Each lectionary and sacramentary contains ribbons that help the priest or reader to locate their page fairly quickly. It is a bookmark. Being the high sensate that I am, I began to notice curiously when people change the ribbon and move it to another page. It happens every single time. I think it is because the person needs to feel in control and have something to do when they get in front of people and make a public reading.
I've placed the ribbon on the page for the second reading so that the first reader of psalmist won't have to move the ribbon, but they do. I've left it at the first reading to show people where to begin and they move it to the second reading. I've placed it at the Gospel, but people will be courteous to the priest and will move it out of the way so he doesn't have to bother with it. Wherever it is, it will be moved.
I always like it when the second reader stays around and points to the Gospel so I know where it is located. Thank you. I would have been lost otherwise. What would I have done?
Ruby, today, came up to me after Mass and asked if I have compiled my homilies into a book somewhere. She was very sweet and sincere. She said she is always moved by something I say and she looks forward to the Sundays because I preach. I told her, "You gave me the best Christmas present I could receive." It really made my day.
With some parishioners, I wonder if they can understand what I am saying because of the language issues. It is not their ability or inability to comprehend, but many people are not trained in listening to others. Ruby, today, made me so happy. I've always said, "If I but reach one person, I am satisfied." I was touched by her heartfelt gratitude and her courage to come forth and speak to me about this. What a great day.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
A different world
I try to be patient, but when I'm on a coveted two-day holiday, I want some order so that the distractions and drama are minimized. A Jordanian friend recently said to me, "You must understand. We are meant to be an unruly people. It says so in the Bible."
I felt sad because he was not excusing behavior, but he was saying that some people take that is justification to not ever change who they are. It means they do not have to think or consider the other person. It fits into to the belief, "An Arab cannot be wrong." Everyone can see someone do something so objectively wrong, but no one will publicly pin it on him or her. They help the person save face because somewhere along the way someone else must have participated in the activity that made it wrong. Therefore, blame can be shared. Therefore, change never happens.
I would suspect many people here would not get into Alcoholics Anonymous because a first step is to admit one's powerlessness and that one has a problem. Many could not even reach step one. When a sweeping culture is like that, it creates who systems of dysfunction.
I was almost run off the road today because a truck kept swerving. I blew my horn to make him aware and he began shouting - I suppose because I was in the space he wanted to be in.
I have been wondering about the term lawless. There are laws here, but there's a total disregard for the laws. Laws are meant to be protested because they are thought to be unfairly enacted against someone who doesn't want the law there in the first place.
As I was heading back to Amman from Aqaba, I was driving behind a man who was driving at a recognizably safe speed. I decided I would stay behind him because he is a good driver. Wrong! He must have been checking his emails by phone. He approached a traffic light that had turned red, then he sped up and entered the cross-flowing traffic a full five seconds after it turned red. He blew through the light and almost hit another car, then from the very far right lane made a left hand turn. And, in his justification, he did nothing wrong. He was not to blame for anything.
It does make me want to go back to Paul's letters where he talks about justification. Paul was a very advanced thinker for this culture. I can't believe he loved the people that much. He went to Syria, and those people are more rebellious than Jordanians. But the idea of justification must have been revolutionary for a people that self-justifies. How could Paul do this? Christ must have surely worked on his heart.
I wrote on Facebook about my breakfast experience. First, a family of children gathered outside my hotel door at 6:45 a.m. and then lingered for fifteen minutes. I was awake and getting ready for the day, but I would have been angry if I wanted sleep.
I went to the dining room where one other man was in the very spacious room that could probably seat 200 people. I went to get myself a cup of coffee and he bumped into me. Really? Come on. No one else is there and he bumps into me as he passes to get some juice. (It wasn't orange or mango, and the taste was unrecognizable.) He did not understand my look of disdain. He drank up and left, but another man entered.
He was an emaciated looking man with a swagger. Very un-goodlooking. He was probably a businessman, but unkempt with a very bad suit. He coughed loudly and then sat down and started talking - to himself - loudly. He was not on a phone. He looked at me and dropped his head, then seconds later, he starts talking to himself again. I just wondered what question I should be asking myself.
When I checked into the hotel, the clerk asked me if I wanted to pay now or when I checked out. I said, I'll do it when I leave, in case I wanted to stay an extra night or leave early. I had a feeling I should have paid right away. I should have. The desk clerk took my credit card, started punching all types of numbers and I recognized this was not going to be good. After half a minute, he said, "The card was rejected." I wanted to say, "I reject your inefficiency," but I did what I do so often here in the kingdom, "I bit my tongue." He tried several more times and said, "the card is no good." More thoughts crossed my mind, and then a woman came over to help him. She was customarily bossy and she told me to pay in cash. I said I had no cash. She said the man would walk me to the bank and I could get cash. I said, "No way. I'll come back later." I did have the cash on me for a different purpose, but I was not happy. After 45 minutes later, the woman said, "You are angry. Why are you angry?" As I often do here, I bit my tongue and walked out the door.
So, I went to the gas station to fill up. After maneuvering my car through the dug up lot, I told the man to "fill it up." We go through the same exchange at every station. "Full." "Yes, full. 90 Octane." "95?" "No, 90." "How much?" "As much as it takes," "Huh?" "Fill it. Full." "Oh, full?" "95?" "No, 90." "Full, 90." "Full, 90." "Full, 90." "Ah, full, 90?" "Yes, please."
So he fills it and then I hand him a 50 for a 23 JOD bill. He hands me a 50 JOD back. I said, "No." He then hands me a 20 and a 1 JOD. I say, "More please." He looks at me as if I'm cheating him, so I count it out for him. He then takes the money from my hands and then hands it to me one bill at a time because in the long run, he can't ever be wrong.
Manners and competence are not the privilege of a wealthy class, but manners are taught and competence is rewarded with continued employment. I think I'm going to have to pay for competence at some point rather than subject myself to this all the time, however, there is no guarantee that I'll do better at a higher end place. At least I will have at least three people who will share in the drama. You think people would learn.
Just like Christmas morning when I went to the women's shelter. Everyone gathered and was waiting for me to begin Mass. I realized they had been there for an hour because they were so orderly. They showed up an hour early because they didn't change their clocks back two weeks earlier. When I went to Mass the Saturday before Christmas, they said, "We thought you weren't coming because you are so late." I explained that the time in the Kingdom changed and they needed to adjust their clocks. Oh, well.
I did take a very scenic way home from Aqaba along the Dead Sea. For close to 200 kilometers, I did not have to pass any car. There were so few and the roads and scenery were great. Very few trucks until I arrived closer to the sea.
All the signs were in Arabic, but that wouldn't have done me any good because Jordanians have a custom of plastering other signs on top of permanent road signs.
When I was about halfway to Amman, I saw this one car who was going to pass me, but at the last minute he decided not to do it. I saw that there was a police car behind him. I thought, "Oh, this guy is being prudent and doesn't want to get at ticket." So, the police officer guns it to pass both of us and in doing so was almost crushed by the oncoming truck. He almost wiped himself out. There's plenty of space and time. Why do they have to rush to go nowhere? Go figure. A few miles ahead I saw spilled tomatoes all over the road. I wonder if they were connected in any way.
Good news. IKEA is opening an Amman store in January. I've never beent o one. I also stopped at the new Samareh Mall at the Dead Sea. It is small with only twelve stores, but it is a great idea. I'm sure it will lead to more types of shopping for the poor people who go to the hotels and never leave because there's nothing to do there. This should give them a bit of a diversion and build up demand for quality shops. The stores are decent ones. More need to be brought there.
So, I sat at a Wings and Things restaurant and I watched camel racing, but it seemed so odd because none of them had a jockey.
I felt sad because he was not excusing behavior, but he was saying that some people take that is justification to not ever change who they are. It means they do not have to think or consider the other person. It fits into to the belief, "An Arab cannot be wrong." Everyone can see someone do something so objectively wrong, but no one will publicly pin it on him or her. They help the person save face because somewhere along the way someone else must have participated in the activity that made it wrong. Therefore, blame can be shared. Therefore, change never happens.
I would suspect many people here would not get into Alcoholics Anonymous because a first step is to admit one's powerlessness and that one has a problem. Many could not even reach step one. When a sweeping culture is like that, it creates who systems of dysfunction.
I was almost run off the road today because a truck kept swerving. I blew my horn to make him aware and he began shouting - I suppose because I was in the space he wanted to be in.
I have been wondering about the term lawless. There are laws here, but there's a total disregard for the laws. Laws are meant to be protested because they are thought to be unfairly enacted against someone who doesn't want the law there in the first place.
As I was heading back to Amman from Aqaba, I was driving behind a man who was driving at a recognizably safe speed. I decided I would stay behind him because he is a good driver. Wrong! He must have been checking his emails by phone. He approached a traffic light that had turned red, then he sped up and entered the cross-flowing traffic a full five seconds after it turned red. He blew through the light and almost hit another car, then from the very far right lane made a left hand turn. And, in his justification, he did nothing wrong. He was not to blame for anything.
It does make me want to go back to Paul's letters where he talks about justification. Paul was a very advanced thinker for this culture. I can't believe he loved the people that much. He went to Syria, and those people are more rebellious than Jordanians. But the idea of justification must have been revolutionary for a people that self-justifies. How could Paul do this? Christ must have surely worked on his heart.
I wrote on Facebook about my breakfast experience. First, a family of children gathered outside my hotel door at 6:45 a.m. and then lingered for fifteen minutes. I was awake and getting ready for the day, but I would have been angry if I wanted sleep.
I went to the dining room where one other man was in the very spacious room that could probably seat 200 people. I went to get myself a cup of coffee and he bumped into me. Really? Come on. No one else is there and he bumps into me as he passes to get some juice. (It wasn't orange or mango, and the taste was unrecognizable.) He did not understand my look of disdain. He drank up and left, but another man entered.
He was an emaciated looking man with a swagger. Very un-goodlooking. He was probably a businessman, but unkempt with a very bad suit. He coughed loudly and then sat down and started talking - to himself - loudly. He was not on a phone. He looked at me and dropped his head, then seconds later, he starts talking to himself again. I just wondered what question I should be asking myself.
When I checked into the hotel, the clerk asked me if I wanted to pay now or when I checked out. I said, I'll do it when I leave, in case I wanted to stay an extra night or leave early. I had a feeling I should have paid right away. I should have. The desk clerk took my credit card, started punching all types of numbers and I recognized this was not going to be good. After half a minute, he said, "The card was rejected." I wanted to say, "I reject your inefficiency," but I did what I do so often here in the kingdom, "I bit my tongue." He tried several more times and said, "the card is no good." More thoughts crossed my mind, and then a woman came over to help him. She was customarily bossy and she told me to pay in cash. I said I had no cash. She said the man would walk me to the bank and I could get cash. I said, "No way. I'll come back later." I did have the cash on me for a different purpose, but I was not happy. After 45 minutes later, the woman said, "You are angry. Why are you angry?" As I often do here, I bit my tongue and walked out the door.
So, I went to the gas station to fill up. After maneuvering my car through the dug up lot, I told the man to "fill it up." We go through the same exchange at every station. "Full." "Yes, full. 90 Octane." "95?" "No, 90." "How much?" "As much as it takes," "Huh?" "Fill it. Full." "Oh, full?" "95?" "No, 90." "Full, 90." "Full, 90." "Full, 90." "Ah, full, 90?" "Yes, please."
So he fills it and then I hand him a 50 for a 23 JOD bill. He hands me a 50 JOD back. I said, "No." He then hands me a 20 and a 1 JOD. I say, "More please." He looks at me as if I'm cheating him, so I count it out for him. He then takes the money from my hands and then hands it to me one bill at a time because in the long run, he can't ever be wrong.
Manners and competence are not the privilege of a wealthy class, but manners are taught and competence is rewarded with continued employment. I think I'm going to have to pay for competence at some point rather than subject myself to this all the time, however, there is no guarantee that I'll do better at a higher end place. At least I will have at least three people who will share in the drama. You think people would learn.
Just like Christmas morning when I went to the women's shelter. Everyone gathered and was waiting for me to begin Mass. I realized they had been there for an hour because they were so orderly. They showed up an hour early because they didn't change their clocks back two weeks earlier. When I went to Mass the Saturday before Christmas, they said, "We thought you weren't coming because you are so late." I explained that the time in the Kingdom changed and they needed to adjust their clocks. Oh, well.
I did take a very scenic way home from Aqaba along the Dead Sea. For close to 200 kilometers, I did not have to pass any car. There were so few and the roads and scenery were great. Very few trucks until I arrived closer to the sea.
All the signs were in Arabic, but that wouldn't have done me any good because Jordanians have a custom of plastering other signs on top of permanent road signs.
When I was about halfway to Amman, I saw this one car who was going to pass me, but at the last minute he decided not to do it. I saw that there was a police car behind him. I thought, "Oh, this guy is being prudent and doesn't want to get at ticket." So, the police officer guns it to pass both of us and in doing so was almost crushed by the oncoming truck. He almost wiped himself out. There's plenty of space and time. Why do they have to rush to go nowhere? Go figure. A few miles ahead I saw spilled tomatoes all over the road. I wonder if they were connected in any way.
Good news. IKEA is opening an Amman store in January. I've never beent o one. I also stopped at the new Samareh Mall at the Dead Sea. It is small with only twelve stores, but it is a great idea. I'm sure it will lead to more types of shopping for the poor people who go to the hotels and never leave because there's nothing to do there. This should give them a bit of a diversion and build up demand for quality shops. The stores are decent ones. More need to be brought there.
So, I sat at a Wings and Things restaurant and I watched camel racing, but it seemed so odd because none of them had a jockey.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Rethinking Matters
Life seems different after nine hours of sleep. I am realizing the extent of my fatigue and it does not come from physical exhaustion. Last night I pondered the differences between the rich and poor and I was struggling with the preferential love for the poor. The Pope speaks of this quite often and it all sounds good, but it is difficult to do in practice.
This morning, I reverted back to my simple formula. I like nice people who are courteous and respectful. Many of us try to care for the poor, and yet many do not want to receive the guidance of others who are more successful.
I think of many of my parishioners. Some sent me notices to say that they loved the Christmas celebrations; a few told me they could not make it to Mass because of their work situations. And then there were the very slim minority members who complained that they did not get exactly what they had in the past. When I think of those complainers, I can see that they are not well educated and they do nothing to improve their state in life. They do not read, they do not listen to others, they don't try to do anything that would increase their understanding levels of the complex world around them. They are very strong personalities who know how to control and manipulate situations through persistence. Employers get very angry with them and do not know how to interact with such personalities. Many people default sympathize with these poor employees, but they are unwieldy in their power and they will not do what they are paid to do. They run households because employers have given up the fight. Reasoning is not something that can be done with them and they fail to understand why they get fired repeatedly. No one tells them they act like spoiled brats.
Some of these people will adopt a prejudicial tone towards parishioners at other parishes, which they deem to be wealthy. In fact, they are not, but these people will do nothing to expand their understanding. They make themselves unlikable. The people at the other parishes are lovely and you can have a conversation and relationship with them. They are likable. I prefer people who are happy, healthy, know how to respect boundaries, have a great attitude and want to learn. Some of these people are poor; others are wealthier and it has nothing to do with income level. It has everything to do with attitude.
Fast forward to Aqaba. This is a resort town and many wealthier people come here. The poor are on the streets. I am staying at a low-end hotel, but it has sufficient services. It is adequate and clean. The people on the street are persistent that I give them money or buy something from them. They do not understand healthy boundaries. Taxi drivers cannot comprehend that someone wants to walk for exercise; they persist that they give you six different deals. They believe that if they persist, I will be worn out. Such people can make an experience very unpleasant.
I realize I am doing this wrong. I do not have money; I have a vow of poverty and yet I can't consider myself poor. It dawned on me that people pay good money to be free of those relentless people who won't quit. I've decided that periodically, it is worth paying the price at a decent hotel to be free of these people when I need rest and relaxation. This is so far from my prior thinking.
However, I need space and beauty and respected limits. It is O.K. to be cared for every once in a while. It does not mean I am turning my back on the poor, but I need beauty and art and I realize you have to pay for it. Of course, you can find pockets of these places and wonderful people who know how to provide quality customer service, but all-in-all, it is worth paying for it once in a while. I realize I also need to dress nicely, get regular exercise, and build in sufficient time to be with people I enjoy. This will keep be invigorated. I have more thinking to do on this, but I know the direction to which I am heading. It is about time.
This morning, I reverted back to my simple formula. I like nice people who are courteous and respectful. Many of us try to care for the poor, and yet many do not want to receive the guidance of others who are more successful.
I think of many of my parishioners. Some sent me notices to say that they loved the Christmas celebrations; a few told me they could not make it to Mass because of their work situations. And then there were the very slim minority members who complained that they did not get exactly what they had in the past. When I think of those complainers, I can see that they are not well educated and they do nothing to improve their state in life. They do not read, they do not listen to others, they don't try to do anything that would increase their understanding levels of the complex world around them. They are very strong personalities who know how to control and manipulate situations through persistence. Employers get very angry with them and do not know how to interact with such personalities. Many people default sympathize with these poor employees, but they are unwieldy in their power and they will not do what they are paid to do. They run households because employers have given up the fight. Reasoning is not something that can be done with them and they fail to understand why they get fired repeatedly. No one tells them they act like spoiled brats.
Some of these people will adopt a prejudicial tone towards parishioners at other parishes, which they deem to be wealthy. In fact, they are not, but these people will do nothing to expand their understanding. They make themselves unlikable. The people at the other parishes are lovely and you can have a conversation and relationship with them. They are likable. I prefer people who are happy, healthy, know how to respect boundaries, have a great attitude and want to learn. Some of these people are poor; others are wealthier and it has nothing to do with income level. It has everything to do with attitude.
Fast forward to Aqaba. This is a resort town and many wealthier people come here. The poor are on the streets. I am staying at a low-end hotel, but it has sufficient services. It is adequate and clean. The people on the street are persistent that I give them money or buy something from them. They do not understand healthy boundaries. Taxi drivers cannot comprehend that someone wants to walk for exercise; they persist that they give you six different deals. They believe that if they persist, I will be worn out. Such people can make an experience very unpleasant.
I realize I am doing this wrong. I do not have money; I have a vow of poverty and yet I can't consider myself poor. It dawned on me that people pay good money to be free of those relentless people who won't quit. I've decided that periodically, it is worth paying the price at a decent hotel to be free of these people when I need rest and relaxation. This is so far from my prior thinking.
However, I need space and beauty and respected limits. It is O.K. to be cared for every once in a while. It does not mean I am turning my back on the poor, but I need beauty and art and I realize you have to pay for it. Of course, you can find pockets of these places and wonderful people who know how to provide quality customer service, but all-in-all, it is worth paying for it once in a while. I realize I also need to dress nicely, get regular exercise, and build in sufficient time to be with people I enjoy. This will keep be invigorated. I have more thinking to do on this, but I know the direction to which I am heading. It is about time.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Days Away
Christmas Day has passed and I'm tired. I had energy for each moment, but at the end of the day, I was drained. Saying a mass is like a performance because it takes a great deal of energy and in this part of the world, you have to be a sensate - aware of all the drama that goes on. Every mass has its own character and dynamic in the five sites here in Amman. They all went well, but now I need a restored disposition.
Christmas seems to bring out a sacramental memory for some Filipinos. One woman asked to baptize her child on Friday, December 27th. I sat with her four times to explain that we will not be able to perform the sacrament on that date (because I will not be in Amman), and that I will hold three baptisms on the Baptism of the Lord in early January. She nodded each time and then asked for the 27th. I realized that any reason I gave her would not satisfy her demand for the 27th. She was persistent. After those four talks, she called and texted fifteen to ask for the 27th. I reckon a party had already been planned. Poor woman. Then there were two others who wanted baptism on the same weekend because they thought a Christmas baptism was just perfect for their holiday, while one man urgently called on December 24th because he wants to marry a Catholic woman. I'm wondering if there are Christmas traditions for sacrament in their culture. Fine! Great! Everyone, let's wait for Christmas to pass. It is a very busy time for a priest. Let's at least have the baptismal preparation seminars first.
I decided I would go to Aqaba for a few days rest. As soon as I checked into the hotel room, I went out to my car to collect my belongings. I heard, "Father, Father." A young Filipino man had been stationed in the resort city for two months and he recognized me right away. He asked, "Are you here to get away from the Filipino women?" He laughed and said, "The can be tough. They are used to getting what they want." I laughed and told him, "I just need some time away." He's a good guy and I hope he becomes a Eucharistic Minister for me. He is a classy guy.
Anyways, I set out for Aqaba by the King's Highway, which was difficult to find because there are no helpful road signs. Once I got on the highway, my journey almost ended as a bitch ran out in front of my car and stopped like a deer. She was still nursing so I'm glad I did not hit her. Within 15 miles, I saw two other dog corpses on the road. They must be hungry and in search of food.
I wanted to take the King's Highway because it would have views of the mountains. Why am I attracted to the views, but my body does not agree with my desires. My legs get rubbery, my heart rate increases, my neck stiffens and I want no noise in the car, my driving slows down to a crawl as I take those hairpin turns. I can't stand driving on those roads yet I'm compelled to take those pictures that take my breath away.
I chickened out. After I passed the Mujib Dam, I was set to go to Karak, but since I did not have an adequate baedeker to know the roads, I took the road that had less travel time to Aqaba. Ah, the weather is seventy-six degrees and it is supposed to increase over the next two days. Maybe I'll get the break I need. I know the fast pace is going to resume as soon as I return. I wish I had a secretary, or better yet, a music director.
Anyways, let me rest for a few days.
Christmas seems to bring out a sacramental memory for some Filipinos. One woman asked to baptize her child on Friday, December 27th. I sat with her four times to explain that we will not be able to perform the sacrament on that date (because I will not be in Amman), and that I will hold three baptisms on the Baptism of the Lord in early January. She nodded each time and then asked for the 27th. I realized that any reason I gave her would not satisfy her demand for the 27th. She was persistent. After those four talks, she called and texted fifteen to ask for the 27th. I reckon a party had already been planned. Poor woman. Then there were two others who wanted baptism on the same weekend because they thought a Christmas baptism was just perfect for their holiday, while one man urgently called on December 24th because he wants to marry a Catholic woman. I'm wondering if there are Christmas traditions for sacrament in their culture. Fine! Great! Everyone, let's wait for Christmas to pass. It is a very busy time for a priest. Let's at least have the baptismal preparation seminars first.
I decided I would go to Aqaba for a few days rest. As soon as I checked into the hotel room, I went out to my car to collect my belongings. I heard, "Father, Father." A young Filipino man had been stationed in the resort city for two months and he recognized me right away. He asked, "Are you here to get away from the Filipino women?" He laughed and said, "The can be tough. They are used to getting what they want." I laughed and told him, "I just need some time away." He's a good guy and I hope he becomes a Eucharistic Minister for me. He is a classy guy.
Anyways, I set out for Aqaba by the King's Highway, which was difficult to find because there are no helpful road signs. Once I got on the highway, my journey almost ended as a bitch ran out in front of my car and stopped like a deer. She was still nursing so I'm glad I did not hit her. Within 15 miles, I saw two other dog corpses on the road. They must be hungry and in search of food.
I wanted to take the King's Highway because it would have views of the mountains. Why am I attracted to the views, but my body does not agree with my desires. My legs get rubbery, my heart rate increases, my neck stiffens and I want no noise in the car, my driving slows down to a crawl as I take those hairpin turns. I can't stand driving on those roads yet I'm compelled to take those pictures that take my breath away.
I chickened out. After I passed the Mujib Dam, I was set to go to Karak, but since I did not have an adequate baedeker to know the roads, I took the road that had less travel time to Aqaba. Ah, the weather is seventy-six degrees and it is supposed to increase over the next two days. Maybe I'll get the break I need. I know the fast pace is going to resume as soon as I return. I wish I had a secretary, or better yet, a music director.
Anyways, let me rest for a few days.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
CANONIZATION OF PETER FABER S.J.
CANONIZATION OF PETER FABER S.J.
Dear brothers and friends in the Lord:
With profound pleasure I am writing to the whole Society on the occasion of Pope Francis' proclamation that Peter Faber, "the silent companion" of the first generation of Jesuits, is a saint. On day coinciding with his birthday, our Holy Father wanted to present to the universal Church a gift that is very significant and precious to him.
The canonization of Peter Faber happens to coincide with another great event of our time - a Jesuit Kairos: the Bicentenary of the Restoration of the Society (1814). Without any doubt our beloved Savoyard companion can provide us incentive and drive for a dynamic restoration of our lives as Jesuits, personally as well as corporately, lives which are never complete for we are always on pilgrimage. That transparent, spontaneous, and childlike faith that Faber showed can help us persevere as "companions in His Company," convinced in an Ignatian way that "it is the Lord who does all things in us, and for whom all things operate, and in whom they all exist" (Memorial, 245).
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Peter Faber chose this beginning verse of Psalm 102 to humbly open the door of his heart in his Memorial. It sums up in a few profound words the essential stance of Faber before life and before God: blessing, memory, and gratitude.
Although the human and religious stature as well as the great deeds of some of his Jesuit companions (Ignatius, Xavier, Laínez, Borgia, or Canisius) may have led us to overlook or even ignore the person and accomplishments of Faber, today we recognize in his life and legacy a way of proceeding that is genuinely Ignatian and profoundly rooted in the person of our Lord; Faber was truly a companion of Jesus.
On the first day of August 1546 Faber passed away in Rome, barely forty years of age. He was the second of the First Companions of Paris to die, following Jean Codure who had died in August 1541. Faber had arrived in the Eternal City from Coimbra a few days before, arriving exhausted by the long and hard journey. Although his friends Laínez, Salmerón, and Le Jay were waiting for him in Trent with hopes of seeing him, word began to spread in Europe: "Master Faber is now found at a better Council, because he passed away from this life on the first of August" (Monumenta Lainii I, 52).
What does "Master Faber" continue to teach us almost 470 years after his death in that manner so much his own, a pedagogy in a soft voice? And what can we personally learn if "we open our heart and let Christ occupy its center"? (Memorial, 68)
Providentially, at the end of September 1529 three university students came to live together on the third floor of the Collège Sainte-Barbe as students of the Arts: Peter Faber, Francis Xavier, and Ignatius of Loyola. After five years of course work and shared experiences, at Montmartre on the 15th day of August 1534, Faber presided at a Eucharist at which the first seven "friends in the Lord" fixed their eyes and hearts on the same desire: Jerusalem. It was the beginning of an unanticipated project, the Society of Jesus, which continues with vitality and surprises today.
When Ignatius left for Azpeitia, his birthplace, in March of 1535, "Master Faber" remained "as our elder brother" (Lainez to Polanco, FN I, 104), overseeing the welfare and growth of the group. What type of leadership did Peter Faber exercise at that time? Thanks to his attention and friendship, the "least Society" did not cease to grow in number and virtue. By means of conversation and the Spiritual Exercises he first incorporated Claude le Jay, Jean Codure, and Paschase Broët in the group. In later years Francis Borgia and Peter Canisius joined the Society. The fire that was already burning in his heart began to light other fires. In Faber we recognize the brother who watched over and cared for the "union of souls," the conservation and the growth of the body, the construction of the building that would be his beloved "company of Jesus," for which he constantly desired "a birth in good desires of holiness and justice" (Memorial, 196)
In 1577, near the end of his life, Simon Rodriguez remembered Peter Faber who had died thirty one years earlier: "he had the most charming gentleness and grace that I ever saw in my life for dealing and conversing with people.... With his modesty and charm he won for God the hearts of those he dealt with." Faber is for us a Master of the rhetoric of the divine, someone who "in whatever subject and without disturbing anyone found material for thinking and talking about God" (Monumenta Broetii, 453). At the beginning of 1534, he made the Spiritual Exercises with Ignatius in the neighborhood of Saint Jacques in Paris. From that time on, as no one else, Faber penetrated the inner understanding of this method of conversation between the Creator and the creature, which he so delicately and accurately shared with others. Ignatius said of him that "he had the first place in giving the Exercises" (Luis G. de Câmera, Memorial, FN I, 658). In Faber we recognize a man of the Ignatian charism, molded by the method of the Exercises, disposed to look for and find God in all things, and always creative when the opportunity arose for "providing a method and order" for prayer to quite different people in the most diverse situations.
His conversation bore fruit because it sprang from an inner life inhabited by the presence of God. Getting inside Faber we discover the mystic in history and in the world, rooted in time but living from the gift that always and in all things "descends from above" (Spiritual Exercises, 237). For Faber any circumstance, place, or moment was an occasion for an encounter with God. Master Faber was, above all but without claiming to be so, a Master of prayer. He understood that his friendship with Jesus was based on the mysteries of the Life of Christ, "lessons of the Spirit" for his vocation and his Christification, which he contemplated piously and from which he knew how "to reflect on so as to obtain some benefit." Faber prayed in constant colloquies with Jesus and Mary, with the angels and the saints, with the martyrs and his "private saints," among whom he counted his great tutor and master of his youth, Peter Veillardo, whom he considered a saint. He prayed about the elements of nature or the passing of seasons, about obstacles, about infirmity. He prayed for the Church, for the Pope, the Society, for heretics and persecutors. He prayed with his body and his senses. He was a believer in continual prayer, in a life infused by Mystery; he was convinced that God had made him a temple, and he remained in constant dialogue with Him.
Perhaps it is in this spirit, rooted and grounded in Christ, that his apostolic activity, so varied and fruitful, makes sense: teaching catechism to children, preaching in court, giving colloquies in Germany, founding colleges in Spain (Alcalá, Valladolid) and Germany, teaching lessons of theology in Rome. Faber was given the experience and desire for being what another companions would later call a "contemplative in action."
Among his other activities, Faber stood out as a Master of Reconciliation. Ignatius knew Faber's extraordinary gifts for conversation and did not hesitate to send him to the very center of a Europe in conflict. His was one of the most significant examples of that ministry to which the first Jesuits gave themselves so generously: "reconciling the estranged" (Formula of the Institute, 1550, 1). Similar to the spirit of our last General Congregation, Faber worked hard to maintain unity and to establish peace in a Europe that was theologically convulsed and challenged by religious questions and political-ecclesial conflicts: Worms (1540) and Ratisbon (1541) were some of the places where Faber sought understanding and harmony, which he saw with sorrow becoming ever more distant. And Faber united piety and erudition so naturally - a wise and discreet spiritual manner of expressing a deep theological foundation- that he was able to make the appropriate gesture or "say the right word." He carried deep within himself one of the guiding principles of theExercises: "to try hard to save the proposition of one's neighbor" (Spiritual Exercises, 22): "whoever would like to help the heretics of this time should have much charity towards them and love them truly," communicating "with them familiarly" (Monumenta Fabri, 399-402). At the Society's origin, Faber's manner expressed our contemporary vocation of being present at the frontiers and being bridges of reconciliation.
Following the footsteps and example of his beloved companion in Paris, Faber was also aPilgrim who embodied the mysticism of travel so proper to the first Jesuits. "It seems that Faber was born to never remain still in any one place," wrote the Secretary of the Society (Monumenta Ignatiana, Epistolae I, 362). He traveled thousands of miles throughout the Europe of his time, a sign of his abnegation, availability, and obedience. He was frequently found engaged in "so many travels and exiles" (Monumenta Fabri, 419-420) that as a "perpetual stranger... I will be a pilgrim wherever the will of God leads me as long as I live" (Monumenta Fabri, 255), a will to which Faber spontaneously bound himself with his sense of obedience, making himself an echo of those words of the Centurion to Jesus: "come and he comes, go and he goes" (Mt 8:9). "For Him alone - for Jesus - have I changed houses many times [...] not infrequently have I gone to stay in places contaminated and dangerous for my body," there was cold, fatigue, intemperate weather, and poverty, but Faber always knew how to maintain his contemplative outlook: "may he be blessed forever who protected me and all those who were in the same situation I was" (Memorial, 286).
Today, with serene happiness and "internal joy," we have reason to continue to see in Peter Faber our "elder brother." His manner of being present is a blessing for us; he is a reminder to be humble and to constantly return to our "least Society;" staying close to him, we distance ourselves from temptations to empty triumphalism or the powerful forces of arrogance. Faber is a call to a life of "having before our eyes first of all God our Lord," looking always to do His will in this His Institute (cf. Formula of the Institute, 1). Faber is a call to the care and attention to the Body of the Society, a call to dialogue and unconditional openness, of obedient availability and confident surrender. With Faber nearby, judgment is enlightened; "You have given all to me - to You, Lord, I return it."
On the occasion of the canonization of this humble "friend in the Lord," we once again recognize, with "true happiness" (Spiritual Exercises, 329) and grateful wonder, the nearness of God to his Society of Jesus. Today his Infinite Goodness reaches and blesses us with the memory and presence of Peter Faber among us.
The current season of Advent is a call to make level the ways of the Lord and prepare his coming. May the Lord Himself give us light to bring to action the best we are for the generous service of the Church.
Sincerely yours,
Adolfo Nicolás, S.I.
Superior General
Rome, 17 December 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
I almost gave up
I almost gave up on my Christmas decorations this year. The Advent season moved far too fast for me and we are already one week before Christmas. To me, it seems late to decorate. After I strung four sets of lights including a fifth one for a small Christmas tree I bought, the adapter blew out. It was demoralizing. I spent too much time making sure the lights were hanging correctly and then when the transformer blew, my spirit was almost ruined. I took down the light buts did not have the energy to put them away in their respective boxes. Things are far too much effort here at times and we grow weary.
This morning, I put up a few decorations that I bought two weeks ago. My lost desire returned a little bit. When when our cleaning woman stopped by, I told her the transformer blew and she made certain that I got a replacement - one that fits the proper electrical standards. Bless her heart. Miraculously, it works. I can now string the multi-colored lights all along my window and bring some brightness into the room. I like it already. I hung my stockings with care and put up some more decorations. I'm testing the lights for an extended period of time before I display them and then, if it works, I'll have brightness in my room. What a difference it makes to my spirit.
I've had a good day in getting caught up with many tasks. It feels like some obstacle is cleared. Christmas can finally come. Ho Ho Ho.
This morning, I put up a few decorations that I bought two weeks ago. My lost desire returned a little bit. When when our cleaning woman stopped by, I told her the transformer blew and she made certain that I got a replacement - one that fits the proper electrical standards. Bless her heart. Miraculously, it works. I can now string the multi-colored lights all along my window and bring some brightness into the room. I like it already. I hung my stockings with care and put up some more decorations. I'm testing the lights for an extended period of time before I display them and then, if it works, I'll have brightness in my room. What a difference it makes to my spirit.
I've had a good day in getting caught up with many tasks. It feels like some obstacle is cleared. Christmas can finally come. Ho Ho Ho.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Saint Peter Faber - Yes!
Peter Faber has been declared a saint today December 17th . Pope Francis has canonized one of the first companions of St. Ignatius extending his devotion to the universal Church. This is a so-called "equipollent" (equal in force) canonization in which the Pope, by his authority, extends the worship and liturgical celebration of a saint to the universal Church, after having fulfilled certain conditions established by Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758). This practice was used by Pope Francis himself on October 9 for the canonization of Blessed Angela from Foligno and by his predecessors Benedict XVI, John Paul II, John XXIII, among others.
The canonization of Blessed Peter Faber holds a special meaning because he is a model of spirituality and priestly life of today's Pope and at the same time an important reference to understand his style of government. Faber lived on the crest of an era when the unity of the Church was undermined and he remained essentially alien to doctrinal dispute, directing his apostolate to the reform of the Church and becoming a pioneer of ecumenism. How much his example is rooted in the pastoral horizon of Pope Francis is felt in the synthetic portrait he made in the interview he gave to La Civiltà Cattolica, revealing some essential aspects of his personality: "His dialogue with everybody, even the most remote and even with his opponents; his simple piety, a certain naiveté perhaps, his immediate availability, his careful interior discernment, the fact that he was a man capable of great and strong decisions but also of being so gentle and loving, loving."
The aspect of Faber is that of a contemplative in action, a man attracted to Christ, passionate about the cause of the brothers, experienced in discerning the spirits, devoted to the priestly ministry with patience and mildness, offering himself without expecting any human reward. Faber meets God in all things and everywhere, even the most cold and hostile settings. In his Memoriale, which is one of the main documents of the spirituality of the early Society of Jesus, his life is conceived as a journey, a journey through the various regions of Europe following the example of Christ: traveling for obedience, always alert to make God's will and not his own.
Father Adolfo Nicolás, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, expresses these same aspects in a letter to the whole Society on the same day.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
More Snow
More than 150,000 cars have been stranded on the roads in Amman last night. I was one of them, but it does not erase my affection for snow and precipitation.
As of Thursday, the reservoirs that had stood at 14.6 percent capacity had reached 31.4 percent capacity. I love it. Now if we can capture all the runoff, Jordan's water problems will be solved.
I left the Jesuit Center last night at 6:00 p.m. to take a Jesuit to the airport. I got to Abdoun by 6:30 and it looked bleak. We skidded all the way down the hill from the Syrian embassy to airport road while the temperatures were stuck at -1 Celsius. No matter how we tried, we could not convince Jordanians how to drive.
We pulled over on the road that leads to Marj-al-Hamam, but could not get up the hill. After resolving to walk home or to a hotel, we decided to drive home. No chance. We huddled under the overpass with dozens of other cars and waited 6 hours with only a quarter tank of gas. Drivers left their abandoned cars on the ramps so that no one else could move. No plows or shovels or policemen to help stranded motorists.
You would think Jordan would have a ready supply of sand nearby.
At 12:30 a.m., we decided to give the ramp a shot. It took us about twenty minutes to navigate the ramp and then we were home free except for the Egyptians ahead of us who kept braking and stopping to change drivers like a Chinese fire drill. Stranded cars were strewn across the roads, but the temperatures rose to 3 degree Celsius. We drove in slush instead of ice.
When we made it back home, we spoke with Mr. Dewars for a brief spell while we warmed up. When I went to bed, my body just shivered. Thanks be to God we have electric sleeping blankets.
As of Thursday, the reservoirs that had stood at 14.6 percent capacity had reached 31.4 percent capacity. I love it. Now if we can capture all the runoff, Jordan's water problems will be solved.
I left the Jesuit Center last night at 6:00 p.m. to take a Jesuit to the airport. I got to Abdoun by 6:30 and it looked bleak. We skidded all the way down the hill from the Syrian embassy to airport road while the temperatures were stuck at -1 Celsius. No matter how we tried, we could not convince Jordanians how to drive.
We pulled over on the road that leads to Marj-al-Hamam, but could not get up the hill. After resolving to walk home or to a hotel, we decided to drive home. No chance. We huddled under the overpass with dozens of other cars and waited 6 hours with only a quarter tank of gas. Drivers left their abandoned cars on the ramps so that no one else could move. No plows or shovels or policemen to help stranded motorists.
You would think Jordan would have a ready supply of sand nearby.
At 12:30 a.m., we decided to give the ramp a shot. It took us about twenty minutes to navigate the ramp and then we were home free except for the Egyptians ahead of us who kept braking and stopping to change drivers like a Chinese fire drill. Stranded cars were strewn across the roads, but the temperatures rose to 3 degree Celsius. We drove in slush instead of ice.
When we made it back home, we spoke with Mr. Dewars for a brief spell while we warmed up. When I went to bed, my body just shivered. Thanks be to God we have electric sleeping blankets.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Snow
The long-expect snowflakes have begun to fall. The night had a little rain and that changed over to snow for about 20 minutes this morning. The flakes were very large. Nothing stayed on the ground and a few more flakes are forecast for later in the day.
Schools and universities are closed. Even our caroling concert tonight is cancelled. An event on Saturday is cancelled even though it will be much warmer then. Snow brings out great emotions from many. Some are saddened because of the refugees, especially the children, who are subject to harsh conditions. The desert is always harsh. Others feel frightful and anxious. I feel light and energized. It reminds me of all those years shoveling snow. I really miss that. I love the silence that comes with standing outside in the elements and it is you together with the snow, and then when you finish, entering a warm house feels welcoming.
I think I'll put up my decorations today.
Schools and universities are closed. Even our caroling concert tonight is cancelled. An event on Saturday is cancelled even though it will be much warmer then. Snow brings out great emotions from many. Some are saddened because of the refugees, especially the children, who are subject to harsh conditions. The desert is always harsh. Others feel frightful and anxious. I feel light and energized. It reminds me of all those years shoveling snow. I really miss that. I love the silence that comes with standing outside in the elements and it is you together with the snow, and then when you finish, entering a warm house feels welcoming.
I think I'll put up my decorations today.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Made in China; Time changes
I chuckled when a store owner proudly beamed: This is made in China. Since when are Chinese products desirable? I recognized that they thought it was a better product than something locally made. Though China does not have solid quality, they at least have standards to uphold.
A year ago, friend showed me their house, most especially the lighting fixtures, and said, "Everything in here is from the U.S.A. I felt annoyed because you do have to invest in locally made products, but I see their point. I just received new lights for the bathroom mirror and they are too bright. Their glare is magnified and they don't believe in frosted coverings. I can sympathize with my friends now.
I went out for a drive in the rain this morning because I realized few people would be on the street and on my day off, I wanted to get out of the house for a spell. I loved watching the driving rain. It is a rain like I haven't seen before. I love it. Water brings life and this desert shall soon bloom. I'm a fan of changing the micro-climates. If we plant more trees and bushes, the temperate changes. Jordan wasn't always a desert and we can go back to a more fertile landscape. The ministry of agriculture announced that they were giving away seedlings to plant at a very cheap price, except they never told us where to pick them up or left us a phone number to call.
Anyways, waterfalls were cascading down roadways this morning. Drains were clogged and water backed up into great pools. It was fun watching the desperate moves of soaked pedestrians who did not want to get doused even greater. Drain spouts were hilariously shooting streams of water onto roadways; they were intended to divert them from the roads. Oh, this is a great rain.
One day, Jordan will decide it will try to collect the rain instead of having it run off to unusable areas. The water runs off so rapidly. Amman could still use some good urban planning where they lower some of their jebels and fill in the wadis. Even if they made a pond, it would be an attractive place for people to gather. Water is a precious resource here. We are thrilled with the Disi Project and the Red to Dead project.
Anyways, I thought the rain would make people slow down while driving. It didn't. Cars were parked in areas to block major intersections with the police standing just a few meters away from them. Someone could make a fortune if they convince the city council to allow towing. It would hurt people in the pocketbooks so badly that they would be cognizant and where and how they park. I long for this behavioral modification system. Within the first year, the towing company owners would certainly be millionaires.
I went to the Taj Mall to take some photos of Christmas decorations as the place is Christian owned. I was delighted to see an ice rink at the entrance to the Mall. This Mall knows how to do things right. The new Galleria Mall that just opened is scantily decorated and there just is not a good spirit there. I will certainly try some ice skating at the rink.
The rain has cancelled classes tomorrow at government schools and universities. Everyone is in a panic. It is just water!!!
However, the government today made a reasonable decision. On December 19th, they will change their clocks back one hour to be in sync with the rest of the world.
We never expect decisions to be reasonably made, but I'm glad for this.
A year ago, friend showed me their house, most especially the lighting fixtures, and said, "Everything in here is from the U.S.A. I felt annoyed because you do have to invest in locally made products, but I see their point. I just received new lights for the bathroom mirror and they are too bright. Their glare is magnified and they don't believe in frosted coverings. I can sympathize with my friends now.
I went out for a drive in the rain this morning because I realized few people would be on the street and on my day off, I wanted to get out of the house for a spell. I loved watching the driving rain. It is a rain like I haven't seen before. I love it. Water brings life and this desert shall soon bloom. I'm a fan of changing the micro-climates. If we plant more trees and bushes, the temperate changes. Jordan wasn't always a desert and we can go back to a more fertile landscape. The ministry of agriculture announced that they were giving away seedlings to plant at a very cheap price, except they never told us where to pick them up or left us a phone number to call.
Anyways, waterfalls were cascading down roadways this morning. Drains were clogged and water backed up into great pools. It was fun watching the desperate moves of soaked pedestrians who did not want to get doused even greater. Drain spouts were hilariously shooting streams of water onto roadways; they were intended to divert them from the roads. Oh, this is a great rain.
One day, Jordan will decide it will try to collect the rain instead of having it run off to unusable areas. The water runs off so rapidly. Amman could still use some good urban planning where they lower some of their jebels and fill in the wadis. Even if they made a pond, it would be an attractive place for people to gather. Water is a precious resource here. We are thrilled with the Disi Project and the Red to Dead project.
Anyways, I thought the rain would make people slow down while driving. It didn't. Cars were parked in areas to block major intersections with the police standing just a few meters away from them. Someone could make a fortune if they convince the city council to allow towing. It would hurt people in the pocketbooks so badly that they would be cognizant and where and how they park. I long for this behavioral modification system. Within the first year, the towing company owners would certainly be millionaires.
I went to the Taj Mall to take some photos of Christmas decorations as the place is Christian owned. I was delighted to see an ice rink at the entrance to the Mall. This Mall knows how to do things right. The new Galleria Mall that just opened is scantily decorated and there just is not a good spirit there. I will certainly try some ice skating at the rink.
The rain has cancelled classes tomorrow at government schools and universities. Everyone is in a panic. It is just water!!!
However, the government today made a reasonable decision. On December 19th, they will change their clocks back one hour to be in sync with the rest of the world.
We never expect decisions to be reasonably made, but I'm glad for this.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
She was very happy
I made one of our employees very happy today when I asked her if she wanted to join me on a shopping trip to a Christmas store. She dropped her mop and cleaning supplies and said "yes." So, I moved all her supplies off to the side so no one would trip over them and we took off to Wadi Sacra.
I saw this place last night as I was on my way to a concert at the Greek Melkite Cathedral. We were singing Christmas carols at the church as a fundraiser for the King Hussein charity for those with disabilities.
However, our housekeeper's eyes bugged out when she saw all the Christmas decorations. She runs around the Jesuit Center keeping everything tidy and neat and she delights in the smallest Christmas ornaments. I thought I would take her to the store to buy her something. She sparkled. She kept admiring and stroking certain ornamental pieces and she marvelled at all the sparkles. I bought her a few things that she admired most.
On the ride back, she kept saying in English, "I am very, very happy. I am very, very happy."
I saw this place last night as I was on my way to a concert at the Greek Melkite Cathedral. We were singing Christmas carols at the church as a fundraiser for the King Hussein charity for those with disabilities.
However, our housekeeper's eyes bugged out when she saw all the Christmas decorations. She runs around the Jesuit Center keeping everything tidy and neat and she delights in the smallest Christmas ornaments. I thought I would take her to the store to buy her something. She sparkled. She kept admiring and stroking certain ornamental pieces and she marvelled at all the sparkles. I bought her a few things that she admired most.
On the ride back, she kept saying in English, "I am very, very happy. I am very, very happy."
Saturday, December 7, 2013
The Story of "Project Christmas"
Project Christmas is a fun play presented by members of Dozan wa Awtar and local musicians. It is a story of a fictional chorus that is readying for a Christmas show. It's conductor, Karim, is getting anxious because the chorus wants a professional conductor to lead the way. They call Pierre Mashour, a famous Lebanese director, who has not been employed for three years. As an artist, he wants only calls from New York or Hollywood. When a Jordanian-based group calls, he flinches and resists directing the show, but Lola, his long-time assistant, persuades him to take the job. The problem is, it is only one week before Christmas.
The show opens with an exotic, space-aged nativity scene with weird music and unusual costumes worn by lip-synced singers. Pierre and Lola are happy with the strange get-up, by when a near-sighted lamb falls off the stage, he calls a halt to the performance. Just at that point, Karim takes us back in time one week earlier when the whole drama begins to unfold.
We see Karim contacting Lola to hire Pierre in his studios in Beirut. She pleads with him to travel to Jordan by singing, "Let us go," a parody of "Let it snow."
As the chorus, Aswat wa Alhan, begins to rehearse, it is clear they need some direction. They sing, "We Wish you a Merry Christmas," "Rudolph," and "Riu, Riu, Chiu," a 15th century Spanish Christmas song for protection.
We meet Inaam, an old woman, who still dreams of her solo career, and her friend Absi, who is a scrooge. Rani is lovestruck over Tina who only has eyes for Pierre Mashour, but Samia longs for Rani, who never notices her. Mazen has a bit of an edge against Pierre, who cannot remember his name. Nada loves Karim, but she is reluctant to tell him. Zeina is so sad because she has not heard from her husband in Syria for a long time. Paul, this mysterious misfit, shows up an opportune times.
Lola enjoys the chorus's rendition of "Msha Msha Noura" and Pierre is thrilled with their potential as they sing, "Radu Shiti."
Zeina and Nada share an intimate moment while Paul and Mazen are rehearsing their parts for "I'll be Home for Christmas." At the close, Paul calls Amir, a friend, who agrees to do a favor for him. He will find a way to locate Zeina's husband.
At first, the group is star-struck with Pierre, but things begin to unravel once he makes them express their emotions. He talks about his affection for Fifi, his pet goat, and the chorus gets fed-up. He insults Tina who runs away in tears with Rani chasing her and Samia chasing Rani. Zeina is so sad because she cannot think of anything but her husband's silence. Inaam and Absi are feeling left out and dismissed and they long for respect and recognition as they sing a parody of Adele's song. Nada notices that Karim isn't acting well and she asks if he is feeling O.K. Karim shrugs it off. Paul just observes.
Rani and Samia cheer up Tina who was insulted by Pierre, and the depth of their love triangle becomes known in "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Paul's mysterious words cause the chorus to question his origins.
The first act ends after a confrontation between Mazen and Pierre because the chorus is wearing space age suits that has nothing to do with the Christmas nativity scene. Everything falls apart even though Lola tries to hold it together. We are transported in time back to scene one where the space age nativity lip-synching is performed, but tensions are high. Pierre quits and Karim throws him out. Karim collapses with a heart-attack.
Act Two opens with the chorus lamenting Karim's heart attack and the expected cancellation of the show as the cast holds vigil in darkness for the stricken Karim.
The scene is transported to the great Arabian desert in Jordan where an American woman married to Fadi, an Arab engineer, are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. They encounter Lola and Pierre as they are trying to contemplate what went wrong and what to do next. Lola, who is continually disrespected by Pierre, quits and leaves him stranded in the desert after singing, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Pierre."
The chorus assembles in disbelief not knowing what to do. They sing "Carol of the Bells" in great worry for Karim's condition until Nada breaks the news that he is O.K., but needs bed rest, meaning he will miss the show. The chorus, which still does not believe in itself, decides the cancel the show before the silent Paul speaks up and tells them that "This is Christmas" and that they still have a show to perform if they only do the carols their own way. What they do is sing and they bring joy and a message of hope and salvation to their audiences. Lola enters, announces she has quit Pierre, and she declares she wants to be part of the group. The reluctant group begins to come around until they finally decide to sing carols their own way. They ask Lola to direct them and she agrees. In joy, they sing "African Noelle" as they prepare their rehearsal space for their performance.
Out of the blue, Zeina gets a phone call from an unidentified number and Paul and Nada observe. Nada greets Zeina and they embrace in relief and joy. Nada lost her husband years ago and understands Zeina's grief. Paul looms as the orchestrator of the event.
As Paul looks on, Karim appears. Paul welcomes him back and he fixes things so that he and Nada begin to express their love for one another. Paul rests comfortably knowing that he has engineered much goodwill.
Pierre has a conversion of heart and decides to visit Karim to offer an apology. Inaam, the old woman, Karim's mother, listens in. Karim and Pierre reconcile, and then Pierre tells Inaam that she has terrific talent and deserves stage recognition. It melts her heart. Pierre, Inaan, and Karim sing "Believe" because they see the power of goodness working through their lives.
The chorus is then busy in the rehearsal space when Pierre enters. He asks to speak to Lola to apologize. He wants to reconcile with her. He agrees to sing with the group. Mazen and Pierre reconcile, and then Paul asks Pierre to join the group by wearing a santa costume.
As they all gather, a radiant Christmas tree is lowered from the ceiling magically. All gather round to witness the magic of Christmas and then the longed-for concert begins by singing a proper version of "God rest ye merry, Gentlemen," followed by "Radu Shiti," then "Jingle Bells," with "Joy to the World (first verse in Arabic)" in conclusion. The show goes on and Christmas is wonderful.
The show opens with an exotic, space-aged nativity scene with weird music and unusual costumes worn by lip-synced singers. Pierre and Lola are happy with the strange get-up, by when a near-sighted lamb falls off the stage, he calls a halt to the performance. Just at that point, Karim takes us back in time one week earlier when the whole drama begins to unfold.
We see Karim contacting Lola to hire Pierre in his studios in Beirut. She pleads with him to travel to Jordan by singing, "Let us go," a parody of "Let it snow."
As the chorus, Aswat wa Alhan, begins to rehearse, it is clear they need some direction. They sing, "We Wish you a Merry Christmas," "Rudolph," and "Riu, Riu, Chiu," a 15th century Spanish Christmas song for protection.
We meet Inaam, an old woman, who still dreams of her solo career, and her friend Absi, who is a scrooge. Rani is lovestruck over Tina who only has eyes for Pierre Mashour, but Samia longs for Rani, who never notices her. Mazen has a bit of an edge against Pierre, who cannot remember his name. Nada loves Karim, but she is reluctant to tell him. Zeina is so sad because she has not heard from her husband in Syria for a long time. Paul, this mysterious misfit, shows up an opportune times.
Lola enjoys the chorus's rendition of "Msha Msha Noura" and Pierre is thrilled with their potential as they sing, "Radu Shiti."
Zeina and Nada share an intimate moment while Paul and Mazen are rehearsing their parts for "I'll be Home for Christmas." At the close, Paul calls Amir, a friend, who agrees to do a favor for him. He will find a way to locate Zeina's husband.
At first, the group is star-struck with Pierre, but things begin to unravel once he makes them express their emotions. He talks about his affection for Fifi, his pet goat, and the chorus gets fed-up. He insults Tina who runs away in tears with Rani chasing her and Samia chasing Rani. Zeina is so sad because she cannot think of anything but her husband's silence. Inaam and Absi are feeling left out and dismissed and they long for respect and recognition as they sing a parody of Adele's song. Nada notices that Karim isn't acting well and she asks if he is feeling O.K. Karim shrugs it off. Paul just observes.
Rani and Samia cheer up Tina who was insulted by Pierre, and the depth of their love triangle becomes known in "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Paul's mysterious words cause the chorus to question his origins.
The first act ends after a confrontation between Mazen and Pierre because the chorus is wearing space age suits that has nothing to do with the Christmas nativity scene. Everything falls apart even though Lola tries to hold it together. We are transported in time back to scene one where the space age nativity lip-synching is performed, but tensions are high. Pierre quits and Karim throws him out. Karim collapses with a heart-attack.
Act Two opens with the chorus lamenting Karim's heart attack and the expected cancellation of the show as the cast holds vigil in darkness for the stricken Karim.
The scene is transported to the great Arabian desert in Jordan where an American woman married to Fadi, an Arab engineer, are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. They encounter Lola and Pierre as they are trying to contemplate what went wrong and what to do next. Lola, who is continually disrespected by Pierre, quits and leaves him stranded in the desert after singing, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Pierre."
The chorus assembles in disbelief not knowing what to do. They sing "Carol of the Bells" in great worry for Karim's condition until Nada breaks the news that he is O.K., but needs bed rest, meaning he will miss the show. The chorus, which still does not believe in itself, decides the cancel the show before the silent Paul speaks up and tells them that "This is Christmas" and that they still have a show to perform if they only do the carols their own way. What they do is sing and they bring joy and a message of hope and salvation to their audiences. Lola enters, announces she has quit Pierre, and she declares she wants to be part of the group. The reluctant group begins to come around until they finally decide to sing carols their own way. They ask Lola to direct them and she agrees. In joy, they sing "African Noelle" as they prepare their rehearsal space for their performance.
Out of the blue, Zeina gets a phone call from an unidentified number and Paul and Nada observe. Nada greets Zeina and they embrace in relief and joy. Nada lost her husband years ago and understands Zeina's grief. Paul looms as the orchestrator of the event.
As Paul looks on, Karim appears. Paul welcomes him back and he fixes things so that he and Nada begin to express their love for one another. Paul rests comfortably knowing that he has engineered much goodwill.
Pierre has a conversion of heart and decides to visit Karim to offer an apology. Inaam, the old woman, Karim's mother, listens in. Karim and Pierre reconcile, and then Pierre tells Inaam that she has terrific talent and deserves stage recognition. It melts her heart. Pierre, Inaan, and Karim sing "Believe" because they see the power of goodness working through their lives.
The chorus is then busy in the rehearsal space when Pierre enters. He asks to speak to Lola to apologize. He wants to reconcile with her. He agrees to sing with the group. Mazen and Pierre reconcile, and then Paul asks Pierre to join the group by wearing a santa costume.
As they all gather, a radiant Christmas tree is lowered from the ceiling magically. All gather round to witness the magic of Christmas and then the longed-for concert begins by singing a proper version of "God rest ye merry, Gentlemen," followed by "Radu Shiti," then "Jingle Bells," with "Joy to the World (first verse in Arabic)" in conclusion. The show goes on and Christmas is wonderful.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Double Header
Today's two performances were radically different. Yesterday, it seemed like we were in for a marathon weekend, but by today's end, there's only one performance left. That is very sad.
Our matinee performance was filled with children who laughed and cried throughout the entire show. They gave us so much life and energy. We loved it when at the end of the show the kids came streaming onto the stage to sing Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and a few other songs. During the intermission, the cast sang and danced and ate pizza for an hour and a half.
The evening's performance was a packed house and it was filled with sophisticated audience members. They lingered after the show because they were having so much good cheer. I loved that even the theatre's management were very happy with the efforts. I don't think they've ever seen anything like this before.
I believe it is the first local production of a (Christmas) musical in Jordan. The love from the audience keeps us going. Only one more night!
Our matinee performance was filled with children who laughed and cried throughout the entire show. They gave us so much life and energy. We loved it when at the end of the show the kids came streaming onto the stage to sing Rudolph, Jingle Bells, and a few other songs. During the intermission, the cast sang and danced and ate pizza for an hour and a half.
The evening's performance was a packed house and it was filled with sophisticated audience members. They lingered after the show because they were having so much good cheer. I loved that even the theatre's management were very happy with the efforts. I don't think they've ever seen anything like this before.
I believe it is the first local production of a (Christmas) musical in Jordan. The love from the audience keeps us going. Only one more night!
Worcester took first stand in American Revolution?
Move over, Lexington and Concord: Worcester took first stand in Revolution
Members of the Sons of the American Revolution march in the opening procession during a rededication of the Col. Timothy Bigelow monument on Worcester Common in 2008. (T&G File Photo)
The Col. Timothy Tim Bigelow monument on Worcester Common. Col. Bigelow led local troops during the American Revolution. (T&G Staff/CHRISTINE PETERSON)
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WORCESTER — It's ingrained in the nation's historical consciousness that the shots exchanged between British troops and New England partisans on the fields of Lexington and Concord in 1775 sparked the American Revolution.
But there are some lovers of history who believe that the fight for American independence from the English crown actually began eight months earlier on north Main Street in Worcester when 4,622 militiamen from 37 areas towns marched on the county courthouse.
The militiamen, in defiance of a British general, assembled themselves around the courthouse, refusing to give English authorities access to the building.
They then forced the British officials, hats in hand, to walk a gantlet down Main Street and recant their allegiance to the king.
For a time, some of the English officials were detained at a nearby tavern.
It was the first time ever, in the short history of the American colonies, that British authority was effectively overthrown.
And not a shot was fired.
The date was Sept. 6, 1774.
"The Worcester revolt is noteworthy because it was the first actual 'revolution' in the War of Independence — the first real seizure of political and military authority to ever occur in the American colonies," said William Wallace, executive director of the Worcester Historical Museum. "And it happened almost a year before the first shot was fired at Lexington and Concord. That's significant."
Now, the museum and other historical and cultural organizations have joined in a consortium, the "Worcester Revolution of 1774," to promote recognition of Worcester's early role in the war.
"Many people, including those who live in the city, have no idea what happened that day," said Mr. Wallace.
The confrontation in Worcester resulted from passage of the so-called Intolerable Acts, a series of bills that were enacted by the British Parliament in the spring of 1774.
A key provision of the legislation limited the colonists' rights to representative government.
In essence, the Massachusetts charter was dissolved and British civil authority in the colonies was vested in those serving in the crown-controlled courts.
According to Melvin H. Bernstein, the author of an essay titled "Setting the Record Straight: The Worcester Revolt of Sept. 6, 1774," area residents "demanded that the courts be run, as they had been, by officials ultimately accountable to the voters through their representatives, and not to court officers beholden to the crown."
Mr. Bernstein said that the confrontation in Worcester humiliated the British and sent shock waves to Philadelphia, where the First Continental Congress was meeting.
The Worcester event was significant enough to prompt Loyalist spies to advise English Gen. Thomas Gage not to mount an offensive in Central Massachusetts, where "patriots" were waiting for an opportunity to use all the arms and powder that they had been stockpiling.
Consortium activists said they want to instill pride among residents for the early role that Central Massachusetts played in the Revolution.
"We want to raise awareness of this pivotal event in American history to a level on par with that seen in Lexington and Concord," said Michael Fishbein, a spokesman for the consortium.
He said Central Massachusetts was a "hotbed" of patriotism.
"This is a wonderful story of a (Colonial) city expressing outrage at the loss of rights," said Mr. Fishbein.
Mr. Wallace said the region is full of Colonial and Revolutionary War history and the era produced many noted personalities, such as Isaiah Thomas, the publisher of the Massachusetts Spy, and Col. Timothy Bigelow, who led local troops in the fight against the British.
Mr. Fishbein said the Worcester Revolution of 1774, over time, became overshadowed by the lore of Paul Revere's ride and other events of the time.
Mr. Wallace theorized that the incident faded in historical memory because no violence occurred.
The consortium has established a website, www.revolution1774.org, and is planning a regionwide, months-long celebration that's still in the planning stages.
Activities might include:
• Re-enactors visiting classrooms
• Exhibits and lectures
• Teacher workshops
• Concerts by colonial music groups
• Tours of historic locations
• Talks by academics about colonial Worcester County
Consortium members include the Worcester Historical Museum, the American Antiquarian Society, Assumption College, the Congress of American Revolution Round Table, the Daughters of the American Revolution Massachusetts Society, Old Sturbridge Village, Preservation Worcester, Sons of the American Revolution Massachusetts Society and the Tenth Regiment of Foot.
Contact Bronislaus B. Kush at bronislaus.kush@telegram.com
But there are some lovers of history who believe that the fight for American independence from the English crown actually began eight months earlier on north Main Street in Worcester when 4,622 militiamen from 37 areas towns marched on the county courthouse.
The militiamen, in defiance of a British general, assembled themselves around the courthouse, refusing to give English authorities access to the building.
They then forced the British officials, hats in hand, to walk a gantlet down Main Street and recant their allegiance to the king.
For a time, some of the English officials were detained at a nearby tavern.
It was the first time ever, in the short history of the American colonies, that British authority was effectively overthrown.
And not a shot was fired.
The date was Sept. 6, 1774.
"The Worcester revolt is noteworthy because it was the first actual 'revolution' in the War of Independence — the first real seizure of political and military authority to ever occur in the American colonies," said William Wallace, executive director of the Worcester Historical Museum. "And it happened almost a year before the first shot was fired at Lexington and Concord. That's significant."
Now, the museum and other historical and cultural organizations have joined in a consortium, the "Worcester Revolution of 1774," to promote recognition of Worcester's early role in the war.
"Many people, including those who live in the city, have no idea what happened that day," said Mr. Wallace.
The confrontation in Worcester resulted from passage of the so-called Intolerable Acts, a series of bills that were enacted by the British Parliament in the spring of 1774.
A key provision of the legislation limited the colonists' rights to representative government.
In essence, the Massachusetts charter was dissolved and British civil authority in the colonies was vested in those serving in the crown-controlled courts.
According to Melvin H. Bernstein, the author of an essay titled "Setting the Record Straight: The Worcester Revolt of Sept. 6, 1774," area residents "demanded that the courts be run, as they had been, by officials ultimately accountable to the voters through their representatives, and not to court officers beholden to the crown."
Mr. Bernstein said that the confrontation in Worcester humiliated the British and sent shock waves to Philadelphia, where the First Continental Congress was meeting.
The Worcester event was significant enough to prompt Loyalist spies to advise English Gen. Thomas Gage not to mount an offensive in Central Massachusetts, where "patriots" were waiting for an opportunity to use all the arms and powder that they had been stockpiling.
Consortium activists said they want to instill pride among residents for the early role that Central Massachusetts played in the Revolution.
"We want to raise awareness of this pivotal event in American history to a level on par with that seen in Lexington and Concord," said Michael Fishbein, a spokesman for the consortium.
He said Central Massachusetts was a "hotbed" of patriotism.
"This is a wonderful story of a (Colonial) city expressing outrage at the loss of rights," said Mr. Fishbein.
Mr. Wallace said the region is full of Colonial and Revolutionary War history and the era produced many noted personalities, such as Isaiah Thomas, the publisher of the Massachusetts Spy, and Col. Timothy Bigelow, who led local troops in the fight against the British.
Mr. Fishbein said the Worcester Revolution of 1774, over time, became overshadowed by the lore of Paul Revere's ride and other events of the time.
Mr. Wallace theorized that the incident faded in historical memory because no violence occurred.
The consortium has established a website, www.revolution1774.org, and is planning a regionwide, months-long celebration that's still in the planning stages.
Activities might include:
• Re-enactors visiting classrooms
• Exhibits and lectures
• Teacher workshops
• Concerts by colonial music groups
• Tours of historic locations
• Talks by academics about colonial Worcester County
Consortium members include the Worcester Historical Museum, the American Antiquarian Society, Assumption College, the Congress of American Revolution Round Table, the Daughters of the American Revolution Massachusetts Society, Old Sturbridge Village, Preservation Worcester, Sons of the American Revolution Massachusetts Society and the Tenth Regiment of Foot.
Contact Bronislaus B. Kush at bronislaus.kush@telegram.com
Sport's Power
Sport is certainly lacking in the Middle East. I hope the nations and kingdoms take these words to heart as they build a region of peace and justice.
Nelson Mandela: ‘Sport has the power to change the world’
Sports can be a diversion. Sports can be a hobby. And, for a fortunate few, sports can change the world.
Nelson Mandela, the legendary South African activist and politician who died Thursday at 95, stands as one of the 20th century's most notable figures for his efforts to end apartheid. And while he used a combination of methods to dismantle South Africa's system of institutionalized racism, sports ranked high on the list. Mandela realized the transformative and unifying power of sports, and used that power to make changes that protests and diplomacy could not.
Mandela was a driven athlete, an amateur boxer who ran two hours every morning as a young man. He kept himself in excellent shape during his 27 years in prison. But it was a sport to which he had little attachment which would change his life and cement his legacy.
The key moment in Mandela's sporting life, as John Carlin of Sports Illustrated noted, was the 1995 Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mandela had been sworn in as president of South Africa only the year before, the nation's first black president, and there were plenty of heavily armed whites who were none too pleased with the tides that had changed their entire existence. The possibility of rioting, or worse, loomed large over the match between South Africa and New Zealand. As Mandela would say later, it was the most nervous he'd ever been in his life, even more so than the morning in 1962 where a captured Mandela would be sentenced to either life in prison or death by hanging.
Mandela had threaded a needle in the dark. In 1992, South Africa had been awarded the Rugby World Cup, and Mandela allowed the competition to proceed, even though rugby was a decidedly white-leaning sport. The South African national team, the Springboks, had only one nonwhite player, and blacks hated the team for many reasons, seeing their green jerseys as symbols of apartheid repression.
But Mandela convinced the nation to pull together as one and root for the Springboks, in part because of one astonishingly brave gesture: before a crowd of 65,000 that was almost completely white, Mandela strode onto the field wearing a Springboks jersey. The crowd, silent at first, began chanting "Nelson! Nelson! Nelson!"
South Africa would go on to win the game, and South Africans both black and white celebrated the victory. Mandela had not just passed a test, he'd rewritten it ... and in so doing, created a new, more hopeful future for his nation.
“Sport has the power to change the world,” Mandela said. “It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Rain. Come Stay for a While. Being a misfit.
Our Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem asked us to pray for rain at Masses last weekend. Our prayers worked. This is the third day of rain. I think that bodes well for the Christmas play we are putting on at the Concord Cinema.
Cars drive so slowly in the rain. For that reason, I wish it would rain every day. The roads get slick with a build up of oil and toxins throughout the year and they begin to wash away when the rains come. The roads bubble up with white soapy foam.
Christmas is here in Amman. Many stores began selling their Christmas decorations and goods two weeks before Thanksgiving. It seems like it has really built up from the past year. Because of the play, I have not been to the malls or hotels to see how they are decorated.
One day last week as I was driving to ArSweifiyah with a staff member from the Jesuit Center, we embarked on an enterprise of indiscriminately waving to people on the street. The reactions were tremendous. Faces beamed as they curiously looked to see who was this American who was greeting them. The smiles were worth it.
I really am a misfit in this land. I am an egalitarian type of man and priest and I like to spread the work, responsibility, and credit, but it is not the way that people do things here. Some want me to be the authoritarian priest because that is the only model they know. Egalitarian people get stepped on and abused. I have to vacillate between the two models, while favoring the egalitarian way. People do like it but they have to learn new ways of behaving and interacting.
I often wonder whether I should have hope or despair for the people here. The default answer is "this is the type of people we are. The bible says so." There is no personal responsibility to change even though everyone knows the system is wrong and harmful to progress of society. They want change but the societal pressures are too large. It makes my work more complicated because I have always believed that all we can do is our little bit of good within our little corner of the world and it will spread. Our goodness will change society for the better because people see a way they trust is right.
Many in the Middle East do not see lying as dishonorable. It is simply a way of life. People will lie to your face and feel no guilt or shame. I have to wonder about its corrosive effect though.
It makes me question how love is regarded here. There are, of course, many wealthier, cultured Middle Easterners who make decisions based on love, but for the far majority of people, duty seems to win out. Everyone protects and cares for their family because it is their duty to do so, but you don't get the sense that love takes root in so many places. Many marriages are based on property and inheritance rights or family decisions. Many marriages work out well because everyone knows they are indissoluble. People learn to care for one another and love can grow out of it, yet treating people with love and kindness is an odd thing here. It leaves with me lots of questions as I grapple with the idea of love taking root here.
This is an area of the world that has never known peace with its neighbors in its history in their own right. Conquering nations have imposed peace terms, but it seems like peace has not been achieved on their own. It cannot be desired if it is never an idea in one's consciousness. Peace seems to be something in which an oppressed group now attains power and is able to oppress the formerly-oppressing agent. Oh, my mind struggles to put this all together.
The words of Jesus were revolutionary for this region. The concepts we have in the west are not the same realities in this part of the world. Words and phrases have different connotations. The words of Paul are challenging and the words of Jesus create seismic shifts. Understandings of words are subtle but the implications are large.
O.K. A different subject. Many kid goats are being born these days. It is fun to watch them frolic. Some baby camels are seen as well. I have learned that camels will close their eyes in driving sandstorms but they can still see where they are going because their eyelids are opaque. That is so cool.
Still a different subject. I have notice quite a shift in ways of relating on the internet. I've had more requests for Skype and I've noticed fewer emails are being received. The way of relating is changing. I've had a sizable increase of Facebook messages and especially WhatsApp. Every morning, I have at least 150 messages to read. Whoa! This online world is changing fast. Emails are considered official business correspondence.
The parish needs much more catechesis. I wished everyone a happy new year because of Advent and they are shouting Merry Christmas. I want to spend time after Mass with lectures and discussions to help people understand more about their faith because they will enjoy it so much when they become acquainted with our tradition.
The banging for renovations at the Jesuit Center has been very loud this week, which is the week I need quiet and rest because of the demands of the play. It is not going to happen because people do not know how to plan well.
Time to enjoy the rain. Time to rehearse my lines and songs for the play. I'm missing my painting classes, but I'm having fun. Happy Advent.
The Gift of Hearing
I watch in fascination as our Lebanese staff worker moves around the building. She is like a wet tornado because she is throwing water everywhere. As she is hearing impaired, she is unaware of how loud she is. I met her husband yesterday and he also has a speech impediment. Together, they are the loveliest, more adorable couple who live in a world of simplicity. Their good-heartedness is worn on their sleeve and their love for Jesus is so simply real.
She recently received hearing aids and it is opening up a new world for her. She is delighting in new sounds in her environment and she is like a little kid. She can now hear her son and she loves his voice. Her hearing aids are basic and they allow in every sound at the same level so sometimes this becomes bothersome noise to her, but when she enjoys the sounds, it is wonderful to see. She also noticed that she is the source of much noise and it embarrasses her, but we just laugh with her because we don't mind. It does make me wonder about the sense of hearing that we take for granted. For her, it is a world-opening gift. For us, it is part of daily life.
The universe becomes open for us when we allow ourselves to hear. Many people that I meet in Amman talk a lot and don't listen well or often. I think of the conversations I had in recent days. I asked, "Would you like two free tickets to 'Project Christmas?'" The answers ranged from, "I plan to get my haircut then," to "No. I don't know what it is about," to "I can't afford that much money," to "I did not put it into my program (like they have one)," to "I don't go to plays." All frustrating answers.
I would then ask, "Would your parents (or community members) like to go?" and they would reply "no." I would ask, "Wouldn't it be fair to even ask them?" "No, I speak for them. I know what they want." I would ask, "Do you know what a musical is" and they would reply, "No. I just know they would not like it."
It is quite amazing the enclosed world in which people choose to live. They recognize their lives are hard and I think routine makes up for their hardship. I am so heartened to hear the good comments about people who are in the play. The world is opening up for them as they recognize they want moments of happiness in an otherwise brutal world. Their escape for 2 hours will make them happy as they cherish memories of a musical that is given as a gift for them.
The audiences recognize they need culture and arts to lift them, if momentarily, out of misery so their soul can be tickled and renewed. I'm thrilled at the gift we are giving Jordan. I just wish more people would accept the gift because it can transform their Christmas season.
When I was in Portland, Maine I saw the same thing each performance. People were filled with good cheer and they would gather for a nice festive meal with family and friends and would then come to a great concert. It was a time when eight year olds were introduced to live music for the first time and their eyes bugged open with wonder. It was also a time when an eight-four year old recognized that this would be her last Christmas. Both the 8 and 84 year olds needed their moment of joy to spark their soul and help them appreciate the love around them.
Peace, joy, wonder, and hope are needed in the Middle East. I hope many people are inspired to come to Project Christmas to experience the spark that kindles other flames. Let the joy of music enter into your world so it can be healed.
She recently received hearing aids and it is opening up a new world for her. She is delighting in new sounds in her environment and she is like a little kid. She can now hear her son and she loves his voice. Her hearing aids are basic and they allow in every sound at the same level so sometimes this becomes bothersome noise to her, but when she enjoys the sounds, it is wonderful to see. She also noticed that she is the source of much noise and it embarrasses her, but we just laugh with her because we don't mind. It does make me wonder about the sense of hearing that we take for granted. For her, it is a world-opening gift. For us, it is part of daily life.
The universe becomes open for us when we allow ourselves to hear. Many people that I meet in Amman talk a lot and don't listen well or often. I think of the conversations I had in recent days. I asked, "Would you like two free tickets to 'Project Christmas?'" The answers ranged from, "I plan to get my haircut then," to "No. I don't know what it is about," to "I can't afford that much money," to "I did not put it into my program (like they have one)," to "I don't go to plays." All frustrating answers.
I would then ask, "Would your parents (or community members) like to go?" and they would reply "no." I would ask, "Wouldn't it be fair to even ask them?" "No, I speak for them. I know what they want." I would ask, "Do you know what a musical is" and they would reply, "No. I just know they would not like it."
It is quite amazing the enclosed world in which people choose to live. They recognize their lives are hard and I think routine makes up for their hardship. I am so heartened to hear the good comments about people who are in the play. The world is opening up for them as they recognize they want moments of happiness in an otherwise brutal world. Their escape for 2 hours will make them happy as they cherish memories of a musical that is given as a gift for them.
The audiences recognize they need culture and arts to lift them, if momentarily, out of misery so their soul can be tickled and renewed. I'm thrilled at the gift we are giving Jordan. I just wish more people would accept the gift because it can transform their Christmas season.
When I was in Portland, Maine I saw the same thing each performance. People were filled with good cheer and they would gather for a nice festive meal with family and friends and would then come to a great concert. It was a time when eight year olds were introduced to live music for the first time and their eyes bugged open with wonder. It was also a time when an eight-four year old recognized that this would be her last Christmas. Both the 8 and 84 year olds needed their moment of joy to spark their soul and help them appreciate the love around them.
Peace, joy, wonder, and hope are needed in the Middle East. I hope many people are inspired to come to Project Christmas to experience the spark that kindles other flames. Let the joy of music enter into your world so it can be healed.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Second Night of Project Christmas
The second night of Project Christmas had even more energy than opening night. Normally, the second night is the one where people let down on energy as they are more comfortable and the opening night jitters are over, but somehow we found the energy to keep going. Seating capacity was nearly full and the audience was quite spirited (no reference to the free Jameson Whiskey that was given away.
I admire the professionals in the cast. They do such a good job so easily. They have great energy and spirit and a passion to do things as the director would like. They sing well and act well and know how to compensate organically if there is a line change. We are getting to know each other so well through this process.
I am touched by the generosity of spirit of everyone who puts on the show. When we were a little down on ourselves because of fatigue, we received notes to cheer us. When our bones were aching, we received care packages. Everyone know how to care for one another.
We love the audience comments, One woman said, "We basically live in a sad world and this kind of laughter is what we need to go on." Another said, "You made us laugh, you made us cry, you made us all warm and fuzzy inside. I am so proud of you." The audience comments were worth the show. We do want to bring joy and happiness and a message of hope and salvation to our audience - through our music. I think we are doing that.
Happy Christmas, Amman. We are very glad you are receiving well our gift to you. Many blessings.
I admire the professionals in the cast. They do such a good job so easily. They have great energy and spirit and a passion to do things as the director would like. They sing well and act well and know how to compensate organically if there is a line change. We are getting to know each other so well through this process.
I am touched by the generosity of spirit of everyone who puts on the show. When we were a little down on ourselves because of fatigue, we received notes to cheer us. When our bones were aching, we received care packages. Everyone know how to care for one another.
We love the audience comments, One woman said, "We basically live in a sad world and this kind of laughter is what we need to go on." Another said, "You made us laugh, you made us cry, you made us all warm and fuzzy inside. I am so proud of you." The audience comments were worth the show. We do want to bring joy and happiness and a message of hope and salvation to our audience - through our music. I think we are doing that.
Happy Christmas, Amman. We are very glad you are receiving well our gift to you. Many blessings.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Opening Night
After months of preparation and a grueling last week and a half, Project Christmas finally opened to its Amman audience. A play of 12 Dozan wa Awtar singers and dancers performed a Christmas musical that was designed to make people cry, laugh, and have new memories of Christmas for years to come.
Musicals and dramatic plays are new to Jordan and Jana Zeineddine gave excellence guidance as the play's director. People will want more type of these productions once they experience her work as she is professionally theatrically trained. Janelle Hansen Brown was the artistic music director who rehearsed the singers in their repertoire.
Project Christmas is about a chorus that is preparing for a Christmas show, but it needs a professional director. They reach out to a Lebanese star who reluctantly agrees to direct the show - only one week before the show is set to open. Conflicts, subplots, heartaches, and illnesses plague the chorus' progress, but the show must go on.
It is my first play ever! I decide to stretch myself to see if I could do it. A parishioner told me this morning that her son was to become a priest and a rock star when he grows up and she said I am the perfect inspiration for him. LOL.
Five more performances. I think I'll remember my lines.
Musicals and dramatic plays are new to Jordan and Jana Zeineddine gave excellence guidance as the play's director. People will want more type of these productions once they experience her work as she is professionally theatrically trained. Janelle Hansen Brown was the artistic music director who rehearsed the singers in their repertoire.
Project Christmas is about a chorus that is preparing for a Christmas show, but it needs a professional director. They reach out to a Lebanese star who reluctantly agrees to direct the show - only one week before the show is set to open. Conflicts, subplots, heartaches, and illnesses plague the chorus' progress, but the show must go on.
It is my first play ever! I decide to stretch myself to see if I could do it. A parishioner told me this morning that her son was to become a priest and a rock star when he grows up and she said I am the perfect inspiration for him. LOL.
Five more performances. I think I'll remember my lines.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
The Pope's powerful words
Pope Francis' document delivers wake-up call on evangelization
Over the last eight months, Pope Francis has revealed his fresh vision of the church’s role in bits and pieces – a homily here, a press conference there and an occasional conversation related by a third party.
In a document released today titled “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), the pope offers a much more complete look at his approach to the church’s primary mission of evangelization in the modern world.
It is a remarkable and radical document, one that ranges widely and challenges complacency at every level. It critiques the over-centralization of church bureaucracy, poor preaching and excessive emphasis on doctrine, while encouraging pastoral creativity and openness, even calling for a much-needed “pastoral conversion” in papal ministry.
Along the way it delivers a stinging condemnation of the excesses of free-market capitalism and its “trickle-down theories” that have failed to deliver economic justice. More than ever, the pope says, the church needs to stand with the world’s poor and its peacemakers.
Papal documents are usually tough to digest, but this one is a must-read for anyone trying to understand Pope Francis and his papal agenda. It offers real insight into a number of crucial topics, in language that is both easily understood and captivating.
I’m still studying the 51,000-word text, but here are some highlights (emphasis mine):
-- Evangelization today demands an "ecclesial renewal which cannot be deferred." The pope declares: "I dream of a 'missionary option,' that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self- preservation."
-- On the need for joy in evangelizing: “There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter…. An evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!”
-- On being close to the people: “An evangelizing community gets involved by word and deed in people’s daily lives; it bridges distances, it is willing to abase itself if necessary, and it embraces human life, touching the suffering flesh of Christ in others.”
“A church which ‘goes forth’ is a church whose doors are open…. Often it is better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with someone who has faltered along the way.”
-- The role of the bishop, Pope Francis says, is to foster communion and “point the way” to the faithful, but at times to “simply be in their midst with his unassuming and merciful presence.” And that goes for the pope, too: "It is not advisable for the pope to take the place of local bishops in the discernment of every issue which arises in their territory. In this sense, I am conscious of the need to promote a sound 'decentralization.'"
“It is my duty, as the Bishop of Rome, to be open to suggestions which can help make the exercise of my ministry more faithful to the meaning which Jesus Christ wished to give it and to the present needs of evangelization.... The papacy and the central structure of the universal church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion.”
The pope notes the possibility of a greater role for bishops’ conference, saying: “Excessive centralization, rather than proving helpful, complicates the church’s life and her missionary outreach.”
-- The church needs to preach salvation, not doctrine. An imbalance occurs, the pope says, when the church speaks “more about law than about grace, more about the church than about Christ, more about the pope than about God’s word.”
Evangelization must be an invitation to respond to God’s love and to seek the good in others, he says.
“If this invitation does not radiate forcefully and attractively, the edifice of the church’s moral teaching risks becoming a house of cards, and this is our greatest risk. It would mean that it is not the Gospel which is being preached, but certain doctrinal or moral points based on specific ideological options.”
-- On the need to keep the doors to the sacraments open: “The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.”
“I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs us on to do our best.”
-- The church’s internal “wars” -- the tendency to form groups of “elites,” to impose certain ideas and even to engage in “persecutions which appear as veritable witch hunts” – are all a counter-witness to evangelization. “Whom are we going to evangelize if this is the way we act?”
-- On “excessive clericalism” that keeps lay people away from decision-making in the church: “Lay people are, put simply, the vast majority of the People of God. The minority – ordained ministers – are at their service.”
This has implications both for understanding the all-male priesthood and for respecting women’s legitimate rights in the church, the pope says: “The reservation of the priesthood to males … is not a question open to discussion, but it can prove especially divisive if sacramental power is too closely identified with power in general…. The configuration of the priest to Christ the head – namely, as the principal source of grace – does not imply an exaltation which would set him above others.”
His other remarks about women will no doubt provoke questions about follow-through -- for example, that "we need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the church" taking into account the "feminine genius," and that "pastors and theologians" will have to study "the possible role of women in decision- making in different areas of the church’s life."
-- “Cultural diversity is not a threat to church unity.” Pope Francis, in fact, seems to hint at greater openness to diversity, saying that European culture does not have a monopoly on liturgical and other expressions of the faith. “We cannot demand that peoples of every continent, in expressing their Christian faith, imitate modes of expression which European nations developed at a particular moment of their history, because the faith cannot be constricted to the limits of understanding and expression of any one culture.”
-- On the church’s closeness to the poor: “In all places and circumstances, Christians, with the help of their pastors, are called to hear the cry of the poor.”
The pope says economic injustice today requires deep structural reforms.
“Today we also have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? … Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape…. Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a ‘disposable’ culture which is now spreading.”
“We can no longer trust in the unseen forces and the invisible hand of the market. Growth in justice requires more than economic growth, while presupposing such growth: it requires decisions, programs, mechanisms and processes specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor which goes beyond a simple welfare mentality. I am far from proposing an irresponsible populism, but the economy can no longer turn to remedies that are a new poison, such as attempting to increase profits by reducing the work force and thereby adding to the ranks of the excluded.”
-- The pope is not just critiquing an economic system, but its effect on the spiritual lives of the faithful:"The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience."
-- The document strongly defends unborn children, "the most defenseless and innocent among us," and says the church cannot be expected to change its position on the question of abortion: "It is not 'progressive' to try to resolve problems by eliminating a human life. On the other hand, it is also true that we have done little to adequately accompany women in very difficult situations, where abortion appears as a quick solution to their profound anguish, especially when the life developing within them is the result of rape or a situation of extreme poverty."
-- The pope’s document lays out the contours for what the church calls “new evangelization,” but the text includes a caution about turning this into a grandiose and impractical program: “How often we dream up vast apostolic projects, meticulously planned, just like defeated generals! But this is to deny our history as a church, which is glorious precisely because it is a history of sacrifice, of hopes and daily struggles, of lives spent in service and fidelity to work…. Instead, we waste time talking about ‘what needs to be done’… We indulge in endless fantasies and we lose contact with the real lives and difficulties of our people.”
Evangelization, he says, is primarily about reality, not ideas: “Sometimes we are tempted to be that kind of Christian who keeps the Lord’s wounds at arm’s length. Yet Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people’s lives and know the power of tenderness. Whenever we do so, our lives become wonderfully complicated and we experience intensely what it is to be a people, to be part of a people.”
The document is called an “apostolic exhortation” and that’s what it does: it exhorts, it lays down principles and it points to new paths – in some cases, insists on new paths – but it does not offer a detailed program of action. The pope clearly wants the whole church involved in filling in the details, which should make the coming months and years very, very interesting.
Posted on Tue, November 26, 2013 by John Thavis
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