Autumn is so Beautiful

I have lived in and around the city of St. Louis now for nearly 19 years off and on. I can't say that it is my favorite city, for there other places I would prefer to live if they weren't so far from my ailing father or such expensive places to live.

But one of the aspects of this part of the country that I do really enjoy is the autumn. Autumn here in St. Louis is such a relief from the heat and humidity of the Mississippi River valley in summer. Autumn also seems to last a long time here. Sure, we get cold snaps, but then it warms up again. There was frost on the grass when I left for work this morning (it was 37 degrees F.), but tommorrow the temperature is supposed to be near 70 degrees F. again. In December, we will still have days when we need to wear only a sweater outside.

Most people agree that spring or autumn are their favorite times of year here. For me, it's always been the autumn. It occured to me the other day that just as spring buds forth all sorts of colorful little flowers, the autumn warms us with brilliantly vibrant colors in the leaves of the maple trees, the sumac, and the burning bush that lose their green chlorophyll and begin to uncover their other pigments: the orange carotenes, the yellow xanthrophylls, and the red anthocyanins. (I told you, Philip del Ricci, I once taught biology!)

I referred to St. Therese of Lisieux in one of my earlier messages. I came across this new book on her writings: Therese of Lisieux, In My Own Words, by Judy Bauer (Liguori Publications). It is a brand new publication. Here's how this young future-saint looked at the beauties of nature:

"Indeed, I can still feel the vivid impressions made on my childish heart by the vision of the cornfields studded with cornflowers, poppies, and marguerites. Even at that age I loved far-stretching views, sunlit spaces, and stately trees: in a word all the beauties of Nature cast their spell upon me and raised my soul to heaven."

Later today I will be driving to Iowa to visit my family. Passing through Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa I will witness miles and miles of those cornfields. And I'll be looking for the subtle beauty in those harvested fields.

Don't miss out on these autumn days. There are not many left. They are both brisk in the cooling air, but warm in rays of sunshine. Savor them while you can. In fact, go outside right now!

You're not biased in any way, are you?

One of my "moonlighting" jobs is as editor of the book review column for the Liguorian magazine. It has been around since 1913 and is published by the Redemptorists at Liguori Publications. When I first tell people this fact I frequently get responses like, "Oh my family used to get the Liguorian when I was a kid," or "Oh yeah, my grandma gets the Liguorian." Those kinds of remarks reflect how long it has been around, yet I don't think of the Liguorian as an "old" magazine. In fact, I think the current editor-in-chief is doing quite a good job with keeping each issue current for today's readers.

As book review editor, I sometimes receive as many as four to six new books per week from publishers all over the country who want to get a review in Liguorian. Unfortunately, we can only publish three or four reviews each issue (which is 10 times per year.) Thus, I have accumulated quite a shelf full of books waiting to be reviewed. Toward the end of each year I clear the shelf of books that have been sitting there too long. For example, we are already working on magazine issues for spring of 2006. I don't want to include reviews on books that are too old, so a few weeks ago I gave away any book that had a copyright earlier than 2005.

I also have several reviewers on my "team." I ask them to select titles that sound interesting to them. In the past I have had to write reviews on books that were on topics I didn't care about and so I know it is very difficult to do that. We do not want to publish bad reviews, and it is easier to write positively about a topic you are interested in.

Sometimes I will get a book that I know a particular person would be interested in and I suggest it to him or her. That recently happened with a book about a priest who has been a missionary in Central America and was arrested and tortured by militants who had been trained at the School of the Americas in Georgia. I know a Franciscan nun who has gone there to protest against the school and I asked if she would be interested in reading the book and writing about it. After all, Franciscans are by nature peace-loving people and it seemed appropriate for someone like her to read and write about this book. Her review was published in our May-June issue. I thought she had done a very good job.

But something I have learned through my own life's experience is that people believe what they want to believe, whether it is accurate or not. I could say that this seems to be the case with the current devotees of the theory of creationism, despite all the evidence in support of evolution. (I must confess, I was a biology teacher for many years and one of my life-long amibitons has been to visit the Galapagos Islands because I want to see for myself that wonderful place where Charles Darwin got his ideas for the theory of evolution in the first place.)

Well anyway, in the October issue of Liguorian is a rather irate-sounding letter to the editor taking issue with the fact that we even included that book (of course, it was only one of the books included that month) and another one on a similar topic in the following issue. Here is what the letter writer said:

"I want to say how dissatisfied I am not only with the books reviewed in Liguorian, but with the reviews themselves. In the May-June issue the reviewer of Disturbing the Peace was biased about the book's subject and unable to provide a valid review. The U.S. runs the School of the Americas to provide military training to the friendly nations of the Americas. In so doing we are also able to provide them with our values of freedom and respect for the rights of others. Closing the school would end our ability to positively influence these nations, as they would obtain the training from countries without our commitment to democracy.

"In the July-August issue it happened again. Peace in the Post-Christian Era is reviewed by a 'freelance writer, educator, and peacemaker.' Once again the reviewer lacks objectivity. Worse, she colors her review with gratuitous potshots at the Administration and at Christian mega-churches. She reveals her bias and her lack of understanding of both areas."

My initial response was, "So you don't like the books - that's exactly why we review them . . . so that you'll know whether or not you'll like them." Upon further reflection I realized that the writer of this letter does not appear to have much respect for other people's opinions, and does not seem very open to hearing another side of the story. There seems to be much evidence that our nation's interests in the military development of Central American countries is not all so pure and altruistic. I personally am not in a position to make a judgment on the School of the Americas, but I would want to hear the experience of someone like the priest in this book who has been there and has a different perspective on the situation than I can possibly have.

I realize very well that I have personal biases - some of them very strong - because of the way I was taught in school, because of the way my family lived, and as a result of various experiences I've had in life. I won't try to deny that fact. I also know that I cannot see the whole picture on anything because my biases create intentional blind spots in my mind. So I truly hope that I can always be open to the point of view of others. That I can recognize there may be unjust parts of even a good venture and that those parts need to be rectified. In the case of the School of the Americas, I don't believe that means I am not a patriotic person or that I do not love America. I have had the great fortune to travel to three other continents in my lifetime, and each time I have been more than happy to arrive home again.

Yet I find it difficult to tolerate "my country right or wrong" attitudes. I also detest America attempting to be the high and almighty leader of the world. In my experience other countries look up to us, but they want us to collaborate with them, not to force ourselves and our idealogies on them.

We Americans can and do make mistakes. Our government has, too, throughout history. There is no shame in admitting that as long as we take appropriate steps to correct the error in humility. THAT'S what takes real courage, and is something that will be admired by other countries.

This is a Special Day!

Two-hundred-fifty years ago today, a very obscure young man who has had an incredible impact on the world, died in Italy. That young man was Saint Gerard Majella. Gerard came from a very poor family - his father had died while Gerard was quite young. Gerard was himself rather sickly all his life. He was relatively uneducated, and no one thought he would amount to much. Only through persistence was he eventually allowed to enter a religious order - the Redemptorists. Like so many others, they also thought he was particularly useless. Yet he had a spiritual impact on hundreds of people in his time, and thousands since then.

Of particular note is that he is the patron saint of pregnant women. Couples all over the world pray to him when they want to conceive and for the safe delivery of their babies once they have become pregnant.

He was only 29 years old when he died of tuberculosis and emphysema. Like St. Therese of Lisieux, whom I wrote about a few days ago, St. Gerard's spirituality is very appealing because it is so simple. Here is an excerpt from a small tract titled, An Hour With Saint Gerard Majella, by an author named David Werthmann:

"Saint Gerard's spiritual life did not follow any specific program of development toward a life of perfection as commonly prescribed by spiritual directors. Gerard simply tried always to do what seemed to him to be most perfect. Gerard made his own path and followed it toward God, who was constantly drawing him closer."

You see, I think it's true that God "constantly draws us closer" no matter what path we follow. If it's true that God's love for us is unconditional, then it must also be true that God loves us and desires us no matter who we are or what we do in life. For me that's why these simple styles of spirituality are so attractive. Loving God is not and does not have to be a difficult thing to do.

Over and over I have reflected on what spirituality and holiness mean in our life. The famous 20th-century Trappist monk, Thomas Merton said that the greatest form of holiness is simply to be "very ordinary." I'm convinced that people like St. Gerard Majella would tell us that if he could do it (as frail as he was), then any of us can because growing in virtue does not require great courage. It only requires being who you are. That's who God created you to be, and that's what God wants of you.

All of Us Are Little Flowers

Recenly I was asked to write a piece about St. Thérese of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower. I have to confess that I had never been "into" this particular saint and I really did not know much about her. She lived toward the end of the 19th century and was only 24 years old when she died. She seemed like a spoiled child because, even though she joined the convent, she had come from a well-to-do family. Her life and example simply never appealed to me. So I had to do some research in order to know what to write about.

Was I ever surprised! I discoverd that I love her sense of spirituality. In fact, I think I have started to fall in love with her in a strange sort of way.

I think what I found most likable about her is that she had a wonderful way of seeing that living life and growing in maturity (personal, emotional, spiritual, etc) was so easy and so simple. I love her analogies and her imaginative ways of looking at reality. Here's an example:

"I can aspire to sainthood in spite of my smallness. It is impossible for me to see myself greater than I am because I must see myself as I am, with all my imperfections. But I want to find the way to go to heaven by a direct route, one that is as short as possible, a totally new route.

"We are in an era of inventions. For example, these days, one doesn't have to bother to climb stairs because the wealthy have elevators to easily replace them. Me, I would like to find an elevator to lift myself all the way up to Jesus, because I am too small to climb the harsh staircase of perfection." (from 15 Days of Prayer with Saint Therese of Lisieux, by Constant Tonnelier, Liguori Publications, 1999.)

In another place she told the nuns she lived with that she would soon be going to heaven where she would "throw flowers with the angels. After all," she said, "that's as good a way as any to spend one's eternity!"

Stories of this saint continue to make me laugh and to believe that this life is all worthwhile. And, I guess, that I can make it, too.

Liguori Publications Focus Group

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Baseball Frenzy

I have to confess that I have never been a baseball fanatic. In fact, I'm not into sports at all. My mother and grandfather (who lived with us) were great fans of the St. Louis Cardinals. So whenever they were in the World Series the whole world inside our home was put on hold. One time we visited my aunt and uncle in St. Louis and they took us to Musial and Biggie's restaurant across from Forest Park. Stan "the Man" came by our table and my mother was so awestruck that I thought she never would be the same!

I went to Catholic school and our music nun was an avid sports fan. So during music class we watched the World Series on TV instead of singing - no matter who was playing. In those days it was always the Yankees against some National League team. I didn't care about the game, but it seemed like fun to watch television at school.

I guess there can be a connection made between baseball and religion. Certainly my grandfather would not miss listening to a game on the radio anymore than he would miss Mass on Sunday. In the book pictured here, And God Said, "Play Ball!" author Gary Graf says this:

"There is no right or wrong way to experience baseball or faith. Joy can be found in seeing your first baseball game or your thousandth, from watching fireworks after a home run or understanding the infield fly rule. There is wonder to be experienced in seeing God in the delicate nature of a flower or the vastness of the cosmos, the smile from a child's face or the gratitude that comes from serving others.

"As our knowledge and appreciation of faith and baseball deepens, we find that we are continually rewarded with blessings from each. Thus our task becomes finding those ways in which we are best able to relate to the Game and our God."

I think that can be applied to whatever in life a person is interested in. So if your talent is cooking, or gardening, or flying planes, building models . . . whatever, you can find a connection between what you are doing and God. It is said that the deepest desires of our heart were put there by God. So if we are trying find God's will for us, all we have to do is go inside and see where our own desires lead us. Most likely that is "God's will" for us.

Someone I know once said, "I'm trying to find where my dreams and God's dreams for me intersect." I thought that was a great statement. It's so natural. It means that our own natural instincts are not bad or evil or off base. God has made us to be who we are. As the adage says, "God doesn't make junk." And therefore, the innate feelings and yearnings we grapple with and try to control are really God speaking to us, drawing us to where we are supposed to be.

Fortitude for Living

You may have never heard of this guy: Francis Xavier Seelos. He was a priest who volunteered to work in New Orleans in 1866 at the height of the yellow fever epidemic there. He only lasted one year before he died of the disease. Now he is on track to be canonized a saint and there is a shrine to him at St. Mary's Assumption Church in the Irish Channel (sometimes also known as the Garden district) of New Orleans. Today, October 5, is his feast day.

Fortunately, the church and the shrine did not sustain much damage from hurricane Katrina. You can check it out at this site: Seelos Center News and Updates. The whole site is quite interesting and informative if you surf around on it.

We have heard mostly about the cities of New Orleans and Gulfport since the hurricanes. But another place I am familiar with is St. Stanislaus High School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. I know a couple of the teachers there and have visited the place. Here are two sites that desctibe and show how devastating the hurricane was there, too: Letter from the President; and photos.

Now back to Seelos. He's called the cheerful ascetic because no matter what faced him, he smiled. In a small booklet called, Befriended, (Byron Miller, C.Ss.R., Liguori Publications) Seelos is quoted as saying, "Have a reason to live, and know how to sacrifice yourself for it." Certainly the folks who are trying to rebuild their cities and their lives after the two hurricanes the south has just endured will have to have strong wills to live, to rebuild, and to carry on.

While I do not live in the path of the hurricane, I still have to ask myself at times, "What is my reason for living?" and "What am I willing to sacrifice for that?"

Everyone's Favorite Saint

I usually don't dwell too much in these reflections on things that are overtly religious. But today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. He is probably the most universally loved of all saints in the world - even by non-religious folks.

People remember him as a lover of nature, especially animals and it is customary in many places to bring pets to church and have them blessed by a priest on this day each year.

Several years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Italy, and without doubt Assisi is my most favorite place in that whole country. To sit inside a church building where Francis himself prayed nearly 800 years ago was an awesome experience. Here in America we simply do not have structures that old.

We usually tend to think of saints as sort of untouchable people. We think they were so much holier than we could ever be. Many people think saints were always somber and solemn folks who never laughed at a joke, never enjoyed a good glass of beer, never had fun because they were so "close to God." But that's really not true. Every single saint was a person just like you and me. An enjoyable book called, Wit and Wisdom of the Saints has many great stories from the lives of saints that show them doing or saying things most people would never suspect of a "saint."

Here is an excerpt for October 4 - the feast of St. Francis:

On one of his trips to Rome, Francis stayed at the residence of Cardinal Leo. During the visit, Francis was beaten severely by devils. Rather than get over-excited, Francis simply stated: "This is my punishment for consorting with cardinals."

I guess there's a lesson there about who not to hang around with!

But St. Francis had an air of serenity about him no matter what calamities inflicted him. He did not worry about where his food would come from the next day, or where he would sleep that night. He had so much trust that God would provide for him. Francis was dirt poor because he gave away absolutely everything he had. Yet if he encountered another poor person, he felt obligated to share with them anything he could.

He must have been incredibly free as a result. . . and happy. Here's what he said (in the same book) about happiness and sharing with others:

"Jesus is happy to accompany us,
just as truth is happy to be spoken,
life is happy to be lived,
as a light is happy to be lit,
as love is happy to be loved,
as joy is happy to be shared,
and as peace is happy to be spread to others."

In honor of this humble man who lived so long ago, yet continues to inspire the world, let us be happy to share something - even something very little - with another.

(Wit and Wisdom of the Saints is by Judy Bauer, and can be obtained from Liguori Publications.)