The New Wine Press vol 25 no 10 June 2017 | Page 11

share God’s love with others by sharing our gifts and
talents, to go to the edges and draw all people in!
Many words and phrases from The Joy of the Gospel by
Pope Francis stand out and speak to me. For example:
“The Lord has taken the initiative; he has loved us first,
and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the
initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen
away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcasts.
An evangelizing community gets involved by word and
deed in people’s lives; bridges distances…touching the
suffering flesh of Christ in others. Taking on the ‘smell
of the sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their
voice…standing by people every step of the way, no
matter how difficult or lengthy this may prove to be!”
pbmr is working to transform their neighborhood—
one person, one garden, one community gathering,
one prayer circle, one tree, one flower, one fountain,
one class, one student, one house, one fundraiser at a
time. They go to court hours on end in hope that one
of their incarcerated youth will be resentenced with the
possibility of parole. They sit with the mothers of these
children, listen to their stories and just be with them.
The guys have become friends with faces and names;
their stories have become part of our stories. Tommy
Meyers has a full-time job and is now supporting his
family. Raheem Johnson began working at pbmr two
years ago and realized he was interested in carpentry
and construction and is now enrolled at Daley College
to develop his carpentry skills. And then there is our
friend of three years, Joe, who wasn’t there when we
visited this time. He is in jail.
I close with the beginning of the prayer on the
Emmaus Road: “We give you thanks, God of all good-
ness, for you gather peoples of every race and culture,
and unite them on an uncommon journey of truth and
tenderness, compassion and care. This holy band of
pilgrim people is alive through your spirit. Resplendent
as a sign of the unity you desire for all women and men,
you invite us to give witness to your love as we walk this
road of peace together. Along the way, you invite us to
share the stories, to catch the dreams, to open our hearts
to the fullness of your hope.” Amen! W
Maureen Lahiff, continued from page 7
religious prescription for women to cover up in pub-
lic!) This is a topic that deserves much fuller explora-
tion. Precious Blood parishes are engaging in dialogue.
Dialogue at the local level is crucial and the only start-
ing place that can lead to lasting results.
There are resources in our Catholic faith and in
Precious Blood spirituality that can help us build
bridges of understanding and respect. Since Vatican
Council ii, Catholics have acknowledged that we are
a multi-cultural church and have sought to work to-
wards understanding and appreciating diversity. It still
is not easy, and many parishioners have faced cultural
anxiety—but we are on our way. I think we have to
acknowledge where our relatives and neighbors with
cultural anxiety and fears for their children’s prospects
are coming from. For example, during the recent
election campaign, it was apparent that among some
demographics that the major structural changes in our
economy, with markets becoming global and muscle-
power jobs replaced by automation, are contributing
to cultural anxiety. In addition, the changing roles
of women in the economy and society, and the civil
rights of gays and lesbians are threatening.
What about America as a Christian nation? To me,
there’s a great contrast between the faith of immigrants
from other major faith traditions and the decline in
the practice of Christianity.
It’s really only since Vatican ii that Catholics have
come to accept that people from other faith traditions
will be our neighbors in heaven. The question is still
open, I think, as to whether they will get there because
of their religious practice or in spite of it. Where do
we go from here? We still need to seek the produc-
tive questions, even before we work together toward
answers. More importantly, we need to seek allies. W
Find Us on the Web!
preciousbloodkc.org
Go there for:
Province Events
The Weekly Wine Press
The New Wine Press
and more!
June 2017 • The New Wine Press • 9