May's lengthening days bring flowers, from May Day and the garlands and floral May poles, to the decorated cemeteries on Memorial Day. It's the time for the Run of the Roses on Derby Day, Mother's Day bouquets, prom queens and fresh floral arrangements. May speaks of freshness and beauty, before summer's heat melts spring's tender green. It's beauty for its own sake, the color, shape and smell of garden vegetables and flowers all adding pleasure in the eyes of the beholder and those tending the land. Beauty renders this land a sacred place, a spot where people can come as craftspersons, artists, and agronomists. Fields and flowers blend together in May, when the surface is ablaze in color.

There's blooming comfrey and peas, radishes and Chinese cabbage, and green punctuated with purple hairy vetch cover crops. May reaffirms the beauty of the garden with its spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce, radishes, red-stemmed beet greens, spreading cabbages, broccoli, kohlrabi and blooming chives. It is the season of unique tastes -- uncontaminated, sun-ripened strawberries and rhubarb pie, sour cherries (if you beat the birds), ox-eyed daisies, iris, blackberry blossoms, peonies, poppies, rocket larkspur, of sweet-scented black locust flowers, and Kentucky coffee trees with snow white blooms.

May 2004 Reflections

May 1, 2004 Joseph the Worker

May Day has a long history, much of which we do not appreciate

if we did not grow up with Celtic May poles and special

celebrations. In the Soviet era, this was a day demonstrating the

military power of the USSR. But both the Celtic and the Soviet

traditions have faded, though this is still a "workers" day to some

degree. However, there is further remembrance on the first of May,

and that is of St. Joseph the worker. There I can find closer

identity, since Joseph is my middle name. I feel close to this

foster father of Jesus with all his serious struggles. The just

Joseph cannot fathom why the innocent betrothed Mary is with

child. What must he do? The Spirit tells him to take her, and he

follows, journeying with uncertainty to Bethlehem with the pregnant

Mary and then fleeing with his little family into Egypt as refugees

from Herod's reign.

Yes, Joseph is more than a carpenter -- and that is not said

with disrespect for that noble profession. Joseph is the just one

and the protector of the Church just as he has been of the Holy

Family. He is the patron of workers. His status is enhanced by

the silent and wholehearted response to that vocation. He does not

speak a recorded word, but he remains very much in the background

in the rearing of Jesus -- and then he drops from sight with only

the memory "was this not the son of Joseph and do we not know his

family?" Joseph's humble life is a target for those who disbelieve

Jesus, for how could a Messiah come from such a simple household?

Joseph is thrust into a pivotal position in the coming and

revelation of the Messiah, yet he is a tradesman from hill country

without degrees or wealth. He works in obscure Nazareth, even

though his roots were from the House of David. He secure s turtle

doves, the sacrificial gift of poor folks, when he and Mary present

Christ in the Temple. He takes the family faithfully each year to

the Temple for the festivals. He is the breadwinner and has to

make a living in a poorer part of the country. Wood is scarce, and

so carpentry involves making buildings, furniture, doors, and a

multitude of items by skillful use of materials. It has always

taken an effort to keep his business going and food on the table.

A Gardener's Ode to Joy

O God, fill our eyes and hearts with the beauty that flowers

give when intertwined with growing produce. Let the sheer delight

of edible and flowering plants uplift us high above the everyday

world, scarred by human-made ugliness and uniformity. While we

cannot repair all wounds, we still can beautify a small part of our

surroundings. Give us insight into what this scarred planet can

become. Let today's local delights be wordless praise to You and

inspire us to raise collective voices to You in an ever-swelling

chorus. Touch and cultivate the gardens of our hearts, filling

them with grandeur, and allowing them to grow in the love that is

within each. Let this gardening be the foreshadowing of eternal

delight. Joyfully, joyfully, we exult You.

May 2, 2004 Shepherds and Sheep

For the lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd

them. (Rev. 7:16)

Today is regarded as "Shepherd" Sunday and brings us back to

what it means to be a follower of Christ. However, we are not

called upon to be "sheep" so much as to see the qualities of a

shepherd, and follow Christ in that regard. All of God's creation

teach us, if we are observant and give them the respect of being

worthy teachers. We call sports teams by animal names --

gamecocks, tigers, lions, wildcats, though none are poodles,

butterflies, doves -- or even lambs. However, Jesus is a "lamb"--

meek, loving, tender, near at hand.

Animal Qualities: Every animal teaches us something, if we but

be receptive to their presentation. We learn by observing, by

treating them as friends, even by following their example. As a

child I learned something from spending about three hours a day

with cows (which multiplied by ten years amounted to 10,000 hours

of time or an average of one-sixth of a lifetime of work.) I

could lead better than I could drive animals. Some of you have

pets which require a close affinity. We learn from our pets, our

livestock and our wildlife.

Human and Animals: Not only do animals give to us, but it is

an exchange. We give something back to animals in a most gracious

manner. We find ourselves in loving care as Jesus cares for us;

Jesus bears the Father's power and authority -- but that is done

with mercy. Some people would question our authority over the

world around us, but that begs the question; it is not an

authoritarian power, but being a shepherd is really one of loving

and merciful influence.

The Father and I are One. In some way, this oneness of

community, of love, of mutual understanding, of work, and of power

is reflected in our attempt to be one in community, to be one with

all creation. We are individuals, but we strive for greater unity

so that we reflect the Trinity at work within us. We are called to

be more loving, to have better understanding, to cooperate in work,

and to acknowledge a kinship with the rest of creation.

Our Lives. As followers of Christ we best serve by obeying the

call to be leaders or shepherds. The Lord calls us to a more

perfect union, a union that is already budding within us. Jesus

asks us to follow him with all the qualities of a good shepherd:

Leadership -- Jesus acts as a true leader going ahead and

showing us the way. His is a willingness to do all needed; the

hired hands don't have this concern and the sense of defending

others from harm;

Calling by Name -- Jesus has a tender, loving care for all

including those that are not of this fold. That is why Jesus as

good shepherd goes out and finds the lost.

Freedom -- Jesus freely acts and even lays down his life for

his sheep. We are asked to follow his example.

May 3, 2004 Reflections on the Iraq War

I write this in the week we are burying the grandson of

members of this parish. This fallen Marine was quoted as saying

that he was fighting so that others would have the right to protest

the Iraq War.

I write this reflection with mixed feelings because much of

what was predicted about this conflict has come true: a quick

military victory; a failure at peace; growing dissatisfaction by

the civilian population; difficulty in getting major nations to

cooperate; a costly operation; mounting casualty figures and

extended tours of duty for the military in harms way; and growing

disillusionment by young and old alike. What was unexpected has

been the creation of a highly charged partisan issue.

First, was the war even justified, because the notion of first

strike is so abhorrent to Just War Theory? As it proved itself to

be, the cause (weapons of mass destruction) was simply not there

except perhaps in the minds of a very few.

Second, were a large number of legislators stampeded into

relegating war-making powers to the executive branch? What a

tragedy! The failure to convince those who should have known

better reveals our powerlessness and a lack of wisdom on the part

of so many in Congress. War-making power was simply given up to

the President, contrary to our Constitution.

Third, was it right to ignore the wishes of other nations in

the United Nations? Does might ever make right? Or is that

flexing of military muscle coming back to haunt us now?

So the Iraqi dictator has been captured, but there is dispute as to

whether the people are better off with continued uncertainties and

lack of the basics of life.

Fourth, is the widespread suspicion that oil (Iraq has the

second largest world reserves) was behind the war correct? This

suspicion has not abided either in this country and most certainly

not in the Middle East. Most likely the real motives are masked in

very clever ways. How much was a personal vendetta involved?

Fifth, once in Iraq what can be done? How do we get out of

this quagmire? Wasn't it better not to have entered Iraq? Does

not the fact there's no easy solution simply reenforce the

"justification" of remaining and continuing the fight?

Sixth, and perhaps most seriously, does the untimely entry into

Iraq only enhance the terrorist threats throughout the world as

some contend? Much more attention was removed from the global

terrorist fight and centered on a nation not directly involved.

Unanswered questions erode the general support for this war.

Our people have suffered. Iraqi have suffered much more. Can the

well-being of all be better preserved in other ways than war?

May 4, 2004 Weeds

This, the shortest title among this year's Reflections, tells

a whole story in itself. Weeds are unwanted plants which have a

way of getting in the face of the farmer, gardener and lawn tender.

Some "weeds" are actually classified as wildflowers (creeping or

tall buttercup, morning glory, sorrel, jimsonweed, wild geranium,

sow thistle, violets, trumpet creeper, yarrow) and some as wild

edibles (dandelion, lambs-quarters, wild garlic, poke, wild

mustard, mint, and chickweed). A third category includes edible

vegetables, that can become persistent with time (oyster plant or

salsify, purslane, Jerusalem artichokes).

The weeds just mentioned can be controlled to some degree

either by cutting back through utilization as flowers or as edible

plants. They can be reduced by chopping out and made into mulch, or

by adding them into our daily diet. A number of weeds spread

toxins from their roots which inhibit the growth of other desired

cultivars (e.g., shepherd's purse). Several of the edible weeds

were discussed as spring greens. The glory of these types of

edible plant-weeds is that they generally have deeper root systems

than do the introduced vegetable and herb cultivars, and thus need

less cultivation and no or little watering. They can activate

minerals from the subsoil. It is for that reason that I ordinarily

obtain over about one-tenth of my garden produce from the above

edible "weed" category and, it's good to realize that it is no

bother to grow such varieties.

Barbara Pleasant in The Gardener's Weed Book: Earth-Safe

Controls, Storey Publishing 1996 lists twelve practical tips for

managing your weeds, with some explanation for each suggestion:

* Make your garden the right size for you.

* Don't weed where you walk (instead grow clovers and

other beneficial plants).

* Mark your rows.

* Use transplants.

* Seed heavily.

* Delay planting until later in spring.

* Look for competitive varieties:

-- Large seeds that sprout quickly

-- Large leaves

-- Towering heights

-- Early maturing

-- High yielding varieties

* Control them (weeds) early on.

* Weed often (every two weeks in normal times).

* Pull when wet; cultivate when dry.

* Hit them when they're down (usually when food reserves are

low just before the plants flower).

* Off with their heads (mow or remove heads just before each

seeding).

May 5, 2004 Defend the Roadless Forest

Forest Conditions. According to the 1996 United Nations

Environmental Program survey, this planet's land surface has forty

million square kilometers of forest of which about 7.5% occurs in

the United States. While much of this US forested land is

privately owned, still the Federal U.S. Forest Service watches over

770,000 square kilometers, or about a quarter of the American

forest area. The founder of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford

Pinchot, said at its creation in 1905 that federal forests are

intended to provide the "greatest good for the greatest number for

the longest time." His basic principle was well-founded, but at

times the logging practices have not matched the quest for

longevity. One cannot cut timber, mine, or graze cattle by a

privileged few or by the most influential timber company and call

it "for the greatest number." Unfortunately, the so-called wise-

users regard commercial resource extraction as "proper" land use.

Roadless Areas. Environmentalists have consistently pointed

out over the past few decades that protected areas, which are free

from ecologically disruptive uses, are necessary ingredients in a

long-term biodiversity strategy. Some of our national forests

contain unique but fragile areas such as wild and scenic rivers,

cliffs and exquisite rock formations, habitats for migratory birds,

and whole sections of land which are still roadless. However one

of the most contentious struggles in recent years has been whether

these pristine areas (23 million hectares of forest lands) were to

be cut through with an extended forest road system for fire

protection and resource exploitation.

Federal Possibilities. A new conservation program implemented

a few years ago is now threatened. That program during its

preparation received 1.6 million comments, more than any other

Federal rule-making on forest issues. It required a ban on further

road construction in the national forests and greater restrictions

on timber harvest in the roadless forested areas. However, the

wise-users have taken exception, and thrown their weight around,

calling the new restrictions a "federal land lockup." On the other

hand, protective restrictions, if put into effect before the forest

is totally parcelled and broken apart, have the effect of saving

vast bio-reserves for the future. Such conditions are strictly

within the original philosophical purview of Pinchot. Forest

preservationists need to continue the effort to preserve our high

quality woodland areas, especially those in the West, but of equal

importance, smaller but vital areas in the East.

Attention Forest Preservers! Monitor the national forest

nearest to you. Devote time each year to visiting, looking at the

wildflowers in spring, camping in summer, viewing the autumn

colors, and making an extra hiking excursion in winter. Learn

about the old-growth areas. It is not necessary to physically

inspect them for the intrusion may prove disturbing. One alternate

suggestion is to view forests from airplanes or take a virtual tour

by means of a movie or travel book with photos.

May 6, 2004 Endangered Species

No one knows positively exactly when and if a species goes to

extinction, except in very rare cases such as the passenger pigeon

in the Cincinnati zoo in 1915. Even the estimates of extinction

rates vary wildly. But the expert opinions do converge on the fact

that we are in a time of steep decline of species, ironically at a

time when we know most how to preserve and save them. How do we

control the insatiable appetite for forest products in areas of

greatest plant diversity -- the tropical forest? How do we keep

threatening human intruders and pollution away from the planet's

spectacular coral reefs, which are virtually all in danger,

according to the learned opinion of marine biologists? How do we

preserve bird habitats and nesting areas of migratory birds which

are in steep decline, according to the counts of the bird watchers?

Through irresponsible actions, we endanger plants and animals and

thus we have an obligation to change our practices.

Conservation Measures. We are all aware of the movement to

curb the use of animal parts, e.g., eagle feathers, elephant ivory,

tiger parts, and furs from many threatened small mammals. We know

that global protective regulations do work, and that poaching of

elephants has been drastically reduced due to such measures. Also

activists, who scatter spray paint on fur-clad fashion models, have

made such stoles and coats go out of fashion quite quickly.

Whaling Regulations. Some species are threatened such as the

largest of Earth's creatures, the whales -- which are really warm-

blooded mammals. These vegetarian animals are generally gentle and

playful among themselves and with human beings; they travel in

pods (herds) along traditional migratory routes at speeds of about

six knots (or twice as fast as human beings normally walk) and can

go for bursts up to 15-20 knots. The largest, the blue whale,

weighs 200 ton and is larger than 30 mature elephants. But many

people have not been kind to these creatures. Modern hunting

techniques with sonar, long-range harpoons and factory ships have

changed the adventure of Moby Dick into first-class barbaric

slaughter for industrial oils, animal feed, fertilizer, perfume and

shampoo ingredients. Most of the ten species of great whales have

been reduced to the point of extinction, even with global whaling

bans and restrictions by the International Whaling Commission.

Ways of Participating. Most Americans do not have direct

contact with African or Asian wild animals or oceanic whales. But

each of us most likely live within a few miles of some endangered

species. Discover what species are threatened or endangered in

your state. Make this fact known, especially in the light of such

threatening practices as development in green space and forested

areas, and the use of recreational vehicles on forest floor and

other locations where endangered species reside or nest. Help in

a wildlife monitoring or bird counting project. Make the cause of

endangered species known through letter writing, talks, and

articles. And consider joining the Endangered Species Coalition.

For more information see <www.stop extinction.org>.

May 7, 2004 Floral Gardens

Isn't it possible to have a highly productive garden

interspersed and accentuated by the beauty of cosmos and begonias

and marigolds? Note that flowers selected for domestic gardens

need not be entirely of a native variety, but can also include

naturalized or traditional flowers which will not be invasive, if

allowed to grow and flourish. Some species, such as jonquils or

tiger lilies, will continue flowering in a homestead area long

after the buildings have disappeared. However, these are not

problematic invasive species. They bloom at a given season and

then die back, allowing pastureland to yield normal vegetation most

of the season.

Flowers as Useful. Adding flowers to vegetable-producing plots

may have more than on aesthetic purpose. Some beautiful flowers or

their leaves can be eaten in salad (nasturtium or certain lilies).

Others are natural pest retardant agents (marigold) and still

others are harmful insect attractants (evening primrose attracts

the Japanese beetle). Many colorful flowers attract hummingbirds

or butterflies, which also add beauty and a sense of restfulness

to the total garden plant/animal community. Some people use the

summer garden as a place for storing and invigorating indoor

houseplants, and then returning them indoor when frost arrives.

Flower Requirements. Successful flower gardening requires some

care in selecting varieties, sowing and planting, weeding, and in

collecting seed or transplanting bulbs. A small additional space

may be required for such flowers, and these can easily be

intermingled among a wide variety of vegetables and herbs. The

flowering and scent of certain herbs, such as basil or the mints,

enhance the total beauty of the garden environment. In rare cases,

such as with daffodils, the toxic bulb may be mistaken for members

of the onion family. Do not grow these flowers where there could

be mistaken identity, and caution those working in unfamiliar

gardens to always check for the characteristic onion scent.

Floral Bouquets. If wildscape and floral/vegetable gardens

exist side by side, it is always difficult to answer requests for

cutting wildflowers. Such bouquet gatherings may be possible or

they may distract from the total beauty of the landscape. We are

generally less reluctant to cut cultivated flowers than wildflowers

for decorating homes, worship space and special events. A general

principle is only harvest wildflowers where they are invasive or

naturalized (ox-eyed daisies, Queen Anne's lace or wild chicory).

Aesthetics. Good ecology includes proclaiming, protecting and

incorporating the beautiful into our damaged environment through

landscaping, architecture, visual arts (painting, sculpture,

crafts) and performing (music, dance, theater). Flowers may help

heal us, brighten our lives, and stimulate our creativity. We need

decoration, color, and symbolic expression. Ref. Landscaping for

Wildlife, Minnesota Dept. of Natural Resources; Ecological Design,

Sim Van Der Ryn & Stuart Cowan.

May 8, 2004 Peace Poles

How good, how delightful it is for all to live together like

brothers ...and sisters. (Psalm 133:1)

I remember he bright sunny May eighth, 1945, clearly. It began

as a crisp clear morning and the school bus had stopped running.

Mr. Lurdy, the driver, was under the bus and the kids were milling

around on the country road a mile from home when we heard the

Maysville whistles blowing wildly -- V-E Day; Victory in Europe.

Since we knew classes would be cancelled, we persuaded the good-

natured driver to retrace the route with the hesitant but still

operating bus and take us back home. He did, for he too rejoiced,

with a son serving in the European Theater of the War. And so my

siblings and I raced into the distant field to tell Daddy and the

hired man, Ed Thompson, that half of that gruesome war was over.

Peace is a Public Act. Peace is always desired, especially

when we are immersed in conflict as is now the case in Iraq. Each

of the world's peaceable people -- those fond of or promoting peace

in some fashion -- need to develop ways of committing themselves to

bring about and ensuring peace. A public and evident symbol may

assist in confirming our commitment. In recent years, some

individuals and groups have installed or displayed peace signs or

medals or some identification in places where people can easily

observe them. Earlier tribes and groups had their peace flags and

marks, showing neighbors that they were not warring at this moment

and welcoming them into the territory.

Peace Pole. One such display that has recently become popular

is the peace pole which is usually a wooden shaft much in the shape

of the Washington Monument, with four sides each speaking of peace

in several languages. This pole, which can be installed with a

special occasion or ceremony, is a continuation of the public

commitment to peace with its long history. For the advocates of

peace, the pole becomes a special celebration for those who are

committed to peace and extend that peace to their immediate and

distant neighbors. Often a peace blessing is printed on the pole

that points upward to the Almighty and to the need for a unity of

scattered peoples with the One Creator of all peace.

Re-establishing Peace. We can establish our intentions to be

peaceable both now and into the future, but the maintaining of

brotherly and sisterly love is never perfect. It is all the more

important when we are engaged in a war that seems to have no

immediate end in sight; we must profess the peace that is within us

and we must declare our faith that this peace may radiate out to

the rest of the world. In such times of conflict it is all the

more imperative that we install and maintain the peace pole --

often wiped clean, polished, decorated with flowers, and looked

after. Peace is not automatic. It takes an effort, and thus the

public symbol should somehow manifest the extra energy required to

establish and preserve the peace that is always won at a great

price.

May 9, 2004 Mother's Day: Love from Love

"I will make all things new." (Revelation 21:5)

I once met a person who was asked to lead us around a woman's

monastery during our environmental resource assessment of their

property. He had been an orphan and had lived on the grounds since

the age of four. He was about 75 and yet he brought up three times

during the course of the eight hour work day that his mother had

abandoned him. Love spurned left a deep wound after all those

years. On Mother's Day, we can all be thankful for mothers who

nurture, feed, and care for their children with love -- and pray

that all do. For the world cannot long endure without a mother's

love.

Love is all we have that is permanent. We see the setting as

the Last Supper when Jesus speaks of glorification. We approach

our last moments of mortal life and our love is the only thing we

carry out with us, for we are naked on leaving as naked on coming.

We carry out to the throne of God our love for others. That love

is ever made new when we carry the love of God through the person

of Jesus with us when we travel when exiting our short life. We

strive to love God with our whole heart and soul and mind and

strength and speculate that this is possible with greater effort.

We forget that the God within us is loving, a dynamo of fire, and

that we share in that love the more we become aware of the God

within. Jesus loves within us and we share that immense love.

We reflect on that love which can shine through the dark clouds

of hatred. At Auschwitz almost six decades ago, Fr. Maximilian

Kolbe (to whom the Pope says he owes his own vocation) volunteered

to die in place of another. At 47, he gave all as a volunteer to

replace a married man with family. The Pope at Maximilian's

canonization in 1982, said "Greater love has no man than this that

he lay down his life for his friends." St. Maximilian took Jesus

at his word and lived and loved according to the prompting and the

situation calling for love to replace hate. The man he took the

place of in the concentration camp was present at the canonization.

The second great commandment is to love our neighbor as

ourselves (Leviticus 19:18). Well normally we do love ourselves

for the most part, even though some hate themselves. Rather than

using limited selves as gauges, we need to extend ourselves and

find loving models to imitate. Merely loving our limited selves is

not sufficient. We are to love as God has loved us in Christ.

Most of us can use our own Mother's love as a measure of how we are

to love in return. Radiating our love outward takes grace, hope

and effort, for in expressing love in deed we show exactly how much

the love of God is growing in us. One way to express our special

love today is to remember our own mothers and the other mothers of

the world. If our mother has left us orphans, give something

special to another mother who is striving to create a home and

raise her children properly. Give her a special bit of attention -

- flowers, hugs and especially added love.

May 10, 2004 Ornamentals and Lawns

There's nothing wrong with having plants for beauty's sake.

That is why people promote edible landscapes, which include

ornamentals like holly that can be used for bird nesting and

feeding areas and that may include wildscape with its possible

hundred types of flowers. Much of the ornamental lawn that covers

suburban and urban America is not necessarily beautiful, consumes

resources to manicure, and requires immense amount of maintenance

time. Consider floral/vegetable gardens instead.

An Example. Besides their homestead flower plots, my peasant

Uncle Peter and Aunt Alberta always added a row of gladiolus to

their otherwise quite productive and practical vegetable garden.

They were simple mixed farmers in the Kentucky hills, who used

horses to operate farm machinery and lived very simple lives.

However, they deliberately added beauty down the middle of their

half-acre garden, giving a sense of color and life to what looked

otherwise like just another farm field. When a youngster, I

couldn't understand the reason for all of these flowers, and the

added attention these two farmer/gardeners gave to them. Now I do.

All I have to do is look about the countryside and see so much

attention to lawns and flowerbeds to understand the need to combine

garden and flowers. The tender care of a floral/vegetable garden

has now entered into my own gardening experience.

The Garden as Art Form. Art is found in galleries, museums and

places of distinction. Through imagination and work the paintings

and sculpture seem to come alive. Similarly, a garden with flowers

interspersed is a living art piece, demanding the skills of

designer, gardener and artist all in one. The landscape is a

canvas on which the aesthetically-minded paint by sowing seed or

planting, and anticipating when the work will become colorful. The

ever-changing garden becomes like a stained glass window with the

sun playing off it at different times of the day. The plant

selection, arrangement and vegetative growth are the medium of art,

becoming part of good composition through proper design and

anticipated time of blooming. Birds, butterflies and other human

beings are attracted to this garden art form. A vast variation in

expression is part of the power of that attraction which is

accentuated by color, fragrances and touch. The fruit, berries,

vegetables, and herbs are aromatic and tasteful and pleasant to

behold and hold.

Sacred Space. All of our senses are stimulated and the power

of the hallowed place enters into our whole being, stimulating the

garden visitors to turn the gardeners and visitors minds and hearts

to the Creator of all good things. We now are invited to create

this sacred space and to enjoy it in sights (flowers), sounds

(birds and bees), smells (fragrances), tastes (edibles present),

and touches (the many plants present).

May 11, 2004 Ten Ways to Save Energy

Today the U.S. accounts for about a quarter of the world's net

electricity consumption and use, more than China, Russia, France,

Germany, England and all of Latin America combined. We rely on

nuclear power to generate one-fifth of our electricity -- twice as

much as our use of renewable energy sources. Let's consider a

number of energy conservation measures:

* Drive smaller cars and more energy efficient vehicles.

* Reduce space use -- Next to the vehicle size, that of the

residence or work place is a major determinant of energy use. More

heating and cooling space requires more energy use. We can

actually get by on less and still live high quality lives. Close

off unused space from heating or cooling in winter or summer.

* Plant trees as windbreaks and shade trees.

* Comfort zones -- know what temperature is comfortable for

occupants, and then extend that five degrees lower in winter and

five higher in summer. Use a thermostat.

* Lights -- use compact fluorescent and other energy saving

bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs for lighting, especially in

areas where lights are left on, such as exit lighting or night

lighting areas. Merely turning them on and off may not pay if

fluorescents will be used frequently. Timer switches do pay.

* Wash & dry conservatively -- if you must use a dish washer,

rinse dishes with cold water before use, make sure the machine is

full and allow to air dry. Wash clothes with warm or cold water

and soak heavily soiled clothing before washing; wait for a full

load before washing; hang clothes up to dry when weather permits;

if using a clothes dryer, keep lint screen and outside vent clean

and dry clothes in consecutive batches to economize energy.

* Cook with less energy -- boiling potatoes in larger batches

saves energy; turn off the oven a little before completion and

allow residual energy to finish the job; consider a solar oven --

a real energy saver; and shift to cold dishes in summer.

* Vent air naturally -- employ fans in place of air

conditioning, especially for airing out in cooler summer morning.

* Turn down hot water temperature -- use a booster for dish

washing and keep the hot water source well insulated as well.

Think and act solar, especially with a hot water heater.

* Buy energy efficient electric appliances -- avoid unneeded

items which consume electricity, i.e., can openers; compare energy

efficiency information when buying new appliances; purchase gas

ranges with an automatic ignition system and avoid pilot lights;

and remember microwaves and pressure cookers save energy.

May 12. 2004 Green Cemeteries

Most cemeteries are green with lawn grass and trees, but some

have become so congested that they are now a forest of marble and

granite monuments. A few are neglected and in a sorry state. The

upcoming Memorial Day allows us to review our "own" cemetery

situation. It is a good and salutary act that we visit cemeteries

and bring the children as a sign of respect for those who pass on.

Leaving live or even plastic bouquets shows thoughtfulness and adds

color to the place. Some, especially on or near All Soul's Day in

November, have family reunions in cemeteries. However, with

increased mobility the cemetery can become a forgotten place.

Cemetery Use. Once I was ejected from Arlington Cemetery for

jogging early on a Saturday morning, my favorite cross-DC country

running time span. I argued a little with the guard and said that

I suspect that John Kennedy and most of those buried there would

smile and approve of joggers in this solemn area. So would the

kids of the Robert E. Lee clan who once romped around those very

acres. Why so somber about a place of rest? It is certainly

different from boozing or lovemaking in the graveyard or stripping

coal from around or under Appalachian cemeteries. Consider more

trees (even edible fruit and nut varieties), flowers, even

community gardening in less congested cemetery areas.

Greening Small Cemeteries. Community cleanup days just before

the Memorial Day weekend or on the weekend are perfect times for

respecting the dead and showing that love extends through the years

by the entire community. Urge cleaning crews to remove the

brambles and brush, straighten up the stones, add better fencing,

and install gates, especially for small cemeteries without guards

so they can be closed when not used for burial or visits.

Making Parks of Underused Cemeteries. We make a distinction

between those small burial plots which cannot be easily protected

and should be closed on most occasions, and larger cemeteries which

are generally open most of the year and have protective personnel.

Such cemeteries make good parks and should be even more open to the

public. Again, the greening process could involve responsible

community members who want to see jogging paths created along the

borders, trees planted at key locations, picnic areas in unused

space, even proper restroom areas and potable water sources. Of

course, much unused space is in smaller towns and rural areas.

Cemetery caretakers can tell you how much time it takes to mow and

weed-eat around raised gravestones. It is good to persuade

caretakers of such abandoned portions of cemeteries to turn them

into wildscape and to grow spurges and other perennials.

Quiet Space in Congested Areas. We have so few quiet spaces in

our world that it may be best in larger and rather filled burial

facilities to have quiet space in and around cemeteries. Privacy

barriers of shrubs and evergreens would delineate areas with

meditation benches, appropriate memorials and statues where custom

allows, and attractive feeders and nesting areas for birds.

May 13, 2004 Space Travel

Utmost tourism. When this essay was first considered a rich

American named Dennis Tito had given the Russian space agency

twenty million dollars for a ride to the new space laboratory being

built in outer space. He called himself the "first space tourist,"

but that has been contested. On December 2, 1990, Toyohiro

Akiyama, a reporter for the Japanese television station TBS

traveled on the same type of Soyuz rocket as Tito, and docked with

Mir -- at a cost of millions of dollars. In 1991, Helen Sharman

also traveled to Mir. However, it was not just the Russians who

commercialized the space program. In 1985, NASA launched Senator

Jake Garn about the space shuttle Discovery . And then there was

Senator John Glenn's second ride in his senior role.

Commerce? Space agencies are now thinking commercial and there

will only be time before the rich and famous have their pay to play

shuttle systems going -- most at taxpayer expense. It was just

such high-roller tourists in another type of vehicle who were on

riding an American submarine when it accidentally struck and sank

a small Japanese fishing expedition near Hawaii and killed nine

including some young students. Just last month Russia set out

additional plans to institute a program for more space tourists to

help pay its space program bills. Is this really a good idea?

What price! Space tourism is costly, with the taxpayer putting

up much of the expense. Furthermore it is like all travel in the

beginning; it is a "journey" (with difficulties associated) rather

than a trip. The "journey" in Columbus's Voyages and the Lewis and

Clark Expedition and other such discovery ventures involved the

risk to human safety and the possibility that disaster could occur

-- as did happen in travels which had no return, such as Amelia

Earhart's air flight around the world in the 1930s and the first

trans-Australian trek in 1861. Space is that last frontier, since

most of the areas of this planet have been trampled upon -- even

though far more routine trips on superhighways built for safety can

include possible severe accidents. All travelers play the odds.

Different. What is different in space travel is that all live

on artificial life support systems, all need multi-million dollar

send-offs at immense public expense, and all must have technical

backup from programs and agencies which cost the taxpayers

billions. Why should a few people be subsidized at the expense of

the taxpayer and why should the various international agencies

allow this commercial space practice? The libertarian philosophy

that allows space travelers to do whatever they want is quite

socially limited, especially since costly and technically involved

space exploration requires a concerted effort on an international

scale to make this work. Are we going to face up to the space

"eco-tourism" group which would like to tag along and see things

which they could never actually afford, but tempt the federal

administrations and pretend they are paying their fair share? The

simple fact is: they don't pay their way; they merely get in the

way. Let's put the money to more realistic pursuits.

May 14, 2004 All Tourism Needs to be Ecological

Tourism has become a major business in this world, amounting to

over a trillion dollars a year, though this is not evenly divided

in the world in which we live. While this is a form of service

industry where people who perform the services may have a one-to-

one relationship with others, still there can be negative impacts

from irresponsible tourism. For one thing, the volume of tourism

in certain places can put a stress on a park or trail or beach.

The sheer numbers trample down the flora and scare off the fauna.

With these dangers in mind all parties --promoters, commercial

operations, governmental agencies, travel companies, guides and

tourists -- have to be aware of these impacts. Lack of regulation

of tourist activities in host countries has already taken a toll on

the environment of the world, and this is bound to worsen unless

proper steps are taken.

Ecotourism. It is ironic that a growing component of tourism

which is supposed to be ecologically conscious does not necessarily

work against these ecological threats. While professing to promote

the environment, so-called ecotourism often involves going to

exotic places and fragile areas. When these places are

infrequently used, the impact is not great, but as they become more

popular, the same detrimental effects are observed as with normal

tourism. For this reason, we cannot champion ecotourism as such

except within very specific bounds; instead, we advocate that all

forms of legitimate tourism need to have an strong ecological

component in promotion, planning and actual execution.

Degradation. Without this awareness of keeping places more or

less pristine a region's tourism will fall off, and people will

move on to undiscovered areas and progressively trash them to a

condition where people will no longer want to go there either. In

due time, all scenic areas will be junked and people will tolerate

mess more than in the past, with levels of quality depending on

what can be afforded. In other words, travel will not cease, only

the tolerance level for what has been damaged will rise. As the

rest of the normal tourist havens become degraded, it is quite

possible that a trashed region will be rediscovered and sought

until it falls below the level of other less damaged regions.

Putting Eco- into all Tourism. To create a green atmosphere in

all forms of tourism the following steps should be implemented:

educational materials must be made available to the tourist in

simple language explaining the immense treasure of the region's

flora and fauna as well as cultural and geological highlights;

tourist guides need to be trained on ecological matters or at least

know where resources are available; certain tourist-prone areas

should be regarded as off-limits during certain times of the year

and this must be accompanied by proper regulatory enforcement;

efforts should be made to restore damaged areas by the use of trail

associations, voluntary organizations, or tourist industry agencies

and travel companies; and limit must be placed on the number of

persons undertaking certain high-impact recreational activities.

May 15, 2004 The Case for Alternative Justice Approaches

Restorative and transformative approaches to justice reduce

state intervention by building peaceful relationships through

community ownership of the process of governance. Although

incorporating restorative justice procedures within the current

legal-based judicial system might give the impression of involving

other parties in the process, since the government controls the

ultimate outcome, the possibility exists that communities play

virtually no role in facilitating respect or compassion among the

injured parties, or in helping to reintegrate offenders in any

meaningful way.

We need to change how we think about crime and offending

behavior. Crime and offending behavior involve more than breaking

rules, and we need to move away from simply punishing people who

break rules, because that does nothing to help them develop a sense

of accountability and responsibility. A retributive system of

justice basically shields offenders from having to deal with their

behavior.....it allows the community to distance itself from the

behavior through the stereotyping and ostracizing of offenders.

Restorative justice, like a truly democratic process of

governance, requires the full participation and consensus among all

shareholders in a dialogue which needs to be inclusive. A

restorative dialogue is among people ...based on experiences of an

incident and its effect. Justice can not exist without the

contribution of those who are touched by offending behavior. The

dialogue of justice needs to be future-oriented, and focused on how

to heal what has been broken in community and within the people

involved. "When imbalance and disharmony are a regular feature of

community life, it should be no surprise that crime is too." Susan

Sharpe, Restorative Justice: A Vision for Healing and Change

(Edmonton: Edmonton Victim Offender Mediation Society, 1998) p. 4.

Justice is reciprocal: in asking offenders to be more

accountable and responsible in the community, it asks the community

to be more responsible in how it treats offenders and obligates the

community to find ways to help them learn accountability and

responsibility. Since a system of justice that increases

understanding and empathy in a community also enhances people's

sense of responsibility to each other, it is almost certain to

counteract crime more effectively than one that brands people as

bad, handles them disrespectfully and increases their anger.

Restorative Justice is not a prescription to follow. It is

about compassionate listening that begins with the recognition that

it is people, not governments, who are hurt by criminal activities

and need a restored sense of safety. The formal justice system is

failing, in part, because it aspires to do too much. In doing so

it...robs communities of an invaluable community building block:

active involvement in constructively resolving conflict.

Ernest J.P. Muhly, Appropriate Approaches to Youthful Justice,

EcoResolve, League of Women Voters of Frederick Co., MD 2001.

May 16, 2004 Radical Peace

My own peace I give you... (John 14:27a)

Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker. What we sometimes fail to

realize is that part of our being Christian is to enter into this

atmosphere of peace -- a peace that extends from the Trinity to us

through our Baptism. And this peace grows and is enhanced in our

own sacrament life.

War and Peace. Being engaged in a bloody war that does not

seem to have an immediate outcome makes us all the more aware of

the need for external and global peace. That is our heart and our

wish with Iraq and the War on Terrorism so much on our minds at

this time. We crave a peace that the world cannot give and thus

turn our hearts and prayers to God. What we are beginning to

discover is that the peace within our hearts is the model of that

peace which can radiate out to all the world. If the heart of

Christ is the source of peace, and if we as loving members of the

body of Christ constitute that heart in the world around us, then

it is the call to allow the peace from within us to go out to all

the world. War excites us to become all the more peacemakers.

The Hope of the Believing Community. The Church stands out as

the new Jerusalem (Revelations 21). Just before Revelations was

written, the spiritual center of the world, Jerusalem, was captured

by the Romans and destroyed. A trauma occurred, and the energy of

the believers was drained. However, in such times, the future

promise of people in hope stand out. A new Jerusalem or place of

peace and love will appear and flourish. Those who criticize the

Church -- "why don't leaders do this or that?" -- show a narrow

paternalism which is best countered by not talking about "they" but

"we." Why don't we help in a hopeful manner to bring about change?

We as a believing community in prayer, have God-given power to act.

Love is Operative. Keeping God's commandments is the act, not

the words that show our love. God loves within the Trinity and

that shows that love is truly a completed act when requited by us.

And to requite, to give back or unloose divine love. It is the

commandment we find in the farewell address of Jesus (John 14).

The commandment is to love as he has loved us. Our love is an

identification with the love that the Persons of the Trinity show

among themselves. God is within us, and we are called to recognize

that love already here, to accept it, and to allow it to break

loose from within us in an outward direction. We need do no more

than allow that love to unloose itself from within our beings. For

that love is uncreated love, not a love that we strive to create.

Prepare our abodes for Peace. If our homes are to be loving

and peaceful, it is important that we have pictures of the Sacred

Heart (the personal love of God for us) enthroned. Consider

purchase of the Sacred Heart pictures and having these established

in the home. Jesus promised to St. Margaret Mary that whoever

honors this picture in their home will have peace there.

May 17, 2004 Apocalypse and the Oil Crash

We are in the midst of increasing gasoline prices, in part due

to China's rapidly growing appetite for oil. Some of us energy-

conscious folks vacillate about whether the world is holding steady

or is in a free fall, with us feeling a nice breeze on the way

down. When the mockingbird sings outside and the pleasant May

breezes blow, I think things are okay or can be made right, if my

eco-minded cohorts would only get down to gardening and working

with solar energy.

Bruce Thomson (Spring 2001 Auto-Free Times, "The Oil Crisis and

You" pp. 24-27) tells a story about the global decline in oil

discoveries, which peaked in 1962. The number of discoveries form

a sine curve now receding to 1920 levels and going down, down. He

goes on to say that evidence from the oil industry shows that oil

extraction from wells will be physically unable to meet global

demand by the year 2010. Curbs will then occur on transportation

and industrial machinery which are not geared to run on alternative

fuels. The difficulty is that the 11,000 airliners cannot run on

natural gas, nuclear or coal -- non-renewables in more plentiful

supply. Also there will be cuts in the 500,000 other uses of oil

from plastics and medicines to fertilizers and asphalt, from inks

and toners, to paints and solvents.

The popular press tells of plentiful but slightly harder to

extract oil sources. There is oil yet to be located globally but

much of the earth's geology and oil resources are generally known.

Some say there are 210 billion barrels left to be discovered, and

1,000 billion left to extract. There are a half million wells in

the world, but in the U.S. 80% of oil wells produce less than three

barrels a day. Pessimists say that alternative replacements for

oil's 40% of total energy current energy supply are grossly

inadequate and cannot be easily substituted. Natural gas's 20% of

the global energy supply is not suited for existing jet aircraft,

ships, vehicles and equipment. Hydropower's 2.3% of our supply is

not suitable for aircraft; nor is polluting coal which constitutes

24% of supply. Very promising solar, wind and hydrogen are not yet

major players, and the last is more an energy "carrier" than a

supplier, because it takes more fuel to transform the gas than it

provides. Alcohol is derived from oil-based agriculture and

industrial processing. Shale oil, tar sand, coalbed methane and

biomass derived from vegetation require huge investments to process

them properly. Add to this the fact that 4% of the energy budget

is used to grow food and 10-13% to put it on our plate. Worsening

fuel shortages will make production increasingly expensive.

The report says that the shortages will obstruct industry's

ability to convert to alternative fuels -- but here is weakness in

the apocalyptic argument. It is premised on the inability of

people to react, and the sluggishness of people to be creative with

alternatives. That is precisely why it is necessary to focus on

energy alternatives. We always need hope, lest we be paralyzed by

our fears of things to come. Energy alternatives are an answer.

May 18, 2004 Preferred Forms of Communication

Over time, each of us realizes that meetings can be very

taxing. To meet with someone at a distance involves setting up the

event, making travel arrangements, actually traveling, going to the

meeting, staying overnight on either end and then returning. A

six-hour conference could require sometimes three times that long

through travel, depending on the routes and the distance. Over

time, as we get older we strive to cut down travel time as much as

possible, and prefer to use other means of communication:

Reports and published literature sent and received;

Posted or faxed well-developed letters;

Web-site interactions;

Planned conference calls;

Phone conversations (recorded if need be, with permission

of the other party);

Videotaped workshops and events; and

Interactive events and workshops.

The following are some of my own communication policy points:

1. Refuse to co-sponsor non-participative conferences, that is,

those where a selected group of persons are expected to be speakers

and another set the listeners. Such gathering are somewhat

outmoded and elitist. In very rare cases, when true expertise is

clearly demonstrated in a specific area of vital importance, one

should pay the way of a person to be present at non-participative

activities. Even there, our preference is to videotape or

audiotape portions of the event for future reference or for non-

attendees.

2. Attend conferences where one is on the agenda in some

capacity. This policy differs from persons who regard attendance

at such activities as part of their work day schedule. I do not

find it to be productive work nor worth the cost to human energy

and other resources, Unfortunately, today a host of conference

possibilities exist which are quite numerous, of substantial

length, and at relatively great distances. In a few cases I have

persuaded sponsors to hold interactive events on the Web. In rare

cases, a workshop is deemed necessary for a projects even at

immense costs of travel, paid staff time, and workshop fees. This

then entails finding limited resources through scholarships or

outside funding. Just being sought out as warm body to people such

events is highly distasteful to this old and impatient potential

conference-goer.

3. Interact through a conference call or through the Internet.

The telephone and the Internet can and have modified interpersonal

dynamics. Certain forms of intercommunication are far less

demanding on the environment than is physical travel to

conferences. Interpersonal meetings are sometimes necessary, but

these should be spaced further apart and replaced by other forms of

appropriate communication. With rising plane fares such

replacements are all the more enticing.

May 19, 2004 Old-Growth Forests

Mary Davis, a colleague and co-author on several projects, has

devoted a considerable part of a very busy life of environmental

writing and advocacy to the Eastern Old-Growth Forest. She has

documented where it is located, the state of the quality of the

stands, changes occurring, and ways to preserve and make the value

of this threatened national treasure known to the rest of the

country and world. The old-growth forest was here already many

years before we were born, and its demise before we die tells more

about our lack of respect for the Earth than anything else.

The 500-Year Forest Foundation says that old-growth forests, in

addition to all the values we list for woods in general, has the

added value of carbon sequestration (accumulation of carbon in

forest instead of in the atmosphere where it leads to greenhouse

effects and climate warming). These older more pristine forests

tell us much about the moderation of our earth through trees.

After the advent of trees 370 million years ago the trees helped

reduce the carbon dioxide levels from 10% to 1% some 50 million

years later. Thus animal life was able to function, and the excess

carbon was stored in the ground as coal and oil, much of which was

liberated in the form of fuel consumption in the past two

centuries. Old growth forests also help with soil stability and

water flow, diversity of flora and fauna, enhancement of management

opportunities and increase in property values.

Mark Harmon of Oregon State University states that replacement

of older forests by younger ones will result in a net release of

carbon into the atmosphere (in an article April, 2001 Journal of

Forestry). Other scholars say that forests do not really store a

significant amount of carbon relative to the amount being lost

until they approach maturity -- which is near the levels reached by

old-growth of 150 plus years. Then it is permanently stored in

soil in the long-term storage of dead logs and snags. The new-

growth reduces the transfer of carbon to the permanent store of

carbon in the soil organic matter.

Old-growth forest are a biological patrimony to be respected

and held sacred. This new information adds a far more urgent

element to the ecological urgency of saving forests. The very

large amount of carbon stored in live wood, coarse woody debris and

in the soil in old forests, far surpasses the young forests which

have small amounts of such storage. Even old forests which have

been disturbed by fire, high winds, and insect infestation can

still accumulate carbon even after some logging. However, the case

is not closed, and more research must be done to show how much this

accumulation is. Old growth forests are treasures which enhance

the Earth's biological equilibrium, and their destruction could

have drastic effects. Thus we should strive to continue the

presence of the few tracts of old growth forest in our world.

Ref. 500-Year Forest Foundation, 1133 Old Abert Rd Lynchburg, VA

24503

May 20, 2004 Mulching Time

We observe the advent of the long hot summer and the season for

mulching, which is nature's best way of conserving precious water

as the hotter days increase evaporation. We are inspired to

discover our hot weather friends and one of these is moisture

conserving mulch. Many gardeners swear by mulch, that soft (the

Germanic derivative) covering of loose materials which conserves

much needed moisture during the hot summer months, allows air to

get to roots, moderates the temperatures which are susceptible to

our temperature climate ups and downs, chokes out the weeds that

tend to crowd around vegetables, and provides a covering for the

earthworms which work the soil. Mulching advocates will leave the

mulch on all year and even interplant in it the next year. They

will testify that nature works from the top down, and thus it

should not be turned over but, rather, added to after the plants

die down each year.

I came to mulching late because we did not do this at my home

except for the strawberries. We did put some straw laden with

manure on certain wintering crops such as rhubarb and horseradish,

but never during the actual growing season for the ordinary

vegetables. Perhaps it was the size of such a project while we had

so much other farm work to do that kept us from this operation.

Now I have been converted, and use dry leaves for the fall crops so

that they will last late into the season, and in May and June I

mulch the melon, squash, cucumber, and tomato crops. In fact, we

have tried green mulch with hairy vetch for the tomatoes and this

is a way of keeping the weeds down until July and giving nitrogen

to the plants as well.

Mulch materials (natural and artificial) may be of many types

and include straw, hay, grass cuttings, rotting leaves, shredded

newsprint, and even plastic sheet and foam materials. I have found

that green mulching with other vegetables and cover crops such as

vetch works well during the crop's maturation time. Even when

dying back, the cover materials serve as a dry mulch as well.

Organic natural materials will eventually compost, whereas black

plastic users (they swear by it) will have the sun-ravished plastic

residue to contend with when the growing season is over.

Certainly, black plastic can stimulate crop growth in spring, but

could burn the root system and plants when the sun gets into the

late 90s in mid-summer. However, users say that during hot times

the plastic can be covered with natural mulch. I intend to stay

with only natural mulches (chips, grass, vetch cover) which allow

air and moisture to enter and leave.

When one uncovers the natural mulch one finds an atmosphere or

environment that is cool and moist, thus keeping some of the sub-

surface moisture from escaping and allowing it to be used by the

growing plants. The nearby bare ground is quite dry and hot, and

a place where persistent weeds which can weather the hot sun seem

to thrive even with little moisture. Let's put weeding behind us

and give attention to making the vegetables thrive in mulch.

May 21, 2004 Twelve Ways to Save Water

One -- Install dry composting toilets. Since this is the way

to save half of the domestic water consumption in Appalachia,

appropriate technology conservationists will bestow on it the

number one choice. These devices save money, are easily

maintained, do not require potable or high quality water for

flushing, and are free of odor or unpleasantness of any fashion

when properly constructed. The major domestic waste source

(sewage) is eliminated, and potable water, which is often turned

into sewage and then returned to potability, does not have to

become an embarrassment to environmentally conscious people.

Two -- Save rainwater. Rainwater is ideal to save for the

non-rainy day. The necessary systems are low-cost, can be easily

maintained when properly built, and are a source of high-quality

water which surpasses chlorinated water for promoting plant growth.

Infrequent showers during droughts still augment the cistern

supply. Rainwater can also be caught for use in the heat-retaining

tanks in greenhouses. For potable cistern water, install a simple

water purifying system.

Three -- Apply targeted irrigation techniques. Agriculture is

America's number one use of water, and those states with higher

irrigation such as Idaho rank first in per capita consumption.

Sizeable water amounts are required in dry times for gardening. A

triage system of watering can be initiated in dry times: saving

the most sensitive (young plants, greens and those ready to bear);

giving moderate additional water to hearty longer-lived plants; and

allowing a portion of plants (such as okra, onions and Jerusalem

artichokes) to go unwatered and hope they weather the period. In

small gardens, water by hand or hose in the evenings at twilight or

very early in the morning, so the plants can have maximum moisture

before evaporation. Water at the roots, not over the foliage.

Some gardeners insert pipes beside tomato plants and water through

these. Others bury gallon milk jugs with pinholes in the corners,

and these are placed equidistant from two or four peppers, tomatoes

or squash hills.

Four -- Install low-flow devices. Such commercially available

and federally mandated devices are needed for existing flush

toilets and household water faucets. Granted, there has been some

discontent by the users of low-flush commode systems as to their

effectiveness. Appropriate technologists prefer compost toilets

and recognize that the low-flusher has a number of standard

plumbing problems. Low-flow shower devices deliver less water in

a mist or spray-like manner over a wider washable surface area.

Five -- Reuse graywater. The term "graywater" is contrasted

to sewage or "black" water, and refers to water from kitchen and

bathroom sinks. These systems can be installed at low cost, are

durable, are easily maintained, and can produce showcase

flowerbeds. Conservation- conscious homemakers use sewer-destined

water to wash cars.

Six -- Recirculate water fountains.

Seven -- Modify individual hand washing/teeth cleaning

practices. Individuals vary immensely in use of water for brushing

teeth or washing hands. Large amounts of water at one time gets

utensils and containers less clean than three smaller amounts in

sequence. Teach youth how to bathe with small amounts of water.

Sinks in public facilities which only deliver a set amount of water

for a short time are far better utilized for hand washing than

sinks with manual-operated faucets.

Eight -- Wash heavier loads. Many people use the clothes

washer and dryer at quite frequent intervals, and that is in part

due to the limited number of certain items (socks, towels, etc.).

Buy a month's supply of frequently used clothing and wash less

frequently. To switch from weekly to biweekly or even monthly

washing can lead to saving often half of the wash water at only the

inconvenience of having dirty clothes stored longer. Besides

savings of about twenty gallons or more of water per person per

month, this can require far less time and save energy and money

when using a commercial laundromat.

Nine -- Practice lawn water conservation. This is another

practice that has immense potential for saving water. A person who

washes off sidewalk debris with a strong spray stream from a garden

hose is accomplishing a task that could easily be done by a broom

or vacuum system. Xeroscape (or xeriscape) lawn growing methods which emphasize

native plants lead to sizeable water savings over time. Native

plants are preferable to brown patchy lawns at places during dry

times when lawn watering is forbidden by local or regional

mandates. Wildscapes may result in additional water savings.

Ten -- Take military showers. "Wet down, soap down and rinse

off" is an old adage which is soon forgotten in times of apparent

plentiful water supply. Decide between a cleansing shower and a

massage which wastes water; this is a difference between a five-

minute and a twenty-minute shower, of a three gallon and a twenty-

gallon shower. Reduce shower time by lathering hair before

beginning. Turn off water in bathing at times of reduced use, or

set the ideal temperature on the water handles prior to showering.

Eleven -- Fix even slightly leaky faucets. Fixing leaking

plumbing hardly needs to be emphasized to conservation conscious

people, because most of us do not hesitate to have a leaky faucet

repaired, or repair it ourselves. However, we often ignore slow

leaks. It may only drip one or two drops per second, but could lead

to accumulated wastes of 20+ gallons of water a day, and deplete a

thousand-gallon storage tank in two months.

Twelve -- Use dehumidifier water. For people in very dry

areas, this may seem a small conservation measure, but it adds up

in humid areas and in summer, even when there is dry weather

outdoors. Homemakers find that dehumidifiers and air conditioners

can collect water that can be used for plants or watering pets.

May 22, 2004 Our Oceans and Seas: The Last Frontiers

National Maritime Day is the perfect time for all of us, even

those of us living far from major bodies of water, to think about

the four-fifths of the Earth's surface which comprises the last

frontier. First we should know and appreciate this vast commons of

all people, not just those who live in nations with coastlines.

Second, we should regard the precious heritage of the oceans as

worthy of protection through proper safeguards and regulations.

Lastly, these oceans and seas can be a source of income for the

poorer nations of the world.

Knowledge. The ocean floors are only now being mapped. Most

of us are unaware of the mountains and valleys on that floor, or

the ocean currents and how they moderate the weather of the globe.

We are often ignorant of the immense resources found in the floor

space beneath the oceans such as minerals, natural gas and oil

reserves. We are just starting to see how much we depend on the

oceans for recycling excess carbon dioxide and how limited are the

fisheries of these vast bodies of water.

Protection and Regulation. In the battles over the "Law of the

Seas" in the early 1980s, it was the United States who led the

fight to keep out international laws governing the oceans. Much of

this was motivated by business interests who did not want

international bodies to dictate how the oceans were to be

exploited. Some saw the potential for gathering manganese from the

floor of the ocean as wealth just there for the picking of those

with resources to successfully grab. What about seaweed

cultivation to feed the world's hungry, or the potential for ocean

thermal power generation? Should the United Nations have a voice

in protecting the oceans from the factory fishing operations which

can deplete the world's fish resources, or from military testing on

the oceans?

A modest proposal. The oceans are a vast commons which belong

to all the people, not just the maritime nations. We may like to

regard these bodies of water as international travel and freight

lanes. How about a modest tax on all freight, and on use of the

oceans by liners and other major vessels over a certain weight?

Each cargo depending on value and size would have an assessed tax

which would go for the poorest nations of the world, the one

billion people who live on less than a dollar a day. This tax

could also be affixed to larger fishing operations and on the

exploiting of fuel and other natural resources. A portion of the

tax could also be used for protection of the ocean and seas by a

multi-national police force. Certainly, an apportionment of

collected fees should not be made according to number of miles of

coastline, lest the revenue accrue heavily to the United States,

Canada and Russia. There is all the more reason to give special

attention to poor and land-locked nations of the Earth. Maritime

regulation is a necessity in sharing the last great planetary

frontier with others who are less fortunate.

May 23, 2004 A Case Against Idle Speculation?

Why are you standing there looking at the Sky? (Acts 1)

A Mystery. We keep looking to the heavens, and wonder as I did

as a boy "Why did he leave us alone?" He could have moved about

and walked the Earth showing everyone that a 2000-year-old was

alive and well. However, with time it became apparent that this

would not have been faith but a fearful sense of someone who is

quite quaint. God does not see or do things this way, and it is

part of our probing the divine mystery that we seek to grow with

the Lord in the way we think and act. Christ comes among us; he

teaches, and he suffers dies and rises for us; he blesses us and

ascends beyond our sight. And we anticipate the coming of the

Spirit next week at Pentecost. We are wrapped in the mystery of

his departure, and in what God wants each of us to do to be like

Jesus. Jesus is ahead of us in time, and we are invited to follow.

A Part to Play. We need to have a sense of belonging with and

in the family of God, and that means we help prepare for Christ's

coming. Each person is called to help prepare the way. I remember

a California Adobe-maker who said with tears in his eyes that I was

the first to ask him such detailed questions about his craft. I

did not have time to get back and videotape him, and so his skill

was lost with him. We should do more, for part of the mystery of

the ascension is what each person has to contribute to building up

the whole of Earth as we prepare for Christ to come again. We

believe in the Easter event and now we see this extended in our

individual lives and that of the whole world as we await "A New

Heaven and a New Earth."

The Coming of the Spirit. We are not left alone; we have the

presence of God in our lives, when we pray, in the creative act of

the world around us, and in the Sacramental Presence. But we are

torn as a believing community. Jesus has left us and the departure

is always bittersweet; we hate to see him go, and yet he must so

that the Spirit might come and be here. But even then he did not

totally go since he is present sacramentally even now -- for those

with the eyes of faith. He beckons us to move towards the glory of

Jesus. Now the Spirit comes to empower us, to make us work towards

the fulfillment of that which is imperfect and unfinished. We like

the Apostles are slow learners for at the end they ask whether the

Messiah would still come as a political leader. They and we await

the fulfillment of the Spirit.

We are other Christs. "Go out to the Whole World and baptize

them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit." We become evangelical by spreading good news and doing

the best with what we have been given. Simple folks became saints

by being themselves, patiently awaiting for the coming of the Lord,

accepting the mysteries of Faith without being overwhelmed, and

preparing for the coming-again of Jesus. The Ascension enters our

own lives as a heralding call, exciting us to prepare to receive

the Spirit of renewal.

May 24, 2004 Managing the Information Overload

Newspapers, periodicals, e-mail, phone calls, advertisements,

radio, private conversation, Internet chat lines, sermons,

lectures, adult education courses, textbooks, flyers, billboards,

historic signs, public announcements, and on and on. How can we

cope with the deluge of information coming before our eyes? Isn't

it like going to a World's Fair day after day, and just wishing to

pause and spend time at one or other location? Let me know what

you think of these suggestions for coping with info overload:

* Limit TV Use -- I don't watch television except for a few

hours a year when visiting or traveling for the equivalent of a

special entertainment when really exhausted -- and then it's news

(not nearly as informative as the morning BBC) or the "Discovery"

or "History" Channel. For six years I have hosted a weekly

television show, Earth Healing, but I do not have television.

* Pass Over the Ads -- Shut out ads and billboards for the most

part, pass up flyers, and leave information to the random choice

varieties that can be selected through Internet use.

* Select periodicals -- I do select from about 300 periodicals

and newsletters which ASPI receives or are found in accessible

libraries. I regularly read a daily newspaper, National Geographic,

three religious newspapers, three environmental magazines and two

public interest magazines. I look rapidly at about 60 other

periodicals for individual articles, and an equal number through a

speed-reading perusal. Choose fewer and higher quality articles.

* Use the Internet Carefully -- Avoid chat rooms; curb e-mail,

especially the junk that is overwhelming and can be stopped through

aggressive action. I have a very responsible web-master who culls

the e-mail and calls me if someone has something important to

communicate. Otherwise, I await calls and letters for important

information.

* Reduce calling -- Record messages for others when possible,

for that saves times. Put your phone on a recording mode when in

conference or when eating. It saves you from intrusive calls.

* Break out of the non-literate age -- Many people can, but

don't, read books anymore. I try to read one a week by devoting

free time, public travel, and evenings to such this pursuit.

* Process more through writing -- I try to write 2,000 words a

day, in an attempt to concretize some ideas and develop thoughts.

This allows a larger amount of unprocessed information to be

systematized and cataloged on a regular basis and prevents a

backlogging of materials of special interest.

* Reflection time -- Activists should have times of "sacred

silence," especially when noise and infringements abound all around

us.

May 25, 2004 Off-Road Vehicles

Parts of southeastern Kentucky are beset by an influx of off-

road vehicles of all sorts which traverse both public and private

lands for fun. The gathering of these riders began years ago when

they were encouraged to come to the "Route 909" Exit 49 on

Interstate-75, the most heavily travelled highway through the

Appalachians. People come up or down the highway generally on

weekends from as far away as Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana in order

to ride their vehicles cross country. In recent years the local

inhabitants have complained, and so law enforcement officials at

various levels are trying to control the situation to a limited

degree. All in all, some very severe damage has been done to

woodlands and creeks through this form of recreation -- which can

quickly trash the countryside.

A number of local landholders in our Commonwealth have worked

for years to restrict off-road vehicle use and to make the public

aware of damage caused by these vehicles. The recreational

industry is working overtime to build more and more of these

instruments of destruction. In fact, these groups give lush grants

to eastern Kentucky counties to start networks of ORV trails in

their areas. A National Off-Road Vehicle Coalition has been

formed. Its mission is to protect and restore all public lands and

waters from severe damage caused by dirt bikes, jet-skis and all

other off-road vehicles.

The goals are fairly straightforward: as a coalition

of citizens from all walks of life, people and wildlife need places

free of the noise, pollution, and damage caused by motorized

recreational vehicles. To this end, the Natural Trails and Waters

Coalition empowers grassroots groups and individuals to advocate

the following goals:

1. Public land recreation decisions are predicated on

maintaining the integrity of our public lands and waterways.

2. Motorized recreational vehicles are prohibited where they

come into conflict with natural resources, wildlife, wildlife

habitat, air, water, vegetation, landscape, solitude, natural

quiet, and archeological and historical sites.

3. Motorized recreational vehicle use is prohibited on all

roadless, wilderness and wilderness-quality lands and waters.

4. All vehicular travel, including off-road vehicles, occur

only on designated roads and routes. Cross-country motorized

recreation is prohibited on public lands.

5. Motorized personal watercraft are allowed on public

waterways only in areas where these vehicles cause no measurable

ecological impacts or human conflicts.

Contact: Wildlands CPR PO Box 7516 Missoula, MT 59807.

May 26, 2004 Coal: Mountaintop Removal

And the mountains are brought low.

The pressure mounts to keep cheap, five-cent-per-kilowatt-hour

electricity in Appalachia -- and somewhat higher rates in other

parts of the Midwest and South. Cheap energy enhances the appeal

for coal as the fuel source of choice in half of America. This

campaign, however, comes at a hidden cost, and does not reflect the

true price of electricity. Our country is good at not facing

truth, and almost regards it as unpatriotic to even try. Nature's

capital is being drained in non-renewable energy us to bring about

the low-cost of running the hair dryers and toasters in our homes.

Getting Coal -- Let's start with the extraction of the fuel

source. This is done today less by deep mining with its many

workers and more by surface mining operations with far fewer

operators. The landscape pays heavily for this surface-mined coal.

Mountaintop removal is the method of choice today in southern West

Virginia and parts of Kentucky and Virginia. Slice off the top and

get to the exposed layers. Over three hundred thousand acres of

hardwoods have been cut down and the mountains removed and the

valleys filled. The quote from the prophets has a happy ring, but

this feat does not. The filling of a thousand miles of streambeds

has led to level playing fields for what? Once scenic communities

have been wiped out in such dramatic land-moving operations.

Hard to Calculate. The mountains and their beauty, the land

that formed the lives and contained the hamlets and berry patches

and fishing places and cemeteries, are gone. The land itself minus

the coal is still here, but not in the form we recognize and with

the vegetative cover that made it what it was in the past. People

forget that land is more than just a pleasant sight; it has been

essential to the culture of Appalachia. By destroying the

mountains and the views, nesting places and landscape, one destroys

the people and their will to continue to inhabit the hills. The

happy marriage of mountains and people has been shattered. No

wonder, so many are packing up and moving out. They leave when

nothing remains but often disturbed cemeteries.

Powerlessness -- Efforts have failed to stop mountaintop removal

and its cheap tactic of peeling off the layers of overburden to get

at the rich seams of coal. The regulations never anticipated such

gigantic operations, and the companies say they will return the

land not "to its proximate contour" as required by law, but to a

new purpose such as reclaimed hunting territory or a showcase

prison site, or riding trails for off-road vehicles. The valleys

are filled, which mean the streams are eliminated and the water

runoff is unpredictable. The habitat is being heavily damaged;

the protective cover of trees are removed; the rare and threatened

understory cover is wiped away; the rural setting is gone. A

culture is swept away, and all for cheap fuel, but at what a price!

May 27, 2004 Eight Reasons for Reducing Lawns

Finicky neighbors will give you a few good reasons for cutting

the lawn, and these are related to community tidiness, neighborhood

uniformity, and the opportunity to get fresh air while riding a

motorized lawn mower. However, these lawn lovers may overlook some

very good reasons why you ought to cut back on lawns themselves:

One -- A "meadow" of uncut wildflowers and plants may be just

as beautiful, and it takes far less attention and care. And its

beauty is in the eye of the beholder as well in as being a haven

for wildlife and birds.

Two -- Grass lawns may take up to 18-20 gallons of water per

square foot per year -- if the local government even allows water

to be used on lawns in dry times. This periodic soaking is a

significant urban water use which is not really necessary and helps

sustain Kentucky bluegrass which starts and flourishes in cool

moist climates. Native plants used for ground cover take far less

water and are more deep-rooted and hearty throughout the summer

months.

Three -- One-seventh of the herbicides and pesticides in the

U.S. are used on domestic lawns, and sometimes these must be

applied with protective suits and respiratory masks. And this says

volumes about having poisons present where kids play.

Four -- Dangerous lawn chemicals are generally stored in

basements and storerooms, where they can contaminate animal or even

human feed and possibly be ingested by small children.

Five -- What is your time worth? Why must someone engage in

hot weather in such a silly exercise as riding a lawn mower? There

are a million other things to do which are more worthwhile.

Six -- Eliminating a lawn creates extra space for herbal plots,

flowerbeds, vegetable growing, compost bins, recreational areas,

private zones for rest and relaxation, bird feeders, water

fountains and pools, etc.

Seven -- Trees can be planted in place of lawn to shade the

yard and thus lower the temperature of grounds and house in summer

and act as windbreaks for retention of heat in the winter months.

Eight -- Caring for the freed lawn space causes far less noise

and air pollution (from running lawn mowers and leaf blowers) than

does the lawn, which requires "convenient" motorized devices to

keep it conventional and uniform.

An added reason is that the manicured lawn, that symbol of old

English aristocracy and wealth, is replaced by a "wildscape," a

symbol of a new and better understanding of the Earth and its

resources, as well as good land stewardship.

May 28, 2004 Destroy Chemical Weapons

Students of the First World War learn about horror stories of

gassed soldiers and the gruesome tales of men gasping for breath in

the trenches on the Western Front. The many survivors with

permanent scars lived out their lives in pain and suffering. The

cruelty of chemical weapons has led to efforts to restrict and ban

their use by armies during the last eighty years. However,

chemical weapons were manufactured by the United States through the

first half of the twentieth century, and thus we have accumulated

a vast array of projectiles and other devices at about eleven sites

in the United States. The effort is now being made to do something

about this, and a growing consensus is that incineration is simply

not the way.

Perfect? Let's not glorify the methods of destruction whether

they be the weapons for defense or the means to rid ourselves of

them. These weapons haunt us still, and so we realize our own

fallibility in both storing and disposing of them. Some 99%+

safety is not enough; the method of disposal must approach and

come up to 100% -- and that is very difficult. Pilot plants are

now being proposed to test chemical disposal methods all of which

have proven successful in other chemical waste areas. It is better

to experiment with the methods, but it should be done where there

is the least impact to people. Central Kentucky people know that

the Richmond, Kentucky chemical disposal site (Bluegrass Army

Depot) is within a fifty mile range of a third of a million people.

Dilemma. Inaction by continued storage is not in the public

interest, for the risk continues to climb as weapons age and leaks

proliferate. Recent containment methods require inserting each

leaking projectile into a larger size leak-proof container -- but

this is no permanent solution. Any disposal method devised could

still be subject to human error. For this reason, some system of

escape routes should be designed when the pilot plants are in

operation in the event of a mishap and the chemical agent escapes.

Granted, this will show the seriousness of the operation, but it is

a way of hastening the use of the best method and training

personnel so as to minimize risk to some sort of accident.

Legal Requirements. The Environmental Impact Statements for

each method can give the public a general knowledge of the

reliability of the method selected for disposal of the weapons.

Citizens have a right to know what could possibly happen in the

disposal process, what end products will be produced, and whether

there will be side effects. They also must know when the pilot

disposal plants go into operation, how they are operating, and

whether any possible glitches result which may affect human health

and safety. Responsible action on the part of the military

guarding these weapons is a necessity. We must not be

superstitious and think that because dangerous weapons were

manufactured we are cursed by a possible mishap. A responsible and

knowing citizenry should require the disposal of these WMDs

(weapons of mass destruction) safely.

May 29, 2004 Visit Cemeteries

May is when folks visit the graves of loved ones. In our

mobile age, we find it necessary to reconnect with our roots for

this gives us nourishment. I find visiting St. Patrick's at

Maysville to be one of the year's special treats, even though it

takes planning and the time to get away. My visit is not long but

it brings a deep sense of peace, and I almost feel the joy of the

four generations of loved ones buried there. It is as though

heaven opens and the lights shines on contented grave sites. Far

from being dark and foreboding (which some graveyards may very well

be) I find them pleasant places, and note that when performing an

environmental assessment -- an intuitive insight.

Personal Visits. At the family graveyard, I like to look at

the stones and see when the various relatives were born, flourished

and died and the remembrance of their years on Earth. Next to one

of my grandparent's plots is a very fruitful pear tree, and I think

they would enjoy the fruit, for they came from Alsace and

appreciated its trees and fruit. I always place a bunch of daisies

at the grave of my maternal grandmother along with other wild and

domestic flowers which I can gather that day. She said if the

relatives did no more than place a few daisies she would be

satisfied. I have bestowed this personal duty on a younger cousin

to carry on when I'm gone. Many Europeans consider grave care as

a major family obligation, though it has gone out of fashion with

many Americans with little regard for family history. In Europe,

when a grave ceases to be decorated, it may be declared abandoned

and reused.

Respect. Our roots go way back in our history. It took a lot

of sweat and worry and care to bring us to where we are, and we

show appreciation when we revisit a grave site and say a prayer for

the repose of the soul of the noble ancestor or friend buried

there. Photographs of the Kennedy clan's visit to the graves of

John and Bobbie are imprinted in our memory, and rightly so. They

were and are a photogenic family, but their devotion to those who

passed on is well worth imitation. We owe respect and need to

cultivate a sense of respectfulness.

Style. The length of stay is not as important as taking the

time to come and stop a moment in the busy year. We will soon be

underground and the time is short to make hay while the sun shines.

In addition to being respectful, there are other considerations.

Take along other relatives, if possible. It will be a lasting

experience for them. Say a word to those who decline, asking if

they find it difficult to visit cemeteries. The question to raise

with them for only a brief moment is whether they cannot yet cope

with death. Point out that we each do a little dying each day. To

live is to realize that life is followed by dying and new life.

The present situation will not last forever, and we do not extend

it one second by failing to cope with our mortality. Visiting our

fallen related heroes and heroines is part of making sacred the

memories of our past.

May 30, 2004 Pentecost, The Restless Wind

It is the Pentecost season. The long Pentecost period of a

half year is required to reflect on the gift of the Spirit in our

lives. Today is the birthday of the Church. It is almost 2000

years old, a divinely guided institution. It is the living Body of

Christ of which we are privileged to be a member. We are Church,

and so we pray to be inflamed by the Spirit coming to us as we work

with and for others.

The Pentecost Event. This event contains a number of points

worth reflecting upon, for through them we learn about our freedom

in the Spirit. The Spirit first unlocks the closed doors of our

hearts and penetrates within our fearful beings. The great wind

tells of the power, the suddenness and the profound change wrought

by the Spirit in our lives. It is a restless wind which is beyond

our prediction, and leads us where the Spirit wills.

The tongues of fire descend on each of the people present, and

that shows the uniqueness of the gifts each person is given in the

Spirit. We are each touched individually and are called to be who

we are, not someone else. The public noise is heard by others who

are confused. Those who receive the Spirit are impelled to go out

and communicate with the crowd in different tongues, so that all

hear in their own familiar language.

The gift of communication to the community is primary, rather

than gifts to the individual witness or speaker. Pentecost

reverses the Tower of Babel where human beings through self-

interest divided and then spoke different tongues. At Pentecost we

all come together.

The mighty acts of God is shown here as the image of a living

being, the Church, is coming into being through a power of God.

Pentecost is like the slap on the back, which begins the breathing

process for each new-born who is emerging from the womb. We begin

to inhale -- take in the Spirit as in Church; we then exhale by

going out to others and bearing witness to the Spirit. But this is

not a one-time affair. We need to constantly come together as a

small inner community and inhale; we need to constantly find new

ways of expressing ourselves and exhale or give witness of the

Spirit to others outside of our community liturgies.

Power, suddenness and restlessness. I have only seen one

tornado, and that from a distance of ten miles near St. Charles,

Illinois. It was spectacular, but I did not recognize its power,

its suddenness, its restlessness. The Spirit at Pentecost is all

of this and more. The Spirit gives us power; we are suddenly able

to achieve deeds; we are uniquely gifted and thus have a certain

freedom to express the Spirit in our own ways. This freedom of the

Spirit is always conditioned by the restraints of the community in

which we serve and move. We must be sensitive of the needs of

others. With God's grace we can act freely as spiritually-directed

people within the total believing-community -- and grow in doing so.

May 31, 2004 Visitation: The Magnificat

Some regard the prayer said by Mary at the Visitation to be one

of the most revolutionary prayers in Scripture, and its importance

is recognized by its recitation each evening in the prayers of the

Church.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord -- The entire

being of Mary and of each of us and all creation manifests God's

majesty. We, along with her, give full assent -- a magnificat or

letting it be.

... and my spirit exalts in God my Savior -- This is the

ultimate saving deed of the God who saves all from our own

destruction.

... because God has looked on this lowly handmaid -- Mary

recognizes her own station before God and yet knows she has a very

unique task to perform.

Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed

-- Mary is blessed, and recognizes God's blessing on her and that

this blessing is recognized by others as well for, in seeing what

pertains to her, we begin to see what pertains to us as well. Some

more freely recognize this deed.

... for the Almighty has done great things for me. This

applies to each of us as well. We can respond in freely spoken

word and freely performed deed. Mary's humility is seeing that

there is greatness in God's gifts, not in what she has done, but in

what God has done for her. The more we recognize divine gifts

given to us, the more we are open to doing great things, and to

seeing that God has already done great things for us.

Holy is God's name. All in God-fearing reverence shout "holy,"

and the exaltation is also an openness to extend the glory of that

name.

Your mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear you --

and this applies in all times and across the breadth of creation.

You have shown the power of your arm. -- Here is the first part

of the spiritual revolution, for God's is a spiritual power, not

measured in military muscle or corporate might.

You have routed the proud of heart -- Victory will come with

the humble and not those who are proud.

You have pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the

lowly -- Mary is able to turn the tables on this world's order in

the assent to and then the birth of Christ. She nurtures him to be

who he is to become. Hers is a whispered wish, a begging, a

telling of fact, a song of praise of the God who does all and is in

all. It is the song of the American Revolutionary war -- "The

World turned upside down" played when Cornwallis surrendered at

Yorktown.

The hungry you have filled with good things -- Those in

destitution are now able to receive sufficient amounts for life.

This applies to all people seeking God's favor and the hunger of

all creation.

You have come to the help of Israel your servant, mindful of

your mercy -- Mary comes to the help of her kinswoman Elizabeth

and extends the mercy of God in the good deed extended

instantaneously to her cousin. She takes a donkey and as a young

lady goes many miles to aid a part of Israel in one person. To aid

a person is to aid the total people.

According to the promise made our ancestors Abraham and Sarah

and their descendants forever. -- We participate in the covenant

of God's love. We may say the "Hail Mary" many times, but do we

understand the power in the words? Be there, Mary, at the hour of

our death.

Copyright © 2007 Earth Healing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Albert J. Fritsch, Director
Janet Powell, Developer
Mary Byrd Davis, Editor
Paul Gallimore, ERAS Coordinator

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by Al Fritsch, S.J.