"Christ Actually" by James Carroll

I have written many blogs regarding various aspects of Catholicism, especially those that cast new light on matters considered to be “truths” that cannot be altered. I also have referenced the personal gain from reading James Carroll’s earlier book, The Sword of Constantine.  I gained new knowledge of the how the Catholic Church acquired such a foothold in Europe due to Constantine’s need to bolster his empire with the strength of the Church’s organization and governance. He could control his empire more effectively by incorporating Catholicism as the State Religion. The book helped shape my understanding of the role that Catholicism had in fomenting anti-Semitic behavior.

Carroll’s new book, Christ Actually, is a very well researched (55 pages of notes) volume that is motivated primarily by the horror of the Holocaust. To think that Christians, often in the name of Christ, were motivated to discard thousands and thousands of fellow human beings because they were Jewish has gnawed him for years. This book tries to address the history of how Christianity became dissociated from its roots in Judaism.

I highlight findings that I considered new to me.

While I was aware that Jesus knew himself to be a Jew with the only intention to reform the practices that were not in synch with the Scriptures. He surely had no intention of founding a Church, no intention to dissociate himself from his people’s history of being a faithful people. He was a Jew, promoting the law of Abraham and Moses as others were doing, e.g., the Zealots, John the Baptist, and, in the process, becoming an irritant to the Romans. Jesus was crucified because he was an irritant. I was unaware that there were thousands and thousands of crucifixions done regularly by the Romans to secure their rule. Crucifixion was an easy and routine way to control the population. Carroll will ultimately conclude his research with the basic need, recognized as practically impossible, of Christians seeing themselves as Jews themselves!

I knew that the followers of Jesus, called Jesus Jews, considered themselves Jews, continued to worship in the Temple and synagogues. I knew that the Jesus Jews understood that it was only a question of time before all the Jews would become Jesus Jews. They would continue to practice Judaism, but now with new insights generated by the teachings and life of Jesus.

How things got convoluted was the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD by the Romans. I was aware that this horrendous war lasting two years with thousands and thousands of deaths was monumentally disorienting, resulting in the Jesus Jews separating themselves from their confreres.  They concluded that the all the problems resulting from this war and the destruction of the Temple were caused by their compatriots not seeing Jesus as they did.

Two things are important. The history of the Jews is marked by constant war. Jews were a constant source of concern by the various emperors because of their refusal to worship the deity identified by the emperor. Jews could not be controlled, resulting in constant wars referenced in various parts of the Old Testament. Jesus lived in such a world. Judaism cannot be understood without recognizing that their adherence to the One God of Abraham was inherently a flash point of concern to the Roman authorities.

The war in 70 AD did not end wars between Roman powers and the Jews, but it colored the perception of the Jesus Jews. From then on, they started to see that their problems would have been solved if all the Jews had become followers of Jesus.

Given that Jesus was crucified in the early 30’s and the Temple was destroyed in 70, we are dealing with two generations of Jesus Jews who would gather in houses while also attending the Temple and synagogues. Two generations of people sharing their memories or stories that they heard from others lead to all sort of distortions of history.  The Gospels were all written after the Temple’s destruction. John’s Gospel was not written until early in the next century. All would be telling stories that captured “truth” as each saw it. Mark’s Gospel was the first one written and was the least anti-Jewish. John wrote the last Gospel and was very anti-Jewish. Gospels were not written as history, but as a faith based renditions of Jesus

What all this ultimately means is that Christians who relied on the New Testament came to totally misunderstand Jesus. Christians no longer recognized Jesus as a Jew and, surely, did not think of themselves as Jews. Christians could now use the New Testament to develop anti-Semitic feelings, justified by the Scriptures attribution of Jesus’ death to the Jews. All of this is totally wrong.

Carroll continues the work that I was familiar with (Roger Haight, Erhman, Schillebeeckx) that addresses the evolution of how the Jesus Jews came to have insights into Jesus that he himself would not have endorsed. The idea that Jesus was God grew over time, but it was not until the Greek philosophical categories were applied to the Jewish constructs based in the Old Testament that believers came to understand Jesus as God.

Carroll deals with this entire issue of Jesus being God in a most realistic approach. Using Dorothy Day as a prototype of how Christians can approach Jesus, Carroll focuses on those who “see” God in Jesus through the life and behavior of Jesus. We find God in Jesus by servicing those in need. Consistent with the writings of Richard Rohr, God is found in the Silence of Love and the suffering that colors life. By embracing suffering, we find the Ultimate. Admittedly, all those who write in this vein use language that is somewhat abstract, but, in essence, once one gets to the point where they “see” God in all that is, whether human, animal, organic and inorganic, then it is relatively simple to see God in Jesus.

For Carroll, the relevance of Jesus is attributed to the ongoing history of so many finding “God” in him. Jesus captured a way of living that remains meaningful to so many that Carroll sees this as evidence of the validity of adhering to Christianity.

"Pay Any Price" by James Risen

James Risen is a well-known writer with the New York Times. His investigative journalism has brought him awards as well as the attention of the powers of our democracy. For some years, the Justice Department has tried to convince him to disclose the source of information resulting in a prior book, “State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration”. His refusal is now still being contested and the decision to jail him for contempt of court is now under consideration of the US Supreme Court. In short, the credibility of this author has been established, if for no other reason than the government’s refusal to cease its goal to have him disclose the source of his book under the penalty of being imprisoned.

His new book, “Pay Any Price”, is an answer to the question of his identity as a journalist. Like others, he feels that journalism is a source of corrective discourse to counter actions by government.

Reading the book, at times, seems to enter an unreal world that is stranger than fiction. At times, my only source of reliance of the substance of the reporting was the unlikelihood that someone could dream up the narrative!

The government establishment was embarrassed by the failure to be aware of the planned attacks of 9/11. In reaction, the government went into high gear to improve his capacity to detect any plans against the well-being of the American public. Gobs of money started to float into the intelligence agencies resulting in scads of contractors being employed to provide expertise not otherwise available. Comparable to the need to use contractors to support the military when there no longer was a draft, the intelligence community searched for all sorts of skills to upgrade its capacity.  As Blackwater came to symbolize the problems resulting from contracting military intervention, so the race to hire intelligence experts ended up supporting even some scam artists with millions of dollars. The government’s haste to get on top of potential disasters became in so many instances a waste of money. So many contracts were written that the left hand had no idea what the right hand was doing.

Risen’s documentation of the well-known loss of billions of dollars provided Iraq at the beginning of the invasion is almost comical. Pallets of cash were delivered and to this day, so much of it is unaccounted for. Suspicions that much of the cash is in tunnels in Lebanon have not been proven. The bottom line is that the rush to provide financial support to the post-Hussein regime was gone!

The power of the intelligence community has become increasingly a source of concern to more and more people. Given the refusal for the intelligence community to be honest with the congressional committees and the public, it has taken the likes of Edward Snowden to bring many of invasive procedures out in the open.

Our democracy is built on the principle that we have a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” has been constantly thwarted by leaders of our intelligence agencies.

Thankfully, we are beneficiaries of some who have taken great risks to themselves and families to ensure that we know what is going on. The struggle for truth never ends because only truth will set us free!

Tribute to Peter, Paul, and Mary

Peter, Paul, and Mary have been favorites of mine for seemingly a lifetime. While watching recently a PBS special on their fifty years as performers, I was often in tears.

The focus on their support of peace among nations and love among people was reviewed in segments during the 60’s when advocacy for peace, withdrawal from Vietnam and promotion of civil rights were prominent sources of civil disobedience.

The 60’s were indelibly printed in my brain. Becoming a priest in 1963, I envisioned my being a part of a new world where Vatican II would change the entire ethos of Catholicism. It never occurred to me that I would become a victim of the traditional structure.

I recall being in my room in the rectory, attempting to play the guitar for songs like those of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Even in the quiet of the rectory, I could feel the energy of the inevitable victory of the truth that we win nothing my destroying our enemies. I could envision in the near future a world where color no longer made a difference. We were all brothers and sisters.

Watching the past being captured by the review of the careers of Peter, Paul, and Mary, I became so sad to think that the dreams of so many of us have been shattered by reality. Fifty years later, our nation still has not learned that arms no not lead to peace. We clearly still segment our vision by color of skin.

Tears of now an old man mean so little. To think that these fifty years have only enabled us to kill more easily and, even, quietly with the silence of drones. We now can kill with the deftness of guidance missiles that travel hundreds of miles with capacity to initiate options of where to land while in route to possibly three targets. And yet, we read daily about the mess in the Near East that seems only to get worse and in North Africa where so few nations are stable.

Reading about Ferguson or Staten Island’s tragic entanglement in race relations is dwarfed by an ever more segregated society with stories of injustice related to one’s color.

Tears may be spontaneous and have very little to offer to ameliorate our nation’s problems.  Peter, Paul, and Mary offered many of us hope for a world that we could almost feel. As much as many of us tried, we did not succeed and, unfortunately, it is unclear whether any of our advances have made this world better. If anything, the prognosis is even worse. We will get rid of war and violence and racial bigotry by an even more ominous method, viz., the destruction of our eco-system. Earth no longer capable of supporting human life will strangely achieve a level of peace never achieved by the former inhabitants.  What a tribute to our time on Earth!!

Thanksgiving 2014

THANKSGIVING 2014

In what has now become a tradition for the last four years, we are spending Thanksgiving in New Orleans with our son, Sean, Jane, Joseph and Eve with their new addition, Benny, a beautiful and loving Yorkshire Terrier.

In the midst of many problems in our nation and the world that stir anxiety, Thanksgiving gives another chance to on the positive.  Admittedly, our personal good fortune is a gift that many others do not experience. For this moment, however, I have to abstract from the negative and focus on the positive.

It never gets old to recall the novelty of my being married and parenting children. For several years, I lived with such options

denied by my choice to become a priest.  I continue to be amazed that I live with Joan and experience my children as productive and enjoyable friends.

I never lose the sense of awe that such experiences are ordinary. I could not have scripted a better story. It has been a gift.

While I miss our family members in New Orleans and New York, I treasure their visits to us and ours, to them.  Thankfully, our more frequent moments with Sara and family never get old and remain treasures.

Crazy as it seems, I am mindful of my Face Book friends who have become a part of my life. I appreciate what has been shared and hope that comments and feedback give comfort to those sharing problems and support to those fighting the good fight.

Being a holiday distinct to the United States, Thanksgiving is a day to reflect on our good fortune as we work to ensure that our nation’s values will correct our wayward decisions. We have a treasured Constitution that was intended to guide us changes that are inevitable with time.

Tired of Gridlock

I wondered why I have not written any more letters to the President nor have I needed to voice my chagrin with what I observe in the world. My tentative answer to this silence is that I am becoming more aware that I am getting older by the minute and during whatever time is left, I no longer have “hope” to see improvement in the world in which I live.

Watching the persistent echoes of dichotomous voices of members of Congress only getting worse without any reasonable prospect of meaningful legislation, I despair of seeing progress in addressing national problems. However this or the next election turns out, how can anyone expect Congress and the President will agree on methods designed to address immigration, income inequality, student debt, low paying jobs, racism, and other issues relevant to the health of our nation, e.g., global warming.

While ISIL is admittedly a horrendous outgrowth of misguided strategies dealing with those who want to advance an agenda that sees the United States and the West, in general, as enemies, it is shortsighted to resort again to violence and weapons to achieve a just conclusion. We have tried military might long enough with such terrible results that one wonders why we continue to use the same resources to expect a different outcome. We have helped to make a bad situation worse by not addressing the root problems of the Middle East, which are the lack of a credible government in any of the “nations” (euphemism for the outcome of decisions of WWI), hatred among the various Muslim sects, and the general lack of tolerance of differences among people. To think that military interventions will deal with these basic issues seems infantile. Building a more tolerant Middle East will be achieved best by diplomacy and foreign aid focusing on building civic institutions that focus on maintaining legal and economic structures that promote the general well being of the total population.

Chagrined by the obtuse responses of the nations to the problems associated with global warming, I start to think that I am lucky to be closer to death after a “normal” life. To think that we are doing nothing to address this issue with the result that our grandchildren and any of their offspring will be living a world designed for the miserable! I remain dumbfounded that so many are so obtuse not to see the handwriting on the wall. Waiting for international consensus is only a rationalization for the resistance of those nations who should be leading the way by adopting measures to reduce pollution.

Watching with interest the problems facing Catholicism is a parochial vestige of my background as a priest. I am interested in the twists and turns of any religious organization attempting to remain relevant. Pope Francis is about 50 years too late! He is a beacon of hope in a dying organization without any hope of a positive outcome. Were he to endorse a liberal agenda, he would lose the Southern Hemisphere where there are more Catholics, but far more conservative. And, he would not get any more active Catholics in the West who have gone past the relevance of organized religion. It is a no win situation. In fact, there is a rush of people interested in spirituality, independent of organized religion. They are aware that there is a dimension of reality that supersedes the mundane, but are unwilling to deal with the structures of religion. I find that Richard Rohr’s daily meditation (CAC.ORG) captures the universality of the divine, even though his approach comes out of the Catholic tradition. Given the past history of bigotry and violence resulting from extremists in Christianity, now noted in the Muslim world, it is hard not to consider spirituality independently of organized religion.

Independent of Ezekial Emanuel’s views of old age, I admit thinking that I am fortunate to have lived at a relatively great time in history. While I was in grade school during WWII, my life has benefitted by the policies flowing out of the Roosevelt era. Even though my father’s maximum weekly income as a police officer in Brockton was $63, I was far from poor. We may not have had a television or car until I was in high school, but somehow, we were in the company of so many others that it never was perceived as a loss. Graduating from high school in 1955, there was a general consensus that everyone was going to be able to own a house and have the conveniences that were becoming common, independent of what wohttp://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/09/why-i-hope-to-die-at-75/379329/rk they did. My adult life was blessed by so many opportunities available to all. While I appreciated whatever success I had, I did not feel that it was at the expense of others. There was a general feeling that “life was good”.

I consider my life today as great. I had a great experience working in the Veterans Administration. Today, much has been written about the agency’s problems, but my experience was far more positive. Somehow, I worked with people who almost universally were focused on the mission of helping the veterans. People worked hard with relatively few complaints. I was never aware of any shenanigans designed to distort reality, e.g., false reporting of workload. And, I have been able to enjoy retirement without the concerns that appear to be rapidly expanding in the population of seniors whose resources were compromised by the financial meltdown. More people appear to be heading towards a retirement marked by hardship and anxiety.

In all, then, death to me will close a wonderful life that I wish all could have. It will come before the full consequences of our national political gridlock and the ominous consequences of global warming are experienced. It is hard not to be depressed by the status of national debates. Death can be a friend.

Another Birthday

My sister and I virtually share a birthday. While I am five years older, she was born on 9/10 and I on 9/11. When we talked today, she succinctly summarized our lives by saying that “our lives did not start well, but they are ending well”.  So true in so many ways.

Given our problematic early lives, it is more than remarkable that we did as well as we have. We share marriages that have been strong and loving, we have children that are good and have given us wonderful grandchildren. We worked for a living, but in today’s economy, it seems so special with so many being left in the lurch.

Birthdays, for me, are celebrated every day. Each day is a gift with the opportunities to experience all that is possible. We realize that we never reach the potential of our existence, but the journey is exciting and interesting. My early life could have resulted in all sorts of catastrophes, but it served as a perpetual stimulus to never take the moment for granted and squeeze as much of life out of every moment.

My existence has never been taken for granted. It is a gift that is treasured with the realization that my existence is always in the process of becoming.  Becoming older only enhances the experience, knowing that the process ends with death. While I treasure knowing that I will always be part of the cosmos, my experience will surely be different.

Neal's Extraordinary Picture

I never knew my only grandparents that saw me as a child. They died before I was two.  I believe that my grandparents in Ireland had died before I was born.  I do remember the Brownie camera that was used occasionally by my mother. But I had no grandparent who could come addicted to taking photos of me. The addiction to taking photos of grandchildren may have progressed with Polaroid instant photography, but it was nothing compared to the compulsive use of digital photography in the ceaseless pursuit of the picture that epitomizes one’s perception of how fortunate to have such a beautiful child.

As many photos that we have taken of our six grandchildren, nothing compares to iconic gaze of our youngest Kellen of her sister, Nora, as the school year begins. It is so unbelievable that we can use our smart phones so easily and readily that nothing virtually escapes our purview. While the pervasiveness of our addiction to catching our grandchildren in a special setting or pose, it is so seldom that we nail it on the head. Our son, Neal, brought us a gift by seizing this moment to give us an insight to Kellen’s love of her sister. One could have tried a million times to push the button at the right moment without the success enjoyed by Neal and, now, us by virtue of the ease of sharing.

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Such a Gift!

As we near the end of two weeks with four grandchildren, I am once again overwhelmed with the woman that I reference as my friend and my wife.

Often, we are grouped as “grandparents” when, in fact, only one is “grand” and the other as the fortunate beneficiary of such goodness and love. For me, it has never gets old to be a participating witness to a story that never quits. The scene may change and the actors are different, but the storyline remains so vibrant, if the same.

I recently analogized the negotiations surrounding the selection of a movie that would meet the expectations of these four grandchildren as comparable to negotiating peace between Israel and Gaza. Obviously, the comparison limps badly since our negotiations were successful and there was no blood. Possibly, the talents of this woman could be utilized by the United Nations to weave a path to peace.

While we cannot recall clearly our earlier experience with our own children, this version of history triggers so many happy feelings of yesterday when we were parenting our three children. The earlier story turned out well because of this woman’s talents and love.  All of the past rushes into my present experience as I see her weave her magic over another generation.

"The Bankers' New Clothes

Anat Admati  (Professor of Finance and Economics at Stanford) and Martin Hellwig have written “The Bankers’ New Clothes” to advocate for more protection to the public by reducing risks associated with banking. 

The book is densely written with 106 pages of notes (that I did not read). She agrees with those who consider that banks that are so big that the public cannot allow them to fail are, in fact, too big.

She deftly contrasts how public corporations that are financed with relatively little or no leverage promotes progress designed to minimize risk. Most of public corporations advance their business model by attracting investments. Wealth is promoted by developing plans that use the equity of investors who clearly agree with the model or they would not have made the investments.

In contrast, the major banks generally have approximately 3% of their assets based in equity! The authors advocate that banks should have 20-30% of the assets in equity. This ratio will promote a banking system what will reward the shareholders by increasing the value of the bank. The value of their investment will increase.

The authors are convinced that more regulations are needed and are concerned that the political will for advancing more regulations are sabotaged by the benefits politicians achieve in the present system. One needs look no further than the amount of money used by bank lobbyists to promote their objectives that focus on minimizing regulations.

Until banks are required to have more equity and are regulated more tightly, there are no incentives to change the model that facilitates the possibility of great financial gains with no personal downsides (losses are subsidized by the government).

I agree with the authors that requiring more equity will not lessen the opportunities of growth but( will reduce risk since potential losses will be borne by the shareholders.

Banks are essential to any nation. The public should be able to rely on them. The business model should be designed to protect the public.

More equity, greater transparency in trading, and stronger regulations will lessen risks and increase the security of the system.

Per chance anyone is interested, Bill Moyers interviewed Anat Admati: http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-too-big-to-fail-and-getting-bigger/

45th Wedding Anniversary

On Wednesday when I was visiting a hospice patient in a nursing home, I met a man older man than I. One word brought on another.  He then noted that he would like me to return the one chair in his room to the place from which I moved it so that I could talk with my patient. He noted, “My wife sits there when she visits later”. He shared that he was married 67 years and misses his wife and looks forward to her nightly visit.

I shared with him my briefer experience of marriage. I noted that my 45 years with Joan were more than perfect. I always have had a hard time finding cards for birthdays or anniversaries since most of them referenced how great the wife was through everything, including the hard times. I could never select such cards since I have never known “hard times” with Joan.

For someone as relatively naïve as I was (still am to a degree), it is amazing that I somewhat innocently told Joan that I was going to graduate school in California (after telling her that I was leaving the priesthood) and I would love to have her join me. I would understand why she would have had a problem thinking of a future with a married former priest with no immediate prospect of gainful work (assuming that graduate school is “work”).

Crazy as it was, she never hesitated and off we went. And now, we can look back to the past 45 years with joy with our children and grandchildren making our senior years a delight. Without daring to imagine matching a nursing home patient’s 67 years of marriage, I know that my life with Joan has provided me more blessings than anyone could hope for.

Never planned as such, but our anniversary was memorable because it was day the first person landed on the moon. It was a truly remarkable event for mankind. Marrying Joan may not carry the same significance for mankind, but for one man, she made a world of difference!

"Cosmos"

Watching the entire series of Cosmos was a beautiful spiritual experience. I was mesmerized by the awesome nature of the cosmos. The most telling reaction was that I was overwhelmed with information that I was unable to process. Dealing with a Big Bang that over billions of years resulted in what is still an expanding universe is beyond my comprehension. Yet, I was able to sense the profound awareness that I was part of this process and, while I may feel insignificant, I know that my presence in this process is a gift to be treasured.

The God that I worshipped years ago is now transformed into a more real, if unfathomable, loving reality that may be best grappled with by the concept of Heidegger’s “Ground of Being” or Richard Rohr’s notion that we “foundationally belong to God and the Universe”.  

In spite of the sadness generated by the awareness that mankind may be destroying the milieu that enables humans to live on this very small portion of the cosmos, I am comforted to know that that I will remain a part of the cosmos, even if this means something that I can only intuit, and, secondly, thanks to David Suzuki’s insight that even though there may be no humans on earth, earth itself will still be beautiful, continuing on its orbits within the evolving universe.

Hospice Volunteer

Serving as a South Shore Hospice Volunteer has been a rewarding experience. I have been impressed by the strength of many men who have dealt with the pain associated with serious illness. They have faced the inevitable with great equanimity.  The sadness of the inherent struggle with life’s ending has been compensated by the experience of serving such wonderful people and their families.

In light of this general experience, I am awed by my experience with my latest patient. NS was special by virtue of the constellation of wife, family, and a set of values that bespeak a unusual level of personhood. 

It was always touching that he always greeted me with his appreciation of my being there, as though there was not a good reason for such a visit. During my visits, he was often attentive to be sure that my “needs” were met. “Can I get you something to eat or drink”. I never was able to sense that he was uncomfortable, even when he more or less apologized for needing to sleep. He was often wondering when his wife would return from a few errands, conveying the deep sense of love that existed for 61 years and gave the world eight incredibly great children.

The church liturgy captured well how special NS was. The priest initiated his homily by recalling the reading of the Martyrology in the seminary when references to various Saint Nicholas’ would have been made. If he had the ability, the priest would now declare that we were celebrating the life of another Saint Nicholas! Given his dedication to his family and church, coupled with the values demonstrated at work and in the community, it surely seemed just right to reference him as a saint.

One can wonder whether I, as a hospice volunteer, did anything other than experience the gift of being involved with him, ever so briefly. He will be remembered with affection and, hopefully, serve as an inspiration for me to live better and die well. It would be hard to find a better example of a beautiful human being.

Mother's Day 2014

As Mother’s Day approaches, I began thinking of how great our three adult children are. They have been a real pleasure is so many ways. I would have wished to be their best friends in another world.

The principal reason for their being the persons they are is Joan Louise. Her motherhood was a gift to these children (and me) as were the children gifts to us. Her inherent instincts of nurturing them were so many acts of wonder to me. So effortlessly and gracefully, she gave to them the love and understanding that were beyond words.

I clearly was a benefactor of her skills. Clearly inferior to her, I sort of tagged along and filled in the cracks in an otherwise perfect mosaic.

This love and care seemingly was limitless. She never met a child in her nursing practice that she did not love. Caring for them, even the sickest of them, was never so much work as a treasured experience.

And now this story is being told again with grandchildren as the beneficiaries. She never seems to make it seem tiring, even when it is.

I sit in awe, as I thank her for sharing her life with me. She has made me more than I could ever have imagined as a person and, surely, as a parent.

Mother’s Day is special. Mothers deserve a day of recognition. And we will be sharing such a day with Joan who returns late tonight from another visit to Haiti where she gave some children a fleeting moment in which they too experienced her love.

Letter to the President, 8 May 2014

45 Glades Road

Scituate, MA 02066

8 May 2014

The White House


1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW


Washington, DC 20500

Mr. President,

Your letter of 25 April was appreciated. I agree that there is progress in addressing the economic inequities that impact the Middle Class. I have no problem with your strategies that include (1) increasing manufacturing jobs, (2) improving education, (3) increasing home ownership, (4) providing secure retirement, and (5) improving access to quality health care.

I appreciate that your strategies are hampered by political gridlock. That there has been any progress is virtually a miracle, given the political constraints. Surely, I could never have been a politician.

For your sanity, it is good that you realize the political problems represent only a series of obstacles that will eventually be resolved, even if not during your tenure as president.

Since I am not a politician, it disturbs me that your vision has been compromised. I would rather that you zeroed in each issue of domestic and foreign policy with the weight of total honesty.

You accepted congressional action as the vehicle for constructing the Affordable Health Care Act. It was most likely the best that could be accomplished. But, it never met the expectations of the left, e.g., myself, or the right. ACA continues to be food for those hungry partisan gains.

There are signs of educational gains. Yet, the states’ adoption of the Common Core has generated much heat based on perceived problems with its role in the educational process. One of my family members, a daughter-in-law who teaches in New Orleans, is convinced that Common Core and Charter Schools are undermining public education. This opinion is voiced also by Diane Ravitch who has enjoyed a prominent role in the history of public education. I am unclear how you see the issue, but I may assume that you share Secretary Duncan’s views. If so, I would like to hear you articulate the reasons for supporting these initiatives. I realize that urban public education is a conundrum, but we would do well capturing the best programs even if they require more resources than are politically feasible at the moment. Money for public urban education would be well spent instead of dealing with the costs and personal failures associated with the history of failure, e.g., rates of incarceration, broken family structures, poverty.

The rise in manufacturing jobs in the United States has been impressive, except for noticing that the wage structure of these jobs will never address the agony resulting from income inequality. The loss of union strength has been a major factor. However, it seems that our government has to recognize that unions will never be powerful again. We have to come up with appropriate structures that will provide the Middle Class workers both dignity and value. Again, our economic strength is only enhanced by the increase in consumption generated by higher wealth by more people.

Finally, while I agree that your moderation in dealing with foreign policy is realistic, I wish that you provided the public with more detailed insight into your approach. When observers, such as David Ignatius, agree with you essentially, but want you to voice your positions differently so that they convey more strength than is currently stated, there is an opportunity for improvement.

Your time is running out for your tenure as president. As in the past, I have urged stronger and clearer statements of your core vision, even though the reality of politics limits the execution. At least the public will be clear about the reasons for the variance between your vision and its execution.

Again, thank you for your letter and I remain a supporter.

Edward J. Toomey

"How Jesus Became God"

Bart Ehrman is not the first person to address the issue of the divinity of Jesus.  He follows the footsteps of many who have pierced the naïve understanding of the biblical Jesus by rooting the scriptures within the context of history.

My interest in the fundamental issues of Christianity is attributed to my personal history. If it were not for my past allegiance to a religion in which I was raised, believing that I was a lucky person to have struck it rich by being a Catholic, I most likely would never have been interested in becoming a priest. Disillusionment can be painful but fruitful.

My understanding of Jesus never changed much from the time I first was indoctrinated with the Baltimore Catechism until my first year studying theology (I would have been 22 years old). All of sudden, like a bolt of lightening, one of our faculty teaching Scripture made clear that the Scriptures could not be read as history; essentially, it represented faith statements and beliefs, some sayings of which may have been literally spoken, but most often not.

I had to relearn my basic beliefs with a new and still undeveloped understanding of Christianity. The process was slow. For many years, even decades, I was able to translate what I heard and saw into a viable détente. At some point, the calibration no longer was possible. I could not continue being a Christian. (A prior posting [http://edwardjoseph.blogspot.com/2008/03/different-type-of-easter.html] gives a more detailed history as a believer/non-believer).

In “How Jesus Became God”, Ehrman traces the early history of Christianity with the benefit of the work of many scholars. No one book does better at addressing the transition between an itinerant preacher seeking a more just society in preparation for the imminent return of the “Son of God” (not him in his view) and later beliefs in his divinity.

The world was nearing its end. He was critical of all types of injustice, both by the Roman authorities and Jewish leaders. That he was identified as a rabble-rouser needing to be crucified is consistent with the practice of government.

Ehrman’s approach to working through the early history of Christianity is similar to many others. The one person who first interested me in the approach of understanding Jesus and early Christianity in the context of the existing society was Dominic Crossan. It became clear that Jesus did not see himself as God in any fashion. He was a product of the times when there were many advocating for repentance before the end of the world, e.g., John the Baptist, the Essene Community.

Jesus’ words raised the hopes of a few followers who hoped that he would share his power with them when the end came. His message was at the same time disturbing to the power structure of the time and that structure did him in.

Since the earliest documents of the New Testament, viz., the early letters of Paul, were written 20-25 years after the death of Jesus, it is at least understandable that a lot of stories were passed around the communities of people who endorsed Jesus, then as the person who was to return in the near future to establish the Kingdom of God, as promised in Jewish Scriptures. Initially, all the followers of Jesus were Jews. The believers came to share the “Good News” with pagans, initiating a debate whether these people had to first become Jews before being initiated in the community of Jesus. The Gospels were written 30-60 years after Jesus’ death. One can imagine how stories were told, retold and embellished or modified to accommodate a later belief.

Ehrman details the slow development of how the community of followers transitioned from a group of followers who were blown away by the tragedy of the crucifixion to an understanding that Jesus was God. 

If we understand the Jews were a distinct minority in the world, prior to and during Jesus’ life, who were believers in monotheism, it is fairly easy to understand the difficulty of assigning divinity to someone else. Reading many sections of the Jewish Scriptures, one can see how they too had ideas of “lesser gods”, e.g., angels. It took time to transition from the Jewish preacher to his being divine of any type. One can examine Mark, Matthew and Luke (again writing 30+ years after the crucifixion) and note how Jesus “became” God because he was exalted by God to be at “his right hand”. Just as Jesus never understood himself as God, the early Christians tried all sorts of ways to attribute a divine status to Jesus without altering their belief in One God. Ehrman labels this early type of Christology as “exaltation”, as opposed to John’s “incarnation” perspective, written a good 60 years after the crucifixion. Jesus was raised to become “Son of God, i.e., exalted, as opposed to John’s interpretation that the One God became man, i.e., incarnation of the pre-existing God into human form (with no real understanding of the problems of reconciling such an interpretation with the Jewish belief in One God).

And then, we have all sorts of differences identified during the next 200 years until there was a general agreement at the Nicene Council of how to interpret God. It is clear that Constantine need for aligning himself with Christianity was based primarily on strengthening his governmental rule. And with Christianity being established as the norm for the Empire, Christianity became a powerful force in its own right.

The ultimate conclusion of these various scholars is that it is impossible to base any divinity claims for Jesus on historical data. For those who choose to belief that Jesus is God, it is a decision that cannot be disputed with information. Belief structures are an entirely different process that seeking truth based on facts. Various theological scholars are believers, many others, such as Ehrman, are not. Regardless, it is always interesting to know more about our world, including religion.

"Flash Boys"

It is not often that I read a book with great interest and appreciation without really understanding it at all. “Flash Boys” by Michael Lewis has been greeted by smarter people than myself who rave about finally getting some understanding on the murky business of HFT (High FrequencyTrading).

Taking a step back, I held somewhat dated views of stock trading. I generally knew that one could go to a broker, e.g., Charles Schwab, with money to buy stock. Once a decision was made regarding the stock and the price that one would pay for the stock, the trade would be entered through a computer if the price was acceptable to buyer.

Over the last few years, I became aware of HFT which I understood as extraordinarily fast computers designed to trade stock based on algorithms coded by brainy people who would know when to buy a stock at the time of the buyer’s interest was initiated but before the deal was consummated. In short, the HFT trader would actually make money buying and selling the stock you want in the millisecond between your broker’s computer request and its completion due to the speed of the computer. While we are dealing with a penny being made per dollar of the transaction, it amounts to BILLIONS in any given year. And the gains are at the expense of the investor! The HFT business never loses because it knows what is going to happen before it is transacted!

And then, I heard of the “dark pools” whereby major investment banks would essentially buy and sell stocks without going through an exchange, e.g., New York Stock Exchange, and then report the transaction after the fact. Again, the gain would be at the expense of the investor who would be clueless of this transaction.

Michael Lewis articulates this complex world through the people who actually understood the process and wanted to change it by starting a separate exchange that would promise transparency and honesty to the investor.

I cannot say that this whole world of HFT and dark pools is clear to me. What is comforting is that the most of the people in the stock trading business do not understand it either. Apparently, the world of computer coders and the brokers is not shared. The coders only know the technical matters involved in the computer’s design without knowing much about the business of buying and selling stocks, and vice versa.

The heroes of this book become vibrant people whose interest in ensuring a more secure and trustworthy environment for stock exchanges motivated them to leave a world a relative security with high monetary rewards (though far, far less than the brokers) to start a brand new exchange (IEX) without any guarantees of success, though in fact, most successful.

We can hope that the more knowledge people have of this world of trading stocks, the more honest it will be.

"The Opposite of Loneliness"

Marina Keegan was an amazing young woman whose life was tragically abbreviated by an accident.  Her personal story is told eloquently by Kevin Roose in the New York Magazine. 

Her interest in writing was recognized by her professors at Yale. Expectation for a great future is now but a memory. Yet, thanks to her parents and one of her professors, her writings are now available in “The Opposite of Loneliness”. 

The book captures the breadth of her interests that include both fiction and non-fiction. Her writing belies her youth. One can only speculate what a great future would have produced.

She was a so-called, “unbeliever”, who was able to sense the wonder of life in all its vagaries. Whether she was experiencing the predicament of many college seniors trying to make sense of their first step into the world of self-reliance or simple pondering her history with celiac disease, she was able to find words to convey an unusual sensitivity to our human condition.

We are so fortunate that someone treasured her abilities enough to gather some of her work for others to appreciate.

"The Story of the Jews"

The five-part “Story of the Jews”, produced and narrated by Simon Schama has been a great experience, allowing me to consider so many aspects of my history with the Jews. My story is somewhat long, as probably many others would say about themselves.

Based on my early history, I was a victim of Christianity’s anti-Semitism. It was clearly articulated by the clergy as well as the interpretation of the Gospel narratives of the crucifixion that the “Jews killed Jesus”. My personal exposure to Jewish contemporaries was limited to high school friends whose focus was on meeting expectations and surviving. I admit that my religious bias intruded my thoughts when considering a Jew.

My seminary education did not correct prior interpretations of the crucifixion. The general focus was that the Jews were responsible for the fate of Jesus. Fortunately, Vatican II provided a major document, Nostra Aetate[1], which finally declared that the Jews were not responsible for Jesus’ death and were a chosen people without a need to become Christian. It was a most welcomed change in understanding and, in my case, enabled me easily to bond with the local Rabbi. I came to an understanding that I was, in fact, a Jew in the sense that I was a follower of a Jew, viz., Jesus. In fact, until the destruction of the Temple (~70 AD), those who followed Jesus considered themselves Jews and expected all Jews to join them. Only with the insight that most Jews were not going to join them in their alignment with Jesus did they turn on the brothers and considered them as the culprits of the crucifixion, as clearly portrayed in the Gospel of John.

"The Sword of Constantine" by James Carroll was most helpful in finding out that the "cross" associated with the crucifixion was never an object of Christian thought until Constantine's power to consolidate the Catholic bureaucracy to further his secular goals. He used the "cross" as a sign of solidarity that ultimately was used against the Jews in various ways, from violence to the establishment of ghettos. Until the 4th century, Christians were primarily oriented to the Risen Lord than the Crucified Savior.

Virtually everyone must be aware of the horrendous history of Jews being isolated and persecuted.  One is left speechless in the face of the constancy of the onslaught against a people. What “The Story of the Jews” brings to the forefront is the fantastic strength of a people to remain true to its identity, in spite of the constancy of the opposition. It is easy to understand why the nation of Israel is somewhat paranoid about its survival, seeing any attempt to solve real problems, e.g., Palestinians, as a potential wedge into its fragile hold onto its identity. Given its long history of persecution and the ultimate disaster of the Holocaust, it would be hard to ever criticize Jews for their sensitivities.

While understanding their fears, I admit that their inability to get beyond their misgivings in order to find a way to live peaceably with the Palestinians will not work. Being caught in a quagmire of uncertainties must be horrible. Yet, without a two-state peace plan, I cannot foresee their living with a sense of security.

The Jewish-Palestinian situation is only one of many ethnic rivalries that tend to dominate the news due to the violence. While I am personally bewildered by the tensions, often battles, among various ethnic groups, I choose to hope that better economics will allow people to rise above the bitter hatreds and misgivings. I admit that it does seem to be a Pollyannaish aspiration given the history of hatred separating ethnic groups. Based on recent history, it does not appear that the transition from autocratic rule to democracy solves ethnic and religious bigotry.

In a sense, in the long history of evolution, humanity is still quite young. If we don’t destroy Planet Earth, maybe with another few thousand years, humans will begin to understand that we are all brothers and sisters.

While the United States continues to have problems in accepting all groups equally, we are challenged by our constitution to do better. We have the support of so many advocating for racial and ethnic harmony.  We are privileged to live in such a nation.

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[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html