A Conference You'll Want To Miss
CRISIS Magazine e-Letter
August 5, 2005
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Dear Friend,
First, I need to give you an update on a sad situation I told you
about a few weeks ago. As you'll remember, earlier this year, Susan
Torres, a wife and young mother, suffered a stroke caused by
widespread melanoma. She was rushed to the hospital where she was
determined to be brain dead. Adding to the horror of the situation
was the fact that she was also pregnant.
Her husband, knowing that his wife would want nothing more than to
have their child, kept her on life support until the child reached a
viable age for birth.
Happily, on Tuesday, their baby girl was delivered (and named after
her mother). She's quite premature, but is doing well besides (please
pray for her healthy growth).
After the delivery, the family sadly removed Susan from life
support. She passed away on Wednesday.
Shortly after her death, the family released a moving statement:
"This is obviously a bittersweet time for our family. We are
overjoyed at the birth of Baby Susan and deeply grieved at the loss
of her mother. From the beginning, we knew that two things would get
us through to the baby's birth: God's providence and Susan's
determination. Susan was always the toughest person in that ICU room.
Her passing is a testament to the truth that human life is a gift
from God and that children are always to be fought for, even if life
requires -- as it did of Susan -- the last full measure of
devotion."
What a beautiful affirmation of the dignity of life. God bless them
all.
You can read the entire statement here:
http://www.prolifeblogs.com/articles/archives/2005/08/statement_from.
php
With that, we'll move from the sublime to the ridiculous...
They're no longer the dissenting powerhouse they once were, but Call
To Action (CTA) is still alive and kicking. Or at least alive.
On November 3-7, they'll be holding their annual National Conference
in Milwaukee. Get your tickets now, because if their schedule is any
indication, it's going to be a party.
For one thing, they've got the omnipresent Fr. Richard McBrien
giving a plenary speech called, "The Pontificate of Benedict XVI: A
Preliminary Assessment." Since many Americans have already watched
McBrien give his stammering, red-faced "preliminary assessment" on
live television when Benedict's election was announced, I think we
can guess what he'll say at the conference.
But of course, a CTA conference is more than just Richard McBrien.
Attendees can also enjoy presentations like...
** "Personal to Political: How Women's Ordination Impacts the Global
Community
Joy Barnes counters the critique that women's ordination is solely a
U.S. women's rights issue. She discusses the impact that ordaining
Catholic women will have on our universal church and the larger
global community."
Ah yes. Women's ordination. Thank heavens CTA is still talking about
that. And talking. And talking.
** "Mary Our Sister: Friend of God and Prophet
Lalor Cadley leads prayer with images, poetry and music. Thanks to
the work of Elizabeth Johnson and other feminist theologians, Mary of
Nazareth, Jewish peasant woman of faith, has been released from her
role as a submissive handmaiden and restored to her place as a
powerful, prophetic woman."
So much for Mary's, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord," I guess.
** "What Does A Mature Christianity Look Like?
Matthew Fox...sees plenty of immature Christianity in today's world.
But a mature Christianity does not confuse Jesus and Christ; does not
make 'flesh' a scapegoat when science teaches us its sacredness. It
develops the lower chakras instead of forbidding them. Its
spirituality heightens awareness, joy, forgiveness and grieving. It
encourages critical consciousness of injustice, fascism, consumerism.
It recognizes cosmology and moves beyond anthropocentrism to
ecological and social justice. It brings alive the mystic and prophet
in us all."
You can learn more about Fox's notion of a mature Christianity in
his classic books, "Whee! We, Wee All the Way Home: A Guide to
Sensual Prophetic Spirituality," and "On Becoming A Musical, Mystical
Bear: Spirituality American Style."
And no, I didn't make up either of those titles.
But thankfully, while there's a full roster of talks at the CTA
gathering, there'll also be time for prayer:
** "Opening to Grace
Carolyn Gantner leads morning prayer of gentle yoga and pranayama or
breathing. Yoga is a sacrament, a symphony of soul and motion that
emerges from the inside out. We bless the new day through sun
salutation, half moon, mountain and other yoga postures."
Not a fan of yoga? Well the conference has other options as well:
** "Dances of Universal Peace
Joseph Kilikevice, OP, leads the Dances of Universal Peace as prayer
in movement. We call upon God in ways that honor a rich diversity of
spiritual traditions: Jewish, Christian, Muslim and others. We use
simple chants and reverent movement in a circle, opening us to peace,
reconciliation and solidarity with all people of the word."
Sounds like fun, though you'll want to be careful not to strain your
lower chakras.
There's a lot more to the CTA schedule, but I think you get the
idea. For some people, the salad days of the 60s and 70s live
on...forever, apparently. But for the rest of us, organized Catholic
dissent has lost its novelty. There's a reason why you see an ocean
of gray hair at these kinds of gatherings. Call To Action is fading
away, and they know it. So let them dance their dances of peace,
praying to the sun and complaining about patriarchy and sexism and
homophobia and...well, it's all getting a little boring, isn't it?
I'll talk to you next week,
Brian
P.S. I'm still working on the e-Report on young, faithful Catholics.
It'll be a nice antidote to CTA's tiresome antics. I should have that
to you next week.
*** WHY WON'T SELF-HELP GURUS TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT HAPPINESS? ***
What if everything you've been told about happiness is wrong? The
self-help movement has turned the subject into a billion-dollar
industry.
And yet, those who follow the advice of the feel-good gurus will
actually be farther from real happiness than they were before.
Get the facts here:
http://www.crisismagazine.com/truth.htm
(Cut and paste into your web browser if the link doesn't work.)
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