Brother Tony at the keyboard, his recent comments, and updated views of the Alamo, the San Antonio River Walk, and the HemisFair Park's Tower of the Americas, showing the current weather, all sites close to Brother Tony's apartment at the Granada near La Villita.

Brother Tony's
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the contemplative agitator

using the world time zones map and its 24-hour clock

Thursday, November 27: My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. Galatians 5:13-14 ©

Tragically, strife continues this holiday season. My heart goes out to the victims and their families in Mumbai, India. And, now, it is learned that much violence is in the making in Thailand. Suffering abounds, as it always has. On this special day of Thanksgiving, let us all remember the greatest cause of giving gratitude: the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross for our salvation. And His first words after he was nailed to the wood: "Father! Forgive them for they don't know what they are doing!"

We can offer forgiveness, too, for those who perpetrated the meanness in Mumbai, and elsewhere. Let us vow to forgive one another for acts of meanness even those committed in ignorance. There is an automatic penalty for any act of meanness. But let there be a willful act of forgiveness for every act of unkindness and worse.

As the Apostle Paul told the Galatians, "Love your neighbor!" Let us try harder to practice what we know, in our hearts, is right, and just, and good. When we do, even those who don't know how they should act, may learn what life is all about: loving one another.

Friday, November 21: Be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. There must be no competition among you, no conceit; but everybody is to be self-effacing. Always consider the other person to be better than yourself, so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people’s interests instead. Philippians 2:2-4 ©

I am still recovering from experiencing pain in my upper back. By staying away from the computer keyboard, I have relief. Maybe soon, I can get back to sharing some occasional comments. May we all have a blessed holiday season!

Thursday, November 13: We should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right of God’s throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 ©

Wednesday, November 12: Whatever your work is, put your heart into it as if it were for the Lord and not for men, knowing that the Lord will repay you by making you his heirs. It is Christ the Lord that you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 ©

Today is the 25th anniversary of my only son's entry into life after death. He was tragically killed in a one-vehicle accident on Route 12 nearing the bridge over the Blanco River into Wimberley, Texas. He was a wonderful young man who was a student at Texas State University in San Marcos. He was 20 years old. His name was Christopher Michael. Apparently he went to sleep while driving late at night. He had twice before fallen asleep while driving. I found out later there are alarm devices that can be worn which goes off when a driver's head tilts. We get so soon old BEFORE we gain wisdom. If only I had known . . .. Continue to rest in peace, dear boy! I look forward to joining you in God's appointed time.

Tuesday, November 11: If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him? My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active. 1 John 3:17-18 ©

I'll be glad when I get the pain in my upper back taken care of, but in the meanwhile I am very mindful it is nothing when compared with the incredible suffering of those who were injured or died in the horrible collapse of the school in Haiti. I mourn for them and for their families who have nothing to ease their pain except the promises of Christ.

Regarding the judicial fate of the man who headed the school, we will soon learn through the media. What we will not soon learn, however, is the fate of those who could have helped improve the lives of Haitians BUT DIDN'T!

I have asked the Catholic archbishop of San Antonio, the Most Reverend José Gomez, to start a campaign to help improve the lives of Haitians.

Earlier I have asked him to urge the Catholic charity, the John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation, to invest in building sturdy hurricane shelters and to help Haitian churches develop an evacuation plan before the next storm hits the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

As the archbishop knows, 80 percent of Haitians call themselves baptised Roman Catholics. I understand His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has sent a message of condolence to those who lost loved ones in the school collapse. May Benedict XVI please urge all of us to live with less so that poor Haiti can have enough to survive in these tough times.

I think Haiti's cup of woe is running over. "Bear ye one another's burden, and so fulfill the love of Christ." We think we are suffering; we don't know even a small fraction of the pain experienced by Haitians. Pray for them, and for us, who will be held accountable for ignoring their pain!

Friday, November 07: God’s justice that was made known through the Law and the Prophets has now been revealed outside the Law, since it is the same justice of God that comes through faith to everyone who believes. Romans 3:21-22 ©

How much can Haiti stand? And how much will we allow Haitians to endure BEFORE we help them meaningfully?

School Collapses in Haiti Capital

Wednesday, November 05: Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful. Colossians 3:14-15 ©

Praise the Lord, we have a new president! Barack Obama has our prayers! May we all join in working and praying for the role the United States plays in securing peace and justice for the entire planet and beyond!

Tuesday, November 04: Is there a poor man among you, one of your brothers, in any town of yours in the land that the Lord your God is giving you? Do not harden your heart or close your hand against that poor brother of yours, but be open-handed with him and lend him enough for his needs. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 ©

Election Day: do your duty, vote! Any may God bless the United States of America! And may the people of the United States honestly help the poor in the world, especially the poor in Haiti and other suffering lands.

Monday, November 03: Brethren, be joyful. Try to grow perfect; help one another. Be united; live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 ©

Sunday, November 02: God has saved us and called us to be holy, not because of anything we ourselves have done but for his own purpose and by his own grace. This grace had already been granted to us, in Christ Jesus, before the beginning of time. 2 Timothy 1:9 ©

I'm not going to give up on insisting that Catholic bishops certify that the people of Haiti – at least 80 percent of them who call themselves Roman Catholics – have an evacuation plan when the next hurricane strikes their country. That's what shepherds do: they have a plan to protect their sheep when they are threatened. It the Roman Catholic bishops want to claim they are authentic shepherds, then let them show me or the world that they have a plan to protect their people when the next storm strikes. Show me! Let them show their people at Catholic Relief Services . . . I'm not talking about mopping up after disaster strikes with a token effort. I'm talking about real plans – workable plans – seeing as how the government of Haiti doesn't seem to know what it is doing! Haitians are REAL people – flesh and blood – just like people anywhere. Real shepherds for real people. Show me! I don't want to read in the newspapers next time another 800 or so souls lost in the storm because they didn't know where to go or what to do except huddle without supplies on the second floor choir loft of an inundated cathedral.

Read the words of the propositions given to Benedict XVI by the synod of bishops just ended at the Vatican. Then tell me I'm crazy because I am asking these same bishops to see to it that their people are protected!

Saturday, November 01: In the spirit, the angel took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven. It had all the radiant glory of God. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. Revelation 21:10-11,22:3-4 ©

Welcome to November.

Please pray for the Christians and all other people of Haiti! They need our prayers and more!

Because of the importance of the Word of God to all Catholics and other Christians, I am reproducing a report on the Synod of Bishops which concluded last week at the Vatican in the presence of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI. Please take the time to prayerfully read what follows:

VATICAN CITY, 25 OCT 2008 (VIS) - The working sessions of the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops concluded this morning with the approval of the 55 propositions which the Synod Fathers have presented to Benedict XVI.

By order of the Pope, a provisional and unofficial Italian-language version of the propositions has been made public by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. This is the second time that Benedict XVI has allowed the publication of the closing propositions of a synodal assembly. Normally the propositions are given privately to the Pope for him to consider while preparing the Apostolic Exhortation, the official closing document of a Synod.

The first part of the list, entitled: "The Word of God in the Faith of the Church" includes the propositions from 3 to 13. They focus on the duty of pastors to educate the faithful to gain a better experience of their relationship with Christ Jesus, through reading and meditation upon Scripture.

After analysing the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, the propositions highlight how the poor, "in need not only of bread but also of the words of life", have a preferential right to know the Gospel.

Referring to one of the "challenges of the modern world: the great progress of science in respect to its knowledge of the natural world, with the paradoxical result that it can end up obscuring the ethical message arising therefrom", the Synod asks pastors "to be sensitive to the rediscovery of natural law and its function in the formation of consciences".

The second part (propositions 14 to 37) focuses on the theme: "The Word of God in the Faith of the Church". On the subject of the Word of God and the liturgy, it is suggested the Bible be placed in a visible position inside churches, and that the Word of God be clearly proclaimed by people who have "familiarity with the dynamics of communication".

On the subject of the homily - one of the major themes of the synodal assembly - the propositions stress the need to prepare it well, bearing in mind the day's biblical readings, what those readings mean to the priest, and what he must then say to the community in the light of their real situation. The need to promote "lectio divina" (the prayerful reading of Scripture) is also emphasised.

The Synod Fathers encourage the laity in their efforts to transmit the faith and, in this context, underline the indispensable role of women, especially within the family, in catechises and in the ministry of the lectorate. They also note that, although the liturgy of the Word is a privileged place for the encounter with Christ, it must not be confused with the liturgy of the Eucharist.

Another of the propositions reflects a suggestion made by the Pope himself: that, in exegesis, it is important to bear in mind the two methodologies indicated by the Dogmatic Constitution "Dei Verbum": the historical and the theological. This is because, as Benedict XVI said in an address during the Synod, "if an hermeneutics of faith is lacking, there necessarily arises a positivist or secularist hermeneutic, according to which the divine does not enter into human history".

The third and final part includes propositions 38 to 54 on: "The Word of God in the Mission of the Church". It deals with such issues as the Word of God and liturgical art, and the translation and distribution of the Bible. These propositions also highlight the importance of the communications media for evangelisation and warn against the danger of a fundamentalist reading of the Bible and the phenomenon of sects.

Other themes considered in this section include inter-religious dialogue, the promotion of pilgrimages, the study of Holy Scripture in the Holy Land, dialogue with Jews and Muslims, and the relationship between the Word and the protection of the environment.

The Synod Fathers call for a strengthening of inter-religious dialogue and insist "that all believers be effectively guaranteed the liberty to profess their religion in private and in public, and that freedom of conscience be recognised". The prelates suggest that episcopal conferences should promote meetings and dialogue with Jews. On the subject of Muslims, they stress the "importance of respect for life, and of the rights of men and of women, as well as the distinction between the socio-political and the religious spheres in promoting justice and peace in the world. An important part of this dialogue will be reciprocity and freedom of conscience and religion", they say.

In the final proposition, dedicated to the Virgin Mary model of the Church's faith, it is suggested that the faithful be further encouraged to pray the Angelus and the Rosary.

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Pay back time is coming for the sins
of our conquering European forefathers

Abduction from Africa
A Memoir by an Ex-Slave

Anyone remember "The Preferential Option for the Poor"?

Yele - Vision

Haitian city encased in mud needs global help

BBC Viewpoint: How to help Haiti

Ideas from Sarah Wilson of the Christian Aid development organization

Donate to
ECHO
to bring glory to God
and a blessing to mankind
by using science and technology to help the poor

Donate to
Haiti Medical Missions of Memphis

Developing Nations Worried About Financial Crisis

"Go Tell the Bishop!"

Comments for October 2008

Comments for September 2008

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Patron Saint of San Antonio