President Obama, dedicated to bring our USA debt down, pledges a billion dollars more of military aide to Europe. Our St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP), dedicated to the poor, is working on a multimillion thrift dollar to serve the middle and upper middle class people in suburbs. Now I am just learning the our congressional representative, Gwen Moore, African American congresswoman, representing Wisconsin’s poorest congressional district and most segregated area in USA has been supporting a bill that would help big banks by exempting them from U.S. regulations when they trade derivatives through foreign subsidiaries. Now along with Republicans she is attempting to unravel key sections of Dodd-Frank , the 2010 financial reform bill that was meant to curb the very same excesses that, not so long ago, devastated the economy and put many of Moore’s constituents out of their jobs and their homes. What is going on here?
After getting an email today from the editor of liberal Catholic newspaper, National Catholic Reporter, attacking my character for pointing out how the newspaper is quick to print articles about liberal white causes, like my trial last year due to the banning by Marquette, but are slow or reluctant to put into print articles about injustice to the poor and marginalized, like their online only article Proposed St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop causes contention in Milwaukee. What is going on here when following my conscience brings insults from a newspaper whose editorial mission statement claims to be “a voice for the disadvantaged and the marginalized”?
I looked to some of my spiritual mentors for advice and direction, like Dorothy Day, St. Ignatius of Loyola and Mahatma Gandhi. I remember Dorothy Day’s advice on conscience in her writings: “My understanding of the teaching of the Church is that we must follow our conscience, even an erroneous conscience.” Or I read again her statement in the Catholic Worker Newspaper about disturbing people with words and I just substituted ‘racism’ for ‘pacifism’ and ‘censorship for ‘anarchism’: “When it is said that we disturb people too much by the words racism (pacifism) and censorship (anarchism), I can only think that people need to be disturbed, that their consciences need to be aroused, that they do indeed need to look into their work, and study new techniques of love and poverty and suffering for each other.”
I looked to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits, to find these words in his Spiritual Exercises about accepting insults and rejection: “I deeply desire to be with you in accepting all wrongs, all rejections and poverty—both actual and spiritual—and I deliberately choose this if it is for your greater service and praise.” (Spiritual Exercises #98 in translation by David L. Fleming, S.J.)
Too much talk about accepting suffering here for my taste. Thinking that Gandhi may have some better news I received this as my daily quote from India by Gandhi: “The quest for truth involves tapas – Self Suffering—sometimes even unto death.” (M.K. Gandhi, “Truth is God”, p. 21)
So, reluctantly I get it. The only way to struggle with the wrongs of Obama, Moore or SVDP is by accepting suffering?
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