Paula Deen: Reasons It Impact ALL of us

Clearly, Paula Deen has been making quite a bit of news recently.  The setting is a lawsuit:  waiter Lisa Jackson is suing Deen and her brother Earl "Bubba" Hiers for  exposing Jackson to “violent, sexist, and racist behavior” while working in their restaurants.

While reading about the lawsuit, everything seemed to be business as usual.  Until I got to this point:

In the complaint, Jackson is described as a “white female.” However the complaint noted she has biracial nieces, so “derogatory remarks regarding African Americans are even more personally offensive to Ms. Jackson than they would be to another white citizen.”

Um, I'm sorry, what was that?  Was that an implication that a white citizen without biracial family would not be offended by behavior such as making African Americans use separate bathrooms and entrances?

And let's be clear: that was stated factually, as though it is an agreed upon fact in our society that white people will not be offended (or, if I'm being generous, as offended) by racist behavior as minorities.

The attorney had to make the point that the white waiter had a personal investment in this discriminatory environment.  Or else- what?  Would the case be thrown out?  The implication is that this behavior is only offensive to those who are being targeted by the discrimination.

This has to change.

As human beings, we should all be offended by this.  Any discrimination, whether in practice or in thought, is an attack on human dignity that should outrage all of us.  To say that just those who are Black should be offended by Deen's statements continues discrimination.   And maybe it even makes it worse.

Using language of faith, this line of reasoning is not just divisive, it is actually an injury to the Body of Christ.  Faith calls us to a community of solidarity.  It does not mean that as a white female I have experienced this discrimination in the same way that someone who is the target of such discrimination has.  It is ludicrous to think that I could will myself into experiencing this on the basis of "standing in solidarity" with others.  What it does mean is that I recognize that an attack against someone else is also an attack against me.  It means that I do not sit idly by when this happens.  And it means that I speak and act when this happens.

Racism is real.  It is not a thing of the past.  And maybe more importantly: racism impact us all.

The Visitation: An Invitation to the In Between Moments

The Feast of the Visitation is perhaps my favorite moment in the liturgical calendar.  Here is a brief reflection I offered after communion a few months back at the blessing of a chapel dedicated to the Visitation:

In order to understand the Visitation, we need to back up a little:

The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her that she will become pregnant with the Son of God.  Mary, being the all-star that she is, responds “let it be done to me.”  While Gabriel is visiting Mary, he tells her that her cousin, Elizabeth, is also pregnant.  Now, Elizabeth was very old and thought to be barren.  So, really, there are 2 major miracles here.

So, then we get into the Visitation. 

Mary, while pregnant, takes off for Judah to visit Elizabeth.  When Mary arrives, Elizabeth is ecstatic.  She describes her child, who we know as John the Baptist, as jumping in her womb.  Elizabeth’s response is gorgeous, and many of you know it from a prayer we often pray today: the Hail Mary.

Often times, that’s where people cut off the story.  But, that misses my absolute favorite part--- the part I consider to be the meat of it:

Mary stays with Elizabeth for 3 months.

That’s all the Bible says.  That’s all we get: Mary stays for 3 months.

I like to imagine what those 3 months were filled with.  I’m sure there was some freaking out about how on earth they became pregnant.  And probably lots of girl talk.  I’m sure there was praying, and laughing and some tears too.

But my guess?  There were a lot of ordinary, every day moments.

And I LOVE that.

So, for 3 months, they just hung out and went about their lives. 

And most definitely, God was present in those ordinary moments.

And here’s what I love the most:

they were together for 3 months, and our semester is roughly 3 months.

Think about these next 3 months of the semester. 

There will be profound moments. 

There will be excruciating moments. 

But most of all--- there will be a lot of in between moments.

Those moments that aren’t especially note worthy.  The moments that fill our day.  The in between moments.

So when I look at the Visitation, I see that it’s about two main things:

 Friendship

God is with us in the in between moments.

In those moments that don’t stand out, in our every day busyness:

God is there.  God is here.

If we pay attention to our every day moments, all the moments that we often just let pass by, we’ll realize the many ways that God is working in our lives. 

So whether you are trying to figure out what to major in, or whether to keep up that long-distance relationship from home, or what to do after graduation--I am confident that God is already speaking to you through your every day experiences. 

It is our job to pay attention to those moments.

So, here is my invitation to you:  listen to God in your lives.  Not just in the big, profound moments, but perhaps more importantly, in the everyday.

When the Finite Meets the Infinite

TED Talks are awesome.  We can all agree on that.  This one, however, takes the cake.  Susan Haarman is a campus minister, IronMan and my best friend.  She recently gave a TED Talk at the TedxLUC conference.  Her topic:  When the Finite Meets the Infinite: Spirituality in Endurance Sports.

It's 19 minutes of your life, and I promise, whether you are an athlete or not, it will make an impact.  "Endurance can actually help us brush up against the infinite, and when that happens, we are able to live more authentically and more deeply."  Check it out.

Liturgy on Fire- Literally

Earlier this week, I preached at Lucernarium*, a night prayer liturgy.  Joining this liturgy in this capacity is always an honor.  The liturgy is planned by students, yet it is also led by students in the role of the presider and cantor.

This particular service was one that by all external measures went awry, but from my perspective, was pretty incredible.

For starters, I was
incredibly frazzled.  To say that my day was crazy was a huge understatement.  Easily one of my Top 10 hardest days ever.  I arrived much later than I would have liked, and definitely not in the mindset that I would like.

Still, we began the liturgy with a sense of peace.  The cantor, presider and myself lit our candles and began the prayer service.  In the middle of the responsorial psalm, I smelt burning.  A lot of burning.  Not just a little spark, but something was on fire.  I looked next to me and the paper wax catcher was on fire.  Not just a little fire, but really, the whole thing was consumed.

As my liturgy training has engrained in me, we addressed the issue (my pet peeve is when people pretend something didn't happen, when it obviously did), the Rector assisted by grabbing the candle and taking it to the sacristy.  I tried to step on the smoldering paper on the floor of the chapel, praying that my TOMS did not catch fire as well.  We appeared to be in the clear.

Then the lector got up to read the first reading, on which I had prepared my sermon: Isaiah 7. This was the Solemnity of the Annunciation and I was ready to relate Isaiah, Mary and the students' lives.  Only the lector did not read this reading (it was set to the daily reading, not the Solemnity).  My internal monologue went something like this:

Um, this is the Acts of the Apostles, not Isaiah.  My entire reflection is on Isaiah.  ENTIRE.  It's ok, I'll just preach on the Acts instead.  But I don't know what this reading is about.  I need to listen.  OH NO. I keep freaking out instead of listening.  Listen, Annie, listen.  AHHHH.  THE READING IS OVER.  I'm up NOW.

So, for the first time in my life, I preached off-script.

I am typically quite attached to my paper when I preach.  I tend to be an external processor, which is not a good trait of a preacher, so I tend to stick to the script pretty strictly.  But here, I had no choice.  And honestly (and to no surprise to other preachers out there), I think what I said was much more suited to the community than my prepared remarks.  It was truly a sense of the Holy Spirit guiding me.

From an outsiders point of view, this liturgy was probably a bit of a mess.  But from the inside, it was an incredible experience of people gathering together, somewhat clumsily, to worship God together.  And isn't that what liturgy is all about?  The work of the people, when done authentically, has an inherent element of clumsiness.  We didn't let the desire for perfection overpower what we were there for: praising God as a community.

*If you want a sense of Lucernarium, I recommend this video of Luce at Moreau Seminary.

Habemus Papam!

At this point, I think I might be a little too excited to form coherent thoughts about the new papacy of Francis.

Here are my initial thoughts:

-I like that he isn't easy to nail down on the conservative/liberal spectrum.  He was appointed by Pope John Paul II, meaning he obviously is going to have a conservative streak.  Yet, his actions seem to line up with a liberal pope.  I like that he is a little of each; this means that he is someone who really engages the issues and grapples with them, not someone who just does what is expected of him.  A great trait in a pope.

-Of course, a lot has been made over his choosing of his name.  The Vatican confirmed it was after St. Francis of Assisi.  There is so much to this that I don't even know where to start.  I love that as a Jesuit he picked Francis.  This seems fitting with his track record of looking for the best in others, whether it be religious orders or other religions.  St. Francis' spirit can be characterized by renewal and commitment to the Gospel.  Obviously, these have huge implications for the papacy.  I'll be interested to hear more about why he chose Francis.  I also love that he is the first Pope to choose Francis.  Could this signal that he is looking at the papacy through a new lens?

-He is the first non-European pope in 1200 years.  This is so huge that I cannot even explain it in words.  We are truly a global church, and this affirms it.

-Most importantly, he began his papacy by asking the world to join him in prayer.  To me, this signals that he sees the Church as the people.  He knows he must rely upon the people throughout his papacy.  There are few things that a Pope could do that is more encouraging than this.  In fact, I cannot think of one.

As the product of 8 years of Jesuit education, I'd be amiss not to mention that he is a Jesuit.  I literally screamed nonstop when I realized this.  And then we had to explain to my 15 month old niece that they were good screams.  AMDG.


And of course, he takes public transit.  I just love this picture.

I'm thrilled.  THRILLED.  Seriously, words cannot describe how excited I am.  I consider myself someone who is generally hopeful about the Church and this is probably the most hopeful I have ever been.

Welcome, Pope Francis!

Sede Vacante: Transitions and the Neutral Zone

Even though I have known for more than 2 weeks that Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was coming yesterday, there was a finality and sadness to it that I wasn't anticipating.

Rationally, I knew he would fly to Castel Gandolfo.  I knew this resignation would take place at 8 pm.  But somehow, seeing this, made it real in a new way.  

Yes, the Vatican website is what made it real to me.  With Pope Benedict's coat of arms missing, and the words "APOSTOLICA SEDES VACANS," there was a finality to it.

Likewise, seeing the locking of the papal apartments sent a wave of sadness and communicated the finality.  Even this tradition, which was established to prevent the looting of the apartments by Roman citizens (which is not really a threat these days...), has a beauty in its simplicity.

It's no secret that I love to study transitions, and one of the most basic parts of transition is the structure: end, middle/"the neutral zone", a new beginning.  The locking of the papal apartment marks a solid end.  Yet it also takes us to a new space: the neutral zone.

The neutral zone is the meat of the transition (ironic, as I write this on a Lenten Friday).  It is where the ups and downs happen; it's the core of the transition.  William Bridges describes it as a time when our former existence no longer fits, yet we aren't quite ready for a new beginning yet.

So, as we sit in this time of transition, there is one thing we are called to do above all else: pray.  Pray for our Church.  Pray for the College of Cardinals in the Conclave.  Pray.

Catholic Conversations: The Young Faithful on the Papacy

Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to speak with Amy Eddings of WNYC's All Things Considered regarding the future of the papacy.  It was truly a bucket-list item (or my equivalent, 30 before 30).  I was joined on the call by Brandon Vogt, a blogger who is quite prolific and worth a look if you don't know him already.

More than anything, it was an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on the future of the Church in this time of transition, as well as to get into some of the nuances.

You can find the full interview on WNYC's website by clicking here.  Or, you can also listen to it below.  It's just 5 minutes of your time!