HAITI - LEST WE FORGET

From NOLA.com:

Dr. Yvens Laborde saw Louisianians suffering after Hurricane Katrina, and he has seen first-hand the devastation a massive earthquake brought to his native Haiti on Jan. 12.

As difficult as it may be for some New Orleanians and their neighbors to conceive, the medical director at Ochsner Medical Ochsner-West Bank said, the post-storm landscape of the U.S. Gulf Coast pales in comparison with the total devastation in the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region.

But Laborde said he recognizes a common element in the aftermath of both disasters. “A hope that springs eternal,” he calls it.

“I’ve seen the degree of pain and suffering that crosses all boundaries: age, class, pretty much from one spectrum to the other,” Laborde said of Haiti. “Everybody has suffered, everybody has lost a family member, and everyone at this time is in a significant state of mourning and suffering. But I have seen the strength of our spirit, a resilience of our people."

Laborde, whose first post-quake medical mission spanned three weeks, said of his fellow Louisianians: “What I would like for them to do is identify themselves with that journey,” then build on that bond “to partner with Haitians” in recovery.
....

Dr. Charles Rene, a Haitian-born obstetrician-gynecologist, was already on the ground. Rene worked at the undamaged Hospital St. Joseph in La Vellee, a village near Jacmel, where he has for years served as medical director, returning several times a year to provide patient care and supervision. Anthony Allen, a physician’s assistant who specializes in emergency medicine and traveled with the group, said the damage and its effects “were on a much greater scale” than anything he’d seen previously.
....

The communicable diseases are an even greater threat, Laborde said, as the rainy season approaches with so many Haitians having inadequate shelter. “We have to have a way to keep people dry during the rainy season,” he said. Shelters are also an absolute necessity to keep people away from areas vulnerable to mudslides once the rainy season starts. In the meantime, Laborde said, Haitians are sleeping outside, scared of aftershocks collapsing already damaged structures, but still vulnerable to the almost certain mudslides turning the wrecked landscape to an avalanche of rubble and debris.

The scale of the catastrophe in Haiti is far greater in numbers of dead and injured and destruction of infrastructure than the the disasters of Katrina and the federal flood, but I pray that folks in and around New Orleans and in the rest of the country remember and respond appropriately to the dreadful conditions of the people of Haiti who still need our help and will for a long time in the future. I fear that the devastation and the plight of the people in Haiti are fading far too quickly into the mists of memory, despite the fact that the people in the country remain in a desperate situation.

For the Poor and the Neglected

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you all poor and neglected persons in Haiti whom it would be easy for us to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick, and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Oppressed

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in Haiti who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(From The Book of Common Prayer, p. 826, with slight editing)

Here's the link to a video of Dr. Yvens LaBorde talking of his experiences in Haiti.

UPDATE: My charity of choice for aid in Haiti is Episcopal Relief and Development.

A LENTEN DISCIPLINE NEVER MENTIONED

Thus far, the only Lenten discipline that I've mentioned is to attend Evening Prayer, Lenten meditation, and silent reflection on Thursday evenings at my church. I'd made another resolution which I neglected to mention because I forgot. Hmm - why did I forget? The other resolution was to get to church on time, but perhaps I forgot to mention it because deep in my unconscious I knew that was a resolution I was not likely to keep. Yesterday morning, by the time I was dressed and presentable to leave the house, I was late for church. I've been late for several Sundays running, and I was too embarrassed to walk in late again. I told Tom, "I'm not going to church." He was shocked.

I thought for a while and decided that I did not want to miss church on the 1st Sunday of Lent. I went online to look for a church that had an 11:00 AM service. The United Methodist Church offered what I wanted, and I headed for the church. I'd attended one or two organ concerts at the church, but I'd never been to a Methodist service in my whole life, and here was my opportunity to pay a visit. The congregation was the friendliest and most welcoming that I've ever encountered. I was honest about my reason for being there and confessed my habitual sin of tardiness to all. Confessed, and confessed, and confessed. I pray I'm forgiven.

If any of the members of my community at St. John read this post, they will say, "You should have come, late or not!" And I know that they'd mean the words, but I was just too embarrassed, especially after resolving to do better beginning with the 1st Sunday of Lent.

At the Methodist service, we sang some of the old country hymns, which I love like "the Old Rugged Cross", "Blessed Assurance", and "Come Thou Fount". The pastor, the Rev. Donnie Wilkinson, gave a lovely sermon on Matthew 21:1-2, 7-10 and Luke 19:41-45. He made Jesus' journey to Jerusalem come alive, as he described the terrain and the view of the city from Mt. Olivet. It was a good thing for me to pay a visit to the Methodist Church.

To be entirely honest, I must confess that while the service at the Methodist church was lovely, I missed the liturgy of the Eucharist. I thank God often for my church with its frequent Eucharistic celebrations. The Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ are vital to my spiritual life.

What began as a day of failure, at least as I saw it, turned out, in the end, to be not a failure at all, but an opportunity to share worship with fellow Christians in another denomination in my community for which I am thankful.

Romans 8:28

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

"I lose heart"

Rmj at Adventus, in his post titled "There are no atheists in foxholes....", quotes from a soon-to-be-released novel about the Vietnam War. A character in the novel, Cortell, states one of the finest descriptions of faith that I have read or heard - at least of my kind of faith. There it is. In a novel. About Vietnam.

"GOD 'N DOG"

Thanks to Ann for the reminder. I've seen the video elsewhere and thought to post it, but I never got around to it.

SUNDAY FUNNIES

New in Church

After the service a young couple talked to a church member about joining the church. He hadn't met the husband before, and he asked what church he was transferring from.

After a short hesitation, he replied,"I am transferring from the Municipal Golf Course."


The Sermon

A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?"


The Boasting Boys

Three boys are in the schoolyard bragging about their fathers. The first boy says, "My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, they give him $50."

The second boy says, "That's nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, they give him $100."

The third boy says, "I got you both beat. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a sermon. And it takes eight people to collect all the money!"


Instruction About Church

A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"

Annie replied, "Because people are sleeping."

STORY OF THE DAY - SIGHTSEEING

You're not going to see people like this
again for a long time, he said & I
said I always saw people like this & he looked
at me for a moment & said, You're not
from around here, are you?


From StoryPeople.

IS THE PUBLIC OPTION STILL ALIVE?

Over the past week, senators -- 18 so far -- have been signing on to a letter urging Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass a public option using reconciliation. Today, Reid finally spoke on the matter, releasing a statement through a spokesman.

"If a decision is made to use reconciliation to advance health care, Senator Reid will work with the White House, House and members of his caucus in an effort to craft a public option that can overcome procedural obstacles and secure enough votes," the statement reads.

Democracy for America puts the number at 20 senators. DFA lists the senators who have signed the letter.

I hate to get my hopes up again, because I fear that health care reform including the public option will not be enacted, although polls show that the people overwhelmingly support health care WITH a public option. Apparently, even if the House and the Senate could agree on the form which the health care bill will take, there are procedural hurdles that will need to be crossed that may require 60 votes.

The leaders in the House and Senate could reach a point at which they will have to decide whether to call for a vote knowing that the vote will be close and not knowing the outcome with certainty. Neither the leadership nor the members like uncertainty. The conventional wisdom is that if the Democrats lose the vote, they will suffer a humiliating defeat that will carry them to defeat in the elections later this year.

My thought is if the Democrats do nothing, they will suffer a humiliating defeat at the polls. I'd rather see the Democrats fight for health reform with the public option and lose, rather than do nothing. At least, they will have fought the good fight. Others disagree and believe that a win must be certain before moving to a vote.

What do you think?

From the WashingtonMonthly:

Gallup reported this week on the states with the highest and lowest rates of church attendance. The results fell largely along regional lines: "Mississippians were the most frequent churchgoers in the nation in 2009, as was the case in 2008, with 63% of residents attending weekly or almost every week. Nine of the top 10 states in church attendance are in the South; the only non-Southern state is Utah, with 56% frequent attendance. At the other end of the spectrum, 23% of Vermont residents attend church frequently, putting it at the bottom of the list of churchgoing states. Other states at the bottom of the church attendance list are in either New England or the West."

Check out the charts at the Gallup link.

FEAST OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS - PROPHETIC WITNESS

He was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, "I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong."
....

Douglass produced some regular abolitionist newspapers, including The North Star. Its motto was "Right is of no Sex — Truth is of no Color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."

From Satucket.


John 8:30-32

As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’

Readings:

Psalm 85:7-13
Isaiah 32:11-18
Hebrews 2:10-18
John 8:30-32


PRAYER

Almighty God, whose truth makes us free: We bless your Name for the witness of Frederick Douglass, whose impassioned and reasonable speech moved the hearts of a president and a people to a deeper obedience to Christ. Strengthen us also to be outspoken on behalf of those in captivity and tribulation, continuing in the Word of Jesus Christ our Liberator; who with you and the Holy Spirit dwells in glory everlasting. Amen.

Picture from Wiki.

JUST POOR JUDGMENT

From the Kansas City Star:

Two former high-level Bush administration officials who provided legal justification for harsh interrogations of overseas terror suspects are likely to escape any formal punishment now that the Justice Department has concluded they should not be held legally responsible.

In a long-awaited report released early Friday evening, Deputy Associate Attorney General David Margolis said that former department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee should not have their law licenses revoked as a consequence of their legal advice to the Bush administration signing off on the controversial interrogation methods.

In a 69-page legal memo, Margolis concluded "that these memos contained significant flaws. But as all that glitters is not gold, all flaws do not constitute professional misconduct. ... I conclude that Yoo and Bybee exercised poor judgment by overstating the certainty of their conclusions and underexposing countervailing arguments."

So. The Bush administration lawyers who advised that "enhanced interrogation techniques" were allowable will suffer no consequences, not even loss of their licenses.

Obama ordered no more torture, but what kind of precedent is set by the decision to let these men off the hook? What about a future president who decides that torture is permissible?