Leadership , continued from page 3 Editor , continued from page 3 “ a little crazy .” Our corporate statements on the death penalty , gun violence , and immigration are a few examples of our willingness to continue this work in our time and place .
Wayne Lo describes how easy it was to get access to guns and ammunition for him to carry out his rampage 25 years ago in Massachusetts . “ I was able to just take a taxi and go to the gun store . I said , ‘ I want this sks rifle .’ And it ’ s incredible how easy it was . The people on the phone where I ordered the ammunition from said , ‘ Thank you very much for your purchase . We ’ ll get it out as soon as we can to you .’” unusually long , and later , as she used the wheelchair more and more , she understood why . In the chair , she became invisible .… People looked over her , around her , through her . They withdrew . It was the craziest thing . She had the same keen mind , the same quick wit . But most new acquaintances didn ’ t notice , because most no longer bothered to .” She said she was sure that people saw the wheel chair and assumed she was mentally incapacitated . “‘ Doctors ’ offices are the worst ,’ she added , describing how she is not acknowledged when receptionists address whoever ’ s pushing her . ‘ Does this lady have an appointment ?’ ‘ Does this lady have her medical card ?’”
Not a whole lot has changed on this issue in the last 25 years . The means to perpetrate hatred and violence in our world are readily available . Finding and implementing ways that lead to forgiveness and peace are more difficult to come by .
It looks like we still have a lot of work to do . No wonder the reporter had to issue a warning before the program aired : “ This story may be hard for some listeners to hear .” There are difficult challenges for us to address .
Our discussions the past several months have centered on the theme of establishing a “ New Creation .” This is not to be understood as coming up with a new purpose for our Community . Rather it must be seen as a way of organizing and utilizing our resources as a Precious Blood family to continue the work of renewal and reconciliation .
Questions have been raised as to whether we have a viable future . There definitely is a future for us in terms of the opportunity for continuing to engage in the ministry Gaspar envisioned . The work and the challenges to work for justice , peace , and reconciliation are there . No need for us to worry about ever being unemployed ! The more difficult question confronting us is whether we are willing to do what is necessary for us to organize ourselves to be involved as fully as possible in this ministry .
I am encouraged by what has taken place over the course of the last several months . The willingness of the various aspects of our Precious Blood family to do what is necessary to move forward is encouraging . �
So many invisible people , marginalized in so many ways . And as the above example illustrates , some are not as obvious or immediately apparent as others . Another article in this issue is by Alia Sisson , one of our current group of volunteers . She works at Legal Aid of Western Missouri , an outreach to underserved people in need of legal help . As she explains , this includes victims of domestic violence — often another category of “ invisibles .” All of our volunteers are by design placed in sites where the marginalized are served — Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation , Cristo Rey High School , Bishop Sullivan Center , KC Care Clinic . This is our charism and mission statement in action .
Pope Francis , in his Christmas Midnight Mass homily last year , alluded to other " invisibles " when he said : “ Let us allow the Child in the manger to challenge us , but let us also allow ourselves to be challenged by the children of today ’ s world , who are not lying in a cot caressed with the affection of a mother and father , but rather suffer the squalid ‘ mangers that devour dignity ’: hiding underground to escape bombardment , on the pavements of a large city , at the bottom of a boat overladen with immigrants . Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the children who are not allowed to be born , by those who cry because no one satiates their hunger , by those who do have not toys in their hands , but rather weapons .”
He went on to say , “ He is born in Bethlehem , which means ‘ house of bread .’ In this way , he seems to tell us that he is born as bread for us ; he enters life to give us his life ; he comes into our world to give us his love .… Thus , there is a direct thread joining the manger continued on page 11
4 • The New Wine Press • January 2018