“Preach the Gospel always
When necessary use words.”
Attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Yesterday Pat and I drove 2 ˝ hours to Pulaski, WI to watch the high school holiday band concert in which our grandson appeared. The concert started at 7pm but was about only 50 minutes long. Since our grandchildren had school the next day and the night was young, we decided to not stay overnight but drive the 2 ˝ hours back home. What Grandparents do for their grandchildren is my thought as I read Christmas cards and letters from other friends who are also grandparents. Grandchildren are a real blessing for many of us who can visit them or have them visit us and then go home.
My thoughts go the many grandparents I met in North Central Milwaukee who are raising their grandchildren as they raised their own children. For them grandchildren is also a blessing but at time can be a burden. There is no leaving them and going home.
Young Grandchildren, children and youth are a blessing to the world. Many young children have a sense of honesty and being straight forward that many adults do not have. Many adults, even in Church circles I found, do not practice what they preach, are full of secrecy and behind the scenes politicking.
The local Catholic Church who received 1.1 million dollars when another North Central Church was closed by the Archdiocese talks about serving the persons in need in the neighborhood; but, at the end, stored almost all the money away in some type of endowment or trust fund for the future. A little bit was ‘skimmed’ off the top but now even politics is interfering with giving this for vouchers for St. Vincent De Paul groups making home visits to those in need in the surrounding area. Suddenly everyone wants a piece of the bit of the pie or at least pretend they have something to say about it. All Church properties and money are controlled by a Corporation Board that consists of five persons with three being clergy and Archbishop always as President of ever board. Certainly the openness and honesty of children is missing in the Church structure.
Jesus said that we should be like children, who do and say what they think to enter the Kingdom of God. This statement should be lesson to us adults in the Church who are full of secrecy and lack of transparency. At least the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis seems to get it when it comes to social justice and peacemaking issue. I think I will write him about Marquette Teaching Killing and the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese abandonment of poor and marginalized. If he gets the letter and know that I only appealed to him after trying very hard to get the local Church and Marquette University to respond, I think he will respond. The problem is how to get this information to him. Many walls have been put up for his hearing the cry of the poor and peacemakers and responding.
People ask why I spend so much time on these two issues of military training at Marquette and Church’s concern or lack of concern for poor and marginalized. Looking deeply in myself I know it is hard for me to see the poverty and segregation of North Central Milwaukee or watch young men and women learn how “to kill or be killed”. I know persons who suffer or die because of the silence of Church and people on these two issues. When you realize the persons dying or suffering is your brother and sister you cannot help but suffer and cry out to “break the silence.” At least this is true for me. Maybe I cannot get “results” but that is no excuse for tying my best to get Catholic Church and Catholic University to practice what is preached. If I do not cry out and take nonviolent action then I am guilty of not practicing what I preach.
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