The Power of One

No doubt you know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States died on Friday, September 18. May the “Notorious RBG” now rest in peace after her years of loving labours fighting for justice for all. 

What is it with Fridays?  They keep tripping me up.  Here where I am, we first went into lockdown on Friday, 13 March.  RBG died last Friday, just as our Jewish neighbours were ushering in Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. As of Friday 24 September we are once again back in lockdown.

My latest lockdown is of little significance compared to the significance of the phenomenal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dying on Rosh Hashanah.  Immediately after her death, “A number of prominent Twitter users began to circulate the notion that, when a Jew dies on the holiday, it is testimony to the fact that he or she is a zaddik [or a zaddika] a righteous person.” (washingtonpost.com)

““All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart.  To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:2) ”

I started these scribbles on Tuesday, and it so happened the Scripture reading from the Old Testament that day was from Proverbs, “All deeds are right in the sight of the doer, but the Lord weighs the heart.  To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Proverbs 21:2 NRSV) This verse, in a nutshell, describes what the righteous RBG did all her life. From all we have learned this week about this incredible, tiny wisp of a Jewish woman, I would say she can easily be summed up in these few words: she lived and breathed justice and equality for all.  “Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, who leads the Adas Israel Congregation [where the late RBG worshiped], eulogized Ginsburg at a ceremony in the Capitol's Statuary Hall where the late justice became the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state.” Among other things that the Rabbi said about her was, "Justice did not arrive like a lightning bolt, but rather, through dogged persistence, all the days of her life. Real change, she said, enduring change, happens one step at a time." (thehill.com)

I would say this phenomenal, living legend of a woman personified the human being the great Abraham Joshua Heschel describes in his words, “…God is absent, invisible, and the task of a human being is to represent the Divine, to be a reminder of the presence of God.”  Tiny, polite, with a soft-spoken voice belying a steely mind, she was a reminder of the presence of God.  Was she ruthless in her work for justice throughout her many years as a Justice?  Certainly, but never without compassion.  Ruth is a perfect example of the power of small. Small as she was, she is a huge inspiration, a hero to many, especially to women of all ages.  Women may now feel “Ruthless” but undoubtedly many are inspired to take up the torch from her. 

-Sister Magdalena Vogt, cps

The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca - A Peruvian Dream Realized

Since the early 1960s, the Sisters of St Joseph have had a presence in Peru.  During those years a priest from England, Father John Metcalfe ministered in the Andes in Cajamarca with primarily the Indigenous population located in small subsistence farming communities.  Focusing on education, he wondered why anyone would want to learn how to read when they did not have access to newspapers or books.  As a result, he creatively evolved a lending library system, simple but effective, with a presence in every small community.  Fifty years later his dream still promotes and encourages reading to enhance education and critical thinking.  Critical thinking that included indigenous land rights with ecological protection.

The present administrator of the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, has contributed a blog focusing on the continual evolution of that broadened educational dream.    - Sr Mabel St. Louis, csj

The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca

In memory of Fr. Gerardo Prince St. Onge, ever-present.

Modern times only give the impression of being modern and make us believe that we live in the future. But the old injustices prevail; the iniquity is still there, even if we don't want to see it.

There are words that have been in fashion around here for quite some time: development, competitiveness, success, entrepreneurship, empowerment, acceleration, celebrity, etc. And there are other words whose use is becoming outdated: poverty, hunger, exploitation, love, solidarity, fraternity, spirit, etc.

But hiding the words does not liquidate the realities, because there are still poor people and because of hunger they continue to die, and because love continues to be lacking. The pain of those who suffer is not relieved by covering their mouths or averting our eyes.

And never more than today - when the continuity of the human species and nature are at risk – is competitiveness or celebrity more shameful, when what the world requires is commonality.

That is why we continue the journey with our Rural Libraries of Cajamarca: because books can also be the bread that nourishes our memories and our hopes. Rediscovering words, rewriting our stories, and re-creating ourselves with, from and to the earth is a way of building tomorrow without having to stumble over the same stone so many times.

Reading is decanting and discerning, attracting the world and projecting oneself onto the world. And we have been doing this for 50 years, trying to understand and unlearn. It is not an empty path: we are an independent organization and we are not guided by ideology or motivated by a reward. We are a community, we are family. We are children of marginalized memory, unappreciated history, and pursued dreams. And we learn from the most humble, from the prodigious presence of those whom society does not value and does not take into account.

-Alfredo Mires Ortiz

In this wonderful fifteen minute video​, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, head of the rural library program (RED), shows us the creative ways the people of Cajamarca participate in the "moving libraries" with their local 'librarian' holding books at home, and the volunteers who carry the books on their backs in backpacks to the next village in the hills.  The books not only provide practical knowledge. As Alfredo explains in the introduction and the conclusion, the library  reclaims Peruvian history from the false claims  of the Spanish conquest, replacing it with the truth. The library then, informs and supports, celebrates Peruvian history, culture, values,  and dignity. 

-Sister Wendy Cotter csj

Las Bibliotecas Rurales de Cajamarca

A la memoria de Fr. Gerardo Prince St. Onge, tan presente.

Los tiempos modernos solo dan la impresión de ser modernos y nos hacen creer que vivimos en el futuro. Pero las antiguas injusticias prevalecen; la iniquidad sigue ahí, aunque no queramos verla.

Hay palabras que por aquí andan de moda hace bastante tiempo: desarrollo, competitividad, éxito, emprendimiento, empoderamiento, aceleración, celebridad, etc. Y hay otras palabras cuyo uso va resultando anticuado: pobreza, hambre, explotación, amor, solidaridad, fraternidad, espíritu, etc.

Pero escondiendo las palabras no se liquidan las realidades. Porque pobres sigue habiendo y porque de hambre se sigue muriendo y porque amor sigue faltando. El dolor de los que sufren no se alivia tapándoles la boca ni volteándonos los ojos.

Y nunca como hoy –cuando la continuidad de la especie humana y la naturaleza están en riesgo– resulta más vergonzosa la competitividad o la celebridad, cuando lo que requiere el mundo es mancomunidad.

Por eso seguimos caminando con nuestras Bibliotecas Rurales de Cajamarca, porque los libros también pueden ser el pan que nutre nuestros recuerdos y nuestros anhelos; redescubrir las palabras y escribirnos con la tierra es una forma de construir el mañana sin tener que tropezar tantas veces con la misma piedra.

Leer es decantar y discernir, atraer el mundo y proyectarse al mundo. Y en eso andamos ya hace 50 años, tratando de comprender y desaprender. No es un camino vacío: somos una organización independiente y no nos guía una ideología ni nos mueve una recompensa. Somos comunidad, somos familia. Somos hijos de la memoria marginada y de la historia despreciada y de los sueños perseguidos. Y aprendemos de los más humildes, desde la prodigiosa presencia de aquellos a los que la sociedad no valora y no toma en cuenta.

Make (Good) Trouble

On July 17, 2020, John Lewis died in Atlanta, Georgia.  Don’t know who John Lewis was?  I didn’t.  Only after his death did I learn what an amazing man he was.  In a nutshell, though nothing about this giant of a man could fit in a nutshell,  “Lewis … fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States.”  Also from Wikipedia, I learned that in his later years, Lewis, a Baptist Minister, “was a politician and civil-rights leader who served in the United States House of Representatives … from 1987 until his death in 2020.” And that’s merely the tip of the iceberg of all this Congressman accomplished in his 80 years of life.  Reading more about him, would be well worth your time. 

While I read about this man, I was in awe of who he was, but what really struck me was his ability to cause “good trouble.”  One might be tempted to call him, Mr. Good Trouble.  Ever since I read and heard about Mr. Lewis causing “good trouble” I have been cogitating what causing “good trouble” looks like.  I mean, doesn’t “good trouble” sound like an oxymoron? It does, at first sight, though of course, there are many folks, among them good, holy men and women, who caused “good trouble” and were even canonized for causing “good trouble.” 

Perhaps you can guess where this is going.  You might think I’m prejudiced, however, none other springs to mind as a perfect example of someone else who caused “good trouble” than Mary Magdalene whose Feast we celebrated on July 22.  Indeed, while reading about John Lewis’s fierce commitment to ending racial segregation, at huge cost to his life, I had to think of my beloved patron who stood by Jesus when he died, who did not run, who was faithful to the end.  Who knew a Baptist Minister and a Jewish woman, separated by more than 2000 years, have something in common?  Both were extraordinary people who were exceptionally good at making “good trouble.” I mean, think of Mary Magdalene, a Jewish woman, mentioned by name in all four Gospels, not once but twelve times.  If that were not enough proof, she is the woman who loved Jesus fiercely and fearlessly, until the bitter end.  When the disciples left, after a large rock was rolled across the entrance of the tomb where Jesus was laid, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed, sitting in plain view of the tomb.” (Eugene H. Peterson; The Message) The disciples left. She remained.  Furthermore, as Cynthia Bourgeault conjectures, it was, “No wonder Mary Magdalene came so unerringly to the tomb on Easter morning; she’d stood by in silent, unflinching vigil the whole time Jesus was being laid to rest there. Maybe she never left . . .” (Mary Magdalene: Back to the Gospels July 20, 2020; Center for Action and Contemplation) 

And then there is the poignant moment Mary Magdalene’s fierce devotion is reciprocated by Jesus who endearingly calls her by name, “Mary.”  This moment sealed their relationship forever.  Dissuaded from clinging to him, reassured, confident and radiant, the bearer of stunning news, Magdalene hurried to proclaim to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” 

Though commissioned by Jesus himself to be his messenger, to be the first Apostle, over the centuries, as well we know, Mary Magdalene was much maligned. Seemingly forever, she was described as a “penitent” or “sinful woman.” Because she was suspect of being a prostitute, Mary Magdalene was depicted as the “sinful woman” who scandalized the Pharisees when she bathed the feet of Jesus. Finally seeing her for who she really was and officially acknowledging her status as the first Apostle only happened in our lifetime.

Similarly, John Lewis was finally honoured by President Obama in 2010 when he awarded him the Medal of Freedom. Despite being brutally beaten as a young man during the riots Mr. Lewis remained steadfast all his life to causing “good trouble.” As he tended to say, “I was in bad shape. I had concussion.  I thought I was going to die. I thought I saw death.  But with … the help of the Almighty, I’m still here.” (Democrat & Chronical) None of this, however, deterred him to stand up and cause “good trouble” all his life.  What about Mary Magdalene?  I would say unwittingly she, too, caused “good trouble.” Far reaching “good trouble,” and with the help of the Almighty, she is also very much still here. 

Recently, I watched the Mass for the Feast of Mary Magdalene on TV.  Fr. Henk van Meijel, SJ, the celebrant, spoke eloquently about Mary Magdalene, pointing out that she was not only an admirable woman, but that she in fact represents all women in the Church, making her feast a celebration of all women, “who are the pillars of the church, women who always pick up the pieces.”

I would like to add that, like Mary Magdalene, many women quietly go about “causing good trouble” in multiple ways.  All of us probably are blessed to know many such women who, without much fanfare, “cause good trouble” which often goes unnoticed and at other times speaks loud and clear for all to hear.

-Sister Magdalena Vogt, cps

The Power of Small - Why Little Things Make all the Difference.

Everything begins small.  You and I did. Everything does.  The mighty oaks began real small as did Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 perhaps better known as the “Ode to Joy.” Organic things grow from tiny seeds. Likewise, great art, architecture as well as incredible inventions, grew from small ideas. Undoubtedly, we have all experienced the power of small things, of small beginnings.  Think of a newborn baby, one that perhaps only weighed 850 grams at birth and over the years grew into manhood. Which brings to mind the saying, “The child is the father of the man.”  Think of little acorns from which mighty oaks grow. Or, as Ralph Emerson put it, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”  These are just a smattering of examples of the small beginnings of so many amazing things.  You probably have your own memories of things in your life that had small beginnings and continue to astound you by how they have grown. One might say small things, like seeds, are the anchors for mighty things yet to come.

Then there are those amazing small things that never grow big.  The bee, the ant, the flea, to name just a few.  Imagine life without those tiny busy bees. You know what I mean, those magical creatures that can shape hexagon honeycombs, can pollinate flowers and turn nectar into sweet honey.  Then think of the equally incredible ants, those tiny social creatures that live in organized colonies.

“the seeds that anchor a friendship tend to be mostly invisible”

I have always been fascinated by all things small.  Now you might think, “small things amuse small minds.”  Be that as it may, all small things are fascinatingly intriguing.  Think of friendships, for instance, and how they start, often in unexpected small ways, and can grow into strong, lasting relationships.  Unlike tiny seeds we can see with the naked eye, the seeds that anchor a friendship tend to be mostly invisible. When we tend those seeds with love and patience and nurture them carefully they grow and bear fruit.  Which raises a question that keeps popping up frequently in my mind of late, “what anchors me, what anchors us, especially during difficult times like this pandemic?”  Have you ever questioned what anchors you during difficult times?  It would be fascinating to compare notes, I would think.  Just think of the relatively small anchor that can “connect a vessel to the bed of the body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current”. (Wikipedia)  What are some of those little things, seen and unseen, that anchor us? Who, or what, in our lives is such an anchor when we are in danger of being adrift during these endless weeks of lockdown and precautions? 

As impressive as the power of small things is, the power of the Coronavirus, invisible to the naked eye, now that is another story altogether of small things.  A deeply frightening story. I am by no means fascinated by this deadly virus. No, it is mindblowing what power this tiny invisible virus has. Talk about the power of small things!  How is it this invisible speck of a virus has brought our world to its knees?  Literally and figuratively speaking, brought us to our knees.  In prayer, in fear and trembling, we have been brought to our knees by the power of this tiny fiend.  It has claimed lives by the thousands, brought the economy tumbling down, brought our lives, as we know them, to a screeching halt. The power of small, so very small and invisible, yet so powerful. 

“The Parables of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13: 31, NIV)
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.””

In Matthew’s gospel, we read about the power of faith the size of the tiny mustard seed that can move mountains.  If we have such faith, we are told, nothing is impossible.  We have been on our knees.  We have prayed.  God has given us this anchor of prayer to prevent us from drifting during these difficult times when something so small and frighteningly powerful threatens to destroy us.  Most of us have first-hand experience of the terrifying impact this pandemic has had on our lives either directly or vicariously. Thankfully, though, we know that in him we live and move and have our being, for we are God’s beloved daughters and sons.

-Sr. Magdalena Vogt, cps

SOMBRE ANNIVERSARY CALLS FOR BETTER CHOICES

It’s estimated the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 100,000 people. Photo from Wikipedia

This year marks the sombre 75th anniversary of atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945.  Throughout the nuclear era, Canada has participated heavily in the global nuclear cycle, in part by selling radioactive uranium internationally.  Both nuclear-generated electricity and nuclear weapons rely on uranium as fuel.     

The Catholic Church condemns the possession and use of nuclear weapons.  While Canada does not possess such weapons, it still has not signed the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.  As a NATO member, Canada claims it needs the protection of the huge nuclear arsenal of the United States.

Pope Francis, however, has condemned the doctrine of nuclear deterrence.  This refers to building and possessing nuclear weapons to deter other states from using theirs.  Addressing a Vatican conference on nuclear disarmament in November 2017, the pope said both the threat of the use of nuclear weapons, “as well as their very possession, are to be firmly condemned" (National Catholic Reporter, Nov. 10/17).

Japan’s Catholic bishops have gone further to call for an end to nuclear power.  In 2011, their country was ravaged by an earthquake which triggered a tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown in Fukushima.  Japanese people and their environment have known extreme suffering and destruction from two atomic bombs and a major nuclear accident. 

Photo from Unsplash

Pope Francis publicly highlighted the Japanese bishops’ call to ban nuclear energy during his visit to Japan in November 2019.  According to Reuters news agency, after his visit, he also told reporters, “In my personal opinion, I would not use nuclear energy until there is total security.  There is not enough security to guarantee that there will not be a disaster.”     

Now, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan are using public funds to help finance a costly new generation of nuclear reactors which will take at least 10 years to build and operate.  The nuclear industry promises carbon-free electricity generation to address climate change from these so-called small modular nuclear reactors.  The Canadian federal government is also enthusiastically in favour of such nuclear expansion. 

However, proponents of nuclear-free renewable energy emphasize the urgent need for climate action now – not 10 or more years from now when the new reactors might be ready.  They call for increased energy efficiency and investment in energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and small hydro. 

Highlighting advantages to human health and the environment from renewables, they also note that jobs and other economic benefits will flow to rural as well as urban communities from renewable energy.  They point out that no safe solution has been found for the permanent storage of nuclear waste, which remains dangerously radioactive for countless generations.

Two nuclear technology companies from the United Kingdom and the U.S. have established offices in Saint John, N.B.  They each received millions of dollars in public funds to develop prototypes of next-generation nuclear reactors which may be mass-produced and sold worldwide. 

Canada would be an initial testing ground for this unproven and unnecessary technology.  Instead, investment in renewables is a far better choice to create jobs, while safely and efficiently meeting present and future energy needs. 

Remembering bitter lessons of history, Canada needs to show courageous leadership by signing the vital UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons.  It also needs to avoid nuclear energy expansion for the sake of present and future generations of humanity and all creation. 

Advocating in this way, people of faith can join other caring global citizens to promote peace and respect the earth, our common home.

                                                                                    ~ Roma De Robertis, SCIC

                                                                                                Saint John, N.B.

Roma is a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception who participates with CRED-NB:  Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick (https://crednb.ca).  During sabbatical, she lived at the Sisters of St. Joseph London residence for six months in 2019.