[Vision2020] for the season . . .

[keely emerinemix]

Visionaires,

Well, it's that time of the year again -- the holidays have begun and with it both the joys of faith, family and friends as well as the sorrow of despair, neglect, and materialism.   It's easy to get caught up in the "stuff" that surrounds the holiday season, and it's bewildering to contemplate how Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior -- born in a stable far from home to a poor, wandering, socially disenfranchised family -- by racking up thousands of dollars of debt, indulging in the richest food and drink, and plunging headlong into the grotesque excesses of consumer culture.  It's beyond bewildering -- it's unnerving and even revolting -- when Christian pastors teach that the celebration of Jesus' birth is best expressed by endless feasting, fancy decoration and sparkling adornments, abundant food and drink, and an emphasis on the material.  I think there's probably something better out there, and this describes it well.  It's my Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year wish for all of you:


A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
to turn their pain into joy

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in the world
so that you can do what others claim cannot be done
to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor

I wish you all the very best of what cannot be wrapped, hung by a chimney, or placed under a tree.

Keely



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