History Repeats Itself

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Beyond Vietnam"

April 4, 1967

Riverside Church

New York City

Was it Lord Acton who said, "Those who do not study history are condemned to repeat it"? Perhaps I am brought back to that adage because I am a student of history and continue to be amazed by the lessons it can teach. We are about to come to end of the month in which tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King are often heard. Maybe in honor of the anniversary of his birth but even more so for the current context provided by the war in Iraq, the local public radio station chose recently to air his Vietnam War speech delivered to a large gathering in Riverside Church on the upper west side of Manhattan almost forty-one years ago. http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/speeches/contents.htm .

There is another adage that applies here: "Youth is wasted on the young." In the spring of 1967 I was busy student teaching, looking forward to June graduation from Hunter College in New York City and a few months after that my first move from home and marriage at the tender age of twenty-two! Nobody does that anymore! Even though I was a history major in college I have only vague memories of Dr. King's anti-Vietnam War position and the dismay it caused both to the African-American community and to the white population largely in favor of the war.

Why broadcast this speech now? I was struck, fairly mesmerized by how applicable everything he said was to our current situation. Just change the word Vietnam to Iraq and no time has gone by at all. He spoke of prophetic vision, of the poor who fight our wars, for our democracy's lack of respect for the self-determination of other peoples, of materialism, of the self-interest of big business in the mechanism of war, of how while we do all we can to eliminate violence from our streets, we put guns into the hands of young men to commit violent acts elsewhere. I could go on.

To say that I was moved and impressed would be gross understatement. I should not have been so surprised. A few years ago I re-read Dr. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and offered part of it as the second reading for the Liturgy of the Hours Office of Reading on Martin Luther King Day. Years later, an even more mature, even deeper thinking, more commited and wise man chose to speak out about the war. And he was courageous. As I listened, I said to myself, "Is it any wonder that they killed him?" He said things most people did not want to hear. He said them from a place of deep faith and conviction. Would that he could speak to us today. However, this speech does still speak. Give it a listen.

Another Little Christmas

Our Monthly Feast


of the


Incarnation


and the Conversion


of


St. Paul of Tarsus

As described in past posts, Redemptoristines keep the 25th of each month as the feast of "Little Christmas", a celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. On the 25th of each month at Midday Prayer the Prioress selects a special reading from scripture and follows it with an uplifting and usually challenging thought. The Italians call these talks "ferverinos." Here is the word that Sr. Paula offered us today. We were blessed.

Reflection for Midday Office, January 25, 2008

The Conversion of St. Paul, the Incarnation of the Word of God. What do these two faith events, these two realities have to do with one another? A lot!

The mystery of the Incarnation bridges the realms of eternity and time. The triune God, dwelling in light inaccessible, leaps down into our midst in the Person of the Word. Surely God’s presence infused all creation from the very beginning. But now God can be seen and touched and handled. The Word was made flesh and dwells amongst us. God’s love beats in a human heart.

St. Paul’s conversion took place totally in the realm of our earthly time. He was a passionate young man, deeply involved in and committed to his Hebrew faith. In the encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus a radical transformation took place within Paul’s mind and heart—but a change wholly in this world of time and space. I wonder if we can ever comprehend what a struggle it was for Paul to come to faith in Jesus. It may well be that the three years he spent in the desert was what it required for his inner reorientation. I wonder if that may be why he saw himself as the apostle to the Gentiles? He knew too personally, too painfully, what it took for a good pious practicing Jew to come to the fullness of belief in WHO Jesus is, fully human, fully divine. Gerard Manley Hopkins, in one of his poems, speaks of the different ways of conversion comparing “once in a flash Paul” to that of Augustine: “God’s lingering out sweet skill”. I believe Paul kept running from and to God all of his life.

We are so blessed to have as part of our community charism this monthly celebration of the Incarnation. So that we can realize and experience it takes a lifetime of pondering for us to grow in our own faith and understanding of the Mystery, in our own whole-hearted conversion.

We are called to enter deeply into this mystery and to let it grab us totally, heart, mind and soul, and transform us as it did St. Paul. Why should we hold back anything?

In this spirit of total gift, of total surrender, let us renew our vows today.

AND MORE BOOKS

Lea, posted a comment to the recommendation of Pope Benedict's book Jesus of Nazareth. She put in a well-deserved pitch for Lawrence Cunningham's Jesus - The Teacher Within. I have read it, liked it very much and thought it had very special appeal to those whose profession/vocation is teaching.

While we are on the subject of good books about the person of Jesus, I would also mention Michael Casey's Fully Human Fully Divine - An Interactive Christology. Casey is a Trappist monk in Australia and author of other great books including Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer, Sacred Reading - The Art of Lectio Divina and another on the Rule of St. Benedict.

By the way, for those of you who may not know how to leave a comment - Just go to the bottom of any post, click on the word "comment" and then enter your comment in the space provided. You can remain anonymous. I see the comment in my e-mail and get to say whether I want to appear on the blog or not. If you don't care to leave a comment but see that other comments have been left and want to read them, just click on the word "comment" and they will appear. I look forward to hearing from more of you.

Read Anything Good Lately?

Since Lent is coming upon us so quickly this year, thought I'd make a recommendation for seasonal spiritual reading. Many far more qualified than I have reviewed Pope Benedict's new book Jesus of Nazareth so I will not attempt such commentary. However, I do want to encourage its consideration. This is not a book one breezes through. The author states over and over in his lengthy introduction that the work is the product of a great deal of study, intellectual reflection and prayerful contemplation. I would suggest that it is the result of his own personal response to Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am." This highly personal element is one of the features that makes this book a very interesting one.

Of course, the subject is the very first draw. But knowing Pope Benedict's reputation as a intellectual, a scholar and a teacher might be a bit intimidating. Prior to opening the cover I thought, "Can I really read this book and enjoy it." I have been very pleasantly surprised. The presentation is lucid, clear and inviting. This reflects the gifts of the author but also, I think, a great deal of credit must go to Adrian J. Walker who produced the English translation. It was no small task to present these deep thoughts in flowing, easily read and understood, everyday English. Walker's skill is to be admired.

So take a look at the book. It is not the type that can be quickly read from cover to cover. It is however, a great possibility as the focus for daily reflection in our Lenten practice. It might be helpful to keep your Bible nearby.

And Still We Celebrate - Last Visit to Some Old News

Our Archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic New York, sent a photographer to our 50th Anniversary celebration. These photographs were published in the December 20th issue. Unfortunately we just received that issue today! I guess my habit made it front and center in the first photo, much to my embarrassment. Starting with the first sister on the left those depicted are Sr. Maria Paz Suarez, Steven Katz (the architect for our monastery completed in 2001), Sr. Paula Schmidt, Prioress, myself and Sr. Moira Quinn, Sub-prioress.

The second photo is a great long shot of our chapel during the Mass. It is small chapel designed with a community of about 15 members along with 15-20 guests in mind. That day we managed to celebrate 75 strong! This was not the least of God's blessings for the occasion.