Syrian Migrants Traveled With the Pope

A dozen folks, three families, rode back to the Vatican with Pope Francis.

I think that's a good thing, since their homes in Syria aren't there any more. They survived, obviously, and had made it as far as Lesbos,¹ an island in the Aegean Sea.

"A Gesture of Welcome"

(From AFP, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
("The migrants are travelling on the same plane as the Pope back to the Vatican"
(BBC News))

"Migrant crisis: Pope returns from Greece with 12 migrants"
BBC News (April 16, 2016)

"Pope Francis has taken 12 Syrian migrants back with him to the Vatican after visiting a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.

"The three families, including six children, are all Muslim and had their homes bombed during the Syrian war.

"The Vatican said in a statement² that Pope Francis wanted to 'make a gesture of welcome' to the refugees.

"Thousands of migrants are now stuck on Lesbos after last month's EU-Turkey deal to try to ease the flow....

"...Under the EU-Turkey agreement, migrants arriving illegally on the Greek islands from Turkey after 20 March will be deported unless they successfully claim for asylum.

"In return, for every Syrian returned to Turkey, the EU will take another Syrian directly from Turkey...."

(From Community of Sant'Egidio, used w/o permission.)
("Coming back from Greek Island of Lesbos, the pope gives a lesson of concrete commitment for refugees"
(Community of Sant'Egidio))

"Three families of Syrian refugees hosted by Pope Francis in Vatican. Sant'Egidio provides first welcome"
Community of Sant'Egidio (April 16, 2016)

"...They are 12 people- 6 of them are children - who will be hosted in Vatican. They come from bombed cities, had lost everything and are in a very precarious condition.

" 'Everything was arranged according to the rules. They have their documents. The Holy See, the Greek government and the Italian government have checked everything. They have been welcomed by the Vatican and with the collaboration of the Saint Egidio Community they will be searching for work' the Pope said."

I'm glad that those folks got out of Syria alive, with documentation that passed inspection by three separate governments.

It would be nice if everyone escaped Syria with their lives, an up-to-date passport, rail pass, international driving permit, and enough Euros and U.S. dollars to set themselves up comfortably someplace else. That said —

I don't regard migrants "arriving illegally" with horror: not when they are folks who very likely are doing well to have escaped a war zone with their lives — never mind full documentation.

I've never been in that situation myself, for which I'm duly grateful.

If — and this is a strictly hypothetical situation — my family's home was a smoking ruin, along with most of the rest of Sauk Centre, Minnesota, we might head north: toward the Canadian border.

If we made it that far, we might have passed an intact Federal Building: or not.

If we had, the place might have had the forms we'd need to apply for passports - - - you get the idea, I hope.

In that strictly hypothetical situation, I might not be surprised if Canadian authorities thought we could be terrorists.³

But I would hope that they'd let us cross the border and help us stay alive long enough to establish that we weren't trying to kill anyone.

I don't "look like" a terrorist, apart from my beard: not by most American standards. But I do "look American:" Anglo-American, anyway, although I'm not; and that's another topic.⁴

I've seen Pope Francis called a "pro-immigrant" Pope — and 'worse.' As a descendant of immigrants, I don't see that it as a bad thing: which is just as well, and I'll get back to that.

As for the three families being Muslim — I'm an adult convert to Catholicism, with the enthusiasm for my faith that implies. Among other things, I must take truth seriously: and respect those who seek truth, including folks who don't agree with me:

" 'All men are bound to seek the truth, especially in what concerns God and his Church, and to embrace it and hold on to it as they come to know it.'²⁶ This duty derives from 'the very dignity of the human person.'²⁷ It does not contradict a 'sincere respect' for different religions which frequently 'reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men,'²⁸ nor the requirement of charity, which urges Christians 'to treat with love, prudence and patience those who are in error or ignorance with regard to the faith.'²⁹"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2104)

I also must take what our Lord said about love and strangers seriously.

"A Concrete Gesture"

(From U.S. Department of State, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Part of the Za'atri camp in Jordan for Syrian refugee. (July 18, 2013))

"...Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees who flee death from war and hunger, and who have begun a journey moved by hope for survival, the Gospel calls us to be 'neighbours' of the smallest and the abandoned, and to give them concrete hope. It's not enough to say, 'Take heart. Be patient'.... Christian hope has a fighting spirit, with the tenacity of one who goes toward a sure goal.

"Therefore, as the Jubilee of Mercy approaches, I make an appeal to parishes, religious communities, monasteries and shrines throughout Europe, that they express the Gospel in a concrete way and host a refugee family. A concrete gesture in preparation for the Holy Year of Mercy. May every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every shrine of Europe welcome one family, beginning with my Diocese of Rome.

"I address my brother bishops of Europe, true pastors, that in their dioceses they endorse my appeal, remembering that Mercy is the second name of Love: 'What you have done for the least of my brothers, that you have done for me' (cf. Mt 25:46).

"In the coming days, the two parishes of the Vatican will also welcome two families of refugees...."
(Angelus, Pope Francis (September 6, 2015))

I don't know if today's three families include the ones promised last September. If they are, a seven-month wait could seem like a long time: or a short one, depending on how many diplomatic hurdles had to be cleared.

Either way, I am happy for the twelve folks who made it out of Syria to a reasonably secure location. That leaves more than four million who are still waiting.⁵

Those are just the ones we know about. A great many more apparently haven't made it into official lists; or are still alive, homeless, and somewhere in Syria.

I don't know any of them, though, and I have a roof over my head: so why should I care?

"The Whole Law and the Prophets"

About two millennia back, someone asked our Lord what the greatest commandment was:

"Jesus replied, 'The first is this: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

"The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.' "
(Mark 12:29-31)

We see another angle on the same thing in Matthew 22:34-40. Here's how that ends:

"The second is like it: ²³ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

"²⁴ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." "
(Matthew 22:39-40)

This wasn't a new idea:

"¹ 'Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!

"Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. "
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

'Love my neighbor' is clear enough: but who is my neighbor?

Basically, everyone.

I've talked about Luke 10:29-37, the good Samaritan, and getting a grip, before. (October 26, 2014)

Since I take what our Lord said seriously, I try to love God, love my neighbor, see everyone as my neighbor, and treat others as I want them to treat me. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

It's simple, but not easy. (October 12, 2014)

Strangers and Math

(From sporki, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission.)
(Some of the 2,000,000⁶ folks at World Youth Day 2000, Vatican City and Rome.)

Helping folks who are in trouble is a very high priority. Matthew 25:34-46 makes that quite clear. (May 3, 2015)

Folks escaping Syria arguably fall under the "strangers" category in Matthew 25:35.

I'd like to think that leaders who have been turning Syrian refugees away do so because there are so many. Refusing shelter to all because they're afraid that a few might be terrorists — is understandable, but regrettable.

Moving, housing, and feeding even a fraction of a million strangers won't be easy. Neither will helping them settle in as at least semi-permanent members of society.

I think that helps explain why Pope Francis didn't try solving the problem by inviting all Syrian refugees to Vatican City; or even just the 660,000 who arrived in Lesbos last year — with another 3,000 coming each day.⁷

Vatican City covers about 110 acres, 0.44 square kilometers, a tad over an eighth of a square mile.

About 690 folks live there, so the population density is around 1,800/square kilometer, 4,800/square mile. That's between Hong Kong and Bahrain in terms of population density: quite manageable, these days.

Add 660,000, and you'd have 660,690 folks there: at roughly 1,501,000/square kilometer, or 579,000/square mile, if I did the math right.

That's a bit over 35 times as snug as Manila, Earth's the most densely-packed city, so far, at 42,800/square kilometer.

That's a lot of folks in one place: particularly if they're going to live there. I think it's worth noting that some of World Youth Day 2000's 2,000,000 attendees spilled over into Rome.

Doing What I Can

Part of our job is building a better world. (Catechism, 1928-1942, 2419-2442)

I could be overwhelmed by guilt, knowing that I haven't cured cancer, achieved a lasting peace in the Middle East, and helped millions of folks find new homes.

I could also believe that I can "...leap tall buildings in a single bound..." — but that would be crazy.

Humility, Catholic style, is having a balanced view of my abilities: or lack of them, and that's yet another topic. (August 10, 2014)

Happily, I'm expected to do what I can: not what I can't.

"As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life. The manner of this participation may vary from one country or culture to another...."
(Catechism, 1915) [emphasis mine]

But I must do what I can as an individual, and a member of my culture, to make things better. (Catechism, 1928-1942)

I don't think I have the political clout or wealth to 'make a difference.' As I said Friday before last, my household has been making our own laundry detergent and growing produce out back to make ends meet. (April 9, 2016)

I can, however, do what I'm doing now: say that the "dignity of the human person" is vital. (Catechism, 1700, 1929)

Each of us is made in the image of God, but we're not identical. We're supposed to have different abilities and needs. We're also supposed to look out for each other. (Catechism, 1929, 1934-1938)

Acting like loving my neighbor, and recognizing the dignity of everyone, matters?

That's not easy. But like I've said before, it's important:

• "Attacks in Paris: People Matter"
  (November 17, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Life and Love
  • 'A Stranger, and You Slammed the Door in my Face'
• "9/11, 14 Years Later"
  (September 11, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Protecting and Helping Neighbors
• "Angst, Hope, and Building a Better World"
  (July 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Predictions and Fashionable Melancholia
  • Love and Responsibilities
  • Looking Ahead
• "Charlie Hebdo, Chick Tracts, and Getting a Grip"
  (January 11, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Hamyd Mourad And Assumptions
  • "Abominable"
  • Getting Angry, Staying Angry
  • Looking Around, Looking Ahead
• "Neighbors, Love, and Upping the Ante"
  (October 26, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Samaritan: An Unexpected 'Good Guy'
  • Basic Principles - - -
  • - - - and the Long Haul

---

¹ Folks have been living on Lesbos for ten millennia, give or take, maybe more. Mytilene, their capital city, goes back three millennia: probably. Hittites called the island Lazpa during the late Bronze Age.

These days it's chiefly famous for being where Sappho came from. Nearly all of that poet's works got lost in the shuffle when Rome was a superpower.

About her personal life, I'll go along with this:

"The only contemporary source for Sappho's life is her own poetry, and scholars are skeptical of reading it biographically. Later biographical accounts are also unreliable."
(Sappho, Life, Wikipedia)

We may, eventually, piece together more of what happened before and immediately after the Late Bronze Age collapse. I've mentioned that, and why I don't rant about folks who aren't exactly like me, before. (October 16, 2015; July 12, 2015; April 5, 2015)

² A "working translation" from the Director of the Holy See Press Office's statement:

"...Traduzione in lingua inglese

"Statement of the Director of the Holy See Press Office

"The Pope has desired to make a gesture of welcome regarding refugees, accompanying on his plane to Rome three families of refugees from Syria, 12 people in all, including six children. These are all people who were already in camps in Lesbos before the agreement between the European Union and Turkey.

"The Pope's initiative was brought to fruition through negotiations carried out by the Secretariat of State with the competent Greek and Italian authorities.

"All the members of the three families are Muslims. Two families come from Damascus, and one from Deir Azzor (in the area occupied by Daesh). Their homes had been bombed.

"The Vatican will take responsibility for bringing in and maintaining the three families. The initial hospitality will be taken care of by the Community of Sant'Egidio.

"[00623-EN.01] [Original text: Italian - working translation]..."
(Dichiarazione del Direttore della Sala Stampa della Santa Sede, 16.04.2016 [Statement by the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See][internal link mine] (April 16, 2016))

³ Most Americans do not, I am sure, think of ourselves as "terrorists." However, I can imagine circumstances where folks elsewhere might assume that Americans are mass-murderers just waiting to snap:

• "Charleston Church Shooting: Emotions and Reason"
  (June 21, 2015)
  • "Our Country?" Difference, Acceptance, and Murder
  • Looking Out For Each Other
• "Death and Decisions in Oregon"
  (October 4, 2015)
  • Politics
  • Sin and Love
  • Prayer

⁴ Wikipedia says that "...Anglo-American is a rare term occasionally used to refer to an English American and/or an English Canadian...."

I'm descended from European immigrants, so I "look American" by some standards. On the other hand, one of my ancestors was not at all pleased when another of my ancestors married the daughter of a 'decent' family:

• "Strangers and Standing Orders"
  (July 6, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Irish and Other 'Threats'

⁵ The UNHCR says they know of 4,837,208 "Registered Syrian Refugees." (April 11, 2016)

The bad news is that millions of folks from Syria have no homes, and are trying to survive by leaving the war zones. The good news is that quite a few other folks are trying to help.

More, not an exhaustive list:

• Catholic
  • Caritas Syria
  • CRS
    • Syria Crisis: Assistance for Refugees
    • Syrian Refugee Crisis: 7 Things You Can Do to Help
      (Starts with "Learn More")
• United Nations
  • Syria Regional Refugee Response
    Inter-agency Information Sharing Portal
    UNHCR
• Wikipedia
  • Refugees of the Syrian Civil War
  • Spillover of the Syrian Civil War

⁶ World Youth Day attendance:

• Buenos Aires (1987)
  1 million
• Santiago de Compostela (1989)
  Over 500,000
• Czestochowa (1991)
  1.6 million
• Denver (1993)
  600,000
• Manila (1995)
  Approximately 4 million
• Paris (1997)
  1.2 million
• Rome (2000 Jubilee)
  2 million
• Toronto (2002)
  800,000
• Cologne (2005)
  1.1 million
• Sydney (2008)
  400,000
  (Source: National Catholic Register (August 5, 2011))

⁷ About two thirds of a million folks, 660,000, arrived in Lesbos last year, officially. It's hard to get solid numbers about the Syrian mess: small wonder, considering how many folks are trying to get out. It's what politicos sometimes call a 'fluid' situation.

• "Some 3,300 people a day still arriving on Lesvos"
  News Stories, UNHCR (November 13, 2015)

Lent, Faith, and Ashes

(From U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brian May, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Ash Wednesday celebration aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.)

Ash Wednesday comes this week, so I'll get ashes on my forehead and start doing my Lenten routines — along with folks around the world.

That won't include the usual fasting: I'm past the 18-to-59 age requirement for Catholics in my region, and diabetic to boot. We're called to holiness, not stupidity; common sense applies, or should; and I'm putting a 'resources' link list at the end of this post.¹

Fasting, Prayer, and Almsgiving

Lent is a time for penance; which involves fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Actually, any sort of penance involves those three items. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1434-1439)

That doesn't sound like much fun, so why do it? I'm a Christian, I've been baptized, so my sins are washed away and I'm good to go, right?

Not quite. It's a bit more complicated.

First of all, I do not think sin a handful of activities I either don't enjoy, can't participate in, or actively dislike.

Sin: Original and Otherwise

(From NASA, via astrobio.net, used w/o permission.)

Sin is what happens when I decide not to do something I should; or decide to do something I know is bad for myself or others, and do it anyway. It's an offense against reason and truth: and God. (Catechism, 1849-1864)

"SIN: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins (1849, 1853, 1854)."
(Catechism, Glossary, S)

What I should do is Love God and love my neighbor, and see everyone as my neighbor. (Matthew 5:43-44; 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1825)

It's simple, anything but easy, and I've said that before. Often (September 27, 2015; April 12, 2015; October 12, 2014)

I think I'm a sinner and live in a fallen world — again, that doesn't mean what some folks assume it does.

The universe is basically good, and so are we — basically. (Genesis 1:26-27, 31; Catechism, 31, 299,)

What went wrong is that the first of us listened to Satan, ignoring what God had said. Then Adam tried blaming his wife, and God, which did not end well. (Genesis 3:5-13)

That was a very, very long time ago — and we've been living with the disastrous consequences of their wrong choice ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

Humanity is still made "in the divine image," but the harmony we had with ourselves and with the universe is broken: so loving ourselves, others, and God is a struggle. (Genesis 1:27; Catechism, 355-361, 374-379, 398, 400, 1701-1707)

"ORIGINAL SIN: The sin by which the first human beings disobeyed the commandment of God, choosing to follow their own will rather than God's will. As a consequence they lost the grace of original holiness, and became subject to the law of death; sin became universally present in the world. Besides the personal sin of Adam and Eve, original sin describes the fallen state of human nature which affects every person born into the world, and from which Christ, the 'new Adam,' came to redeem us (396-412)."
(Catechism, Glossary, O)

Baptism

(From Thomas Cole, via the National Gallery of Art and Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

I received the Holy Spirit at baptism, entering the life of the Church, and starting my trek to God's kingdom. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 782, 1213-1284)

Baptism cleaned the slate, removing original sin and whatever personal sins I'd accumulated to date; making me "a new creature." It didn't, however, shield me from consequences of living in a world that's seriously out of harmony. (Catechism, 1262-1266)

It certainly won't keep me from dying, at which point I get a very serious interview with our Lord: my particular judgment, a final performance review. (Catechism, 1021-1022, 1051, 1814-1816)

After that — I have no idea how long, which is fine by me — there's the closing ceremony we call the Final Judgment, we see what Creation 2.0 is like, and I've been over that before. (November 29, 2015; November 23, 2014; April 19, 2015)

Working Out My Salvation

"^{10 11} So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. ¹²

"For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work."
(Philppians 2:12-13)

If I'd never faltered in loving others, always loved God with all my heart and mind, and unfailingly walked the path of righteousness: I'd be a character on some none-too-believable story.

We've had two people like that so far, I worship one of them, and the other is the woman who volunteered for a high-risk mission, two millennia back. (December 21, 2014; April 3, 2011)

Some Saints were mostly 'saintly' throughout their lives, and some weren't. They're Saints because they exhibited "heroic virtue" to the end. (Catechism, 828)

On their way to Sainthood, some of them were — well, a lot were like me, sort of. St. Augustine of Hippo comes to mind. Not that I'm in his league, and that's another topic.

I can't 'work my way into Heaven.' I rely on our Lord for salvation. I can't 'believe my way into Heaven' either. I must act as if God matters. (Catechism, 430-451, 1814-1816)

"Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

"You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble."

"For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."
(James 2:18-19, 26)

About that Philippians quote, like I've said before:² fear of the Lord is not being scared silly of God. It's more like respect. (Catechism, 2144)

Ashes and Adoration

The ashes on my forehead are a good reminder that it's the start of Lent, and an outward sign of repentance.

But the real work happens inside: a "conversion of the heart, interior conversion." (Catechism, 1430-1431)

That's where fasting, prayer, and almsgiving come in. They're ways to fix my relationship with myself, God, and others. (Catechism, 1434-1439)

Like I said, conventional fasting isn't an option for me: apart from the micro-fast, which isn't an official term, before receiving the Eucharist. (Catechism, 1387)

For the last several years I've added something to my daily routines during Lent. It's not quite 'fasting,' but the change in schedule does mean I give up time that I'd use for activities I enjoy more. It's a sort of "voluntary self-denial." (Catechism, 1438)

This time around, I'm adding three hours a week to exercising and another two at the Adoration chapel down the street. It's hardly the sort of "sackcloth and ashes" thing Daniel 9:3 talks about, but it's a start.

More of my take on:

• "Pope Francis and Nietzsche"
  (September 27, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Good, Evil, and Being Human
  • Original Sin: Not a Design Flaw
• "Sex, Satan, and Me: Getting a Grip"
  (July 12, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Satan, Sin, and Being Human
  • Not Living in the Past
  • Chastity: It's Not What You Think
• "Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
  (March 15, 2015)
  Particularly
  • God Doesn't Hate You: But He's No Patsy
  • Hellfire and Lollipops
  • Living the Truth
• "Skydiving and Lent"
  (February 15, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Penance
  • Prayer and Palms
• "God's Field Kits: Pentecost Plus Two Millennia and Counting"
  (June 8, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Trekking to God's Kingdom

---

¹ Lenten resources:

• Vatican
  • " 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice' "
    (Mt 9:13). The works of mercy on the road of the Jubilee
    Message of his Holiness Pope Francis for Lent 2016
    Pope Francis (October 14, 2015)
  • Code of Canon Law/Book IV Function of the Church/Part III: Sacred Places and Times/Chapter II. Days of Penance
• USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
  • "Almsgiving"
  • "Fast & Abstinence"
  • "Journey to the Foot of the Cross - 10 Things to Remember For Lent"
  • "Questions and Answers about Lent and Lenten Practices"
  • "Penitential Practices for Today's Catholics"
    

²Fear of God, Catholic style:

• "The Pope is Catholic"
  (January 10, 2016)
  Particularly
  • "God shows no partiality"
• " 'Those Who are Just Must be Kind' "
  (July 20, 2014)
  Particularly
  • The Beginning of Wisdom
  • Fear of the Lord and Karaoke

Love!

Last week I talked about why I don't try to be someone I'm not: more specifically, why I don't insist that God equip me with what's trending in charisms. Also spirit-filled administrators and loose cannons. (January 24, 2016)

That Sunday's second Scripture reading got me started: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30. Today's second reading, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, picks up on the next verse:

"Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts...."
(1 Corinthians 12:31)

I could stop there, and claim that everybody should start clamoring for "the greatest spiritual gifts."

I've talked about cherry picking before. It's a bad idea. (March 15, 2015; February 8, 2015)

As usual, the first few words aren't the whole story:

"Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

"¹ If I speak in human and angelic tongues ² but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

"And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

"If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing."
(1 Corinthians 12:31-3)

There's a lot more along those lines.

What is "Love?"

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 give a quick overview of love:

• Love is
  • Patient
  • Kind
• Love is not
  • Jealous
  • Pompous
  • Inflated
  • Rude
  • Self-serving
  • Quick-tempered

Finally, love doesn't brood over injury — and celebrates truth, not wrongdoing.

I checked the Catechism's glossary for a definition of "love," and got this:

"Love: See Charity."
(Glossary, L, Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Another click of the mouse, and I saw this:

"CHARITY: The theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God (1822)."
(Charity, Glossary, Catechism)

"...Love One Another"

Love and charity, in the Catholic sense, aren't just feelings. We're supposed to act as if love and charity make a difference.

Doing what's right is easier when emotions are in sync with our reason — but we're supposed to think. Like I keep saying, "...conscience is a law of the mind...." (Catechism, 1762-1775, 1776)

Saint Jerome says that when John the Apostle was very old and weak, he'd be carried out to meet people. Then he shared what he'd learned while at the side of Jesus:

" 'My dear children, love one another.' When his auditors, wearied with hearing constantly the same thing, asked him why he always repeated the same words, he replied, 'Because it is the precept of the Lord, and if you comply with it, you do enough': an answer, says St. Jerome, worthy the great St. John, the favourite disciple of Christ"
("St John, Apostle and Evagelist," EWTN [emphasis mine])

Every profound insight, all the knowledge learned at the side of the Second Parson of the Trinity were, at their core: "My dear children, love one another."

That's why, for two millennia, the Catholic Church has been passing on the same message:

• 'Love God, love your neighbor'
  (Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31)
• Everybody is our neighbor
  (Matthew 5:43-44, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

The way I see it, Luke 6:31, "do to others as you would have them do to you," is how I'll act if I take Jesus seriously: which I do. (October 18, 2015)

Not a Poached Egg

Jesus the Nazorean claimed to be God: "...before Abraham came to be, I AM." (John 8:58)

I've got options: I can believe that Jesus is a lunatic, a liar, or the great I AM. As C. S. Lewis pointed out, I can't assume that Jesus is just another wise teacher:

"...A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell...."
(C. S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity," via Wikipedia)

I'm quite sure that Jesus isn't crazy, or a liar: mainly because our Lord was tortured, executed — and then stopped being dead:

"And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them."

"With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight."
(Luke 24:30-31)

"While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, 'Have you anything here to eat?'

"They gave him a piece of baked fish;

"he took it and ate it in front of them."
(Luke 24:41-43)

"Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, 'Peace be with you.'

"Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.' "
(John 20:26-27)

Small wonder that each of the surviving Apostles, except John, were killed because they wouldn't stop acting as if Jesus matters. John most likely died, an old man, in Ephesus.

Best - News - Ever

(From NASA/ISS, used w/o permission.)

Matthew 25:35-46 says that feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, visiting folks in prison, and other practical expressions of charity, are a good idea: putting it mildly. (November 17, 2016)

Over the last two millennia, some of us have acted as if loving God, loving our neighbor, and seeing everyone as our neighbor, matter. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a recent high-profile example.

Some of us haven't. (September 14, 2014)

Helping individuals and building a better world is important. (November 22, 2015; July 5, 2015)

So is sharing the best news humanity's ever had: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (John 3:17; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:3-5; Catechism, 1-3, 52, 1825)

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

That, and a list of vaguely-related posts, seems like a good place to stop writing today:

• "Defensive Architecture and Tobit"
  (January 17, 2016)
  Particularly
  • Faith, Works, and All That
  • "Dignity of the Human Person"
• "Mercy!"
  (December 13, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Catholic, καθολικός, Universal: Really!
  • "...The Forgiveness of God Cannot be Denied...."
• "Evil is Not Good"
  (December 6, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Jiminy Cricket and "a Law of the Mind"
  • Think!
• "Life, Death, and Love"
  (November 1, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Memento Mori and Carpe Diem
  • Moderation
  • Life, Death, and Beyond
• "Hate People? Not an Option"
  (September 6, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love: NO EXCEPTIONS
  • Faith, Works, and Bad Ideas
  • Sin and Forgiveness

Defensive Architecture and Tobit

I'm in the lower half of America's economic ladder, but I've never been homeless. That's just as well, since I've spent the bulk of my life in Minnesota and North Dakota. Winters get cold up here.

I am, however, a recovering English teacher; and I like to verify my assumptions about what words mean. Here's part of my country's definition of "homeless." There will not be a test on this:

• "...the terms 'homeless', 'homeless individual', and 'homeless person' means— 
  • "(1) an individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
  • "(2) an individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground;..."
  (Title 42 › Chapter 119 › Subchapter I › § 11302 - General definition of homeless individual, via Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law Library)

I had to read "primary nighttime residence ... camping ground" twice before I realized that most folks who sleep on "camping grounds" are there for a vacation: and have a "primary nighttime residence" elsewhere.

Folks become homeless for many reasons. Some lost their jobs, others were evicted — because they or their landlord couldn't pay rent or keep up mortgage payments. Sometimes war or natural disaster forces folks to leave their homes - - - - -.

It's a long list, and includes substance abuse and being crippled in body or mind.

Some folks end up on the street because of 'weak moral character,'¹ some were just in the wrong place at the wrong time when life happened. Either way — I'll get back to that.

Places to Sleep

(From Getty Images, via CityMetric, used w/o permission.)

"How 'defensive architecture' is designing the homeless out of our cities"
Rowland Atkinson, Aidan While; CityMetric (January 4, 2016)

"On any one night in London, there around 700 people sleeping in the city’s streets. Rough sleeping is a risky decision – and almost always the choice of the most desperate. Yet the response of the state – and our society – is surprisingly hostile.

"Rough sleeping – and homelessness more generally – are on the rise. But austerity measures have made things worse, by cutting funds to vital support services. On top of this, rough sleepers have good reason to fear abusive behaviour from passers-by. Shockingly, this has even included physical attacks, resulting in documented deaths.

"But beyond the discomfort, the abuse and the absence of social support, there is another factor making life even more difficult for those sleeping on the streets. The very shape of our cities has started to reflect our hostility toward the homeless, in the form of design elements that prevent them from seeking refuge in public spaces. This phenomenon is known as 'defensive architecture'....."

I'm not sure what the authors meant by "London." A bit over 7,000 folks live in the City of London. About 8,500,689 lived in Greater London in 2014 — which doesn't tell me whether it's one of out ten Londoners sleep on the streets, or one in a thousand.

My guess is that they meant Greater London. One in ten residents on the street seems like a high percentage.

The good news in that CityMetric article, as I see it, is that some municipalities changed laws and regulations in an effort to protect folks at the low end. Some property owners are helping, too:

"Manchester United stars Neville and Giggs tell hotel squatters: stay for winter"
theguardian.com (October 18, 2015)

"When Manchester United footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs got planning permission to turn the historic Manchester stock exchange into a boutique hotel ... they envisaged opening it up to an exclusive and moneyed clientele. Instead, a group of homeless people with little or no money have moved in – with Neville's blessing. Gary Neville’s kind gesture on squatting highlights growing rage over housing

"The hotel, which is undergoing extensive renovations before opening its doors to paying guests, was occupied on Sunday by a group of squatters and housing activists called the Manchester Angels. Instead of the usual response of property owners – rushing to court to obtain an order to get the uninvited new incumbents evicted – the famous ex-footballers who own the building have told them they can stay, not just for a few days, but throughout the coldest months of the winter...."

Faith, Works, and All That

So, why should I care? Short answer: I'm a Christian, and take my faith seriously.

Like it says in Tobit 4:7: "...Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away from you."

Feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead, are "corporal works of mercy." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447)

Thinking nice thoughts is nice: but we're supposed to do something about what we believe.

"⁶ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

"If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,

"and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?"
(James 2:15-16)

I'm not wracked with guilt and shame because some property owners discourage homeless folks from sleeping on their stoops.

Participation in social life and working for the common good is important. So is taking part in public life as far as possible. (Catechism, 1897-1917, particularly 1913-1914).

I'm not opening a boutique hotel in Manchester, and don't determine zoning regulation for the City of London. But I can write about what's happening, and "...promote institutions that improve the conditions of human life...." (Catechism, 1916)

At the moment, that's about the extent of my 'as far as possible' response.

As a Catholic, I'm inclined to look at Catholic outfits first, like Caritas in England and Wales Network (CSAN), "the official agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for domestic social action."

It looks like they're doing a good job, but I recommend checking out any charity before donating. (March 17, 2011)

"Dignity of the Human Person"

I think I understand the feelings of property owners and others who act against folks who are not friends, clients, or customers.

However, I realize that folks who are at the bottom of the social ladder are people, too.

Living much of my life with undiagnosed neurological glitches helps, and that's another topic. (February 8, 2015; December 14, 2014)

I take our Lord seriously, so I figure I should love God, love my neighbor, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want them to treat me. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

Earning money and buying property is "legitimate for guaranteeing the freedom and dignity of persons" — and lets property owners help others, which is also important. (Catechism, 2401-2414)

The "dignity of the human person" is vital. Each of us is made in the image of God, but we're not identical. We're supposed to have different abilities and needs. We're also supposed to look out for each other. (Catechism, 1929, 1934-1938)

Acting like loving my neighbor, and recognizing the dignity of everyone? That's not easy. But like I said, it's important:

• "(Not) 'Going Native' "
  (August 30, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Love and the Status Quo
  • Crime and/or Evil
  • Moving Forward
• "Angst, Hope, and Building a Better World"
  (July 5, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Doomsday Predictions and Fashionable Melancholia
  • Love and Responsibilities
  • Looking Ahead
• "Beaver Cleaver and the Common Good"
  (May 3, 2015)
  Particularly
  • The Universal Destination of Goods
  • Shoes and Carnegie Libraries
  • Humanity's Troubles
  • Practical Justice and Charity
  • "Keep Warm, and Eat Well"
• " 'Metropolis,' Plus 120 Years"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (November 21, 2014)
  Particularly
  • "...The Whole World Would Contribute...."
  • "Sitting Rooms" and a Zigzag Outer Wall
• "Caesar, Civilization, Dealing With Change — and Building a Better World"
  (August 31, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Fear, Flappers, and Europe Flambé
  • It's the End of Civilization as We Know It: And About Time!
  • The Code of Hammurabi, Plus 3,700 years: Looking at the Big Picture

---

¹ It has been many years since I heard "of weak moral character" used to describe someone. I don't particularly like the term, since it was often used in a patronizing or condescending way.

A tip of the hat to Brian Matheny, on Google Plus, for pointing out the sensitive nature of that term.

My intent, as I recall, writing 'weak moral character,' was to refer to the attitude of folks with jobs, position, and a place to sleep, toward those who do not. Re-reading this later (Monday, January 18, 2016), I realize that I failed in that effort.

To clarify: I think some folks really are 'lazy bums' who are unwilling, not unable, to support themselves or seek the help they need.

I am also quite sure that many are in the position I have been in: willing to work, looking for work, and unable to find employment.

I avoided homelessness thanks in part to what my culture calls "good luck." I am hardly in a position to cast aspersions on those who, through no fault of their own, end up homeless.

Then there's the notion that folks with psychiatric disorders are 'of weak moral character.' I'm not likely to say that, since I'm one of 'those people:'

• "Suicide: No Future in It"
  (August 22, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Despair, No: Prayer, Yes
• " 'Months of Misery' and Job's Friends"
  (February 8, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries: With Pits
  • Depression and Death
  • Praise the Lord and Pass the Prescriptions
• "Suicide, Sin, and Dealing with Depression"
  (December 14, 2014)

Truth and the Big Picture

Pontius Pīlātus was the fifth prefect of the Roman Province of Judea. That sounds important, but Pilate was one of the Equites: Roman aristocrats, but ranking below Patricians.

Think of him as 'middle management.'

Judea was a strategically important border province, giving the empire access to Egypt's agricultural resources, and a measure of protection from the Parthian Empire.

I'm inclined to sympathize with Pilate. There he was, responsible for a strategically-important border province: without the authority a Patrician would have had.

Small wonder that he pounced on the third charge cited in Luke 23:2: that Jesus claimed kingship. That would have been a clear challenge to Roman authority. So was opposing Roman taxes, one of the charges in Luke 23:2, but the Empire didn't get much from Judea.

On the other hand, in Mark 2:14, Luke 19:1-8 I read that Jesus told Levi to leave his custom post, influenced Zaccheus: and I'm drifting off-topic.

Pilate's interview with our Lord isn't as random as it may seem. Remembering that nobody in the Praetorium was American helps. Circuitous and ambiguous aren't quite synonyms, and that's another topic.

"So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, 'Are you the King of the Jews?'

"Jesus answered, 'Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?'

"Pilate answered, 'I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?'

"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.' "
(John 18:33-36)

Kings and Questions

"Are you the King of the Jews?" was a reasonable question. So was our Lord's response, although Pilate may not have seen it that way.

The Sanhedrin were, I think, seeing Jesus as a political threat: someone who wanted their political, social, and economic status. Pilate would reasonably be concerned about that, too.

I've wondered if our Lord's question, "do you say this on your own?" was giving Pilate an opportunity to see what was really going on. Maybe Pilate saw, maybe not.

What Pilate did was state the obvious: that he wasn't a Jew, and that Jesus had been handed over to Imperial authority by "your own nation and the chief priests."

I don't know how reality looks from the Second Person of the Trinity's viewpoint, but I 'hear' a trace of exasperation in our Lord's response: "My kingdom does not belong to this world...." (John 18:36)

Think about it: Jesus had been accused of trying to be king of a smallish nation between two empires. It's a bit like someone asking the American president if he's some sort of shift supervisor.

Anyway, here's the last part of this morning's Gospel reading, John 18:33b-37.

"So Pilate said to him, 'Then you are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say I am a king. ¹⁶ For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' "
(John 18:37)

Jesus is a king, but not a political leader. Our Lord's kingship is what Pope St. John Paul II called "another kind of kingship, a divine and spiritual kingship."¹

Our Lord's kingdom is everybody "who belongs to the truth:" in Palestine; in the Roman, Parthian, Kushan, and Han empires: and beyond.

We've been learning that there's a whole lot of "beyond," and that's yet another topic.

Today's feast, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, is quite new: started by Pope Pius XI in 1926. I put a few 'background' links at the end of this post.²

The Man Who Wouldn't Stay Dead

(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

I've been over this before. (October 18, 2015; April 5, 2015)

Jesus was tortured, executed, buried: and a few days later, stopped being dead. It took some convincing, but the 11 surviving apostles eventually realized that they weren't seeing a ghost. (John 20:26-27; Luke 24:30-31, (41-43)

Then our Lord had a final meeting with the 11, described in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:10-11, and left. I've been over that before, too. (October 5, 2014)

In a way, the Resurrection wasn't the most remarkable part of those events. It's what the apostles realized, after they looked at what our Lord had said and done: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (Ephesians 1:3-5; John 3:17; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 52, 1825)

That's the best news humanity's ever had. I've been over that, too: a lot. (October 4, 2015; September 6, 2015; August 30, 2015)

I've often repeated this, too: as adopted children, acting like part of the family makes sense. It's pretty simple: I should love God, love my neighbors, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37)

I said simple: not easy. (October 12, 2014)

Truth and the Long Run

(From NASA/ISS, used w/o permission.)

"Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss.

"Truth will spring from the earth; justice will look down from heaven."
(Psalms 85:11-12)

"Teach me, LORD, your way that I may walk in your truth, single-hearted and revering your name."
(Psalms 86:11)

Our Lord's mission was "to testify to the truth" — which brings me to Pilate's question in John 18:28: "What is truth?"

God is love, but God is also truth. (1 John 4:8-16, 14:6; Catechism, 144, 214-217, 218-221, 1814)

Faith is personal loyalty to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: three persons, one God. It is "a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed." (Catechism, 150), 233, 238-248)

Okay, so I believe in God, and decide to follow our Lord. So what?

In the short run, the outlook is pretty close to Churchill's "blood, toil, tears and sweat." Matthew 16:24 makes that clear.

In the long run, though, the outlook's pretty good for those of us who take God seriously. (Matthew 16:25-27; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 22:1-5)

That bit in Revelation 22:4, about having a name written on our foreheads, puts me in mind of an over-the-top college party: and that's yet again another topic.

I'm looking forward to no more tears, death, mourning, wailing, or pain.

"¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²

"I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, ³ coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

"I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people ⁴ and God himself will always be with them (as their God).

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away.' "
(Revelation 21:1-4)

Meanwhile, like I've said before, we have work to do. Lots of work.

Part of our job involves truly respecting the "transcendent dignity" of humanity, and each person. That is not easy: but it's something we must do. So is building a better world for future generations. The job starts within each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

We've made some progress over the last two millennia: and we have a very great deal left to do.

My guess is that we'll still be watching and working when the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. (December 28, 2014; November 23, 2014; October 26, 2014)

On the 'up' side, we're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. The war is over. We won. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More of my take on life, love, and light:

• "New Evangelization: Fire and Light"
  (October 25, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Priorities and Love
  • "The Light Shines in the Darkness"
• " 'Have No Anxiety At All' "
  (October 18, 2015)
  Particularly
  • Emotions and Reason
  • Why Take Jesus Seriously?
  • Rejoice!
• "Victory and Standing Orders"
  (November 23, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Ragnarok - - -
  • On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting
  • The Basics: Simple, Not Easy
  • Sheep, Goats, and Me
• "Talents, and the Best News Ever"
  (November 16, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Doing Something
  • "Faith Without Works is Dead"
  • Evangelization and Consequences
• "Humility: Accepting Reality"
  (August 10, 2014)
  Particularly
  • Getting a Grip About Humility
  • A Balanced View

---

¹ Homilies for this solemnity:

• "Holy Mass for the conclusion of the Year of Faith on the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe"
  Francis (November 24, 2013)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2013/documents/papa-francesco_20131124_conclusione-annus-fidei.pdf (November 21, 2015))
• "Feast of Christ the King"
  Pope St. John Paul II (November 23, 1997)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_23111997.pdf (Nov. 31, 2015))

² Solemnity of Christ the King, background:

• Feast of Christ the King
  Wikipedia
• "Quas Primas"
  Pius XI (December 11, 1925)
  (From w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_11121925_quas-primas.pdf (November 21, 2015)