The Yellow Wood

Many of us played the Monopoly board game when we were younger. True to its name, the goal was to create a “monopoly” in which you became the wealthiest player by buying, developing, and trading land and hotels while bankrupting all other players. But the game has an interesting history. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie grew up in Illinois in the mid-nineteenth century. Her father was a newspaper publisher who accompanied Abraham Lincoln during his many political debates. She inherited her father’s progressive ideals, including the abolition of slavery, and became a proponent of an idea in economics that taxes should not be levelled on income but on land. The tax should reflect the size, location and usefulness of the properties. Then, after funding the government, the leftover money should be distributed to the people. In 1903, Lizzie created a board game called “The Landlord’s Game” which could be used to teach about two economic systems. She provided two sets of rules. In the first set, every time a player purchased new property a small amount of money was given to every other player. This reflected a “land value tax”. The game was over when the player with the least amount of money doubled their savings, but every player slowly becomes more wealthy! In the second set of rules a player gained money by charging rent each time someone landed on his property. When Parker Brothers bought the game, they decided to include only the second set of rules.  After the parable of the talents, Jesus says, “For whoever has will be given more… whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” In other words, the world operates such that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. But this is not how it is in the Kingdom of God. If only the original rules of the game had survived….. – – – Fr. Jim

“Ask the beasts and they will teach you….In His hand is the life of every living being.” (Job 12:10). Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4. Francis had a deep spiritual kinship with all creatures. He referred to animals as his “brothers” and “sisters,” seeing all creation as a unified family praising God. Dogs are our most faithful companions. Cats are groomed by their mothers as kittens, which creates a sense of security and affection. Petting by humans triggers similar feelings of comfort, effectively mimicking the intimacy of their mother. This past spring I was “adopted” by two neighborhood cats. It all started when I accidentally fed them….three nights in a row! We named the orange cat Monica and the brown cat Augustine (or “Mocho”). They frolicked together a lot and were very curious about all the visitors who came to the church or office,. Augustine, like his namesake, was a bit more rebellious than Monica, more daring and more reluctant to be held or petted. But last Saturday night, Augustine changed. He wanted to be touched, and he purred loudly as I stroked his head. Under the full moon, he sat at my feet while I massaged him with my foot. The next day he was killed by cars leaving the parking lot after 8 am Mass. I wonder if Mocho had an intuition that this was to be his last night on earth. I wonder if he wanted his last night to be one of comfort and affection, sharing the love of another of God’s creatures. “Bless the beasts and the children, for in this world they have no voice…they have no choice…..Light their way when the darkness surrounds them…. Bless them, for the world can never be the world they see.” – – – Fr. Jim

For two years I served as the Volunteer Coordinator for local Habitat for Humanity affiliates – first in Ft. Smith, AR, and then in Dallas. Every Saturday I would manage a different group (or groups) of volunteers who came to work on the houses that we were building. Many were from churches – Baptist, Catholic, or evangelical. But other groups or individuals were simply people of good will who believed that every family should have safe, decent, and affordable housing. We called this the shared “theology of the hammer”. In philosophical terms, we might call these people “secular humanists”. Secular humanism is a philosophy of life that relies on human reason and experience to understand the world and guide ethical decision-making, rather than faith or divine revelation. Jesus would say that these are people who do not cry “Lord, Lord” and yet are still doing the work of His Heavenly Father. In Mark 9:40, Jesus says, “For whoever is not against us is for us,” affirming that anyone doing good works in His name — even if not part of His immediate group — is considered an ally in His mission. Building a home, providing clean water, visiting those in prison, and tending to the sick – all of these are the work of the Heavenly Father who loves all of His creation. This is why we Christians can say that “love of neighbor” is our way of showing our “love of God”. They are two sides of the same coin. Whenever you offer a Mass stipend, or give to the children’s collection, you are participating in the work of our parish’s charity. Each month our charity fund helps many people who are struggling to pay utility bills, or rent, or have a medical procedure. You are doing the Father’s will! – – – Fr. Jim

In Psalm 19, we pray “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands …. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.” This psalm can lead to prayer that places us in the immense space and time of the universe. Our sun and earth are part of the Milky Way Galaxy, a spiral galaxy that contains about 100–400 billion stars, besides the sun. But the Milky Way is only one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe! The psalm prayer now has expanded far beyond what we can see. We are a tiny dot in the universe, and yet, as Jesus said, “…even the very hairs on your head have been counted by my Heavenly Father.” (Matthew 10:30). As we pray, we can place ourselves in the space of the universe. But we can also pray in the immensity of time. The universe formed from a single “bang” over 26 billion years ago. Our earth was formed 4.6 billion years ago. Humans are newcomers. Our bodies and brains began to take their current shape about 300,000 years ago. We are slowly evolving towards the human Christ, the Omega Point, but we have a long way to go. This kind of prayer would be well-known to the mystical saints, such as St. John of the Cross and St. Catherine of Siena. They were keenly aware of the immensity of God and the smallness of man. It God would speak to us today, he might say, as he did to Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?” (Job 38:4). I find it comforting to place myself in such an immense, beautiful story! – – – Fr. Jim

The Church gives us a positive way to set ourselves apart as Catholic Christians. These are called the precepts of the Church. These are the minimum things that we do to call ourselves “Catholic Christians”. These six precepts are not difficult. You shall 1.) attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from strenuous labor. 2.) confess your sins at least once a year. 3.) receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least once each year. 4.) observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. 5.) help to provide for the financial needs of the Church. 6.) observe the marriage laws of the Church. In these hot, slow days of summer, let us examine a few of these more closely. By going to Mass each week throughout the year we are celebrating the rhythm of the church year – the teachings and actions of Jesus, the important events in the lives of Jesus, Mary and the early disciples. In the process, we grow in our knowledge of the faith, in our knowledge about God and his Son Jesus. When we confess our sins once or twice each year, we make a good examination of conscience, and we become aware of the patterns that might be pushing us away from God. By having your marriage blessed in the Church you begin living in a state of grace which flows ever more deeply into your home life – with your children and with your spouse. And you will be able, most importantly, to receive Christ in the Eucharist. Let’s begin again with the intention of following these six precepts, that we may be good Catholic Christians. They are not difficult. But they will make a big difference in your walk with Christ. – – – Fr. Jim

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a new and grand experiment began in the form of American democracy. The philosophy behind this experiment was that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The specific rights were spelled out 17 years later in the Bill of Rights, including the right to a free press, the freedom to practice one’s own religion, and the freedom of due process and a just trial when accused of a crime. The Founders of American democracy were all men of the Enlightenment who had already seen in Europe the dangers of an established religion. Catholic social teaching has always taught that human rights cannot be considered apart from human responsibilities. With every right there is a responsibility. For example, the right to own private property and accumulate wealth is circumscribed by our responsibility to the common good, the sum of goods that we all enjoy in common. These goods include accessible and affordable health care, an effective system of public safety and security, an unpolluted natural environment, and a flourishing economic system that allows for individual creativity and industriousness. Government has a limited role to play in protecting the common good, but private enterprises must also play a part. As Jesus said, “the poor will always be with you” (Mark 14:7). The proper exercise of freedom will not result in perfect economic equality, but it should result in equal economic opportunity for all, with no discrimination against group of individuals. As Pope John XXIII once wrote in Mater et Magistra: “The economic prosperity of any people is to be assessed not so much from the sum total of goods and wealth possessed as from the distribution of goods according to the norms of justice.” Happy Freedom Day! – – – Fr. Jim

We should first remember that there were no scribes who were recording or transcribing the words of Jesus when he preached and taught. Even after his resurrection his first disciples saw no need for writing down his words since they thought he would come again in their lifetime. Thus, the first gospel written was the Gospel of Mark, written about 40 years after the death of Jesus. By this time, the stories about Jesus had been passed on orally from one generation to another. Mark is the shortest and most action-packed Gospel – the narrative moves rapidly to the cross. The Gospel ends at Mark 16:8, with the women fleeing in fear from the empty tomb. The authors of Matthew and Luke had Mark as one source and another source called “Q”, from the German “Quelle” (source). Matthew is writing to Jewish followers and presents Jesus as the new Moses. The Gospel of Luke highlights Jesus’ humanity and compassion, emphasizing that salvation is available to everyone, regardless of background. Only Luke and Matthew contain the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord’s Prayer, two essential teachings of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called “synoptic” because they are so similar to each other and repeat many of the same stories. John’s Gospel came decades later and emphasizes what the church believed about the divine nature of Jesus. But in every case the Gospel writer chose to retell stories and teachings in his own unique style so as to emphasize one aspect over another. Only Luke’s Gospel includes the parables of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan. Only John’s Gospel tells of the raising of Lazarus. When we read all four gospels we get a more complete picture of Jesus. And we also get a better understanding of the early church. – – – Fr. Jim

Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian priest. He often quotes from the wisdom of St. Augustine when he gives homilies or talks. Here are some of the bits of wisdom from this great saint. For Augustine, you cannot be a follower of Christ without being part of the Church. For Christ is the Head of the Church. It is an illusion to think you can “go your own way” apart from the Body. God is “nearer to us than we are to ourselves”. But our hearts will remain restless until they finally rest in God. On old age, Augustine says that the elderly are the first witnesses of hope. In his commentary of Psalm 71 he writes “God says, ‘Let your strength fail, so that my strength may abide within you. Then you can say with the Apostle Paul ‘for when I am weak, then I am strong.’” One of the saddest days of his life was in the port city of Ostia Antica on the Mediterranean coast of Italy. Augustine had been baptized and now he planned to return to his homeland in north Africa with his mother and his son. But as he was waiting for his ship, Monica passed away at the age of 56. She was his closest companion and inspiration. Augustine wrote that when someone dies it is very human to cry and to feel the pain. But we do not mourn as the pagans do, for our hope is in Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again. By the way, Jalen Brunson, star point guard for the New York Knicks, played college basketball at Villanova University, an Augustinian college. Maybe there are some secret powers embedded in this saint’s wisdom? St. Augustine, pray for us.  – Fr. Jim

The Catholic Church’s teaching on immigration has its roots in Scripture and tradition. Both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures reiterate the moral obligation to “welcome the stranger.” Jesus said that whatever we do to the foreigner living among us, we do to him (Matt. 25). First, the Church teaches that every person’s fundamental rights are not contingent on any law or national association but are based on their nature as children of God, created in God’s image. The under-nourished 4-yr old from Honduras has the same dignity before God as the wealthy lawyer on Wall Street. Second, all people have the right to migrate to sustain their lives and the lives of their families. This right is connected with the Church’s teachings on the dignity of work as laid out by Pope Leo XIII. Third, the Church teaches that a nation does have the right to establish laws around immigration and control its borders though these rights are always secondary to the dignity of the person. Every nation has a moral obligation to welcome the stranger whenever possible, to provide for their basic needs, and to treat all refugees and immigrants in a humane and dignified fashion. Fourth, deportation is listed (along with abortion, slavery, prostitution, and others) as one of the societal vices that “does more harm to those who practice them than those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator.” (Gaudium et Spes 27) Finally, immigrants “are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws, and to assist in carrying civic burdens” (CCC 2241). The Church does not make public policy. But it does provide the moral underpinnings for a balanced policy to be made. – – – Fr. Jim

While a graduate student at Clemson University, I was the student advisor for the Engineers Without Borders club – a group of students who wanted to use their skills to do humanitarian work in developing countries. We traveled each year to El Salvador and worked with local technicians to do the surveying, design, and installation of a water system for local communities near the Pacific coast. The students stayed in groups of two in the homes of families that also provided a hearty breakfast for us each day before work. One year we visited the convent church where Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassinated while celebrating Mass. As we sat in that little church, a Salvadoran nun explained to us all about the civil war between peasants and landowners and about the faithful courage of Msgr. Romero. At the end of our trip, we also met with a Jesuit priest. The students told him how they felt like their trip was not worth much because the local technicians knew much more about water systems than they did. The priest assured them that the gift they were bringing was their solidarity. “You have chosen to spend your spring break here, instead of many other things you could do. The people know that, and they are so appreciative.” The Catholic principle of solidarity is the moral principle that we are all one human family, calling us to practice global love, interdependence, and a firm commitment to the common good. One year we also helped release baby turtles whose eggs had been protected by a local conservancy. The turtles instinctively knew to march towards the ocean where they would mature and then return to lay their eggs once again in this very same spot. We, too, have an inner compass that leads us towards love of God and solidarity with our neighbor. – Fr. Jim