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Daily Reflections Earth Healing

Daily Reflections
by Al Fritsch, S.J.

A series of written meditations and reflections

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Table of Contents: Daily Reflections

September 2010
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TODAY'S REFLECTION:


Copyright © 2010 by Al Fritsch

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Southern wild senna, Senna marilandica.
(photo: Janet Powell)

September Reflections, 2010

     September comes again ever so quietly and gently, not with November's cold gusts and March's warm winds and June's roaring thunderstorms.  Though occasional hurricanes occur, still for the greater part September is an unassuming month.  Yes, for two-thirds of this month, summer is still with us and even that last third reminds us of global warming.  However, if we observe carefully September gives its first autumn signs, beginning to appear in changing leaves with that brown and red tint, with the floral harbingers of autumn -- the goldenrod and mums along with the quickened pace of squirrels, yellowjackets and spiders.   

      For those with sensitive eyes, ears, tongues and noses, September is different from August in ever so faint a way.  Certainly the tomatoes taste very Septemberish; the mist hangs heavier; the birds have a different sound.  Changes are in the air.  Some youths hate to see the end of carefree summer but others welcome September with open arms because of the cooler weather.  New thoughts ring out as summer's closing chimes tell us that the cobweb-making spiders know they must prepare for winter.  Shouldn't all of us do the same?  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 


The Chaplin River. Washington Co., KY.
(*photo credit)

September 1, 2010    Sacred Water: Worthy of Respect

      Astoundingly, virtually every culture regards water with the deepest respect -- whether at times when scarce or too overly plentiful, whether when standing or flowing, whether in the form of rain or snow.  Respect emerges from our dependence on water for life, for without it we cannot survive and with too much we can drown.  We realize this connection with water early in life.  Thus we are attracted to water and yet retain a certain fear that we cannot cope with its uncertain quantity and quality.   

      For Catholics, "holy water" is of special importance.  We bless ourselves on entering the church; we sprinkle this special water on virtually all created things to which we give a blessing.  Holy water signifies our respect for God, the Creator of all living things.  Through baptismal water we are washed clean and thus we are reminded over and over of who we are in the Lord.  The blessing and use of holy water allows us to recall many instances of water within salvation history: the creator's breath on the waters making them the well spring of all holiness; the Great Flood as a sign of promise of protection; the exodus to freedom through the Red Sea; the baptism of Christ at the Jordan River; and the flow of blood and water from the side of Jesus on the Cross.

      Water enters into the religious action of many cultures.  Muslims consider water purification as needed before entering into the prayer area of the mosque.   Hindus give special attention to the sacred nature of the Ganges River, and many want to be cremated on that river's banks and the ashes scattered in its moving waters.  Celts have regarded the springs of water as being special sacred places, and later cathedrals were built on such sites (e.g., Chartres).  Primitive peoples in virtually every part of the world had sacred water places and events as part of their ceremonial rituals and highpoints.

      Respect for water does not give it divine character but rather shows its transparency and is a sacramental sign of the God who is near to and has become one with us.  Why not celebrate the life-giving nature of water, of which we are largely composed?  Our planet is covered with water; we recognize its essential need at all times, for literally we must have a supply of it at hand.  Water refreshes us, washes us, cools us, and soothes us.  Sight, sound, taste, smell and feeling involve water.  We may not smell distant water but some animals do. 

      If we exist in an arena of water-related life, then we must respect water by protecting sources of fresh water, purifying contaminated water, providing water to those most in need, and finding new ways of conserving the precious water at our disposal. 

      Prayer:  God, you water our lives and your spirit moved on the first vast water;  make us all the more aware of how precious this gift is for us and that it is part of our commons. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


White-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, on the move.
(*photo credit)

September 2, 2010   Consider Travel Checklists

      Why the formality of a checklist for any major event or a travel venture?  The reason is simple:  the vast majority of us are forgetful when it comes to a host of details.  In fact, we probably shun people who go into too much detail about little things because we prejudge that they never think deeply on important issues.  We might ask ourselves why we should consider a checklist after much spring and summer travel?  One answer now is that we can easily recall the items missed and those that went unused when we traveled earlier this year.  Did we recall upon return the items we had lugged along and then never used?  Did we check upon leaving each place so we didn't leave something?  Did we appreciate the lists we did make and how often these came in handy? 

      A method for constructing the checklist may help.  It may be by alphabetical order though that is challenging to construct.  A more practical approach is grouping items according to the containers to be used, namely a box for food, an area for camping gear, a suitcase for clothes, a fanny pack for emergencies, and a briefcase for valuables.   

      Services to be performed need a listing as well:  care for pets, mail or garden;  selection of electronic devices to take or turn off; bills to pay while away; phone and other lists to carry; and people to contact before leaving; and financial arrangements.  

      Emergencies do happen and should be considered.  Make a list of things that can be read or worked on while stalled or stranded on a trip.  The first consideration is that unexpected waits are always good times to pray;  they are also periods to think, reflect, plan and sketch out future routes to travel.  Make sure a writing instrument and paper are handy. Consider all that might be packed into a fanny pack: underwear, socks, handkerchief, small amounts of soap, shampoo and toothpaste, toothbrush, comb, pen, notebook and other essentials such as medicine (and passport if not worn on a chain).  One friend whom I told about my pack was stranded for a week at an airport on 9-11-01;  he expressed deep regret for not having had one with him. 

      Time for constructing the list is crucial, but may be shortened by using a former list from the files.  System comes into our lives ever so gradually.  A checklist keeps down overpacking, and ought to reflect past experience of over or sometimes underpacking.  Remember that unnecessary added weight reduces the comfort of the travel and is an energy and space waste (one pound of additional items is one ton-mile on a two-thousand- mile trip).   

      Retain the checklist for future ventures. 

      Prayer:  Lord, help us to confront our own forgetfulness and to prepare for it in advance by constructing checklists, especially when we are traveling to unfamiliar places. 
 

 

 

 

 

 


Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa.
(*photo credit)

September 3, 2010   Champion the Intellectual Commons  

      Here, as a new academic year sets in, is a good time to consider the intellectual treasury of this world and how those who advance frontiers are to be protected and encouraged.  Mental achievements are part of our common human heritage and should be available to all and passed on easily to the next generation.  Research ought to be fostered and intellectual treasures ought to be extended to others through a free flow of information.   

      Intellectual research needs to be honored and respected.  The scientific revolution opened knowledge to critical review and verification.  Copyrights and patents provide compensation to the originators and authors and yet allow materials to be accessible to some degree.  The delicate balance between fair return for expenses and time and adequate recognition of work on the one hand, and delivery of the work to the general public beyond the wall of trade secrecy must be maintained.  Restrictions on access to the intellectual commons access include: lack of access to research records, limited library use, lack of freedom of information through trade or governmental secrecy, Internet restrictions, and bans on specific research.  

      Copyright extension is an infringement on the common intellectual stock and a sequestering of created material from the public domain over a longer period of time.  Copyrights have expanded from fourteen years with fourteen-year renewals in the 1790s to copyrights through the author's life plus fifty years in 1976.  Furthermore the Sonny Bono Act in 1998 extended the life of the copyright another twenty years -- and in 2003 the Supreme Court ruled that this expanded duration does not violate our American Constitution.  Due to this act, in 2030, the number of works in the public domain will be reduced from 25 million at the turn of the century to 10 million.   

      Intellectual transmission is another problem area because of inadequate education.  Basic education and especially reading and writing skills are denied large portions of the general global population through lack of resources, inadequate teachers, poor facilities or the danger for some, especially of young women attending school.  Accessibility is often the problem.  Indebted nations and regions cut educational funds in an effort to meet ends.  High costs of education are curtailing the ambitions of lower income people even in developed countries.  In developing lands such as sub-Saharan Africa, twelve million young people are orphans due to parents dying from AIDS.

      We know that educational access to the intellectual "commons" occurs:  through public and private institutions; the transfer of appropriate technology; adequate health care facilities; and motivation on the part of many to share resources that they value.  However, a gulf exists between the possible and actual.   

  Prayer:  Lord, help us to expand the intellectual commons.

 

 

 

 


Pawpaws (Asimina triloba) in Kentucky.
(*photo credit)

September 4, 2010   Halt Overconsumption by the Affluent 

      
Voluntary reductions in consumption patterns by the affluent and those aspiring to be (such as the emerging Chinese and Indian middle and upper classes) cannot be expected.  It is wrong to focus attention on free-market economics AND free choice.  Those who refrain from challenging the current dysfunctional economic system pretend to be constructively critical by calling for voluntary changes.  Hogwash!  Rather, are they not too timid to admit that their silence favors the status quo and allows it to continue unchallenged.   

      A consumer-products-subsidized public media can hardly start the critically-needed discernment;  this media knows the feeding hand and so it seeks a goal of greater consumption of goods of all sorts.  And who is best able to consume but those wealthy enough to buy?  Essential "consumption" (satisfying the hungry and those lacking adequate housing) is NOT the problem; over-consumption by a rapidly expanding affluent generation is -- and the world is simply not capable of satisfying their wants.  The problem is exacerbated by an insatiable appetite for materials by those who are privileged to control resources and are free to consume them.  Unfortunately, there is a void in the political spectrum of groups calling for MORE consumption for the disadvantaged and LESS consumption, through regulation and taxes, for the affluent.  How would lovers of comfort say much at all?  Earlier this year, a BBC commentator asked why should not BP (when Louisiana fishers were being economically wiped out by profitable BP oil)) give its billions of dollars in quarterly dividends to stockholders.  Brokenness is an acceptance of this type of reasoning.  

     The practice of overconsumption by affluent consumers spreads globally as an epidemic, threatening the lives of people, requiring immense amounts of resources, the processing of which emits more and more carbon dioxide and other air and water pollutants as well.  Amid the hype, the world is expanding climate change emissions. Despite all the green talk, for the last five years the U.S. is leading the world in areas that have been deforested.  An unchecked license for affluence will make or break this planet, for unregulated consumer economics is unsustainable even with the recent recession-based blip in an onward march of consumption.   

      The problem of overconsumption (from forest products to use of grain for fuels) must be exposed especially through the relatively free portion of the Internet -- the advertisement-bound media will not do it.  We must show that alternatives for a higher quality of life are more beneficial and that examples of balanced consumption exist today.  Warn others what overconsumption does to people, communities and the planet herself; try to find ways to frustrate overconsumption practices through regulation, abolition of tax havens and fair taxes on the affluent.    

      Prayer:  Lord, encourage us to take up the unpopular fight of redistributing limited resources to a world in need. 

 

 

 

 


 

 


Sweet joe pye weed, Eupatoriadelphus purpureus.
(*photo credit)

September 5, 2010  Wise Use of Possessions and Discipleship 

      And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty. (Wisdom 9:16)  

     Discipleship is truly a calling, which some are unwilling to hear.  However, Christians are called through their baptism/ confirmation; we know that this call to faithful discipleship can be difficult and challenging at times.  Making wise decisions in answer to the call comes in fits and starts and is seldom achieved perfectly even at the end of our mortal life.  Change is often gradual.  We ignore time required to reflect; we neglect wise advice to avoid excessive possessions; we fail to discuss such important matters with others.  The foolish person, upon hearing he has one year to live, may if financially able, acquire a plane, a boat, and a fast car.  A wise person places his house in order with a sense of gratitude to God for each additional day. 

      The shortest of the Scriptures is the Letter to Philemon.  Paul sends the slave (Onesimus) back to Philemon as required by Roman property law, while entreating Philemon to free the slave and return him to Paul.  Onesimus had fled his master and turned to Paul, becoming a follower of Christ and a valuable assistant requesting his own freedom.  Paul faces the slave master directly.  Should not all people be free?  How could we Americans have ever considered black slaves as three-fifths of a person?  Why did it take so long to abolish the slave trade?  Remember the underground railroad, the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation.  

       Jesus tells us that we are to accept discipleship in a methodical manner as in building an enduring product such as a house that was expected to last.  Likewise, discipleship resembles directing an army and the experience required to do it well (Luke 14: 25-33).  We must free ourselves from enduring and energy-draining attachments, which would limit  discipleship; we must choose the freedom of true discipleship with Jesus.  Then comes the uncomfortable statement found in Luke's Gospel:  anyone who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.  Total discipleship involves total renunciation.

     Material possessions hold us back from Jesus.  We refrain, sequester, grip, protect and covet these things in our lives.  Often we consider what gifts to give, and find that giving away what is most dear is quite satisfying, both to the one receiving and to the one parting with it.  Our prized keepsakes, our freedom, our time, our favorite foods, our very lives, all these can become the most worthy gifts to others.  Parting with these and letting go, opens our heart to God.  We now can accept a radical simplicity and poverty which make us able to receive the spiritual gifts God has in store for us.  And we are prepared to carry back to God our love -- the only thing that can accompany our eternal journey. 

      Prayer:  Lord, teach us to let go of material things and to take on the everlasting possession of a loving heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Three-staff underwing (Catocala amestris). It is endangered in Illinois and Michigan.
(*photo by Sally Ramsdell)

September 6, 2010  Jobs Galore; Workers, Anxious; Funds in Havens  

      On this Labor Day we again announce the tragedy facing so many of the willing but unemployed.  In order to save the precious capital of the wealthy, a system exists where some have a means to a livelihood and others do not.  "No new taxes." That is a major form of insidious propaganda.  We need fair taxes and that means new taxes on the wealthy who pay the least. Let's not forget some basic facts: 

     1. We HAVE plenty of job opportunities though these are not presently funded:

         * Bridges and roads need repair;

         * Schools and playgrounds need expanding;

         * Affordable housing is wanted by the poor;

         * Parks need maintaining;

         * Blighted areas of cities need rebuilding;

         * Illiteracy needs to be erased;

         * Elderly and the ill need better care;

         * Arts and crafts need to be enriched and taught;

             and

         * Research of every kind needs promotion. 

      2.  We HAVE plenty of workers:

         * Over one-tenth of our labor force under- or unemployed;

         * Recent highly qualified and energetic graduates;

         * Illegal immigrants and those good citizens vying for
               permits to stay in our country;

         * Veterans and those who have sacrificed for our nation;

         * Retirees wanting to add some benefit in their Indian
                   summer years;

         * Housewives desiring to give extra service for others;

         * Those seeking less stressful jobs;

         * Prisoners engaged in doing community service;

                and

         * Youth who could learn so much by meaningful work. 

      3. We HAVE funds but also a contrary economic/political system that will not allow us to liberate them from tax havens and the accounts of the wealthy.  Three possible scenarios are possible:

         * Fair taxes at state and national levels on excessive wealth.  In our Commonwealth of Kentucky the top one percent pay the least taxes and some defend this because they have been thoroughly propagandized;

        * International regulations and taxes that would check the current flow of excessive capital from one country to another

(this is being actively proposed by a number of European Union nations); and

        * Reduction in military expenditures, and use of funds for a far more secure international program that supports essential services for all the world's needy people. 

      Prayer:  Lord, allow us to stretch the limits on what can be done so the sorrowful specter of under- or unemployment will cease. 


Copyright © 2010 Earth Healing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Albert J. Fritsch, Director
Janet Powell, Developer
Mary Davis, Editor

Excerpts from the JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc.  Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

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