Thursday, March 10, 2011

"Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'It is mercy and not sacrifice I desire."

Forget about giving up chocolate for Lent. Here are two suggestions of what you can do this Lent to grow spiritually.

First, watch this video:






Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy




If, as Michael Moore requested, you are able to participate in a protest on behalf of working Americans, do so. Benjamin Franklin when leaving the Continental Congress was asked, “Do we have a Monarchy or a Republic?” He answered, “A Republic, for as long as you can keep it.”

“This one dealt craftily with our people and oppressed them.” [Acts 7: 19]

The second thing you can do this Lent is to learn. Learn how oppressors operate so that we as a people can effectively stop oppression. An extremely insightful book on this subject is:

“The Secret History of the American Empire” by John Perkins.

ISBN 978-0-452-28957-4

4 comments:

matt said...

we had a good support wisconsin rally at the connecticut state capitol in hartford two weekends ago. i drove up from new haven. there were a handful of counter-protesters with very large american flags and "we support gov. walker" signs sitting on lawn chairs on the sidewalk. nobody was honking in their favor...
come on, american bishops, make a statement supporting treatment of labor! that's part of catholic teaching too. or does the USCCB now believe that rarum novarum was a mistake? come on, do something that says the church loves people.

Joe said...

What a coincidence! I've been reading "The Secret History of the American Empire" for nearly 2 weeks now. It shows why people in other countries don't like the U.S. - it's not b/c of the "they hate us for our freedoms" b.s. Rather, it's b/c our corporations & government have exploited other countries, and utilizing some of the most cruel means possible (murder, physical assault, etc.) in the process.

Michael Dodd said...

Wisconsin bishops did issue a weak statement about the Church's teaching on the rights of working people, and they have been shockingly invisible and silent since then, even as nearly 100,000 people surrounded the Capitol building and Republicans violated all ethical principles (if not legal technicalities) to steal from the working class.

For the way they "supported" workers, you can go to this address: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1100999.htm. Notice that it reads much more like support of the governor and the legislature.

matt said...

i read the bishop of madison's statement when i posted that, michael. he doesn't take a side, which is deplorable; rather he urges both sides toward compromise. well,i guess he had not been following what was going on in his own diocese, because the unions had already made many concessions and the govenor had not. also, the bishop's column seems to indicate that both walker and state workers have equally valid positions, which is clearly nonsense to any observer of what has transpired in madison. i still cling, however vainly, to expecting better from our bishops. in the seminary, we were taught that government only exists for the common good. what's wrong with that bishop? that's leadership in a troubled diocese? oy, vey.