Time moves on continuously, yet we are prone to break it down into events such as anniversaries and birthdays and the spans in between. We find these celebrations helpful in stabilizing our world and giving us a sense of control over our lives. New Years Day is not cast in stone in the continuum of time, but in our minds it does have a special significance that cannot be disregarded. We can start afresh with a new year.

Beginnings. Given our western world mentality, our very psychic health can flourish by periods and spans which are cut so distinctly that we can fully recognize and celebrate them during the continuous flow of time. Other cultures and regions begin their calendar year at different seasons or set their celebrations according to the seasons of the year. Our Christmas is established as the full week after the first recognition that days are getting longer in the northern hemisphere, and thus the growing light makes us more joyful and willing to celebrate. We need to put things into bite-sized morsels, and thus we divide and apportion our "calendar year." But we do even more; we talk about sports years starting at different months, garden years, fiscal years, liturgical years, and a mental exercise is finding a new year occurring each month.

Holiday. We need to pause for more than physical rest. We need new starts in our lives and periods for the resolutions which come with a new year. Starting afresh is part of the human condition and is done to some degree at each new rising of the sun, or the start of the week or month. But to start anew on a yearly basis has a more emphatic character. If we take advantage of the event, and not use it as a period of drying out after a rather moist old year celebration, we will find that it becomes a time to organize household and family matters for 2004, to take stock of what has gone right or wrong during the past twelve months, and to make one, yes, just one doable resolution for the coming year.

Holyday. Within the Catholic Christian tradition is a holyday, a day to pray for peace, a day when the name of Jesus is given at his circumcision, a day to give special devotion to Mary as Mother of God, Theotokos. It manifests a reminder of our spiritual past in our sacred Jewish traditions of physically marking a person for God. Jesus is so designated in his life. But in the coming of the God-man we need to see that his mother, Mary, plays a key role in the grand coming which we celebrate during each Christmas season. Mary's title of God-bearer is the most illustrious honor ever given to a mere human being. Yet we know full well that she is a transparent and pure soul, and that this transparency is so perfect that we are invited to enter in and become bearers of divinity in our own calling and life. And this is part of the holy day we celebrate today. On this new beginning of secular matters we superimpose the greater sense of nobility of calling -- which gives us the vital encouragement needed to carry us through 2004.

January 2, 2004 Unclutter 2004

We tend to have unfinished agendas, unkept promises, unstored or underused items, unresolved problems, and uncompleted works of every sort. The average person enters the year with a housecleaning duty hanging heavy over the beginning of the year. What a way to start! Actually, one suggestion for uncluttering our lives is to plan for the time ahead -- a general annual plan which will take certain unfinished projects in a more logical order, and sub-plans of shorter lengths of time to help in a systematic uncluttering process. No doubt, in the course of 2004 unforeseen circumstances will require modifications, but such is life.

Tithe Time for planning. We should have daily plans, weekly plans, monthly plans, yearly plans and then longer term ones involving change of life itself. The tentative nature is more pronounced, the longer the expected span of the time ahead. We more than likely are able to make fairly consistent daily plans for all but a few days this coming year -- though a massive snow storm could disrupt those totally in wintertime. Now, I take along extra reading matter or work in that season since the unexpected will occur and we should not lose our composure when it happens. A basic supply of personal items in the car has proved invaluable when traveling for just such unforeseen eventualities.

Entertainment. Some testify that planning removes our spontaneity and turns us into slaves of our own schedules. That is quite likely if we see the task of planning as a chore. If it is fun, then we are willing to be more flexible, and the plans help organize our days ahead and allow for more systematic handling of routine matters. A more rigid person will not see the fun and thus regard such planning as a straight-jacket. We really could say that we bet against the future happenings and try to allow for the twists and turns of our lives. Yes, plan trips but also need to plan total free time, that is, time not taken up with one or other task and open to what comes. Such times are most memorable.

Realistic goal setting. We are unsure of the future, but we can set some goals as to what can be achieved. I would like to compose an essay a day, but I do not have the time to create a year's worth at one sitting. Instead, one can think ahead of what life may most probably be like a month ahead and each day plan for the moods of that period about 30 days hence. Economic and social changes make live a year from now less predictable, and so setting near-term goals for short essay composition is possible. A book takes years and so we set aside ample long-term time to develop this or that idea. And then pray that within the range of possibility, we have to both work and hope for an achieved goal.

Plan to be, not do. A good argument against excessive planning is that we reduce live to a series of projects, none of which are as important as being who we are. True, and part of the uncluttering process is to become a deeper, more self-assuring and peace-making person who is not detoured by possible clutter.

January 3, 2004 Keeping A Day Book

The new year is a time of many fresh starts. If a resolution has not yet been made, consider one of keeping a "day Book." My great uncle Louis Burke kept a day book with gardening information for sixty years. While it seems somewhat routine and uninteresting, a deeper look into this series allows the insight into his life and ordered manner of living.

Differences. This suggestion is not for a diary, which involves the thoughts and feelings of a given period. Diaries always were mysterious to me. For whom are they written? I guess if there was a clear reader in mind the mystery would be lessened. If a diary is your cup of tea, do it. It is known to lead to recorded spiritual growth and affords a way to process one's inner feelings and reflections. And day books are definitely valuable records for future projects. My problem is that I do much writing through homilies, reflections and letters, and so find that there is little more to say during the course of busy days. In other words, these become an ongoing diary.

Day Book. On the other hand, we do need to keep good records of what occurs on a day-by-day basis. This is a valuable source that I refer back to many times, especially in the latter part of the same year when memory slips a little. Certainly, with all the word processing done, day books could be written electronically, but I find that somewhat tedious for I make entries several times a day. First, I put the plans for the day and note the hour period that they are planned. Since plans will change, the very deletions and crossed out entries prove good records for future reference.

Contents: The final day's record includes the following:

* Major activities of the day which are starred and along with actual time performed. This includes liturgical services, talks, meetings, travels, or projects attended during the day;

* All communications such as letters written, phone calls (or e-mails) sent or received, and major discussions with people which could be abbreviated (confessional materials are excluded);

* Market activities of any sort with prices and code telling what the money is taken from (this has immense value at end of month accounting);

* Books or literature read (I try to complete one a week); and

* Major reflections or change of direction in life (rare except during annual retreat which sometimes I record in a day book. Observations for future reference may be included.

Note: Day books are not meant for everyone, for some may find it burdensome or overly disciplined. Believe me, it helps those of us who are starting to suffer from loss of short-term memory.

January 4, 2004 Rock: Daniel and Danielle

Rock as symbol of security: Rock does not crumble or erode very quickly. A photo at Little Devil's Den at Gettysburg shows the rock in almost the same cracks and indentations as the one we can see first hand over a century later. We know that rocks turn to soil with time, but that is over such a long period that for all intents and purposes rock are considered stable, secure, firm and unmoved. Thus God as our security is seen as rock of the ages, as our rock and security, our anchor, our stepping stone, our point of refuge. In God we trust.

Rock as base of operation. Jesus tells us to build a house on the rock and not on an insecure sandy foundation. What is interested is that we are see God as rock and us as building on the rock for ultimate security. We depend on God and we must work ourselves. The two go together and are not separate: God working and we working together with God's actions. We have to build a household that is secure. Generally two parents are called by God to build such a home and act as rock. Sometimes single parents must perform the task which becomes somewhat harder. In still other cases of breakup or death of parents a third group or the children themselves must construct such a house, a rock of refuge.

Daniel and Danielle. A missionary tells about an impressive team of home-builders in South Africa on a continent with 11 million orphans. They were hardly older than middle school students and yet they were able to do what many in the region were unable due to the many adults deaths caused by AIDS. They had seen their parents die one at a time and were left with only a promise made to their dying mother to stay in their simple little house and hold their family together. This they did with lessons taught them patiently by their parents just before their final sickness and death. First, they were freed of the painful task of going long distances for firewood which was the only source of heating water and cooking for the poor. Instead, they used solar energy in the form of solar cookers to do two things taught by their parents: to cook their soup each day and to heat the water so that it could be drunk by the family.

Foods. The two twins continued the family garden because their parents had taught them when to plant the root crops which could thrive on their soil and would supplement the handouts of flour/soy mix and oil by the local relief agencies. And they did more since they were taught that they could dry leaves of certain trees and plants and grind these up and add to the soup as a protein supplement. And all they while they prayed in a total fashion to the Rock "give us this day our daily bread." For them it meant so very much. And Daniel and Danielle taught the one telling the story a valuable lesson. They could hold the family together by taking turns going to school in the evening and then home school the three young ones at some periods doing the day. Amazingly, the family was holding together.

January 5, 2004 AIDS Epidemic

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Epidemics have occurred often world history, but few have been so widespread and involved so many people as had the AIDS epidemic. Almost thirty million have died as of this writing with about five million new cases of HIV, any of several retroviruses that affect human T-cells and causes AIDS. Currently three-quarters of cases are in Sub-Saharan Africa but the epidemic is spreading rapidly to many lands including India, China and Russia. While only surfacing in 1981. there is yet no vaccine or total cure to date and only expensive treatments to arrest the deterioration of the body's defenses to the disease.

Attitudes. Like so many other outbreaks over the ages, the focus is often placed on the victims, with those stricken abandoned to fate or even regarded as the cause of the catastrophe. Since body fluid contact is the normal conduit of AIDS, all the more opprobrium has been rendered to those who have transmitted or received AIDS through sexual contact or use of drugs paraphernalia. Furthermore, fear of spread through accidental contact makes the victim treated like lepers of old and often ostracized and forced to live in almost inhuman conditions for the remainder of their lives.

Compassion. In a world of competition and disregard for others, this epidemic is a wake-up call for compassion, of suffering with others, of not judging them as to cause of their illness, of taking efforts to ease AIDS sufferers, of spreading the use of lower cost generic treatments for all the poor, and for campaigns of prevention and education such as the highly publicized abstinence campaign in Uganda. Some turn this education campaign into a safe sex campaign which is being hotly debated at this moment, with some saying it is the only solution and others that it is like playing Russian roulette with human lives at stake.

An overview. AIDS will not easily disappear, but a willing world could reduce the spread and impacts. If those who participate in the Trillion Dollar per year military enterprise were really seeking security, they would see AIDS as a weapon of mass destruction and concentrate on arresting its spread. Difficult challenges exist partly due to the size and mobility of our current world's population. If international trade and travel would virtually cease, the speed of AIDS spread would decline. A pessimistic fatalist says that world population stress gives rise to AIDS and this is a natural form of population control -- a horrible thought. Others on the other extreme would say that with proper and plentiful condom dissemination and knowledge, the epidemic would be controlled. That is hardly consolation for current AIDS sufferers and the eleven million African orphans with numbers bound to rise. A realist must pray for controls, for proper treatment of victims, and an educational program stressing the causes and means of avoiding HIV infection. Quo vadis?

January 6, 2004 Epipany: Light to the World

As we consider this feast day we think globally while acting locally. The Epiphany, Christ presented by us to an eagerly awaiting world, is Good News which we must bring -- to refugees newly arrived in South Africa with four millions others from Zimbabwe, to undocumented workers seeking a living wage here; to people in Iraq afraid to journey to market. Just as the Matthew account tell how the wise men bringing precious gifts to lay at the feet of Jesus, so we are to do something which resembles such a journey of faith with a destination, with gifts, and with risks.

A journey of faith. What we do is something Catholic or universal for the gift we bring is to add to those of all people from the farthest reaches of the globe. the gifts were brought in the beginning of the day in far off Oceania and then to India and then Africa and eastern, middle and western Europe. Now it is our turn as Americans to arise and offer gifts. We go but the Earth itself is already going and we journey through space, not on the backs of camels but on the Earth itself. We must take care of this Earth for it is the only one we have.

Destination. Our goal is to reach the Lord and to take all means to do so. It is the holy name of Jesus pronounced by those who came before with such reverence that we seek to follow. In his name all will conquer. We find that name not out there in among the trees of North America on which the early martyrs carved the name Jesu. We find it in our hearts and the hearts of other people who we serve in some manner. Let us find that name and respect it.

Unique gifts. We each bring our own gifts to the altar of God and so often we forget that this is all we have. We do not have everything for we are limited people, and just as the little drummer boy brought his drum and that was what he had, it is the heart from which we give our gifts, and the Lord accepts this gift of mine as all what we have, even though it may not be as materialistic as someone else. Giving without a heart can be just doing an obligation.

Risks. To take a journey of faith is all it is said to be, namely, a journey and not a trip, a tour, an excursion, a hike, a sight-seeing venture, a travel bout, or a moving about. It is more than what these convey. A journey means a day's work "Diurnata" from the Latin "diurnum" or daily portion. Former travel by those coming to these shores involved great risk -- uncertain of lodging, food or security. Like the wise men we are subject to deliberate misdirections, being deceived by destructive human beings, or being forced to make abrupt change of plans.

God is with us. Our journey of faith is one in which we are protected by the divine power in ways we do not always recognize. God is with us as Emmanuel and we can take this journey with a friend and companion, and with others who are on the road together with us. We need to pray for travelers whoever they may be.

January 7, 2004 Annual Health Checkups

Life is precious to each of us, and part of that vital life is our health -- a true divine gift. When present we need to practice our stewardship in two ways: to be thankful for what we have and to see it as not lasting but a precious temporary condition. Thus our health stewardship will be more responsible. Before talking about health checkups in the plural because portions are not inspected by the various specialists in our lives (internal medicine, dentistry, eye examinations, hearing, etc.) and thus multiple appointments need to be made. The "annual" designation is also a consideration especially at the start of the year. With each passing year the frequency becomes all the more important.

Internal medical checkup. I do not like the idea of returning for those annual reviews of my heart, nerves and blood condition. But by writing and hoping that both writer and reader will be able to take the effort to see the doctor on a routine schedule. I do not like the idea that something might be found wrong that I least expect, but how else do we preserve and retain the gift of health?

My sympathy is with people of limited income and lacking in health insurance (about 35 million Americans) for the annual checkup will only remind them that they do not have the resources if something serious is discovered.

Dental examination. Many of us do not have dental coverage in health insurance coverage. For those the dental work is a luxury which can mount up if some chipped teeth needs tending. The bills can mount even if we are not looking for a more perfect smile.

Some suggest a bi-annual dental visit.

Optical care. We all want to see the best we can and so the annual visit is another way of finding out our continued condition. Those of us with on-going eye problems must visit on a more frequent basis.

Frequent blood pressure checks. Machines exist for checking blood pressure in drug stores and supermarket places. That is a good way of finding out whether we are tending to high blood pressure and risk of a heart attack.

Infrequent hearing examinations. It is good to know whether we are accumulating a hearing loss over time. I have found out that I have such a condition in the high frequency. We can take some steps to counter this with proper amplification.

Personal practice review. This does not need a specialist and will cost far less than some health examinations. It is that annual series of questions which need to be answered in the affirmative:

Am I moderate in my alcohol consumption?

Do I get proper amounts of sleep and rest?

Am I careful about eating habits?

Do I refrain from smoking or taking drugs?

January 8, 2004 Africa, the Overlooked Continent

Why? How can the second largest land mass on the Earth go overlooked. In part, it is because of its distance from our shores and thus farther away than the Americas. It is of less economic importance than our trading partners in Asia and Europe and thus perceived as not needed for our security and well-being. It is not like Europe and the Middle East as the origin of our more prosperous citizens. Africa has been regarded as the dark continent, a play of rain forests and wildlife and the unfortunate people who were enslaved before being brought in horrible conditions to America centuries ago. And the problems of those people are so formidable that we prefer to look the other way.

African problems. We turn across the seas to the vast continent and find that through television, jet aircraft and Internet those lands are really not that far away. We find that several key ingredients to our economy depend on African sources and that we take these resources pretty much for granted, playing one country off against another to obtain the lowest prices to the detriment of the farmers and workers in Africa. Three-quarters of the AIDS victims are Sub-Saharan African and most have no access to cures that could retard the advance of the disease. A host of tropical diseases plague Africans more than others as Western drug companies spend the billions on pain killers and diet drugs for the wealthy lands. Africa is besieged with millions of orphans and tens of millions of refugees as tribal wars continue unabated. And the problems go on and on.

Afro-American problems. As we prepare again for the annual celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday we are reminded of the need to address both African and Afro-American problems. Some would say that a color blindness is in order and that keeping racial statistics is out of date. Head-Start cutbacks have affected Afro-Americans more than other groups. Affirmative programs which are needed to correct the accumulated injustices of hundreds of years are being challenged and discarded. True the people of that group has made great economic and political strides, but health wise much more needs to be done. A higher proportion of that race has diabetes, AIDS and heart disease, and die (males), at a younger age on the average. Furthermore, a claim now emerging is that more black Americans are incarcerated between the age of 18 and 35 now than were enslaved from that age group at the start of the Civil War; and, these prisoners work at near slave wages for internal industries, many of which are profit making enterprises.

Actions to take. Few plead for a turning of Federal and charitable support in greater amounts to Africa. While tourism is low in many of those countries, a public awareness through film and literature would make the continent far more inviting. The added music and art of the continent has and will continue to inspire many at this time. We have much to learn by looking more over the African human resources and their people could well become missionaries of better life for our heavily materialistic culture.

January 9, 2004 Travel Planning

The beginning of 2004 is perfect for making remote travel plans. These don'ts should encourage the corresponding do's.

They will be the first of a series of ways we can cease being Ugly Americans when we travel. Reduction of anxiety is a way to being good world citizens.

Passport: Don't overlook checking whether papers are in order.

Learn where American consulates are located in target lands.

Copy your passport number and place in one among personal effects and one with a contact person back in the states.

Travel plans: Don't neglect to plan well for lodging and internal travel. Having said this, don't overplan so that it becomes a hectic schedule. Leave a copy with stateside contacts so they can reach you in case of necessity.

Knowledge: Don't forget to do some basic reading about the country you intend to visit. At least learn the words for "greetings," "thank you," and "good-bye" in the host nation. Carry along both general and detailed maps.

Packing: Don't overpack or underpack. Remember you must lug the materials through customs and try to fit them under seats or in small overheads bins. Lay out the clothes before hand. What is unnecessary? What about warm or cool clothing for climatic changes? Some like to pack so that they can lift a bag with their little finger.

Early Bird: Don't neglect to firm travel plans early. Not only are there often substantial cost savings, but it allows for readjustments in the itinerary with little necessary recontacting hosts in other lands.

Personal items: Don't forget to make a list of essential personal needs. It may be hard to replace medicine in the course of the trip. Lay out needs for the duration and carry items with less weight (partly filled toothpaste or small mouthwash bottle). Think about carrying a "fanny pack" with basic items, though some find it bothersome.

Arrangements: Don't expect last minute help when it comes to airport rides or other travel assistance. Those at home may find it stressful awaiting returning flights more than merely taking someone to the airport at the beginning. Returning flights can be delayed.

Literature: Don't take just any old book. Choose wisely. You may wish to consider literature related to the land being visited. Take along a handy dictionary and basic travel guide materials.

Currency: Don't forget to exchange money at the start of trip.

January 10, 2004 American Chestnut Restoration

"They also grew behind my house, and one large tree, which almost overshadowed it, was, when in flower, a bouquet which scented the whole neighborhood, but the squirrels and the jays got the most of its fruit; the last coming in flocks early in the morning and picking the nuts out of the burs before they fell."

Henry David Thoreau, Walden, (1854).

Remembrances: I have written previously about the sad state of the Castanea americanus or "American Chestnut" blight which decimated all but the few remnants of the magestic tree of Eastern United States. the ghost tree trunk that my father would not allow us to remove was the last memorial to a tree which in his youth was such an important part of our mixed hardwood forest. But apart after deaths we find new life or restoration.

Decimation. In 1904, a fungus disease, Cryphonectria (formerly Endothia) parasitica, believed imported on Asian chestnuts in the 1880's, reached the New York Botanical Gardens. For the next half century it continued a slow progress of destruction which killed millions of Eastern U.S.'s grandest tree.

Few remain today though the roots were not affected and continued to produce sprouts for years, though each dies before maturity.

Fighting back. Early efforts to develop a blight-resistant strain of pure American chestnut failed and were all but abandoned by mid-twentieth century. However researchers found a weaker form of chestnut blight fungus which consists of a virus which is transmitted to virulent strains under certain conditions and allow the trees to survive (hypovirulence). A second method is to backcross American and Chinese chestnut hybrids to breed for resistant chestnuts and by this process to develop a forest from trees with blight resistance. A third method is obtaining resistant chestnuts by transferring to them resistant genes.

Chestnut restoration. Several groups work on this (the American Chestnut Foundation, American Chestnut Cooperators' Foundation and the American Chestnut Regeneration Effort. Paul Gallimore sponsors the American Chestnut Restoration Project (CRP) at Long Branch and regards the group's mission to be returning the American chestnut to its niche as a wildlife provider in the Southern Appalachians. The CRP grows and distributes seedlings to interested growers for forest restoration and edible landscaping, and regards each act of planting tress as an act of hope for the future. CRP uses a backcross of the American chestnut with the Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima).

Activities. People seek and discovering American chestnut survivors; they plant new stands of chestnuts (at least two per setting); they encourage local conservation groups and national and state parks to embark on major chestnut restoration efforts. Join the new crusade and look on the Internet for groups which are research and promoting the return of the American chestnut.

January 11, 2004 Baptism and the Revolution

I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people.

(Isaiah 42: 17)

Isaiah speaks of the Servant of Yahweh, and that voice of so long before has been applied to Jesus and his public manifestation or new epiphany. He is committed to a life of bringing about change in the people, upsetting an established order, announcing justice for all the people, a light to the nations, a liberation of captives. In a very real sense, this is a call to revolution, for the old order is no longer valid. It is time for someone to ignite a fire, and Jesus' baptism is the beginning event.

(ACTS 10:34-38). Peter comes to a realization about his own ministry as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus, now being further extended to all God-fearing nations and peoples. The ramifications of this obedience to the call are hardly known, yet we return over and over to our original call, to the point of a beginning, to the catalyst that sets us on our way. Peter recalls the beginning of Jesus's call to ministry when the Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove and the voice came from the clouds giving a divine stamp of approval. Here Peter speaks in the name of all of us in the Church in saying that our mission is linked to that of the revolutionary call of Christ to begin a process of liberation of the entire world. Peter advances in awareness as part of this liberating process, and the people say "Amen" to this.

Jesus' Call. Jesus goes into the wilderness to be baptized by John, and thus the wilderness is the place for radical change. John is a radical and known to be such, and Jesus forms an association and sides with him so that the establishment of that day would take notice of both radicals. Jesus does not need to be baptized except to fulfill the moment's call. This is not a cleansing as we are cleansed in baptism, but he is seeking to set right the things that are wrong, or bringing justice to the world.

Jesus is led by the Spirit (Matthew 3: 13-17) and springs to life out of the water with the Spirit of righteousness hovering overhead. The divine Godhead speaks. Jesus, the revolutionary, is initiating a response to a call in the springtime of his ministry.

Our Radical Call. We need to enter the spiritual wilderness to associate ourselves with Jesus. We need to divorce ourselves from the connections with the world around us, open ourselves to be led by the spirit to take up the issues of justice in this day so that peace can come to our world divided between the haves and the have nots; that people will have the necessary health benefits needed for a good life, that all workers have proper pay and a fair wage, that youth have proper schooling, that those in prison may soon be liberated, that the many forms of terror be replaced by a sense of hope, and that people everywhere have enough to eat and decent housing. To put these hopes into effect and thus extend the saving power of Christ to others requires us to be true revolutionaries and willing to suffer the consequences.

January 12, 2004 World Trade Organization

World trade would seem to be grouped with such universally acceptable concepts as motherhood and apple pie, but is it? I grew up as a free trade person to the degree I could understand it throughout much of the 20th century. We need to have access to products from another at reasonable costs and without paying tariffs and duties. This makes sense and would allow for a freer flow of goods and services across those artificial boundaries which have so plagued the world for the past few centuries.

Equality. In the back of my mind all through those years were the words of Paul VI who said that unequal partners (economic) may not be free to negotiate together; the lesser one would be at the mercy of those with more power. The establishment of equality comes first or else the transactions would be a mere sham. When it comes to world trade that insight has begun to take root. How could the poor farmers in a small country compete in any meaningful manner with a multinational corporation with immense holdings and an ability to manipulate the economic market for the same goods?

Cancun. We all realize from the news broadcasts that the World Trade Organization met in Cancun, Mexico in early September to discuss trade with the so-called undeveloped and less powerful nations. However, spokespersons from those nations including Guatemalan Nobel peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu called for fair trade as a necessity in this climate of international agreements and negotiations. Demonstrators were again present and showed by their presence and action that they did not want the rich countries to dictate the terms to poorer ones. The skepticism led to open revolt and what was a failure to the ones who came to dictate policy was a victory for the voiceless and under-represented. For once the issues had become global -- even though much of the American media regarded the "breakdown" in talks to be tantamount to a failure on one more political front in 2003.

A new look. Our basic principle in the past is that bulk items should be produced close at home and we should not be shipping water, basic food or fuel great distances. It costs resources and is a source of insecurity. Luxury items are different and could come from other places. Many Americans drink coffee and are even willing to pay quite high prices for it at Starbucks and like places. Yet we know that fluctuating coffee bean prices may hurt small growers who work long days and hardly have enough return to buy bread for their families. Besides advocating herbal drink substitutes, we could acknowledge the legitimacy of coffee drinking and help promote cooperative systems where many small farmers can have a power of organized strength and can obtain a living wage with a minimum price for their beans. Thus we affirm fair world trade, not trade which benefits the few corporate profit-makers. Catholic Relief Services is promoting just such a cooperate program among coffee growers.

January 13, 2004 Hot Beds

Gardening observations. We marvel at the ingenuity of those who came before us in how they were able to make things work. Composting is one of those areas, and the genius of earlier gardeners was that they combined the heat produced by composted materials with sprouting and growing early seedlings for the spring. These gardeners knew that greenhouses were possible but required great care and that unless exceedingly warm by expensive fuel, such artificial environments were really beyond their means. They knew that the floors of animal barns with the manure covered with fresh straw bedding would stay reasonably warm throughout the cold winter nights. By conserving generated heat, the seed could be sprouted and have a jump start over spring sun warmed seeds.

Applications. Gardening with a hot bed perhaps has at least a thousand year practical application in the temperate zones of Europe and the practice can be traced to antiquity. It means the encasing or nesting a bed of soil with composting mature both on the side and the bottom. On our farm the hot beds were constructed by spreading a layer of partly composted cow or horse manure about six inches deep on bare ground and adding several inches of top soil. A series of eight foot long two-by-twelve-inch portable wooden frame were set on the manure bed yielding adjacent four by eight-foot beds around. In turn, these were banked with a plentiful supply of manure up to the level of the slightly inclined frame windows. The vegetable seed layer was thus surrounded by warm composting manure. Our hot bed equipment consisted of single--pane windows but double-pane ones do a more efficient job by conserving heat at night. On warm days the windows were placed ajar for air flow and excess moisture and heat escape. Some plant watering was required during the lengthy growing season.

Records. My great uncle, Louis Burke, (mentioned earlier at the sixty year day book recorder was a highly successful medium sized gardener near Lexington, Kentucky. He writes on January 2, 1922 that he and helpers he made fourteen hot beds using horse manure from nearby horse farms. He certainly had a plentiful supply which was regarded as a troublesome waste. He knew well that the heat of the bed did the work of starting the plants (cabbage, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and others) which would be ready by early spring planting.

Modifications. Many gardeners lack access to composting horse or cow mature. Certain composting materials such as chicken mature prove too hot in composting and could burn seedling roots. Layering with insulation below the hot bed could permit the use of a thinner layer of manure. Double-pane windows will conserved more of the compost generated heat along with heat captured by insolation on sunny winter days. Applying straw bales near the outer perimeter would permit a thinner siding of composting materials as well. Overly composted materials would not generate sufficient heat. Manure used was hot beds can be applied directly to the garden immediately after seedlings are transplanted.

January 14, 2004 Prepare for Snow Storms

I am writing this after a snow which has left a combination of ice and snow on the hill where I am residing. Yet in several hours I am to be four and a half miles away giving my services. My poor driving habits makes it better to walk. Under such circumstances I know no one can totally prepare for the worse, just make the best of it. That is partly true, for plans can make a big difference.

Stay at home. Keep the place stocked with a number of days of food and get a proper supply of fuel to keep reasonably warm and wait out the storm. That is always the best advice and works in most circumstances. The best is to honker down and rest indoors with plenty of drinking water and Vitamin C. With age and the degrees of health conditions the staying at home takes on new meaning. Many older folks simply shouldn't have to get out on the road on snowy days. They don't drive well or find the conditions dangerous to walk about.

When one must travel. That is when the snow storm becomes more uncomfortable. The "having to go" is a relative matter with some people more inclined to take unnecessary dangers in order to fulfill an obligation. The degree of necessity is generally found within a vast array of cancellations awaiting most of the local community activities. But that is the clear cut distinction. Sometimes the services are offered for the few most accessible, and many of us fit in the gray area of partial concern and partial incapacity.

Do the best we can. In case we brave the elements we should have a car with plenty of gasoline and a good heater. For longer trips a sleeping bag, change of clothes and flashlight are helpful. For the walking trip a small backpack should have some basic food for quick energy, a change of clothes and a good book to idle away the waiting time. At all times wear enough clothing with heavier than usual long underwear, proper gloves, cap and boots. What mama told us to do when young kids still applies. If we are in good physical condition we can weather the storm fairly well.

Extra considerations. If we can let's keep a sense of humor and accept the fact that winter is always winter and the unexpected is to be expected. I get some what dismayed every time snow enters a very tight schedule and forces public transportation cancellation or road closures. I prefer to blame the planners of places and events and this can wear upon me and make me anxious when there is little I can really do. But there is no one to blame but myself for getting to a point that we always expect good weather conditions for the many activities undertaken.

A prayer for guidance is a good thing. Should I go out or not. Just how important is my departure from the warmth of home. Seek light and thrust that spring is soon to come. Amen.

January 15, 2004 Soup Makes the Meal

Somehow my thoughts in January turn to soup. I guess there are several reasons for this.

Soup is warm. Granted, cold soups are for helping us endure summer's heat, but it is the steaming ones on cold winter days that more perfectly hit the mark. Winter hikers and outdoor workers or those who had to dig out from a snow drift will testify to this.

We often need quick energy, and a cup of soup will do just that.

Soup is easy. Whether we like to cook or not, we often do not have an infinite store of time. Soup is simply easy to fix but assembling the ingredients and cooking them. It can even be done in a solar food cooker. Here is when we need something warm and the easiest way is to warm a refrigerated soup mix or to create a new soup either from scratch or by adding ingredients to our standard dish.

Soup is creative. Like snowflakes no two soups need have exactly the same taste. Ideas of a variety of vegetables for a twelve ingredient soup are abundant. I once did a calculation and from the vegetables I have grown there can be different combination every day of the year, though some may have to be purchased or brought in from the storage place during the winter months.

Adding spices in various combinations add zing to routine living.

Soup is nutritious. If not overcooked most soup will retain the vitamins and nutrients in the basic ingredients. We generally retain the cooking water, stock and broth in soup and thus have it all in one pot. What is a key is not to add too much salt and thus have excessive amounts present. Often commercial soups are simply loaded with salt and could be avoided by using non-salted puree as a basic ingredient for a number of the combinations.

Soup is perfect for the constitution. In one way the stomach is at peace in the evening for those of us who like to live like kings at breakfast, princes at lunch and paupers at supper. Many of us watch our weight and certain (not all) soups can fulfill this goal. Soup becomes a satisfying meal in the evening and allows us to retire without digestive problems when trying to sleep.

Soup is international. Actually many cultures have soups with their own particular flavors and ingredients. One may add the curry or the chili or the oregano or heaven knows what and think of a foreign land while preparing this culinary creation.

Soup is uplifting. We need to raise our spirits in the darkness and the cold of January, especially those of us who do not especially like snow and ice-covered roads. Snow is fine when observed from a resort room, but not when looked at through a windshield. A serving of soup will help up overcome the seasonal blahs and get through the bitterness of winter. It says "hope."

January 16, 2004 Religious Freedom Day

We so often take our religious freedom for granted that we forget that it can be eroded with time and lack of oversight. The early founders of our nation valued freedom highly in their way of seeing the world (though limiting slaves, women and Native Americans within their own cultural confines). The Bill of 'Rights guarantees that basic freedom to worship God as one sees fit. So far so good and in fact efforts have been undertaken to ensure that freedom through laws and court decisions for over two hundred years.

Intolerance. In Kentucky some religious intolerance has occurred but was generally forgotten. Know Nothings had a riot in the 1850s and killed Catholics in Louisville through fear of the increased German and Irish immigration numbers at that time. At various times in America Jewish people especially saw houses of worship smeared with paint and tombstones desecrated. Small groups of sectarians were driven out of one town or another and their churches burnt down. In fact, the religious practice of snake handling is forbidden in our and neighboring states. And on and on. But though many instances can be pulled from the historical records, still the basic thrust was towards greater religious tolerance. However, that trend is not inevitable.

Watchful protection. The founders knew better than we that expected freedoms could erode and had the experience of their own colonist past to vouch for it. State religious prevailed in the former colonies and some groups were not allowed to worship in one or other place. Thus under the umbrella of patriotism repression could easily occur. Some today believe that if efforts are not made, Moslems could be persecuted or highly restricted in our nation do to current conflicts in the Middle East.

Subtle erosion. A great effort is being made by American secularist and so-called liberal elements to force hospitals which are sponsored by religious institutions to perform abortions or engage in practices which they find against their ethical beliefs. If they get tax exemptions they must do this or that activity. Other groups must conform to new practices that they hold are objectionable under the guise of tolerance. The power of the predominant culture to propagandize the general public in the mass media is overwhelming, and this power is growing with the concentration of media in the hands of fewer and fewer groups. Some say that transportation or health benefits which could help citizens as citizens could be denied if equal opportunities for religious-based schools are not upheld.

Upcoming problems? Is there a new media strategy to picture religious institutions as somewhat unpatriotic for deviating from "acceptable" public standards. Upholding the rights of parents to raise their children as they see best may become more difficult. One must grant that some of the social problems are quite complex and not easily answered.

January 17, 2004 Wood Heating and Franklin Stoves

Wood is renewable, just as is solar and wind energy, and may be an earth-friendly secondary heat source. The wood user feels a sense of control over the heat source, especially when public utilities falter and fail. Wood-burning gives a sense of coziness for "home is where the hearth is located." Wood-burning enhances a basic human instinct, that is, to be mesmerized by fire; that condition goes back to the first discovery of fire in pre-historic times. The sight of wood smoke curling in the winter valley or the smell of wood smoke has been cherished for centuries, but those good sights and smells give rise to more recent signs of air pollution coming from the burning of the wood. In more recent times, wood-burning has lost some of its glamour and Earth-friendliness.

Ben Franklin was born 298 years ago today. While a man of his times, he was also ahead of his times. I doubt if I could have liked Franklin at the social level, but I would have respected him for his practical knowledge, wit, and far-sightedness on a host of political, economic and social issues. The iron cast stove or modified open fireplace that bears his name showed an understanding and practical application of the basic concepts of heat transfer. Perhaps he deserves the title of father of efficient wood heating. For thousands of years fire has been used in both cooking and heating the interiors of dwellings. Unfortunately, most heat from open fire places is lost through inefficient heating methods.

Wood stoves. Many older wood stoves and ranges exceed federal government emission standards; more recently they have been called sources of air pollution due to emission of wood smoke that gives off carbon monoxide, particulate matter and tars which are harmful to human health. In the course of time as new more efficient and certified stoves have become available, especially those built after the mandated date of July 1, 1992, one can see far less polluting wood stoves. These mandated wood stoves may or may not be equipped with catalytic combustors, which burn particulate matter and other gases before the escape up the stove pipe. However, care must be taken for the catalysts need to be replaced every few years, and they can be easily poisoned by burning non-wood materials at some stage of the heating season. Furthermore catalytic devices can be retrofitted into existing wood stoves. After 2002, USEPA is determining areas of the country which are not in compliance and new wood stove standards will be promulgated.

Fireplace Inserts. Fireplaces can be terribly inefficient. From colonial times homes had fire places which were net heat losers, taking out more heated air than they replaced and only warming a person standing right at the fire. The blaze looked cheery but little more. Thanks in part to Franklin, metal inserts have been engineered in modern fireplaces where allowed by building regulations. These gain in efficiency when these contain in-built air convection ducts. Gas heaters disguised as fake burning logs, can be made more efficient even though the fuel is non-renewable.

January 18, 2004 Wedding Feast of Cana

The manifestations of Jesus have been the subject of the first three Sundays of the year. This third is within the world in which we live and caused by happenings around us. Running out of wine and bringing disciples seem to be related and is much of the supposed shortages in the world around us. The confidence is present expressed by Mary that Jesus would rise to the occasion and answer the needs of the embarrassed people. the moment has not yet arrived but is rapidly approaching and we find in our lives the circumstances where we must call upon Jesus to manifest his power in our own lives, not only the power in his coming as the first two weeks indicate. Here the power residing in Christ bursts forth. Our trust is contained in the statement "They have no more wine!

1. Honor Invitation to Participate. Jesus says his hour has not yet come, but in one instant, though need and confidence from those close in the party, it does come. It is NOW, the moment when great things happen. The invitation to come is then followed by the invitation (from his mother) to participate in a profound and unique manner. We are first invited into the celebration of the Lord's family, and then we too are invited to a fuller participation in the life of the Lord. We are invited to become more public in our witness to Jesus.

2. Accept a Radical Commitment. The wedding is generally a place where a radical commitment is made in the life of an engaged couple who exchange vows. While this begins in a celebration, it involves the realities of life, the better or worse, until death do them part. Our basic commitment to be disciples of the Lord is something which also is solemnly made at and through our Baptism, and is continued throughout our lives. We are called to grow in our discipleship, and to move forward to the sacrament of Confirmation which is a more mature approach the initial commitment of Baptism.

3. Be Willing to Grow in Discipleship. The third aspect of discipleship is to become something more in committing ourselves -- to hear, to accept and to grow. School child discipleship gives way to an adult commitment which means manifesting Christ to the world -- a personal epiphany. Just as water is changed into wine of a superior quality, so we become someone qualitatively better than when we first received the call. We now make Christ present to others in our own lives, and we have the power to give new life, just as we have received the life in the divine family.

4. Our manifestation. January is a perfect time to recommit ourselves to those to whom we vow our fidelity. That means we need to recommit ourselves to our family -- both our own family and the family of all people. Christians are called to recommit themselves to Jesus -- at whose name we should give reverence. We have so little sense of reverence in our world today, and this is all the more reason we should recommit ourselves to a reverence to Jesus of whom we are disciples. Let us always say that name with reverence for it manifests the Lord to others. And we should never allow the name to be misused in any manner.

January 19, 2004 The Heat Toll of Summer

In the middle of winter it is difficult to talk about the warming of the Earth due to human activities without feeling a certain perverse desire that "it could not come soon enough." However, really in cold weather we could at least imagine the heat effects of summer and that we may face such conditions in a mere half year from now. In an article dealing with the European heat wave of 2003 the Swedish publication "Acid News" (December, p. 9) tells us that this August event killed 14,802 in France, some 4,200 in both Spain and Italy, 1,300 in Portugal, 1,400 in Netherlands and 2,050 in the UK. The article goes on the August 2003 weather was the warmest ever recorded in the northern hemisphere. And normally cool Europe was totally unprepared for it.

What about 2004? Global warming has been anticipated and has been discussed including in last year's reflections. There is both a social justice issue involving those who live in flood plains and seacoasts which could be inundated by the rising oceans fed from melting icecaps. The issue also involves those of us who expend too much on fossil fuel consumption (the US burns 42% of the gasoline) and often on luxury activities and items. A process has set in and our national policy is to forget about the Kyoto Agreement and consider it an unproven matter. However, the year 2004 will bring still more heat under expected conditions. We need to address this issue in prudent ways, and that means siding with those who see a global disaster in the making.

Accompanying disasters. The heat waves claim more lives than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined, and one can anticipate more of these in the coming years. However, such disasters are also associated with this global warming phenomena and even if lives were saved through prior warning, still property damage is mounting at a rapid rated. These disasters cause tens of billions of dollars and are increasing to a point that in a decade it could break the collective insurance businesses in the world -- if all claims were met satisfactorily. What is beginning to emerge is that it is for our own best interests as well as for the poor of the world that carbon dioxide emissions be curbed, that more and more trees be planted, and that we launch into a renewable energy age as soon as possible.

Anticipated heat. The source of the coming heat is our own making and we can start to prepare in a more remote manner of pressing for carbon dioxide reductions but cutting the fat from our electricity production and accepting a conservation efficient auto economy which was legislated decades ago. The age could dawn if we but allow it, and in doing so we can follow the lead of a number of other countries which are already cutting carbon dioxide emission significantly. It is urgent that we act and -- when the hot weather undoubtedly arrives -- we should make sure the elderly and stressed have the comfort of cool places to retreat in the hottest months.

January 20, 2004 Cell Phone Use and Limitations

A cell phone is affordable, though no individual could easily afford to finance the massive systems required to produce or maintain it. The millions of cell phone users reduce costs to where even lower-income people in Africa and China now have these devices and as of this current year 45% of sales are for the Chinese market alone. This will shift to other areas of the world as markets become saturated even when innovations will call for more improved devices every few years. The cell phone connects people with people and enhances community interchange in ways not previously possible. Since it can be operated easily by large numbers of average consumers, it can be deemed people-friendly. Since no major polluting emission results from cell phone use, it is possibly quite Earth friendly.

Cell phone benefits -- Cell phones can furnish valuable information at a low price to large numbers of individuals who otherwise would not have immediate access to phones. Through their mobility, they are present and accessed in many emergencies, resulting in saved and more healthy lives; they can allay fears for those wanting to know where a loved one is at a given time; they can be used for scanning the whereabouts of individuals (though privacy problems may soon arise through overuse); they can save travel by asking a more convenient person to fetch a product or run an errand. For persons afraid of certain places, the cell phone becomes a companion because someone else is at least remotely available to help in time of need.

Cell phone limitations. All technologies, even appropriate ones, have limitations or can be misused.

Excessive use -- Some believe that they must prove to be busy, and thus talking urgently to someone all the time when traveling or eating or driving. The degree of danger by cell phone user drivers is being debated, but all agree some distractions arise from inattention to the task at hand. Can the overuse of cell phones lead to a compulsive behavior, of the need to be talking with others at all times, and the diminishment and destruction of silent space and time for reflection? Are not conversations often interrupted by cell phone ringing, and the added burden results when cell phone holders regard any message as more urgent than the current conversation? In public places the importance and loud voice of the cell phone talker in the next seat becomes a form of noise pollution. Some are concerned that excessive use could do physical harm to users but cancer threats are as yet unproven.

Limited coverage -- Though current cell phones are available in most urban areas and for rural people living on topographically ideal plains and lowlands (over 90% of the Earth's people), still some mountainous areas are unsuitable for cell phones without towers in every cove and valley -- and these are regarded as ugly and marring the pristine areas causing scenic pollution. Maybe future technological improvements can eliminate some towers, even though existing ounces prove lucrative for local property holders.

January 21, 2004 An Ideal Retreat Setting

* It is accessible -- We often seek access through use of an automobile. Is the place immediately accessible by a major highway? Many retreatants desire facilities that are not overly difficult to reach and yet not "on the highway." Does it take a great effort to bring in building supplies for cabin construction, and later for packing in food and essentials for one's stay?

* It is simple -- The retreat cabin should be inviting, clean and still quite austere or moderately simple, though this has a broad interpretation. Some cannot climb steps or sleep in a loft or need ample windows. While the general rule is the simpler the better, one knows that with some effort, amenities such as interior heat, proximate toilet or running water can be provided. Simplicity includes satisfying basic needs of sharers of the space and possibly even the future transfer of property to others.

* It is prayerful -- Choose a specific site for a retreat cabin which is quiet and prayerful. Under normal circumstances people prefer external tranquility, though others can make due with a "silence of the heart." Generally silence holds precedence over scenic view and is possible even near congested areas; this is augmented by establishing vegetative, wooden or masonry noise barriers, or by selecting sites where the topography deflects the sound. Can one enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset? Can this person find fellowship with other creatures by creating a wildlife gathering place by providing salt blocks for deer or bird feeders?

* It is secluded -- Solitude seekers like seclusion but not isolation. If the cabin is in a well-chosen enclosed natural space (a cove, valley, dense woods, etc.), seclusion outweighs social connections or relative seclusion, that is, privacy but in communicating range, e.g., separate entrances and patios. However, a radio, telephone or a pet animal may satisfy isolated cabin dwellers. The hermitages at St. Catherine's at Springfield, Kentucky allows both physical proximity and seclusion by rotating adjacent buildings so that frontage is at different angles.

It is a nature immersion experience -- Cabin dwellers desire contact with natural flora and fauna. This means locating in a natural setting; forest, isolated island, mountaintop, or rock overhang. Ideally, the structure is shady in summer with good southern exposure for winter, protected from winter breezes, and open to fresh air and adequate breezes. An eremitical environment was described by Saint Manchan of Offaly fifteen centuries ago.

A pleasant woodland all about

To shield it [the hut] from the wind,

And make a home for singing birds

Before it and behind.

A southern aspect for the heat

A stream along its foot,

A smooth green lawn with rich top soil

Propitious to all fruit.

How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill, pi. 152-3, Doubleday, 1995.

January 22, 2004 Challenging Corporate Rights

Feasting on Big Ideas. Very few Americans regard the corporate institutional structure of our society as threatening the democracy in which we as a people nurture and seek to preserve against erosion of all types. As mentioned in last November's reflection, we need to ask basic questions about our democracy especially when it comes to corporate power. Riddled by scandals related to corporate greed on the part of CEOs and other officers, we are becoming more aware that white collar crime is all around the Board rooms and suites of business America. But even more than such revelations is the power of individual corporations in our globalized world which exceed that of entire nations. Where did we ever get the idea that such corporations are persons?

The Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy <www.poclad.org> has developed a model legal brief to eliminate corporate rights which should be given careful consideration.

Summary of Argument. "The people of these United States created local, state and federal governments to protect, secure, and preserve the people's inalienable rights, including their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is axiomatic that the U.S. people -- the source of all governing authority in this nation -- created governments also to secure the people's inalienable right that the many should govern, not the few. that guarantee -- of a republican form of government -- provides the foundation for securing people's other inalienable rights and vindicates the actions of people and communities seeking to secure those rights.

Corporations are created by state governments through the chartering process. As such, corporations are subordinate, public entities that cannot usurp the authority that the sovereign people have delegated to the three branches of government. Corporations thus lack the authority to deny people's inalienable rights, including their right to a republican form of government, and public officials lack the authority to empower corporations to deny those rights.

Over the past 150 years, the Judiciary has "found" corporations within the people's documents that establish a frame of governance for this nation, including the U.S. Constitution. In doing so, Courts have illegitimately bestowed upon corporations immense constitutional powers of the 14th, 1st, 4th and 5th Amendments, and the expansive powers afforded by the Contracts and Commerce Clauses. Wielding those constitutional rights and freedoms, corporation regularly and illegitimately deny the people their inalienable rights, including their most fundamental right to a republican form of government. Such denials are beyond the authority of the corporation to exercise ...[and] the Courts or any other branches of government to confer."

Such asserted constitutional claims should be dismissed because they deny the people's rights to life and liberty, and their fundamental right to self-governance.

January 23, 2004 Handwriting Day

Good script. There is nothing so lasting in beauty than the flowing script of someone who has taken time to write whether it be in an account book, a diary or a personal letter to another. Before the age of typewriters and word processors the art of handwriting was highly prized for it was the medium of written communication. In this age of haste and breathless activity we have come to regard the nearly illegible scribble of the doctor's prescription (several cases exist of this has had fatal consequences) as the sign of modern handwriting through speed and need to move on to more important matters.

Penmanship. Handwriting has suffered from that lack of time to spend showing how well we have mastered the pen. It required some skill in a pre-fountain pen age of dipping a straight pen into an ink well and writing with only so much fluid at the pen point and with a sharpened feather as pen. We forget how difficult writing was and that blotting out quickly kept the excess ink from smudging a document. Philip the Second, King of Spain and more of the world than any other ruler spent a late night session of handwriting when manuscripts to be sent to his viceroys were smudged and needed rewriting in his own hand. We've come a long way baby! However, in the process our handwriting has deteriorated and we sometimes are even proud of it.

Lack of Rewriting time. So often, the handwriting is highly improved by rewriting a set of notes and thus improving the final draft through corrections and omissions of defects. A better allotment of space is often a major advantage for few regard white space as important until we see someone write along the borders and in fine small script. It becomes a major puzzle to decipher the text and we often give up or postpone the interpretations until some indefinite future date. By rewriting and eliminating unnecessary words we ease the pain of reading handwriting, when has always been somewhat difficult. But we often forget that such practices were followed with care for centuries and millennia prior to the invention of the printing press. We say elsewhere that lack of thought and time for rewriting may become a source of conflict in e-mail due to speed in writing and failure to rewrite text.

Reading the writing. I have found at times that my own hand writing is so poor that I cannot even read it myself. We tend to give cryptic and abbreviated notations due to time consumed and this will add to difficulty by a future reader. Often we write so that we can quickly retrieve if necessary but that is often not considered highly during the writing process. Maybe having a day to remember and value good penmanship may assist us in writing better and taking more time for the sake of ourselves and others who may have to read what we write.

January 24, 2004 Radical Sharing with Others

At the time of this Christmas event with two thousand people coming to the three Masses to be held I again thought it would be nice to share the picture of the baby in the hands of a care provider. The baby is newborn, its hair wet, and it is less than a foot in length and extending just beyond the finger tips and the wrist second of the hand with the other hand steadying the baby. Under the picture are words by Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955):

There are two ways to live your life.

One is as though nothing is a miracle.

The other is as though everything is a miracle.

The possibility arose in preparing to share this picture that the best is to pass it around to the congregations. But the thought came that this my most cherished possession will not return. Someone will take it or crumple it up or tear off the caption or color a gown on the infant because it is naked, or be efficient and sequester it in a billfold or purse to reproduce and distribute to the entire group later. That possibility haunted me and yet I wanted to be like God's generous gift of the Incarnate Word at Christmas. Must I not radically share when I tell people to give their most precious possessions to others at Christmas. Really, the most precious?

God shared and at a risk. What if the son born of Mary were subject to hunger and thirst and terrorist threats from a dictator or must be brought up in a lower income status in a hill country where others laughed at the way the language was spoken? What if the foster father could not provide for the infant started life on a sour note born in a stable, laid in a manger, smuggled out of the country in a few weeks because of the envious king, a refugee and homeless person. And then when he grew in age and wisdom he would be laughed at by the establishment, plotted against, betrayed and ultimately killed. The risk was immense so the at the power of God would be revealed.

Our vulnerable sharing. When we share with others of ourselves we do so at a risk, the risk of being laughed at and losing that which we cling to and regard as good: a good name, a reputation, a little security, a cherished possession. We become vulnerable in becoming a little more poor like Jesus. Our sharing may be our time, our talents which could be so much more appreciated in other higher settings. Our sharing is considered at times somewhat worthless for we will soon be gone and the efforts scorned and overlooked. We will see others take some of the credit and even claim any success as their own. We may lose what we cherish and then have some Monday morning quarterback, who knows all the right plays in hindsight, say to us that if we had only listened this would not have happened. We may not have thick skin and then really get hurt by such critical remarks, for critics are those who see well but cannot do. And sharing is doing for others in a special way. It demands who we are in all our weakness.

The question. Will the picture be returned in one piece today?

January 25, 2004 Listening to our Vocational Call

In the silence created by a heavy snow fall, when all sounds normally heard are dampened, we sometimes strain to hear and thus we listen. In silence we await a call from God, a call that comes to all of us, not just those young or changing life. In one sense it is a unique call for it comes to every person in a different way; in another sense it is part of the ordinary way of life -- for we slip quickly into ordinary time at this season of the year.

Peace of soul. When asked about our ministry people ask are you happy? There are many reasons to make us unhappy in this modern world, but we accept that things are challenging and that God gives us the opportunity to live today in a world of troubles. It was not given to others but to us. The Nigerians were regarded as the happiest people in the world in a recent survey and what made them happy: they told about themselves to whoever would listen and they trust in God and what God gives them in life. Are you happy. My mother can't remember any recent events but she's happy at this time; she testifies that this is the way to always be. This keeps me happy too. If we have a simple prayer, namely, "Please God I place my trust in you." If blindness exists, purge it and allow us to continue according to your will.

Xt. is high priest. I knew that things were to be tough and different at ordination. First, my brother left the priestly ministry two weeks before ordination. I went home and they didn't want a first Mass so I didn't have one; second, a pigeon crapped on my alb. The high priestly call that had a sense of princely character which was so different from what our first American bishop wanted, mainly Mr. Bishop as Mr. President. It lasted a short time and then all changed and bishops mandated six white horses at time of visitation. A far cry from Mr. Bishop. The priesthood is right now undergoing a purgation and it is for the better of all of us.

Ministry. Each year brings something new and we soon learn that God does not call once but many times. I heard Fr. Hubbard, the Glacier Priest when quite young and considered that it would be nice to be a geologist. XU did not have such a department and I ended a chemist but still finding God in the world around us. To raise others to what blindness they have and to do so with all that we have. Yes, I regret the things I didn't do perfectly, but even these learned lessons were for our total benefit as well.

Applications: Pray for priests for the continuation of the health of the church. Pray for the church to hear the call and see that call as expressed in new people coming to ministry. Pray for all religious to be committed to spreading God's word in the world in which we live. God calls us each day and in emphatic and dramatic manner at certain times in life. I did get such a emphasis when visiting the Holy Land and being touched by God's grace which reconfirmed by own witness and made a resolution to do it better.

January 26, 2004 Examination of Conscience

Wellness begins in knowing ourselves for what we are. It is a true sense of personal auditing.

1. Do I love God with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength? Do I talk to God daily in prayer? Do I love my neighbor as myself, and have no unforgiven enemies? Do I remove myself from material idols of every sort? Do I share possessions with those in need?

2. Do I respect the name of God in my speech? Do I object when others use God's name in vain?

3. Do I come to Mass on the Lord's Day? Do I rest and relax this one day of the week? Do I refrain from purchasing non-necessary items so others can rest as well on Sunday?

4. Do I honor my parents or those in authority? Honor my wife or my husband? Do I respect Mother Earth and all her creatures? Do I honor our traditions and our holy mother the Catholic Church?

5. Do I make an effort not to hurt people through abusive words, quarrels and fighting? Do I abstain from overeating or excessive consumption of drugs or alcohol? Do I strive to be a peace-maker as opposed to creating dissention in the community? Do I confront others who hurt animals in any way?

6. Do I show respect for the person of my neighbor in all forms of looks, gestures and touches? Do I show respect for myself as well in all matters? Do I make an effort to omit watching movies or tv where sex or violence is a major theme?

7. Do I know and show a sense of justice as to what belongs to others? Do I know what is enough and not excessive? Do I see that my excesses and luxuries may be even taken from the resources of future generations? Do I refrain from doing damage to others' property through carelessness or spite?

8. Do I always stand on my word no matter at what cost? Do I remove myself from gossip or idle talk? Do I omit attending events I do not believe in (weddings, civic events) and thus not bear false witness? Do I show compassion for weak human beings?

9. Do I overcome the temptation to linger and desire others' looks, shape or other bodily gifts? Do I distance myself from past pleasures which are truly past and should remain that way?

10. Do I overcome the desire a bigger boat or car, or house or view of the lake? Are these not idols which I could allow to block out my attention to the Lord and service for others.

11. Do I see my faith as a gift from God which I have been given to share, not because it is earned, but solely because it is a precious divine time-sensitive gift?

January 27, 2004 Personal Computers and the Internet

I am writing this reflection on a personal computer and publicizing it on the Internet. Certainly I see the educational, energy-saving and global informational sharing advantages of these tools of the 20th and 21st century. Long hand writing and manual typewriters are of the past. Word processing can greatly reduce composition and editing time, and allow for the storage of information and correction of text. A host of writers have come to need these devices called "computers" and democratic and public systems called the Internet. They do prove suitable and appropriate but not without some negatives aspects.

Benefits. Models of computers have proved to be used for a limited time and then need to updated -- truly planned obsolescence. Generally speaking they are widely accessible now to those with some degree of training. In so-called Third world countries, a computer installed in a village can have use by a wider number of savvy individuals with basic education and the Internet is open to them 24 hours a day. Their window to the outside informational world allows them to by-pass dominant overlords who would otherwise dictate the input of information. Access to other people through the Internet is changing the very political stance where one partisan party could dictate the choices and use of resources. The Internet is likewise becoming a place to sound international alarm, solicit needed funding and bring about the overthrow of oppressive regimes. And it is building a reasonably good track record to just such activities.

Limitations. A few years ago a book, Silicon Snake Oil, discussed a number of problems with excessive computer dependence or misuse. Many of these notes of caution have proved true for what is appropriate can also become inappropriate through misuse.

Over-dependence -- The fragile nature of sophisticated technologies has been mentioned many times. When these technologies are interconnected, then the vulnerability is compounded. A national electric grid is complex and vulnerable; a computerized electric grid is doubly vulnerable; individual homes linked through an electric grid and equipped with net metering procedures is also more vulnerable than an independent solar system, even with its own computerized controlled systems. Interconnection can also mean things could go wrong and affect large numbers of the linked units and do so quite suddenly.

Foul play -- Hackers or budding terrorists have and can continue to slip in Internet viruses which can reach into the individual home or business and create havoc. Ever more worrisome and expensive safeguards can be found, installed, maintained and updated. Some regard this as making the PC far less people- friendly than originally intended. There's a real possibility of a terrorist attack by a rather sophisticated hacker. Out of prudence I have two computers, one for word processing and one for more generalized uses on which nothing of importance is stored.

January 28, 2004 Reaffirming Simplicity

To be simple is to be more God-like and so we should not pride ourselves in becoming complex, even when we might be to some degree. The road of faith is towards greater simplicity ion all things. We often seek a number of ways to become more simple and thus save resources of the Earth such as through our "99 Ways to a Simple Lifestyle." These are all good and well and need to be reaffirmed in this continued aged of resource depletion. However, we cannot expect a motivation from a secularist perspective. It will simply not be simple in the long run. What we do must be motivated by who we are -- and so the affirmation must be directed to our own character and growth in wellness.

Peace of Soul. We all have a collection of anxieties, some of which grow and fester with time and some of which are born with each new day. To pray for peace of soul is salutary in so many respects for it reduces stress and makes us more thankful for gifts given each day.

Cleanness of heart. So often we allow the portions of our hearts to be captured by the idols that surround us in some fashion. We reserve this heart for one or other compartments of self-interest. Instead of doing activities because others need them, we do them for our own self-glory or delight in achieving one or other activity because that will be to our ultimate benefit. We pray that God alone creates clean hearts in us.

Honesty of mind. We cannot have wholeness of being when expecting something in the form of an elitism in which we are better than others. Wholeness of being means that we know exactly where we stand before our God and our fellow human beings. We are to be open to assessment by others and to express our concerns and hopes in a forthright manner.

Radical Sharing. We make much in other reflections of sharing of the very depth of our possessions with others. We are motivated by the need for all of us to be able to have the necessities of life, and these can best be obtained when those who have too much share with those who are destitute. So often our lifestyles permit us to enter a high possession state without hardly knowing it.

Work with our hands. One part of simplicity is to be willing to pitch in and do what has to be done at a given time. If we leave it to others or to bureaus of this or that specialty we are soon retarding the process -- for we won't do any more than what we absolutely need to do. Those who are willing to work will help to simplify operations and permit teamwork rather than a series of individual actions.

See all life as gift. The ultimate spirit of simplicity is one of seeing God as source of all good things, of which we are allowed to share for a short period of time. In this spirit of thanksgiving we reaffirm who we are and where we are heading.

January 29, 2004 Computer Age Limitations Continued

While we all know many reasons for personal computers and use of the Internet, we still should see that many problem areas exist.

Name destruction -- It takes little to blacken a reputation. When the irresponsible person need only put a basic rumor or lie, the record enters as a permanent entry and can remain where there are Internet search engines. The power of such damage is immense.

Safety issues -- People are spending too much time at a computer screen these days. Some experts might say it should be limited to two hours a day but that is laughable to millions. A number of physical problems could arise including neck and back strain, corporal tunnel syndrome and eye problems. A new pastime for many of the computer savvy is to spend hours tapping into a wide variety of entertainment opportunities. While this can prove a healthy occupation, parents often complain it makes children who are involved in computer games away from social activity or outdoor sunlight, fresh air and exercise. Adults can suffer as well in various ways from misuse of computer work or free time.

Lazy research methods -- A friend was tutoring and reprimanded his student for his poor spelling record and the kid replied, "I've got a spell checker for that." It is the same when another friend who taught basic English told about the problem with borrowing from someone else's stories in his and other professors classes. He said it required being a detective looking for key words or phrases as signals of theft. Some think the Internet contains all in a critical format which is far from reality. For five years I lived two blocks from the Library of Congress during the Nixon Administration and regarding this international library treasure as a gold mine at my finger tips. However, a remote Indian villager with access to the Internet today can obtain more information faster than I could have in 1975 in DC. Admittedly their reference materials are far more abbreviated than a thorough research of the Library of Congress, but they still have a wealth of information at their own fingertips.

Transfer of materials. As some older computer equipment goes out of fashion the transfer of information is more and more difficult. The permanence of these older records is sometime tenuous and worries storage specialists. Records are no longer written on parchment and may easily disappear.

Toxic waste disposal. Though recent efforts has been made to reduce toxic materials used in the manufacture of computer equipment, still little effort has been taken to provide for disposal of older computers -- which for years were donated to lower income groups for their eventual disposal. The early non-problem has now become a mounting problem as old-fashioned computer equipment are stored away. Often the computer outer cases could be reused and some monitors recycled, but there still is a growing solid waste problem.

January 30, 2004 Learning from Pets

Pet attitudes. I was slow admit the value of pets even though our family always had pets when I was young. It seems that so much of the supermarket is filled with pet food and litter and other such grocery items. Why such a "waste" of recourse when so many people are in need throughout the world? Of all the attitudes that changed in my ecological journey, that of dealing with the need for pets made the biggest jump.

Divine gifts. God gave us pets because we need them for our own health and learning. We expend many resource to heat schools and buy textbooks and travel to and fro for fun and see the doctor. Pets are good for entertainment, for our psychic health, and for good teachers and protectors. They are totally loyal when others seem to turn onus, the go will listen and lick our face when really down and out. They give themselves without reserve. The roles played by pets are far more than we would imagine and we all know where the loyal pet defended the master until the pet's own death, how the pet stays with an injured person until help arrived, or where the pet went for help in an effort to alert others to the needs of the master. God gives us pets for our own good. Granted, they are different for they have unique personalities.

Watchdogs. Pets seek to endure themselves to us in so many ways. They will drag a rotten road kill possum and lay it on the porch, causing the housekeeper to draw back in horror. Get that thing out of here. But that is the most precious give the dog or cat can give to the master. However, a more welcome gift is the other matter and that of security. The bark alerts us that someone is coming and, provided the pet is not too aggressive, it is welcome. Knowing that the animal is alert for our needs and always being vigilant is a comforting thought especially if we are campers or travelers on a trip with our pet. That pet would die for us and that makes us fell better. the soldiers in many ways had their own war dogs which alerted them to the approach of the enemy and the sheep herder will have a highly trained sheep dog who lives with and becomes part of the herd. And that watchfulness is something to imitate and follow.

Personal experience. We had a dog Tex who had the unique habit of following us everywhere, or better to take the lead wherever we went. We were so proud of him. Once in a horse barn the other dogs were deliberately locked in a horse stall in order to continue the gathering in peace. Tex climbed out through the manger opening and it made us happy. But his scouting ahead and his ability to climb fences allows us to roam about the countryside freely. He was our eyes, our cavalry as in the old days. And he taught us to always be alert. It was a far nobler undertaking being a watchdog, he was an associate and companion and friend, not a mere servant fetching when we wanted our paper or shoes.

January 31, 2004 Inspiration

The basic question: How do we dare write about inspiration? At least poetry or a novel or essay may be inspired and so some writing fits into the category. But writing or talking about inspiration as though triggered in a rational manner is somewhat questionable. Don't people just get inspired and that's it?

Here are some observations in this winter season.

Prepare for inspiration: silent space. Part of our freedom is to create an environment in which inspiration will occur. Disorder and chaos is hardly the way to proceed or to expect miracles to occur. Quiet time is needed for becoming inspired or more inspired. Though even in very noisy circumstances some inspiration has occurred in the past, such is almost miraculous and we cannot expect to run on miracles. The normal procedure is to go to the deserts of our lives, a wilderness where all distractions are removed and where the Spirit of God moves. We need to create quiet space in our hearts and this is done by laying bear our souls before God. Having others to hear our process and affirm them is the normal course of human action.

Recognize inspiration. Say "yes" to divinely inspired moments of life. Let it be unreserved so that the inspiration will take deep root and permeate our entire being. Often our distractions get in the way of genuine inspiration. At least take notes, give thanks, allow for a future time to act, and concretize the inspiration in some manner.

Enthusiastic response. The "God within" is what gives us the courage to continue. We have to truly believe that God is here with plants and animals, in our world, in our assembled community. We inspire through cheerful fidelity, not by a grudging type of mechanical motions. "Poor me, I am so tired and lonely and afraid." Rather, we say that it is a privilege to be called today in this world and all its mess. There are a thousand untried ways to inspire others. Since it will take many lifetimes to experiment with all, let's see if we can plan and do each well.

Prayer for continuing. Staying inspired is more than pure grit. In fact, it is beyond us and our individual efforts. Staying inspired is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is not "I'm saved, are you?" or a giddy appearance, or a firm handshake. Inspired fidelity is a gift from God and it ought to be sought earnestly and sought to be continued with deepest respect.

Encouragement for others. Actually wishing and assisting others to come to moments of inspiration is part of our exercise of community. We don't want to be jealous of their own talents but rather rejoice when they are well used. We see loved ones who long for inspiration in their lives as well and they need to be comforted in times of hurt. A promised peace will come on their souls and they will find rest in Christ. Saying "you can do it" is part of our commitment to spreading Good News.

Copyright © 2007 Earth Healing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Albert J. Fritsch, Director
Janet Powell, Developer
Mary Byrd Davis, Editor
Paul Gallimore, ERAS Coordinator

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Daily Reflections by Al Fritsch, S.J.

Daily Reflections
by Al Fritsch, S.J.