Inspired by Scholastica

This year on January 27, Europe marked the 75th anniversary of  the liberation of Auschwitz- Birkenau prison. At a ceremony, the Catholic bishops issued a statement condemning "anti-Semitism and the manipulation of truth for political aims."  In 1945, at the end of World War II, the majority of  the world was horrified to learn of the Holocaust which killed six million Jews, cryiing out, "Never Again." The political atmosphere is much different today with the rise in Holocaust denial and nationalism. The bishops called for "reconciliation and peace, for respect for each nation's right to exist and to  freedom, to independence, to maintain its own culture." They emphasized that truth must be upheld, and never twisted for political purposes. Although Jews and Catholics  have a long history of distrust, in 1965, the Second Vatican Council offically condemned anti-Semitism in the remarkable document "Nostra Aetate." Since then relations...

On Jan. 20, the U.S. celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Day. This little-known Baptist preacher in  Atlanta in 1954 came to be celebrated in all 50 states with a holiday and more recently a Service Day. He would have been proud to see the movement grow in observance yet much of his dream still needs to be fulfilled. Beginning with Rosa Parks refusal to sit in the back of the bus, he organized boycotts of buses, lunch counters, and other public places until they changed their biased laws. A man of moral character, King was able to motivate thousands of blacks and whites to march for racial equality and to counter violence with non-violence. Fifty years ago, he had a dream "that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood." Yet fewer than half (45%) of all Americans and only 32 percent of African-Americans say the country has made significant progress toward ac...

Although environmentalists and scientists  are telling us that climate change is already happening and we have only a small amount of time to make the  changes needed before we reach the point of no return, many people seem unconcerned. Thank goodness for Greta Thunberg and other young people who are speaking out about the urgency of  making drastic changes in our  lifestyle. There are also many environmental groups like the US Climate Symposium, the Nature Conservancy, and Greenpeace, that are involved in education and consciousness-raising about how to save our planet. But action is slow and spotty in most parts of the world.When people are given the facts about global warming, the extinction of animal species, the pollution of water sources, the effects on weather such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and drought, they become alarmed, but then their concern fades amidst other issues. The changes loom so large that solutions seem out of reach. The Nature Conserv...

  Can you imagine how embarrassed the innkeeper in Bethlehem was when he learned that he had turned down a new-born King and his parents? If he had only known who Jesus was, I'm sure he would have found a suitable room for him and had gotten out expensive coverlets, the softest bed, and a banquet for his parents. That's the problem with many of us too. When we see a grimy homeless person, we often pass him or her by because we don't recognize that this is Jesus in disguise. When we serve a customer, we might take note of whether he or she might give a large tip and gear our service to that observation. When we see a person in prison, we might disdain him or her, not seeing Jesus in the cell. In our glamor-conscious world today, it is hard to keep this in mind. Appearance is everything and if someone is not properly dressed, we immediately conclude they are unimportant. And if they come on a donkey or a jackass, so much the more so! To be sure we have the right att...