Privilege
With seven of us children, my parents struggled to keep the bills paid, and it was tacitly understood that we could not squander food or money. As for our house, we grew up in a modest Cape Cod in West Irondequoit. Though we had a happy life there, any one of us would say that the four-bedroom house felt crowded for a while, when we were all young and living at home. I never connected “white privilege” to that house.…
Unity And The Power Of Reading
Scroll down to the bottom not only to see today’s video interview with Melissa Parrish, but also to make comments and to see a suggested reading list posted in a previous blog entry. In today’s first reading, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Paul proclaims a message of unity. And although he is talking to the Jews and the Gentiles, one could imagine Paul urging us today to unify in this manner, as we work toward racial justice. George Floyd’s…
What Am I Called To Do?
Many of us ask God in times of darkness, “What am I called to do?” In today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is in a prison in which he is double-chained, asleep between two soldiers, with guards outside the prison doors. Yet in a dramatic rescue that he thinks is a vision or a dream, Peter escapes. Peter then realizes that he has been rescued by an angel of God. This is the same Peter who…
Sharing the Burden
It’s common for those of us who are white people, perhaps awakened or reawakened to the racial injustice around us right now, to ask, “What can I do to help?” So I want to dedicate some of the blog entries to resources and people who can provide insights and wisdom. If you are not already familiar with the Spiritus Anti-Racism Coalition (SPARC), this group is “a coalition of Spiritus Christi parishioners, other faith communities, local activists, and concerned citizens with…
A Time To Look At The Names
Steve and I are in the midst of reading Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, the top-selling book last week on The New York Times’s list of nonfiction books. As you parishioners who read it and perhaps participated in the discussion of DiAngelo’s book know, the author essentially makes us examine what it is that keeps us from honest conversations about race. DiAngelo also describes the innumerable racist structures in our society that may be invisible to us, unless we are open…
The ‘Beam’ in My Eye
I’ve been struggling for many years to write a short memoir about my grandmother, and I struggle mainly because she is an unfinished story. When I was 8, my parents told me and my six siblings that Grandma had lost her memory and had to be put into a facility that was part of “the State Hospital.” There would be no children allowed for visits. In a flash, grandma’s life effectively ended for me. I didn’t see her again until…
Reflecting on The Lives
A black colleague on an anti-racism coalition told me that a man had been killed in Georgia while jogging. The colleague linked me to a Facebook post. I was annoyed when the link turned out to be a dead end. I searched Google, then The New York Times, and I didn’t see anything. I wondered if the report was true. The next day, the video of the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery emerged, and the news went all over the country.…
Our Beliefs, In Bold Print
For comments, please scroll down to the bottom of this entry. Our son Brian has been home with me and Steve for a few weeks while he works remotely as a freelance musician in and around New York City. With Brian at home, we’ve had a chance to have conversations about the recent killings of black men and women at the hands of white people, and about our work with the Spiritus Anti-Racism Coalition. As you parents of out-of-town adult…
Gratitude
Today’s reflection is written by Brian O’Neill and Mary Ramerman Friday, May 29 from Brian: Thomas Merton said of gratitude, “To be grateful, is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us—and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new…
be gentle
Thursday, May 27 Yoyo Ma is a famous cello player. He says that he is often asked by his students how they should prepare for a performance. He tells them that in order to become a professional musician you will go through years of training, and you will often be critiqued and judged by your teachers. If you get on stage and begin to think about that criticism and then begin to worry about your performance, it will be a…
Serenity
Today’s reflection is written by Brian O’Neill and the banner image is his original artwork. Wednesday, May 27 My personal experience with seeking and maintain serenity has changed over the years as I’ve grown in my spiritual life. I did a search to see how Google defines serenity and the first result was; the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled. That sounds great! I know it would be easy for me to be calm, peaceful, and untroubled on a…
Love
Tuesday, May 26 When I was eighteen years old and attending Humboldt State University in the redwoods of northern California, a speaker came to the college. He was Leo Buscaglia, a professor from USC where he taught the course LOVE 1A. Leo was a large Italian man with a graying beard and dancing eyes and a hearty laugh. For one hour, he captivated his audience of young adults with stories of living life. He told us how after eating a…