Amazon Synod-Moving Forward in the Church With The Spirit

The news coming out of the Amazon Synod is quite dramatic and forward thinking. "Most bishops who lead dioceses in the Amazon support the ordination of married men of proven virtue, as a way of addressing the lack of priests in the region, said the retired Bishop Krautler of Xingu, Brazil, speaking to journalists after a Vatican press briefing on October 9th." (America Magazine)
How sad to read that there are thousands of indigenous communities in the Amazon who only celebrate Eucharist a few times a year. That's terrible. No Catholic should be deprived of the great gift and grace of Holy Communion. No wonder so many bishops from the Amazon are in support of married priests. They have a crisis on their hands. Sadly, there is degradation in parts of the Amazon rain forests, due to wildfires and exploitation and other pressures on indigenous people, at least they should have local priests celebrating Mass, the sacraments and available for pastoral care. It's as clear as day to me, it makes so much sense, that the crisis could be lessened by adapting and changing the church law of celibacy to meet the needs of the people of that region, who have spiritual and religious needs which are not being met.
What would Jesus do? Come Holy Spirit Come!
NJA

High School Students on Long Island Film Stabbing Instead of Helping Victim

A young teenager was bleeding to death, right before their eyes, in a strip mall in Nassau County, Long Island, NY and none of the teenagers surrounding him, tried to help. Most were video taping his  death from stab wounds, with their cell phones to later post on social media.
In a suburban setting, where teens attend a well rated neighborhood high school, an after school fight  broke out over a girl. Khaseen Morris would end up dead. With no one to help him, until the police arrived and then it was too late.
What is so abhorrent about this story is the callousness of those who watched and filmed instead of offering help. Maybe they could have saved him, but it was more important for most of them to film his suffering instead. (Though according to reports, some at least called 911 for help.)
An 18-year-old has been charged in his death. UPDATE: And most recently seven others have been charged in the senseless death of this young man.
According to Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick of the Nassau County Police Department, "Kids stood there and didn't help Khassen. They videod his death instead of helping him." Sickening.
And so you have to wonder, if you take all conversation and discussion of God and religion and religious values out of public schools and not replace it with some kind of character building education/lessons, then what you get is some teens who lack common decency and compassion for their fellow human being.
There is no reason why religious/spiritual truths from the major world religions cannot be taught in public schools, without proselytizing. Or give lessons on character building which I know exist.
Whether its gun violence, bullying,  stabbing or fights there has to be a way to teach good morality into the classroom setting. This craziness has to stop. There must be an intentional effort on the part of educators to teach kindness, compassion, decency and positive moral teachings to young children and teens. The Golden Rule should be taught and memorized.
If not, children like Khaseen, and other innocents will continue to die through violence or be bullied to death.
NJA

Pope Names 13 New Cardinals-No American On The List

Pope Francis appointed 13 new Cardinals and when I read the list I was surprised that none of them were American. The American Church is important, especially at this crucial time in modern Church history and yet none of the great bishops who would have qualified for the important role of Cardinal in the Church were named from America. A missed opportunity in my humble opinion.

I'm disappointed as an American.  And more crucial is that a younger American voice and presence is needed more than ever. I don't say that flippantly. American culture influences the rest of the world, and only a media-savvy, younger American Cardinal can bring that perspective and understanding to the College of Cardinals.

The American Church is crucial for the world Church for many reasons. And now is a very important time in Church history, but not sure the hierarchy realizes that.
NJA

Women Need To Be Included At Every Level of Decision-Making In The Church

Sadly the Church in New York State is bracing for a slew of new lawsuits because of the enactment of the Child Victims Act (CVA). It was signed into law last February. This law will now allow new lawsuits as it suspends for one year any statue of limitations associated with alleged sexual abuse of minors. The Church continues to suffer because of grave sin, crimes against children and others, cover-ups and bad decision making.

The child abuse crisis is sickening. So far from what Jesus wanted for God's holy Church. But the Church needs cleansing and so let the cleansing begin and perhaps afterwards the Church can move forward with greater holiness. And let the healing begin for the victims, many of whom were treated unjustly in the past, but the Church has tried to correct that.

This would never have happened to the degree that it did, if more women were in leadership positions in the Church and were involved in high level decision making.  I firmly believe that. Women are intuitive, have great wisdom and common sense and by their nature are protective of children. Excluding women (and I don't mean from the priesthood) has had grave consequences for the Church and will continue unless women are given the respect, responsibilities and leadership positions they deserve. They would be an asset to the Church at all levels.

So changes are needed. Yet the Church is slow to change, but in this modern age of technological advancement and young people who won't put up with all the nonsense and disfunction, the Church for its own good and survival must make changes, that build up the body of Christ.
I love the Church and for all of us who find fulfillment in our Catholic faith and the teachings of Jesus  we want to see positive change, so that the new evangelization can take hold, grow and bear great fruit.
NJA

When Will The Madness Stop?-Two U.S. Mass Shootings In Less Than 24 Hours

Our elected officials are elected to protect the citizens of our country. They are not doing a good job of it. It appears that no one is safe anywhere anymore and little is being done to stop the insanity. Action is needed to stop this craziness. A 24-year-old filled with hate drove to El Paso, Texas to kill people shopping in Walmart- an act of domestic terrorism.  Twenty dead and 26 injured. A baby is in a hospital with broken bones and without a mother,  because his mother who died in the shooting, threw herself over the baby's stroller to protect the baby from being shot.  This is madness.
In Downtown Dayton, Ohio a man in his 20s killed his sister and 8 others last night.
What are the elected officials in our country doing to stop this? I believe in the power of prayer and I pray everyday, but more than prayer is needed.
Sometime ago I read that college guidance counselors were overwhelmed and shocked with the amount of problems that college freshmen were entering college with. They were working overtime and it seemed many young people entering college were exhibiting troubling behaviors and anxiety.
The two mass shooters in the last 24 hours in our country were in their 20s. They've grown up on violent TV shows, violent movies and violent video games and having the internet and cell phones at their disposal. Computers and the internet are necessary, but sites that promote hate should be better monitored and taken down for public safety reasons.
I love the USA. I'm very grateful for all the opportunity that my family has been given because we live in this great country. But we are better than this. This is an embarrassment. There's a feeling of lawlessness, when you watch the news.
I pray elected officials do more, that positive change comes and this horrific weekend of mass shootings never happens again.
NJA

The Carmelites, The Brown Scapular, Our Lady of Fatima and Mary's Protection

We certainly need the inspiration and protection of Jesus and Mary during these uncertain times we are living through. My parish on Long Island was blessed to host the traveling international statue of Our Lady of Fatima and we had masses, talks, litanies and rosary's recited throughout the day, the statue was with us. The statue is very beautiful, carved from oak and though I think there is a sadness and concern on Mary's face, which I find perplexing,  it was an uplifting day.
I was one of the speakers and I spoke on the Importance of the Brown Scapular and the Carmelite Order. As a Lay Carmelite, I have many years of study plus I have great instruction books and so since I always write out my talks (I don't want to forget anything),  I covered a lot of material.   I spoke about the Old Testament prophet Elijah and how he is the spiritual father of Carmelites. It all started when he battled the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel and won the day (1st Book of Kings). Holy hermits lived on Mt Carmel for thousands of years, establishing themselves as a Marian order, with a chapel built there dedicated to Mary. The order takes its name, not from a particular founder but from a place-Mt. Carmel on the Mediterranean coast of the Holy Land.  Mt Carmel rises over 1,700 feet above sea level and towers above the Mediterranean coastline. It's limestone rocks form a cliff-like landscape. The name Carmel means, in Hebrew, "the garden," or "vine of God." Elijah also believed that when he prayed for rain after a severe drought, his prayers were answered and he saw, "A little cloud arose from the sea." That little cloud and others brought the rain. I loved that he believed that was a sign of Mary, who was to be the Mother of the Messiah (from the prophecies of Isaiah). In the fifth century, a greeting for Mary was, "Hail Cloud of Rain, that offers drink to the souls of the saints." I had never heard that before or didn't remember hearing it and I just love that Marian title and prayer of faith.

The Brown Scapular is a modified version of Mary's own garment. It has been called a "sleek, minimalist version" of the Carmelite habit. It is a grace-filled sacramental, not a good luck charm or amulet.

The Brown Scapular is a reminder of Mary's commitment to us and our commitment to Mary. It is a reminder of her constant presence in our lives and interest in us. The meaning of the scapular today is summed up in one of the prayers over the people at the end of Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, "Lord, grant that those who in devotion have put on the habit of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, may put on her virtues and also her unfailing protection."

As stated in one of my Carmelite instruction manuals, a scapular medal is also a sacramental as is the cloth scapular and is an approved substitute for the cloth scapular. The cloth scapular can be replaced with a medal, which has on one side the image of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on the other side.

What does Our Lady of Mt. Carmel have to do with Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima? Interestingly enough, Mary chose to make her last apparition at Lourdes, France on July 16th, 1858, the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Likewise, Sister Lucia's account while describing the vision of October 13th, 1917 at Fatima, she said, "It seemed to me I saw Our Lady in a form similar to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, holding the brown scapular as if offering it to humankind."

And so I can't cover everything I shared during the talk yesterday but one thing I mentioned is that if the participants didn't remember anything else I said, they should recall that like Elijah they should seek God in silence and solitude. In these uncertain, modern times we are living through, we all need silence and solitude to discern God's will for our lives and to commune with God.  A perfect time to do that is sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament in stillness.
NJA

The Hamptons-The Good Life

I spent sometime in the Hamptons visiting my friend and I'm always struck by the amount of wealth on the South Shore/East End of Long Island. The historic towns are quite pristine, the restaurants serve delicious food, good wine and there are pretty vistas, not to mention the awesome beaches.  Its no wonder that celebrities and wealthy people, from all over,  flock there and spend millions of dollars on homes.  But there's also great (in your face) wealth inequality in the Hamptons. The workers, behind the scenes, who keep the lawns beautiful, and the maids who keep the hotel rooms and inns clean and the huge houses dust-free, are a stark reminder of the income inequality in our country. But to be hopeful,  since this is the land of opportunity (as my own grandparents took advantage of after coming from Italy in the 1920's) there is hope that anyone can climb the ladder of success.......and make it big in the USA.
While in Southhampton we visited the beautiful Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. It is a Minor Basilica, a Gothic Revival style church of the Diocese of Rockville Center. On a quiet summer afternoon, it was peaceful and holy inside the sacred space of the Church. There were many intentions I had to pray for and so we sat surrounded by sacred art and beauty and felt at peace. The peace only a union with God can provide.
NJA