Category: take action

politics, social justice and ways you can make a difference in the world around you.

More Virgin Mary, less Virgin Islands

I’ll file this under the “Guilty as Charged” file.

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, says he objects to Christmas cards featuring family photos.

Look, I love family photos during the holidays. Plus, I actually read those annual holiday letters, all of which start with “What a busy year it’s been!” Seeing photos of my friends and their families and even enjoying a few sunny beach scenes when it’s cold and dark outside is a highlight of December.

But I enjoy the photos more when they’re inside the card, not the card itself. Because more and more, even devout Christians have been replacing Jesus, Mary and Joseph with themselves.

Can I plead my case that we saved a lot more money by making our own cards and having them printed as pictures, rather than buying a Christmas card and including a family photo?

“Doesn’t it strike you as weird to set aside the Holy Family in favor of your family? Does a photo of Cabo San Lucas trump the story told by the original San Lucas? Is Christmas really about you?”

Ouch! It makes me really rethink how I’m celebrating Christmas this year — as I stuff a few more Christmas photos into envelopes.

Listen to the full commentary.

The MasterCard commercial you’ll never see

Amount spent each year in Europe and the United States on pet food: $17 billion

Cost per year to achieve basic health and nutrition for the entire world: $13 billion

Amount spent on perfumes each year: $12 billion

Clean water for all the world: $9 billion

Amount spent on cosmetics in the US: $8 billion

Basic education for the world’s children: $6 billion

Total amount the US spends on Christmas each year: $450 billion (or 16 years worth of food, water, and education for the world)

Initial cost of the US Government bailout of failing financial institutions: $700 billion (or 25 years worth of food, water, and education for the world)

Coming to grips with the alarming disconnects of our consumerist society: Priceless

HT:The Seminal

How would you respond?

dong-yun-yoon

Dong Yun Yoon [English name is Don Yoon], 37, was at work at his cafe when he discovered the horrible news of a F/A-18 jet crashing into a residential home – his home. His wife, two young babies, and his mother-in-law who had recently arrived from Korea to help take care of the babies [a Korean custom] all were killed in this tragedy.

Eugene C Cho shares Yoon’s story on his blog. And you can watch video on CNN.

And I’ll be honest, had it not been for Cho, I’d have no idea this even happened.

Yoon married his wife, Young Mi Yoon [a nurse], four years ago and had two children: Grace [15 months] and Rachel [2 months]. They had just moved into this house one month ago.

“My wife — it was God’s blessing that I met her about four years ago, and we got married,” he said quietly. “She’s just such a lovely wife and mother, who always loves me, and (the) babies. I just miss her so much.”

r3741291903

So, your entire family has been taken from you. The pilot of the F-18 that crashed into your house walked away — he ejected just before the crash.

How would you respond?

Yoon responds with grace that can only come from an almighty God.

“…I believe my wife and two babies and mother-in-law are in heaven with God,” he said. “And I know God is taking care of them.”

as for the pilot…

“Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident,” Yoon said. “I know he’s one of our treasures, for the country, and I … don’t blame him. I don’t have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could.”

Sure makes my petty issues with others seem even more so.

God may we love like you love. May we treasures others like you treasure them. May we see your image in them all. May we conspire to live differently this season and live our lives differently from this point forward.

“Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sins.”

Human Rights Day


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.
(embedded video)

Today is the day we celebrate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948).

Heard anything about it today?

My wall calendar mentions Human Rights Day – but that’s all I’ve seen. Not even a Google Doodle today. 🙁

Wonder if its because we’re just to swept up in the Advent/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza spirit to notice? Seems like Human Rights Day would be a great holiday for Followers of the Way.

I am currently reading “On the Side of Angels” and it talks extensively about human rights, justice, kingdom mission and the like. They seem to make a similar point to one I made back in September, and raise issue with the term “human rights.”

But that despite that issue, I don’t believe that means we stop recognizing the hurting, the oppressed, the poor, the sick, the needy among us. I think it should give us greater cause for pause and give us greater reason to fight for the rights of others — those of fellow Christians, as well as believers in other faiths and those who choose not to believe.

So take pause and consider what you can do to help join the fight for your fellow man. And may we choose compassion over anger and love over hate and may we see all humans as the living image of God.

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

info from the UN
pdf copy of the declaration
voice of the martyrs
thoughts from this fragile tent

Does it matter?

My friend Briana sent this to me this evening relating to my message yesterday.

Had to share it here. Not exactly sure of the origin or author. If you know, please feel free to share so I can give credit.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club to discuss my hunger.

Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel to pray for my release.

Nice.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

What good did that do?

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

But I needed you.

I was homeless and you preached to me of the shelter of the love of God.

I wish you’d have taken me home.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

Why didn’t you stay?

You seem so holy, so close to God; but I’m still very hungry, lonely, cold, still in pain.

Does it matter?

A day of fasting

This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

Isaiah 55:6-9

For those interested or curious, you can listen to the message I shared with my tribe yesterday.