Oh, How it Hurts!

Nora Ephron was a genius. Her talents were so well recognized. Her successes have been breathtaking. Some of her essays have been posted for our pleasure. I share this one that focused on President Clinton because it expresses exactly how hurt I was, and still am, with President Obama. He had such a chance to make a real difference and he blew it! I know that people say that he was limited by the realities of the situation, including Congress. I say, "Hell, no, he could have fought for what he promised! and if he failed, history could examine his tenure".

I know that my perspective on life is skewed. Few would want to go down the road that I wish we could travel. For all I know, I may become scared out of my life if my vision were ever attempted. But, as it is, I am getting older all the time, knowing that very few of what I hope for, ever became true.

There has been one fantastic success story. There was a time when I thought that I could become a "normal person" if Joan would marry me. She did, and whoa! he worked out better than even I envisioned. Over and above that, I got the surprise that our children became more than I could have hoped for, and surely, more than I deserved.

So, I may be all bent out of shape because President Obama was not willing to give it his all, but when it is all said and done, I can only focus on what I have personally. Age does make it easier to let the pain of disappointment with others. It is easier to say, "C'est la vie," when you will not live long enough to experience a different world, mapped along the insights of a skewed mind sitting in Scituate.

P.S. As it so happened, I also wrote to President Clinton regarding how upset I was that he squandered his talents and brains in order to remain aligned with polling data. I indicated that leaders bring people to places that they dreamed of going. Presidents relying on polling data are not leaders!

Anniversary of Patrick's Coming

What a wonderful year! From the day last June 26 when this beautiful animal became a member of our family, he has brought so much happiness. Without ever forgetting Franklin who gave us so much in so many ways, Patrick has allowed us to cherish these moments in our lives. He remains so different from Franklin who never saw another person without wanting to give him/her a lick or two. Patrick remains comfortable with no one outside our house, except for children who he finds delightful whether he knows them or not. Franklin always wanted to be a lap dog and my attempts to facilitate this failed. He was just too big! Patrick loves laps and I surely love him on my lap. We always joked that Franklin would literally go with anyone. He seemed to have no loyalty to us. As long as he was with another person, he seemed most satisfied. There is no question that Patrick's loyalties are limited to us, making us feel special! Franklin never minded having his teeth brushed, but Patrick is better because on his own he comes to the bathroom each evening to have his dental hygiene addressed. Both Franklin and Patrick are thrilled each time we come home, even if only to buy some food locally.

We are thankful to have Patrick. We surely look forward to his having a long life. For each moment we have him, he will surely be loved as much as we feel he loves us.

America Magazine A Prayer for Frustrated Catholics

Fr. Austin Fleming, a priest friend from the past, was kind enough to post a thoughtful "prayer" of a frustrated Catholic (Jesuit priest) on Facebook. It was very thoughtful and sincere. I recall that I could have shared the insights in days gone by. However, at the moment, the article resulted in a need for me to consider again my current view.

In the past, the Catholic Church (hereafter referred to as Church) as an institution was considered the counter side of the Church as a mystery, the fruit one might say of the Holy Spirit. Through the Vatican Council, it became clear to many of us that the Church was a mystery as distinct from the institution and included many others, including the unbeliever whose sincerity is genuine and known to God. The institution of the Church was always being called to reform in the process of allowing the Church as mystery to flower. There was a dichotomy that was easy for me to understand since it was clear that the Church as institution failed in so many ways to exemplify the message of Christianity. In fact, there are many moments in history when the Church as institution was an obstacle to believe. If the Church as institution did thus and so, how could I believe in Church as mystery, as the gift of the Spirit who binds believers together?

In those days, I seemingly had no problem dealing with the discrepancies. I tried to explain to others the beauty of Church as mystery and the need to focus on that, rather than the Church as institution.

Now, I no longer can live with the discrepancy. The "prayer" of Fr. Martin is beautifully written and articulates the "both/and" of the Church as institution and mystery, sinners and saints. Yet, I now perceive the Church as institution as a real obstacle to the message of Jesus, forever incapable of serving people in their search for truth and goodness. Even moments like the Vatican Council have been undone by the very body (hierarchy) that decreed such wonderful documents on Church, laity, ecumenism, and much else. It is impossible for me to see the Church has ever dealing in a helpful way with the problems of the day. Witness the inability of the Church as institution to cope with gender equality, sexual orientation, and the loss of its power, noted in the numbers who have left the organization and the lack of acceptance of institutional guidance on much of anything. Even when a document articulating a well-accepted view on peace, it is usually noted that its acceptance is unusual.

The Church as institution can give us beautiful people, including priests, who do live in the Spirit of Jesus' message. However, they only emphasize for me the loss of credibility in the Church as institution. When the exception to the rule prevails enough, it becomes noteworthy.

In fact, no religion that becomes institutionalized seems to work. When I think positively about the progressive approach of the Episcopal Church as it deals with current issues, I am aware that it is not thriving. The only ones generally supporting the Episcopal Church are people who think the same.  I suppose that an institution needs to reflect its constituency, but if that is so, then we adopt the view that a religious institution cannot reflect a universal population. In a sense, then, a great Church as the one headed by Austin Fleming in Concord, MA, can exist authentically as virtually unique.

It all comes down to the conclusion that the Church was not intended to be an institution that would exist as purported by the Catholic Church. For all the Austin Flemings in this world that are able to minister to a specific group of people, it is depressing thinking of all those relying on others who are not only without his gifts, but are actually distorting the spirit of the message. The plight of the situation is somewhat depressingly conveyed by another Catholic, writing in the National Catholic Reporter.