‘Ghost Peppers’ are Green and
World Hottest peppers (Not) are red

A friend from Milwaukee in Tucson told me by phone today it was 105 degrees there. I told him it was 70 degrees here. We are having a very ‘cool’ summer and this might explain why our ‘ghost peppers’ the second hottest peppers in the world are not turning red or yellow. To get all the heat they pack they might need heat. The hot peppers next to them, which the garden store tag says is the ‘Hottest Pepper in the World’ (they are not) are turning red.

I am growing the ‘ghost peppers’ because my good friend, Joe, likes really hot peppers and told me about them. He also warned me not to touch them without gloves. Looking at them today I must have brush my hand on their leaves or on a ghost pepper for when I came in the house my eyes started to burn. I probably put my hand to my face or somehow got some of the hottest of the peppers in my eyes. Hours later I still feel the effect in my eyes although many washings of my hands and eyes made them bearable.

I have been thinking a lot these days about the connection of two issues, militarization of education and the racism of the Catholic Church in Milwaukee versus the Gospel of Jesus teachings. Also I have been thinking about the homily last Sunday about the new “American Dream” has changed to one of greed, having more and more money.

Today a friend told me how the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is using one of its Catholic School building for Right Step Inc., a Choice Military School in Milwaukee. I could not believe this at first. What other reason, except for money, would the Archdiocese bless a parish school building to be used as Military School? Sadly it turned out to be true just like the Catholic Archdiocese is giving its blessings to the use of money from closing Blessed Trinity Catholic parish to a trust fund which will preserve the capitol and just use the interest. (Church used to condemn ‘usury’.).

The brush with the ‘ghost peppers’ made my eyes burn and the Archdiocese ‘love of money’ over teaching violence or aiding the poor and marginalized makes my soul hot. We are constantly been told that “we the people” are the Church but the truth is we have little to say about using this property as a military school or giving money “intended for mission of Jesus to poor and marginalized” to a trust fund to be kept safe.

When will we, Catholic Church, ever learn and stop these sins of greed and violence? Am I the only one ‘hot’ about this contradiction of Catholic Church and the Gospel?

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