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Why It’s So Hard to Pray

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Google Image After the evening meal most days, I usually watch something on Netflix, Prime Video or YouTube, or a combination of them. I’m usually too tired to continue reading or writing or anything that requires focus or physical exertion. I don’t generally watch network television to avoid its endless stream of commercials. But I must admit, streaming video is almost as bad. So, what’s so bad about commercials? To me, they represent the worst of our culture, the preoccupation with “stuff,” the pettiness and childishness with which they appear – talking, animated people, animals and objects suddenly appearing like magic in a scene, for instance, and after the briefest moment of being startled, humans accepting them in conversations about the product. They seem to be created by second graders. Then there are such unrealistic representations of products that claim to make us better looking, healthier, stronger, more athletic or look more prestigious. Having been a journalist, which are...
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Cuando la Religión y la Política se Mezclan

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Imagen de Google Había leído en algún lugar que los buscadores de talento de los equipos de béisbol de las grandes ligas, al buscar posibles lanzadores estrella, se fijan principalmente en la velocidad de los lanzamientos de los reclutas potenciales de secundaria o universidad. Si pueden lanzar fuerte, razonaban los buscadores, se les puede enseñar control de la pelota. No sé si esto es cierto, pero tiene sentido. Y sensato o no, este fue el párrafo inicial de un editorial invitado que escribí para el periódico donde trabajaba antes de las elecciones de 2016, cuando los candidatos eran Donald Trump y Hillary Clinton. Argumenté que el requisito mínimo de un candidato exitoso es “buen carácter moral”, que debería ser un requisito similar al de un posible lanzador estrella, que un sine qua non – la condición que no es negociable – debería ser una persona honesta y humana. Aunque había escrito entre 10 y 12 editoriales invitadas antes, todas aceptadas por la junta editorial, esta vez n...
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When Religion and Politics Mix

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Google Image I had read somewhere that scouts for major-league baseball teams, when looking for potential star pitchers, look mainly at the speed of pitches thrown by potential high school or college recruits. If they can throw hard, the scouts reason, they can learn ball control. I don’t know if this is true, but it makes sense. And sensible or not, this was the lead paragraph of a guest editorial I wrote for the newspaper where I had been employed back before the 2016 election, when the candidates were Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. I argued that the minimum requirement of a successful candidate is “good moral character,” that it should be a requirement similar to that of a potential star pitcher, that a sine qua non – the condition that is not negotiable - should be a person who is honest and humane. Though I had written 10-12 guest editorials before, all of which the editorial board accepted, it didn’t do so this time. It was rejected without comment. Know Them by Their Wor...
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¿Realmente Queremos la Paz?

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Imagen de Google Crecí mientras Estados Unidos se involucraba seriamente en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Recuerdo al primer papa de mi vida, Pío XII, escribiendo y hablando sobre la paz, y hasta de niño me preguntaba si alguien aparte de unos pocos católicos piadosos estaba prestando atención. Pío XII había defendido con mucha fuerza la paz en los años 1930, intentando sin éxito mantener a Europa fuera de la guerra y, después, en los años 1940, tratando de persuadir a las naciones para asegurarse de que algo tan horrendo como la Segunda Guerra Mundial nunca volviera a ocurrir.  Se estableció la ONU, que resultó ser decepcionantemente ineficaz, pero en general, la gente no estaba prestando atención. Y eso es cierto para cada proclamación desde entonces. Cada papa, junto con muchos otros líderes religiosos alrededor del mundo, han hecho de la paz una parte central de su enseñanza. Enfocados en Justificar la Guerra La resistencia contra este tipo de enseñanzas – y quizá lo que e...
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Do We Really Want Peace?

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Google Image I grew up as the U.S. was getting seriously involved in World War II. I recall the first pope of my lifetime, Pius XII, writing and speaking about peace and even as a child wondering if anyone but a few pious Catholics were paying attention. Pius XII had advocated vociferously for peace in the late 1930’s, unsuccessfully trying to keep Europe out of war and afterward, in the 1940s, trying to persuade nations to make sure nothing as horrendous as WW2 ever happened again. The U.N., which has turned out to be disappointingly ineffective, was established, but in general, people were not paying attention. And that’s true of every proclamation since then. Every pope – along with many other religious leaders around the world – have made peace a central part of their teaching. Focused on Justifying War The pushback against such teaching – and maybe what’s worse, the indifference - hasn’t come just from the unchurched and non-believers. Many religious leaders, instead of advo...
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Una manera de rezar "El Padre Nuestro"

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Imagen de Google Soy voluntario en un pequeño hospital, trabajando en la oficina del capellán. Mi trabajo consiste en visitar a los pacientes que me asignan, alrededor de 12 a 15 por semana, preguntarles sobre sus necesidades, qué puede hacer el hospital para satisfacerlas y, si pueden y parecen dispuestos, orar con ellos. Creo que generalmente puedo decir si son del tipo de personas que rezan antes de preguntar, y si son cristianos, les sugiero rezar juntos el Padre Nuestro. De esa manera, pueden participar en lugar de solo escucharme decir algo o rezar de forma espontánea.   El problema con el Padre Nuestro es que probablemente lo recitamos tan a menudo, o lo escuchamos tan seguido, que tenemos que hacer un esfuerzo para pensar en lo que estamos diciendo. En mi opinión, nunca es buena idea rezar solo de memoria o mecánicamente. Lo que Jesús enseñó a sus discípulos Muchos escritores espirituales han comentado el significado de esta oración, que Jesús enseñó a sus discípulo...
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A Way to Pray "the Lord's Prayer"

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Google Image I volunteer in a small hospital, working for the chaplain’s office. My job is to visit patients assigned to me – about 12 to 15 per week – ask about their needs, what the hospital can do to meet their needs and, if they are able and seem amenable, to pray with them. I believe I can usually tell whether they’re the “praying type” before I ask, and if they’re Christian, I suggest praying the Lord’s Prayer together. That way, they can participate rather than just have me mouth something or pray spontaneously. The problem with the Our Father is we probably pray it so often, or hear it so often, we have to make an effort to think about what we’re saying. In my view, it’s never a good idea to pray by rote or mechanically. Here's My Take Many spiritual writers have commented on the meaning of this prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples. If you want an expert on it, consult one of them; you can do so online. But here’s my take on it. Our Father . These are, arguably,...
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