Jesus curses the fig tree, cleanses the Temple, finds the fig tree withered and gives his disciples hope for the future. Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.” (Mk 11: 22-26) Continue reading →

Jesus arrives near Jerusalem and wept saying, “If only you knew what makes for peace.” Think about it. Let it sink in. Jesus, the nonviolent liberator, the rebel who challenged oppressive earthly authority, wept. He wept because they had missed the point. They had not understood his mission.
For Jesus, peace was not some abstract concept. Continue reading →

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you. (Jn 15: 18-19)

These words sound strange to us today. We usually do not think of ourselves as being hated by the world. Continue reading →

I stumbled across a wonderful movie, Amazing Grace. It is the story of William Wilberforce who worked tirelessly as a Member of Parliament for the abolition of slavery. Wilberforce was a passionate Christian and a committed reformer. He also wanted to improve conditions for factory workers and society in general.
Wilberforce suffered from a stomach aliment which debilitated him at times. This had to be due in part to the fact that he internalized the things he was reforming. He was tormented at times by visions and dreams of chained slaves. Continue reading →

This link will take you to a perceptive analysis of American empire and what it is doing to us as a nation http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/27/811/print/. The co-author, Phyllis Bennis, spoke at Pax Christi last summer. She is very perceptive and knowledgeable. You may also want to read Stephen Kinzer’s book, Overthrow. It is a good read and Kinzer documents how American imperialism has led to the overthrow of governments from Hawaii in the 1800s to Iraq today. Read the chapter on Iran and you will better understand why the Iranians do not like us. Continue reading →

The Jesuit Provincials in the United States have developed a meditation to help them discern the role of Jesuits in our society and the church. The document, “A Mediation on our Response to the Call of Christ” is available on the internet. Google the title.
What they have written is very helpful in defining our role as workers for social justice. It also helps put what I wrote last Memorial Day into context.
“Our country is one of the most ‘faith-filled’ in history, with high rates of church attendance, numerous religious media outlets, and strong religious claims on public policy. Continue reading →