Skeptical Faith

Google Image Remember when the Amazon forest was on fire? It was only a few months ago, but so many things have happened since – more school shootings, mass demonstrations in Latin America and Asia, the impeachment hearings – it’s hard to remember. To refresh your memory, the Amazon region burned at an alarming rate last summer. Tens of thousands of fires laid waste to the world's largest tropical rain forest, mostly in Brazil.  The Amazon is called "the lungs of the world," absorbing greenhouse gases that would otherwise harm the planet. It also is home to indigenous people who rely on the forest's resources.  But besides fires, much of which are due to global warming, say scientists, the Amazon is being de-forested by rapid commercial and industrial use.  Illegal Cutting Most responsible for the deforestation, says the site Save the Amazon Rain Forest, are agriculture, mostly cattle, and the wood industry. And in the latter, it’s the illegal cutting

Mural in San Salvador My lifelong friend, Fr. Gerald Waris, about whom I’ve written before in these blogs, used to tell people considering a trip to El Salvador, where he has supported various projects for over 20 years, “It will ruin your life.” He wasn’t talking about acquiring some dreadful disease, being a victim of a horrible crime or getting involved in an accident. He meant that you would be so moved by the experience of seeing so many people live hope-filled lives in the midst of apparent hopelessness you wouldn’t be able to continue your life quite like before. And I’ve found that to be true in my trips there. The resilience of most Salvadorans in the face of poverty and deprivation is inspiring. You can’t just return to a life of relative prosperity and plenty. You look at the world differently, and it’s hard to avoid a commitment to help. The "ah-ha" Moments The search for God is like that, I believe. The “ah-ha moments” in the process can ruin your

Google Image It’s no secret that many people have stopped going to church. At most churches, you can observe what national polling data have reported. Many say they get nothing out of religious services. Some complain about lame homilies. Others say they don’t find God in church. Many say it’s simply a boring waste of time. I get all that, though my experience has been otherwise. I’ve come to appreciate, and even love, the Catholic mass. But it hasn’t been automatic or simply a part of growing older, which some people think makes you more amenable to religion. (People my age, it is believed, are closer to death and are more likely to be intimidated into faith.) I believe I’ve worked at understanding and appreciating the Mass, and it’s paid off. Nothing in Common? What I don’t get is the complaint I’ve heard or read by some who say they have nothing in common with the people they find at church. It’s as if we don’t share human feelings of inadequacy, joy in human love, regret

Google Image I recently came across an online video that moved me. A sanitation worker – among people I’ve noticed who are always in a hurry – shows patience, kindness and affection for an elderly woman, helping her back to her garage door with her trash container. You can watch it for yourself at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oowdKSyuCqc . Why was I moved? Partially because I think I’ve bought into the idea that kindness is dead. I think that perception - that people no longer go out of their way for others - is common. When I give it more thought, I realize that the vast majority of people who I encounter in my life are also kind and compassionate. My wife, Amparo, and I recently returned from a trip to Ireland and were struck by the universal kindness shown us – not just from family members but from clerks, hotel employees, rental-car people, people who owned the cottage we rented, employees in petrol stations. We didn’t encounter one rude or impolite person during the who