Fourth Sunday in Lent
Friends,
Do you get sick time? When you’re ill, are you able to take time off from work?
Like many underemployed people, I don’t get paid sick time – but I am allowed to make up the time if I have to take a sick day, so I don’t lose pay. It’s not perfect, but at times like this morning when I felt ill at work, I’m able to go home and rest, knowing that my coworkers at the nursing home will cover me, and that I can make up the time by going in early and staying late over the next couple of weeks.
Not so our friends in the migrant ministry. Capo called at nine tonight, saying they had just got home. He’s been sick since last week, and just worked a thirteen and a half hour day, on his feet all day, while sick. "It’s okay," he said. But it’s not okay.
This past Sunday we heard about Jesus turning over the money changers tables in the temple. The system in the temple, like so many systems, weighed heavy on the poor. Some tried to address the problem by such methods as limiting the amount that could be charged for a dove – the sacrifice most used by the poor. Jesus, however, saw the big picture. The whole system had to go. I understand his anger.
Dorothy Day said, "Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy, rotten system." We have a filthy, rotten system that’s putting food on our tables. How are we going to turn over the tables and create a more just system?
It’s easy to forget about farm workers. They live way out in the country, isolated in little shacks that you could drive by without noticing. I grew up in this area – in farm country, Hilton – and yet in the past year I’ve been visiting places I never even heard of. Elba, Stafford, Clarendon – the food we eat is grown in places like these, planted and tended and picked by hidden hands, washed and packaged by people standing up working ten and twelve hour days, earning so little it would make you cry. There is something profoundly wrong with this system.
I wish I could end this bulletin with some action we could do that would turn over those tables and bring about transformation. There are things we can do, letters we can write, marches we can participate in. But I think the first thing is just starting to care. Starting to get mad. Let’s get set on fire and heal this filthy, rotten system. Those are our brothers and sisters out there, growing and picking and packing that food. Let’s get set on fire with love and get to work bringing healing.
Blessings and love to all,
Chava
Join us for a special commemorative Mass and Pot luck lunch for the 32nd anniversary of the martyrdom of our own Saint, Oscar Romero, on Sunday, March 25, 11 am at St Joe’s.
____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bulletin for Sunday, March 11, 2012
3rd Sunday in Lent
Friends,
We had some good news, yesterday.
Back in September, two of the guys from our Migrant Ministry were picked up by immigration and detained. The first, Capo, was awakened at one in the morning and taken from the house where he was staying. The second, a young man of 19, was part of a traffic stop about a week later. 11 people were in a van, and our young friend was driving. There is no way for undocumented people to get a driver’s license in New York State, so he was ticketed for driving without one, as well as driving a vehicle with a lapsed registration. Both of those are misdemeanors, and would give him a criminal record.
Last month both men had their first appearances in immigration court, and the young man had a first appearance in a local town court for the traffic violations. He was given time to contact the public defender, and we were to come back this week.(Imagine how scary this is, being a teenager in a foreign country, working hard, doing the best you can, knowing little of the language, and having to go to court with the possibility of jail, when all you’re trying to do is survive).
So, yesterday morning I got up early and drove out to get the guys, and we headed to the town court for his appearance before driving on to Buffalo for their bi-weekly check in. Capo napped in the car while we went in and waited, and waited. Finally we got to talk to the public defender. (The court provided an interpreter). And then a miracle occurred. After talking with the prosecuting attorney, the man came back with a reduced charge: a parking violation, no criminal record, no jail time. Just a fine, which we paid. (He paid most of it himself, and St Romero’s covered the rest).
There were two things that probably influenced this, we were told in Buffalo, later. One was that at this point, the only likely outcomes for him are deportation or voluntary departure, so the local courts often let things go. The other is that I was with him. Having his pastor along says he’s a person of good character, with stable relationships in the community. And you were with him, too, with your prayers and donations and words of support that help keep this ministry going. We made a difference, together.
After that, the three of us went on to Buffalo, after stopping for gas and coffee. It is still a cause for celebration when I get there without getting lost. Every other week we go for a ten minute meeting. This time we learned that there is a push on nationally for everyone that’s in the system like they are to get passports. So, unless the Mexican Consulate is coming to this area some time soon, we’ll be making a trip to New York City. "How far is it to New York?" Capo asked. "About five hours," the man answered. "Oh!" Capo said, turning to me. "So you should be able to get there in twenty hours!"
Ha, ha.
More coffee, then the drive home. We noticed the brown trees, and realized that soon they will be turning green. We’ve driven through fall and winter, and now the spring. Nobody had money for lunch, so we went home and had eggs, beans and tortillas in the little house that does look better now that it’s got some fresh paint. Getting buggy with the warmer weather, and the furnace is still awful, but it’s a pleasanter place to be.
Thank you for all you have done to help us. Your prayers and donations (this week someone is giving a much-needed bed and a bookshelf, thank you, thank you!) and moral support are so needed, and so valued. As Mother Teresa said, what we do is just a drop in the ocean; but if that drop were not in the ocean, it would be missed.
Still wanted: a house for this ministry. I’m already gathering books for the library.
March 24 will be the 32nd anniversary of the assassination of Monsenor Romero. Shall we mark it with a pot luck lunch? – after Mass on Sunday, March 25. We do miss our after-Mass breakfast. It would be lovely to have some music that day, too, if anyone would like to volunteer.
Blessings on your Lent! May it be a time of growth and new life for you.
And the crocuses are blooming!
Love and light to all
Chava
"A stuttering prophet will be the voice of God, a barren old lady will become the mother of a nation, a shepherd boy will become their king, and a homeless baby will lead them home."
~ Shane Claiborne, Jesus for President
_____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Friends,
We had some good news, yesterday.
Back in September, two of the guys from our Migrant Ministry were picked up by immigration and detained. The first, Capo, was awakened at one in the morning and taken from the house where he was staying. The second, a young man of 19, was part of a traffic stop about a week later. 11 people were in a van, and our young friend was driving. There is no way for undocumented people to get a driver’s license in New York State, so he was ticketed for driving without one, as well as driving a vehicle with a lapsed registration. Both of those are misdemeanors, and would give him a criminal record.
Last month both men had their first appearances in immigration court, and the young man had a first appearance in a local town court for the traffic violations. He was given time to contact the public defender, and we were to come back this week.(Imagine how scary this is, being a teenager in a foreign country, working hard, doing the best you can, knowing little of the language, and having to go to court with the possibility of jail, when all you’re trying to do is survive).
So, yesterday morning I got up early and drove out to get the guys, and we headed to the town court for his appearance before driving on to Buffalo for their bi-weekly check in. Capo napped in the car while we went in and waited, and waited. Finally we got to talk to the public defender. (The court provided an interpreter). And then a miracle occurred. After talking with the prosecuting attorney, the man came back with a reduced charge: a parking violation, no criminal record, no jail time. Just a fine, which we paid. (He paid most of it himself, and St Romero’s covered the rest).
There were two things that probably influenced this, we were told in Buffalo, later. One was that at this point, the only likely outcomes for him are deportation or voluntary departure, so the local courts often let things go. The other is that I was with him. Having his pastor along says he’s a person of good character, with stable relationships in the community. And you were with him, too, with your prayers and donations and words of support that help keep this ministry going. We made a difference, together.
After that, the three of us went on to Buffalo, after stopping for gas and coffee. It is still a cause for celebration when I get there without getting lost. Every other week we go for a ten minute meeting. This time we learned that there is a push on nationally for everyone that’s in the system like they are to get passports. So, unless the Mexican Consulate is coming to this area some time soon, we’ll be making a trip to New York City. "How far is it to New York?" Capo asked. "About five hours," the man answered. "Oh!" Capo said, turning to me. "So you should be able to get there in twenty hours!"
Ha, ha.
More coffee, then the drive home. We noticed the brown trees, and realized that soon they will be turning green. We’ve driven through fall and winter, and now the spring. Nobody had money for lunch, so we went home and had eggs, beans and tortillas in the little house that does look better now that it’s got some fresh paint. Getting buggy with the warmer weather, and the furnace is still awful, but it’s a pleasanter place to be.
Thank you for all you have done to help us. Your prayers and donations (this week someone is giving a much-needed bed and a bookshelf, thank you, thank you!) and moral support are so needed, and so valued. As Mother Teresa said, what we do is just a drop in the ocean; but if that drop were not in the ocean, it would be missed.
Still wanted: a house for this ministry. I’m already gathering books for the library.
March 24 will be the 32nd anniversary of the assassination of Monsenor Romero. Shall we mark it with a pot luck lunch? – after Mass on Sunday, March 25. We do miss our after-Mass breakfast. It would be lovely to have some music that day, too, if anyone would like to volunteer.
Blessings on your Lent! May it be a time of growth and new life for you.
And the crocuses are blooming!
Love and light to all
Chava
"A stuttering prophet will be the voice of God, a barren old lady will become the mother of a nation, a shepherd boy will become their king, and a homeless baby will lead them home."
~ Shane Claiborne, Jesus for President
_____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Bulletin for Sunday, March 4, 2011
2nd Sunday in Lent
Friends,
There is a famous Black theologian who was a great influence on Martin Luther King. When I was in divinity school I devoured everything of his that I could find, because it was food for my mind and my soul. One thing about his writing bothered me, though. He was brilliant in recognizing the oppression of Black people and in seeing that Jesus stands with the disinherited: but at the same time I saw in his writing a constant, unconscious sexism. He could see clearly the wrong that was done to people because of the color of their skin, but it seemed to me that he did not see the assumptions he had about the natural order of the world as it pertains to men and women.
When I saw that, I wondered --- in another fifty years, when people look back at us, now, what will be glaringly obvious to them, that we can’t even see? What prejudices do I have that I’m not aware of?
In feminism it’s the same thing! White women began the feminist movement in the 1960’s. Pretty soon, women of color were saying, "hey! This looks different to us! You have to hear our voices, too!" and so the womanist movement was born. Latina women, too, had a different perspective; theirs is called mujerista theology. But there was more awareness to come. In a book called "Sexuality and the Black Church: a Womanist Perspective," Kelly Brown Douglas challenged the Black church to grow in its attitude toward homosexuality. There’s always someone else to be included.
So who are we leaving out, now? What attitudes are we not even aware of? Who is next to open our eyes to their exclusion?
I think the next barrier is classism.
Last week, someone posted something on Facebook that said, " Feeling ugly? Go chill in Walmart for 2 hours. You’ll feel a LOT better." Even a few months ago, that wouldn’t have bothered me. But I’ve been spending a lot of time in Walmart, lately. Walmart is where the poor people shop, because whatever you need, it’s probably there, and at a price less than other places. It’s where you go to look for bottled water if you don’t trust the water coming out of the tap in the shack the farmer is letting you use for the winter. It’s where you go to look for rubber gloves to protect your hands while you’re washing and sorting potatoes each day in the bodega, or for baby clothes to send to your sister in Mexico. And in my case, it’s where you might go to look for a comal so you can cook tortillas… a comal that will be lined with pieces cut from a Walmart bag so the tortillas don’t stick.
So with that new awareness, I noticed in a way that I wouldn’t have before, the offhandedness with which we educated, middle class people laugh at people with less education and experience. People were "liking" that post who would never laugh at a joke about gay people or Black people, or women. A friend of mine who is a Presbyterian minister says that she goes to Walmart to pray. She walks around, looking at people and praying for them. I like that. Given the people that Jesus chose to hang out with 2,000 years ago, I think it’s actually a pretty safe bet that if Jesus were in Upstate New York right now, these are the people he would be talking to. The people on the bottom, those people he said were blessed and would inherit the earth.
…those people who work ten hours a day, six days a week, doing work people who are born here won’t do, living in unhealthy spaces, then getting punished for being here. Please pray this week as we head again to immigration court. Wednesday, the young man in our community who was detained in September will go before the judge, most likely to get a date to reappear some time in 2013. He also has a court appearance next week related to the traffic stop at which he was taken by the border patrol. He’s carrying more responsibility and worry than any teenager ought to have.
So pray, please.
Blessings and peace to you. May your Lent be a time of growth and new life!
Love and light to all
Chava
____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
Friends,
There is a famous Black theologian who was a great influence on Martin Luther King. When I was in divinity school I devoured everything of his that I could find, because it was food for my mind and my soul. One thing about his writing bothered me, though. He was brilliant in recognizing the oppression of Black people and in seeing that Jesus stands with the disinherited: but at the same time I saw in his writing a constant, unconscious sexism. He could see clearly the wrong that was done to people because of the color of their skin, but it seemed to me that he did not see the assumptions he had about the natural order of the world as it pertains to men and women.
When I saw that, I wondered --- in another fifty years, when people look back at us, now, what will be glaringly obvious to them, that we can’t even see? What prejudices do I have that I’m not aware of?
In feminism it’s the same thing! White women began the feminist movement in the 1960’s. Pretty soon, women of color were saying, "hey! This looks different to us! You have to hear our voices, too!" and so the womanist movement was born. Latina women, too, had a different perspective; theirs is called mujerista theology. But there was more awareness to come. In a book called "Sexuality and the Black Church: a Womanist Perspective," Kelly Brown Douglas challenged the Black church to grow in its attitude toward homosexuality. There’s always someone else to be included.
So who are we leaving out, now? What attitudes are we not even aware of? Who is next to open our eyes to their exclusion?
I think the next barrier is classism.
Last week, someone posted something on Facebook that said, " Feeling ugly? Go chill in Walmart for 2 hours. You’ll feel a LOT better." Even a few months ago, that wouldn’t have bothered me. But I’ve been spending a lot of time in Walmart, lately. Walmart is where the poor people shop, because whatever you need, it’s probably there, and at a price less than other places. It’s where you go to look for bottled water if you don’t trust the water coming out of the tap in the shack the farmer is letting you use for the winter. It’s where you go to look for rubber gloves to protect your hands while you’re washing and sorting potatoes each day in the bodega, or for baby clothes to send to your sister in Mexico. And in my case, it’s where you might go to look for a comal so you can cook tortillas… a comal that will be lined with pieces cut from a Walmart bag so the tortillas don’t stick.
So with that new awareness, I noticed in a way that I wouldn’t have before, the offhandedness with which we educated, middle class people laugh at people with less education and experience. People were "liking" that post who would never laugh at a joke about gay people or Black people, or women. A friend of mine who is a Presbyterian minister says that she goes to Walmart to pray. She walks around, looking at people and praying for them. I like that. Given the people that Jesus chose to hang out with 2,000 years ago, I think it’s actually a pretty safe bet that if Jesus were in Upstate New York right now, these are the people he would be talking to. The people on the bottom, those people he said were blessed and would inherit the earth.
…those people who work ten hours a day, six days a week, doing work people who are born here won’t do, living in unhealthy spaces, then getting punished for being here. Please pray this week as we head again to immigration court. Wednesday, the young man in our community who was detained in September will go before the judge, most likely to get a date to reappear some time in 2013. He also has a court appearance next week related to the traffic stop at which he was taken by the border patrol. He’s carrying more responsibility and worry than any teenager ought to have.
So pray, please.
Blessings and peace to you. May your Lent be a time of growth and new life!
Love and light to all
Chava
____________________________________________________
Oscar Romero Church
An Inclusive Community of Liberation, Justice and Joy
Worshiping in the Catholic Tradition
Mass: Sundays, 11 am
St Joseph's House of Hospitality, 402 South Ave, Rochester NY 14620
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