Voices that Challenge
JANUARY 31ST, 2010 — FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
JEREMIAH 1:4-5, 1 CORINTHIANS 12:31-13:13, LUKE 4:21-30
Dear Friends,
This week we saw the passing of Howard Zinn, peace activist and civil rights activist. He asked, "What happens after the war?" (He was actually speaking about the Vietnam War, but it could apply to any war.) His response was, "Perhaps the time has come to bring an end to war and turn the human race onto a path of health and healing." He was fond of quoting Albert Einstein who, in response to a friend saying 'I wish we could humanize war' said, 'you can't humanize war, you can only abolish it!'
The sending forth song for our Eucharist this week is "Voices that Challenge" by David Haas. This song resonates with the words of first reading and the Gospel, where God is sending first Jeremiah and then Jesus and now us to be voices that challenge. Having prayerful hearts helps us to live on God's wave-length and listen to our hearts telling us how specifically to be voices that challenge in our everyday lives. Maybe, it's at home or work, when we say, "Do you really mean that?" or "I'm sorry that I hurt you." Maybe it's in public, when we stand up for someone who is being made fun of or discriminated against. Maybe it is standing up for what we believe in when we may be bucking the crowd. Jesus models both comforting the afflicted and, in today's Gospel, afflicting the comfortable.
The words of a Catholic Peace and Justice Prayer Service below lift up some other voices that challenge right in our midst:
I am a U.S. soldier on active war duty in Iraq, proud, but wonder why I'm here.
I am a service person's spouse at home trying to hold life together.
I am an Afghanistan villager and just want to live in peace and safety and raise children.
I have my family in Pakistan and don't know who to trust and where to find safety.
I am an angry frustrated Muslim with no options in life.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I have a disease and no health insurance.
I have sick children and can only go to ER's and free clinics.
I have insurance but they won't cover my desperate need.
I am broke and buried in debt due to years of expensive care.
I am a frustrated doctor because my patients' insurance carriers won't cover their needs.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am homeless and my city, county, state, and country are all broke too.
I am a single parent skipping prescriptions in order to pay rent and heat.
I am a little school boy trying to not let the others know my family is homeless.
I am on welfare assistance and don't understand the world I see on TV.
I am dining at a soup kitchen while professional ball players are striking for more millions.
I support my kids by selling myself for sex.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I lost my job months ago and my unemployment compensation just ran out.
I can't find a job because of my age and lack of skills.
I am being deported by my children were born here.
I moved here because I'm hungry and want to have a chance.
I am a citizen but can't find work.
I am a small employer and can't afford steep wages.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I love music but my school dropped it.
I love art, but our art teacher left.
I have special needs but can't find help.
I have to work and don't have time to study.
I have great grades but even with aid can't afford college.
I go to school with policemen in the hallways.
I dropped out because gang life makes me rich.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I come from the poorest of villages in Africa and nobody else cares that we're being killed.
I can't find anywhere safe for me and my family to live in our land.
I am a North Korean in poverty while our leaders march the army and build missiles.
I am Iranian and afraid Israel and the US will attack.
I wonder why other nations get to have nuclear weapons, but say we can't.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am from the future and wonder why you didn't save the land, water, air, plants and animals for
me – we're dying now and it would have been so easy for you to act.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am a right wing conservative activist who hates all these liberal immoral socialists.
I am a left wing liberal activist who hates all these selfish unfeeling nay-sayers.
I go to church every week, sing the hymns and repeat the prayers, but want the peace
and justice people to leave me alone.
Do I Practice in Word and Deed the Faith I profess? Pray For Me!
I am a service person's spouse at home trying to hold life together.
I am an Afghanistan villager and just want to live in peace and safety and raise children.
I have my family in Pakistan and don't know who to trust and where to find safety.
I am an angry frustrated Muslim with no options in life.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I have a disease and no health insurance.
I have sick children and can only go to ER's and free clinics.
I have insurance but they won't cover my desperate need.
I am broke and buried in debt due to years of expensive care.
I am a frustrated doctor because my patients' insurance carriers won't cover their needs.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am homeless and my city, county, state, and country are all broke too.
I am a single parent skipping prescriptions in order to pay rent and heat.
I am a little school boy trying to not let the others know my family is homeless.
I am on welfare assistance and don't understand the world I see on TV.
I am dining at a soup kitchen while professional ball players are striking for more millions.
I support my kids by selling myself for sex.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I lost my job months ago and my unemployment compensation just ran out.
I can't find a job because of my age and lack of skills.
I am being deported by my children were born here.
I moved here because I'm hungry and want to have a chance.
I am a citizen but can't find work.
I am a small employer and can't afford steep wages.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I love music but my school dropped it.
I love art, but our art teacher left.
I have special needs but can't find help.
I have to work and don't have time to study.
I have great grades but even with aid can't afford college.
I go to school with policemen in the hallways.
I dropped out because gang life makes me rich.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I come from the poorest of villages in Africa and nobody else cares that we're being killed.
I can't find anywhere safe for me and my family to live in our land.
I am a North Korean in poverty while our leaders march the army and build missiles.
I am Iranian and afraid Israel and the US will attack.
I wonder why other nations get to have nuclear weapons, but say we can't.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am from the future and wonder why you didn't save the land, water, air, plants and animals for
me – we're dying now and it would have been so easy for you to act.
God, who created and loves me, upholds me in dignity. Pray For Me!
I am a right wing conservative activist who hates all these liberal immoral socialists.
I am a left wing liberal activist who hates all these selfish unfeeling nay-sayers.
I go to church every week, sing the hymns and repeat the prayers, but want the peace
and justice people to leave me alone.
Do I Practice in Word and Deed the Faith I profess? Pray For Me!
As always, The Spirit of Life Community invites you to come and share in the experience of an inclusive Catholic community where every voice is heard, and women and men are unafraid to acknowledge the equality of women and men; and to embrace feminine as well as masculine... and beyond... images of God. As a community, we try wholeheartedly to "be Christ" to one another, to tend to the needs of one another, and to those in need in our world. Together, we celebrate our belief that we are being transformed by God's grace as we gather together in prayer. We warmly invite you to come and gather with us at our Table, and join in our experience of the "kin-dom" of God. We are an inclusive, open, affirming and interactive community, deeply committed to being a people of "justice and joy."
With prayers for peace... and "music in your hearts,"
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