Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Hope of the Poor



Left:  Classroom pic from school run by the Episcopal Anglican Church in Goiania, Brazil for poor children.

In the suffrages recited during morning prayer we pray " Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; nor the hope of the poor be taken away."

Lately I have been chewing over in my mind these wonderful phrases from the Book of Common Prayer and, especially, thinking about what constitutes the "hope of the poor."

At first glance, this should be a no-brainer for me.  Since I spent several years in the mid-Sixties living in a Brazilian favela and since much of my professional life was spent working with marginalized groups in Africa, you would think that I could articulate what is the hope of the poor in some credible way.  Even now, in retirement, I live in one of Indianapolis' poorest areas. 

One of the first things that I realize is that the poor do, in fact, hope.  They may hope for something big, like better days ahead.  Or they may hope for something more specific, like a nice backpack to take to school.  They may sometimes hope for massive political change that will recognize their existence and their aspirations.  No doubt, this is part of the great political dramas of our times in Gaza or Brazil with the election of President Lula or here in the USA with the election of Barack Obama. 

As I am writing these reflections, the health care debate is focused on the US Senate.  Even though we do not often see the poor on TV  discussing health care, it seems reasonable to assume that they are hoping that something comes from all of the talk and posturing of both parties that will benefit their lives.

Sometimes the hopes of the poor are cast as dreams for this world.  This is one way of reading the United Nations Milennium Development Goals inspired by the great economist Jeffrey Sachs.  Obtainable or not, the idea of the concrete possibility of the eradication of poverty is powerful in itself.

Some years back we used to hear more of  "theologies of hope" and we were often pointed to German theologian Jurgen Moltmann.  Theologies of hope live in synergistic relationship to the theologies of liberation. . . . they may give theological articulation of the yearnings of the marginalized and take communities of faith into unknown territory.  For example, if it is true that poverty is not an individual moral flaw but a structural element in the human polity, how should churches and faith communities respond? 

Hope is never an illusion.  Hope may be the motor that causes either an individual or a whole group to move to new realizations.  Hope is not distributed, like some scarce commodity, to just the middle classes and rich (who, curiously, are often victims of hopelessness about their own lives and who live out post-modern ennui).  It is a part of the human condition, part of how all humans--poor and rich--are wired.

Which brings me to the answer to my question:  What constitutes the hope of the poor?  The hope of the poor is whatever makes them think or believe that a better or more just time is ahead or obtainable.  If this hope is "taken away" then part of their humanity itself has been taken away. 

More of our involvement with the poor should be in listening to their hopes, sharing in their dreams.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Make a Vow to the Lord and Keep It (Psalm 76:11)


On the left:  Br. Daniel-Chad Hoffman and Br. Daniel-Joseph Schroeder, Guardian of the Community of the Gospel during Reception of Full Members in the Community of the Gospel, All Saints Episcopal Church, Appleton, WI April 16, 2009

Today at Christ Church during Morning Prayers we recited Psalm 76.  As the reading went on, perforated by lengthy pauses, I was struck by verse 11:  "Make a vow to the Lord and keep it."   

In my life I have only made a few public vows that seemed at the time irrevocable.  I also broke these vows.  So my record in keeping what the Encarta Dictionary calls "solemn promises" is not good.

Yet, on April 16, '09, during the joy of Easter Week, there I was surrounded by the Guardian and members of the Community of the Gospel and a Priest of the Church making vows as a full member of the Community of the Gospel.

Those vows were:  "To live a life consistent with your Baptismal vows, continuing in the Apostles' teaching, proclaiming by word and example the Good News of the Gospel, seeking and serving Christ and striving for justice, peace and dignity of all persons."  And, as if this were not enough, there was more:  To "be diligent in prayer, study and personal service . . . submitting yourself to the love and guidance of the Holy Spirit as Christ submitted himself to the will of his heavenly Father"  . . . "to serve Christ as an active member of your parish, serving Him and the local community according to your talents and gifts in so far as your state in life permits" . . . to "accept the advice of the authority of the Guardians of this Community, the Council and your formation team."



To the right:  Br. Daniel-Chad and the Rev. Tyrone Fowlkes of Chicago who administered the vows.

Reciting the vows is  daunting. But it is easier than actually keeping the vows.  At Christ Church this morning the words kept echoing in my head "Make a vow and keep it . . . . make a vow and keep it . . . . . make a vow and keep it . . . . make a vow and keep it."

After the vows,  the hard work of the monastic life kicks in big time.  The only way to honor  the vows is to remember them often and to renew them.  This is why the congregation renews their baptismal vows at every baptism according to the Book of Common Prayer. 

But not so easy!  There are bills to pay, the groceries to buy, family  to relate to, activities everywhere . . . .American life is busy always.  In the bustle of daily life, I forget what I am about.

Hey, Br. Daniel-Chad, keep remembering those words:  Baptismal vows, word and example of Good News, justice, peace, dignity, prayer, study, service, submission, obedience, acceptance.  This is what it is all about  after April 16th.

Keep those vows.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Book Review: Philip Roth The Humbling


To the left:  Author Philip Roth

Maybe it is the fact that I am 66 years old.  Now I am reading books in which aging is a major theme.

This is one reason why I picked up The Humbling  (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009, 140 pp) by America's greatest living novelist, Philip Roth. 

This weekend I read The Humbling in one two hour session.  The story is of Simon Axler, once golden boy of the New York stage, now  66 years old.  The tone of the novel is set by the very first paragraph:  "He'd lost his magic.  The impulse was spent.  He'd never failed in the theater, everything he had done had been strong and successful, and then the terrible thing happened:  he couldn't act.  Going on-stage became agony.  Instead of the certainty that he was going to be wonderful, he knew he was going to fail.  It happened three times in a row, and by the last time nobody was interested, nobody came.  He couldn't get over to the audience."

The deep depression that Axler's lost gift causes is the theme of the first part of the book.  He can't shake this depression or the conviction that his best moments are behind him.  His agent, acting almost like a friend of Job, tries to entice him into a major return to the stage with no luck whatsoever. 

The second section of the book, titled "The Transformation" is about illusions, desire and falsely grounded hope.  I won't tell what happens in this disturbing section in order not to give away the plot.  But sex is here and in surprisingly large amounts for a guy who thought he was done with even desire. 

The third section of the book, "The Last Act" describes how Axler decides that he can have one measure--one last measure--of control in his life.  And how he can, as it were, return to the stage.  But this return is dark and troubling.

The Humbling reminds me that the American idea of a youthful aging process is a great myth.  Aging is what it is:  physical breakdown, mental uncertainties, loneliness, remaining desire, deterioration, memory of the past, of better days.  True, some people because of their genes and chromosones and because of their disposition or material wealth handle aging better than others.  Still,Roth's book stands as a potent reminder that aging ain't for sissies.

The truth of this fiction by Roth is hard and very cold.  No matter how much we are told that you are only as old as you feel or are inside, no matter how older persons are marketed as at a wonderfully sunny place, the reality is more on the side of Simon Axler. 

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Something Happens in Monastic Prayer


The work of the monastic, whether in a monastery or "dispersed" (such as me) is to pray.   We are meant to be living prayers. We keep the Hours or the Office.  I often go to Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis in the early morning to offer prayers with  clergy and members from the Book of Common Prayer.  Throughout the day, while cleaning the house, shopping, working in the garden . . . I find myself talking to and, more often, listening to God.

What happens in all of this prayer?  Unlike other activities in our society, there is no "bottom line" outside of prayer itself.  You can't judge the prayer by the notion that you have "gotten through" to God and He has granted some request.  Most often prayer is offered in silence and the re
sult is just more silence.  Most monastics would not see this as bad.  Too much noise anyway in America.

In this blog I  want to witness to one experience that I have had with prayer, especially now that I am becoming more disciplined and stablized in it.  Each day I pray for the other brothers and sisters in the Community of the Gospel, the clergy of Christ Church, different bishops, including the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.  I also pray for members of Christ Church by name.  We pray for each person at least once monthly and often more frequently if there are special needs.

But what happens if I have been angry at that person?  Or if I have been hurt by words or actions or inactions of that person?  What if there is something about the clergy person that I just don't get? 

One day last month I was helping with the prayers and was reading out loud the names of the persons in the congregation.  My own name was there.  The very next name was of my ex-wife, with whom I had lots of difficulties.  On the second Sunday in Advent at the Eucharist we prayed for the Archbishop of Canterbury and yet, I have been really angry at him for his attitude towards the U. S. Episcopal Church and for his deafening silence on the "death to gays" movement in Uganda, where a huge population of Anglicans live.  I had a difficult exchange with a member of Christ Church last month and, lo and behold, several days later that person was sitting facing me in the Choir during morning prayers. 

What I have learned from praying for these persons is that it is impossible (for me anyway) to pray for them and retain some level of rancor, disharmony or anger.  By offering them to God in my prayers and intercessions, I somehow also take them into myself.  They are a part of me.  This mitigates my feelings in a significant way.  It seems to me that this is the wonderful logic of Jesus' admonition to pray for your enemies.

Of course, that does not mean that I have to agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury's policies and actions.  Or that I may not keep in mind the obvious boundaries between me and my ex-.  Or that whatever someone does to me is OK  But it does mean that you cannot retain anger or bad feelings for those you pray for.  Put simply, from my experience:  You cannot be angry at someone and pray for them at the same time and expect that you will still be angry after having handed them over to God.  Prayer modifies this process. Rather than focusing on my own hurt or sense of injustice, I try to understand the other person.

Well, then, it looks as though this seemingly non-utilitarian activity mysteriously does have some result:  It creates more harmonious relations between God and me and between others and me.  It is a great silent community builder.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Honoring Nelia


I am lucky to have great kids. When I am with others my age, I don't spend time lamenting how my children disappointed me. To the contrary, I am very proud of both of them and of the others who have been part of our extended family (like Tseliso and Greg).


At this very moment, my daughter, Nelia, is flying to the Kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa on mission for several weeks with the Glaser Foundation of Los Angeles. Glaser works in pediatric AIDS and focuses great effort on Africa.


Nelia is a Tulane U. Master of Public of Health graduate. She now has a track record on working for several agencies with AIDS related issues, mainly in the Caribbean and Africa. Over the past few years she has gone to Angola, Mozambique, Mali, and Madagascar . . . to name but a few of the places where she has interfaced and encouraged local AIDS workers.


Like most people, I am not always exactly sure about the work details of my kids. But in Nelia's case, I know that her commitment emerges from deep within her value system. And I know that the agency she works for and Nelia herself are doing incredible good. Nelia witnesses the AIDS pandemic in Africa and speaks always with respect and honor not only for HIV+ Africans and their families but for the hard-pressed agencies that try to meet their needs.


So, sure, this is Dad's show-off blog. I am proud of Nelia and want to honor her work. At Christmas we will be hearing about health and wholeness in Swaziland. Thanks, Nelia, for your work! Love, Dad

Friday, December 04, 2009

De-Celebritize the Salahis

Growing up in the Fifties, I was exposed to some celebrities: Ed Sullivan, Elvis, later the Beattles. This exposure was mediated by television and a few periodicals. And while the girls swooned at Elvis and Beattles performances, it was a limited exposure.

Other things mattered. Discussions at school were not exclusively about movies, television, media. In my setting, in those days, I had a life beyond those things: church, a family that actually had meals together, some civic involvements. For sure, it was not always great. I also had the gang of Kepner Junior High School thugs who waited to chase me to the bus stop and beat me up when they could and who generally made 8th grade a living hell. Still, I had a life. I didn't have to live through the lens of famous people.

It is with these thoughts that I have thought about the Salahi gate crashing incident at the White House during the State Dinner for the Indian Head of State. Leaving aside just the despicable act of crashing a party uninvited or the dangers that this act revealed to our own young Head of State, what does it mean when there are people out there whose value systems will lead them to do anything in order to bask in the glow of fame and celebrity? When I viewed the video clip of Mrs. Salahi entering the party in her sari, I have the feeling that here is a woman who somehow feels fulfilled.

If the Salahis actually had done something, anything, to contribute to the welfare of the world and its peoples--any little thing whatsoever--then at least you could say, well, maybe they have a reason for being there. But their records show nothing that is even remotely high-minded. The Salahis themselves embody what celebrity culture does to people. They demonstrate the worst that can happen in a culture regulated in its sense of attainment by what I call celebrityism: needing to rub shoulders with fame, even if you don't deserve to be there.

Outside of the legal and procedural and security issues that the Salahi gate crashing raise, we should think a little about how many other Salahis are out there: People whose highest value and ethic is being famous or being with the famous. People who have this value are devoid of substance. And I worry about young persons who are immersed in this kind of culture.

This is where I have conflicting feelings. By calling attention to this couple, even in this blog, and even for reasons of arresting such incursions into the White House in the future, are we essentially giving them what they want?

They weren't celebrities. Now they are. How can we de-celebritize the Salahis while discussing the serious issues their little escapade raise?

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Get New Strategies for Gay Marriage


To the left:  Gay Liberation by George Segal, Sheridan Park, New York City, Photo by Dan Hoffman.

In the last few hours, the New York State Legislature denied marriage to gays by a significant margin. Now that state joins Maine, California and other states that will not allow gay persons to marry.

A couple of weeks ago I heard Tony Kushner speak in Chicago. In his hard-hitting and provocative speech, he noted that it is a grossly unfair burden to expect gays to go through fifty different legislative and referendum procedures to secure the right to marry. It is unfair and places gays on a constant roller-coaster in which, if they do secure marriage rights at one level of government, they can be withdrawn. California is a good case study.

Kushner did not spell out an alternative. Maybe this alternative lies in the courts and the congress. Maybe gay rights advocates should step back and cast this struggle from a new perspective. There must be more than one strategy to achieve gay marriage.

I think that it is time for Human Rights Campaign and Lambda and the other organizations claiming to represent gays and lesbians to address this critique. Why does this issue depend upon one state-by-state strategy only? I think Kushner is right.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Blue Ogee Resurrected!!!



Over the past year, the Blue Ogee Blog went dormant as I explored monastic spirituality, enjoyed social networking, retired from bookselling, traveled extensively and--to put it colloquially--kicked back a little.


But lately I have been thinking when reading a new book or attending a great movie or just talking about significant issues with a friend: "I would really like to write about that." So, with my gun reflection yesterday, I have reinitiated the Blue Ogee.
Truth be told, when I saw the number of site visits on the site meter (now more than 1,600) I thought, well, someone, somewhere is reading this stuff. So, here we go again. The mission of the Blue Ogee is exactly the same now as in the past and you can read it on the header for each posting.
Since I have also learned how to post photos on this blog, I am including a few recent ones for you to get acquainted with me. It will always be good
to hear your comments. (Top picture at the Printers Row Book Fair in Chicago, June, 2009--Bottom pic at a squatter settlement near Goiania, Brazil in May, 2007)