Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

The Honor of Public Service - October 23, 2021

 

Why was Colin Powell so highly respected? And respected by many different groups of people?

Since he died earlier this week, I was trying to come up with some reasons for the great respect that so many people had for him. People respected him from so many walks of life. It must also be said that there were some who did not respect him at all. These were in the distinct minority.

Until the last few years, I always thought that public service was an honorable calling. I was so dismayed to see how a certain type of person looked on public service as a way to enrich themselves and not think about making the world a better place. I have found it so helpful to think about Colin Powell as a public servant - who cared enthusiastically about making the world a better place. 

Look at Colin Powell's 13 rules for living:

1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.

2. Get mad, then get over it.

3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

4. It can be done!

5. Be careful what you choose.

6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

7. You can’t make someone else’s choices.

8. Check small things.

9. Share credit.

10. Remain calm. Be kind.

11. Have a vision.

12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

There are people who have come up with such lists for themselves. Some like Stephen Covey widely publicized principles for living lives of purpose and values. I study them and study them and try to apply them to my life. Colin Powell did this his entire life. A life well lived.

It is easy to get down (or at least easy for me!) about people who don't try to seek these inspiring principles. Colin Powell was someone who constantly raised others up. He made us better. How fortunate we are to have lived in the same world as Colin Powell. He was an authentic public servant. God bless him and his family.

 

A Dream that will never be - October 15, 2021

Personal confession: I was never adventurous. You think quickly, "surely you jest." No jest. Totally serious. I might be verbally quick, but physically quick and adventurous, not so much.

I did have a never spoken desire to go off into space and, naturally, return right back to earth. While everyone in popular culture this week was thinking about Star Trek, Captain Kirk, and the rocket which rose 63 miles up and then safely came down, I was thinking about Christa McAuliffe the school teacher who was on the spaceship Challenger today.  I prayed for her and her family this week, the other six astronauts killed with her.  I thought about their courage, going up into the wild blue yonder. I became fascinated with the idea of going up into space at the time of their journey. I never focused on how dangerous it was. I was glued to the TV. I was stunned and so sad when it exploded. My hopes of being an astronaut ended. 

President Reagan spoke words of majesty and dignity on that day: "The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.' " - Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986  How hard not to think of the Challenger this week. 

William Shatner, who I watched for years as Commander Kirk on the Starship Enterprise had a successful, if brief, trip into outer space. I'm glad that it was successful. Who knows what new fronteirs we may someday reach or milestones we might reach or conquer. I totally understand those who were dismayed at the expense of the spaceships over the last few months. Maybe it is necessary to expand our frontiers. It would definitely be nice if we could channell the same energy and imagination into curing cancer, climate change, and so many other needs, but I digress!  I was glued to the TV this week.

 

Later that day, President Reagan spoke to the nation: 

"For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for 25 years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them."

We need our dreams. We need to support those whose imaginations and brilliance can help our fractured and fragile world. During the time of the pandemic, we need things to remind us once again that there is a world beyond our world, that they are dreams that can still be met and challenges that can be faced. For even a little while, I don't regret focusing on Captain Kirk. It was fun. It reminded me of one of my dreams that will never be. Perhaps like Mr. Spock, we can each join in the prayer and hope: Live Long and Prosper. And even more importantly, "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." 

How can someone look at the pictures of our planet and doubt the existence of God? These pictures just deepen my faith.

 

 

 

 

I Ain't Arrogant! (I hope!) - October 8, 2021

(Time for some introspection)

One of the problems within the Church today can be leaders who are arrogant. I don't like arrogant people.Yet, before you start pointing fingers at me while I'm pointing fingers at other people - please remember - I hope that I'm not arrogant. Now here's the problem. Arrogant people do not think that they are arrogant.  I fear that arrogance is one of those things that are easy to recognize in others, but difficult to recognize in oneself.

When I hear about a situation in a particular parish (hopefully never a parish where I am at!!), often the first thing that come to my mind is that the leaders at that parish are simply arrogant. Follow my line of thought: I do think that one of the driving factors in the awful sexual abuse of children can come from arrogance. Please catch my distinction: I'm talking here about the church leaders who really messed up in straightening out the Church from this awful problem. Those who actually did the abuse were not just arrogant - they were troubled and sick people in so many ways.

Here is another example: what took place in Ireland and sexual abuse: can anyone really deny that the Church in Ireland years ago was simply arrogant. Can anyone listen to some Church leaders who are driving people away and not conclude that arrogance is part of their problem? Arrogance pops up a lot, maybe not all the time, but enough that it is one of these identifiable and, therefore, addressable problems.  

Why was Pope Francis so well received when he was elected pope? He was not arrogant. He was humble. 

Where do I fit into this topic? Good question. Until my life came to a screeching halt and I was totally retired (not completely there yet) - but I must confess that I worry about arrogance. I know that I'm verbally facile, quick on my feet. If I have offended someone, I do try to make amends. Looking back over the years, I think that this is an area where I try to do things right. In terms of arrogance, I try not to be, but seriously doubt that I am always successful, although I hope so.

I have often found it distressingly easy to pick out arrogant people. They stick out like a sore thumb - which is a shame because often they have no idea they are so obvious.

My preference would be to have none of the above qualities, but I probably do. My real preference is to live what St. Paul suggests. I've heard worse examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being Polite to the Pope - Is this too much to ask? - October 1, 2021

Father Thomas Reese is a thoughtful Jesuit. (Is there any other kind?) He has been editor of America magazine, columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, and a reporter for the Religious News Service. He has recently written an article for the National Catholic Reporter entitled "Five Rules for Disagreeing with the pope." If you want to read his article, here is the link: https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/five-rules-disagreeing-pope.

You may well wonder if such an article is necessary. Heck, yes. The level of vitriol that has come from the margins of the Church on both sides is really incredible. It is sad, but not remarkable when you consider the level of vitriol that has come from those in the political realm over the past few years.  What an appalling example for children when good parents try to teach their kids manners and to model the best types of civil behavior towards others. We have reached a point in our society and even in our Church when people of good will (defined as those who agree with me!!) are just fed up with the coarseness, the willingness to drag leaders down, the inability to seek to understand the other person's position, nd so many other points. 

Read the article if you want to learn more about Father Reese's insights. They are worth considering. I'm just going to list his points to you can think about them - hopefully it will encourage you to read his article. Here are the five rules he highlighted:

First, be respectful.

Second, if you disagree with a pope, be sure to emphasize the positive things that he has done.

Third, describe the pope's position accurately and completely; do not create a straw man that can be easily knocked down.

Fourth, never speak or write when you are emotionally upset.

FIfth, ask yourself,  would you speak this way to a parent or someone you love?

It is hopefully clear to many that these five rules can apply to the Church, politics, families, and any group that has experienced conflict. I have been thinking about this a few times over the past week. In the course of the week, I came across members of six families who mentioned to me that the ruptures created within their families by political discourse had gotten worse and not healed at all. We have all seen a time of political savagery over the past few years. The situation has been so super-charged in many families that, to even get together, there must be a prior agreement not to discuss anything in the political sphere. This is sad, but this is reality. Tom Reese is using his formidable skills as a journalist to suggest that we start looking at this within the Church. It is not a bad suggestion, especially when we remember that children mimic the behavior of their parents - what kind of thoughtful future we are making impossible? Sigh.

Sadly, the rhetoric from political leaders has influenced the ways in which people treat disagreements or conflict within families, within the Church, within so many areas of our lives.

Do you get in these situations?

 

I had to read this next quote several times to realize how insightful it is. Sigh.

 

How true this statement is - made by a person from the Emerald Isle which has been filled with so much bloodshed over the past century:

 

Maybe we should listen and learn from the example of Saint Francis who has far more to teach us than the folks who keep fighting and arguing and demonizing. Let Francis taming the wolf be a model for our interactions. Sigh.