According to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 15 percent of U.S. households, 17.4 million families, or approximately 50 million people, were too poor to buy enough food for themselves last year, 2009. More than one-third of these families, with as many as a million children, were missing meals on a regular basis. These numbers have TRIPLED since 2006.. The poverty rate in THIS COUNTRY -OUR COUNTRY - has increased greatly over the last three years. Now in OUR COUNTRY, over 50 million people live below the official poverty line.
In some cases, people have caused this to happen to themselves by their own greed, laziness, and ignorance. Yet, the children involved did NOT choose to be hungry. Any of you reading this, can get up, walk over to your refrigerator or pantry, and get more than enough to eat. All of us will enjoy good, healthy, and plentiful food this holiday season. I encourage you to do something this week about hungry children:
a) Contribute to your local food pantry;
b) Contribute to FEED AMERICA;
c) When you shop, take advantage of whatever programs that store has (add money to your bill; buy extra items then put in a food box);
d) Contact the Governor of your state and tell him/her that you want him/her to make the issue of child hunger a priority.
There is something that everyone of us can do this week - THIS WEEK! - to feed those who are hungry in our midst.

Last week, the State of Illinois proudly announced that it had finally paid its bills. The State sent 1.2 billion dollars to schools, hospitals, counseling/mental health centers, substance abuse treatment agencies, rehabiliation programs. The 1.2 billion was for money the State of Illinois owed from LAST fiscal year ending June 30th. The State of Illinois presently owes over 5 billion dollars (yes, BILLION) for services performed THIS fiscal year, and has not paid these bills.
The State of Illinois legislature and the Governor spent several weeks in Springfield recently. We paid their salaries and daily expenses for all that time. Did they work on paying what the State owes to people? No. Did they work on creating jobs for the unemployed? No. Did they try to help children and families who are hungry? No. Instead, the legislature and Governor spent all their time, and our money, on CIVIL UNIONS!
Recently, the "Chicago Sun-Times" wrote an article on the crisis in ERs (Emergency Rooms) in the Chicago area.Many of these ERs are often on "by-pass"(the ER is full and cannot take any ambulance patients). This is actually a nation-wide crisis. The problem is that because over a million people in Illinois do NOT have health care insurance, if they get sick or need medical help, where do they go? To the closest ER. Why? Because without insurance, no doctors or clinics will treat these people. Did our State government, many of them re-elected, work on this problem? No. Do they have any plans to do something about this health crisis? No.
People who have health insurance think,"this does not involve me; I have health insurance." Wrong! Even if you have health insurance, if the ER is full of people without insurance, you have to wait - hours!!!! - for treatment just like everyone else. Is there a solution? Yes, it is called JOBS! The elected officials in the State of Illinois should have one priority: getting people back to work! Is the State of Illinois doing this. No. Worse, the Governor announced this week that the State of Illinois "jobs program" is closing down. Apparently, the people in State government in Illinois thought you more concerned about Civil Unions than in being able to work and earn a living.

"I want to do something to help people. Where can I start?" Here is a simple answer that any and all of us can do.

Right now in the U.S. Congress, there is a Bill, HR 5575: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victim Support Act of 2010. Basically this Bill if it becomes law will do two things:
1) It would give grants to law enforcement agencies in this country to create a victim centered approach to saving kids who are being trafficked into the sex business, and
2) It would fund improvements to the National Crime Information Center to track missing and expoited children. Also the bill asks states to treat victims of sex trafficking as crime victims rather than criminal defendants.
Contact your U.S. Representative and the two U.S. Senators from your home state (in Illinois, Durbin and Kirk) to support this bill. You would think that everyone in the Congress would want to support this. NO! Some people have said, "it costs too much money!" Let these people know what YOU think! (By the way, just in case you are curious, over 10,000 children under the age of 16 are trafficked in the sex business in OUR country!)
www.triadladderofhope.org
www.ecpat
www.notforsalecampaign.org
www.humantrafficking.org

On Dec.2, 1980, four U.S. followers of Jesus working with the poor in El Salvador -Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and lay missionary Jean Donovan - were kidnapped, raped, and murdered by soldiers of El Salvador. The U.S. Army had trained and supported the El Salvador Army.
The Salvadoran soldiers raped and killed the women to give a "message" to anyone who cared for the poor people of that country: If you help the poor, this will happen to you! The army had been stealing, raping, and killing thousands of the poor of their own country for many years. The U.S. government knew this, and continued to assist the Army. The four women were not foolish. They knew the risks of working with the poor people. However, all four turned down requests from their families to leave. Why? Because they believed it was important to be a "witness"( martyr) to the people that Jesus does not abandon the "least of his brothers and sisters".
Jean Donovan had worked with the deaf community in Cleveland, OH before she went to work in El Salvador. She was not a religious Sister. She did not have to be there, but chose to do this despite the risks involved. After the four bodies of the women were found, officials in the U.S. Government and the Salvadoran government BLAMED THE FOUR WOMEN! These people said that the women should not have gotten involved with the poor and suffering of that country! The women knew better. They chose to follow the Lord Jesus and serve their poor brothers and sisters.
Thirty years later, there is still much injustice, oppression, rape and murder of the poor, the disabled, the forgotten of Central and South America.. Pray for all those who suffer such injustice. Pray for those brave men and women who continue to proclaim the Gospel, "the good news of Jesus", to those who are innocent and suffer so terribly.

The feast of Blessed Charles De Founcauld is December 1st. Chalres certainly did NOT start out his life as a holy man. he was truly a playboy! When he joined the French Foreign Legion in Africa, he brought his mistress with him and kept drinking! The army threw him out, and he returned to his family in disgrace. However, his time in the desert and near the Arab people touched something deep inside him. He returned to the deserts of Morocco and Algeria in a disguise.He spent a long time travelling on foot, making maps of his journeys. When he returned to France and gave his reports, he became a hero.

However, he now was hungry for something deeper inside him. He gave up his drinking and his sexual behavior. He went to Confession to ask God to forgive his many sins. After that, he began a long journey of prayer, reading the Bible, and silence. He went to work as a janitor for a convent in the Holy Land. Later, he was ordained a priest. He asked to be assigned to the farthest, most remote place in the desert of Morocco to work with people who knew nothing about Jesus Christ.
He spent his last years away from his family, totally serving the needs of the Tuareg peoples of the desert. He learned their language and customs. He spent many days and nights praying silently to God. Sadly, in 1916, a young boy shot and killed him in a robbery attempt, an ironic crime since Charles owned nothing! For many people, his life seemed a waste since he did not even convert one person to become a Christian. Yet, to this day, many people are devoted to his life of service and prayer, and inspired by his life of sacrifice for the Gospel. the pope declared him "Blessed" only one step away from becoming a saint. His favorite prayer that he wrote is also a prayer I offer everyday:
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; to do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do; I thank you: I am ready for all; I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender
myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

Beginning this Sunday, November 28th, the Church changes its readings for Mass on Sundays. During this coming year, the Gospel readings for most Sundays will be from St. Matthew. In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is not shy to warn people that God will judge each person for what he/she has done in this life. This is especially true in chapters 23-25. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Matthew 24:37-44, Jesus states clearly that the world, one day, will end.
Will everyone get to heaven and enjoy everlasting life and love? No. What about God's love and mercy? God IS very merciful and filled with love. However, there are people whose business is "death." Unless these people are willing to repent, they will not see heaven. Why? Because heaven is about LIFE, and these people have chosen DEATH. Who are these people? They are the people who...
....stole billions of dollars selling mortgages, trading them away, defrauding people who bought homes, the same people now losing their homes in foreclosures;
....as politicians accept bribes, make "insider deals" that rob tax payers, hire friends and families for jobs that they never do, who allowed the bankers and real estate people to steal billions and leave everyone else poor and desperate; they do nothing to feed the hungry, care for the homeless, assist those suffering physical and emotional pain, especially the children of our world (read Matthew 25:31-46);their idea of saving money is to cut programs for children and the poor; cover up corruption and dishonesty at all levels of government;
....run scams that defraud elderly people and disabled people of their life savings; the same people who steal money from good people by pretending to need help and who never pay back a cent;
....make and sell child pornography; who use children in sex videos and pictures; who destroy families by selling illegal drugs (Matthew 18:5-11);
....people who have the responsibility to care for children especially in detention centers,mental health programs, rehabilitation sites; and instead abuse and mistreat these children; allow these children to abuse and mistreat one another; give no real therapy or care; when the children leave their "care", the children are worse off than when they entered the institutions and programs;
....use religion as an excuse for their own need for violence, hatred, abuse, and desire for power and control;
....deny that God has anything to do with their lives. They believe that they can continue to go through life, only taking care of themselves, making millions off the sufferings of the rest of humanity and God does not notice or care. Matthew 16:24-27.
These people are fools. They face a judgement from which there is no escape. They cannot claim ignorance. They cannot pretend they did not know what they were doing. They certainly will not be able to bribe God. Their business was DEATH. They will reap what they sowed.

On November 9, 1938, thousands of Nazis and their supporters in Germany...
burned down 177 synagogues...destroyed 7,500 Jewish businesses...killed almost 100 Jewish people and injured hundreds more...burned thousands of Bibles, Jewish books of poetry, philosophy, and religious teachings.This night is known as Kristallnacht ("the night of broken glass").
While the Nazis and their friends did this, millions of Germans stood by and let this happen. This means that millions of Christians including Catholic bishops, priests, and lay people did nothing while this was happening.. So, the Nazis then decided that they could do whatever they wanted. Because "good"people did not protest and tell the Nazis, "what you are doing is wrong", the Nazis then....
....killed 6 million Jews; 20 million Russians; thousands and thousands of Poles,Lithuanians, Greeks, and so many others;
....conducted horrible experiments on deaf children and adults; other children and adults with disabilities; raped hundreds of thousands of women and young children;
....imprisoned, tortured, and killed thousands of Catholic priests, Sisters, Brothers, and lay leaders;
....murdered anyone identified as "gay", "retarded", a "gypsy","mentally ill", an "undesirable person".
There is an important lesson for all of us TODAY! There are people in OUR country, people who call themselves "good citizens," "patriots", etc who believe that...
....immigrants are "enemies";
....people who are deaf or disabled should not have the protection of laws like ADA, IDEA;
....gay/lesbian people are evil and should not be respected as persons;
....people who are born with diseases or disabilities (Pre-Existing conditions) should not be allowed to get health insurance because they are "a burden";
....people who dress differently or speak differently or live differently or worship differently than "normal" people are suspect;
....people who are poor and suffering are poor and suffering because it's their own fault;
....people with mental illnesses are the same as criminals and should be locked up;
....these "good citizens" know God's Will and can decide what God wants for the world, no matter what harm that brings to other people.
The people who stood by while the Nazis did these terrible deeds in the end themselves suffered because they did nothing to stop this evil. The same thing will happen to us if we allow people in power to treat others, especially the poor, the vulnerable, the weak with injustice and inhumanity.

In 1951, a young Jesuit missionary arrived in Japan. He went there to convert the Japanese to Christianity. Instead, over a number of years, he began to learn from the people of the Orient the value of religious dialogue and sharing. He became one of the world's great experts on mystical prayer and contemplation. His name was Fr. William Johnson, S.J. He died in Tokyo, October 12th.
For me, he was one of my "teachers" in the life of prayer. I never met the man, but considered him a true "spiritual guide" in life. I tried to read everything he wrote. He authored a number of books, SILENT MUSIC, STILL POINT, the INNER EYE OF LOVE. His translation of THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING is still considered one of the best available. (The CLOUD OF UNKNOWING is a book written hundreds of years ago about prayer.) I consider his book BEING IN LOVE the best book I have ever read about prayer. I re-read it often.
In addition, Fr. Johnson emphasized in articles and talks that we need to continue to reach out to other religions - Buddhism, Islam, etc - is we are to ever achieve true peace in our world.
I learned of Fr. Johnson's death over the weekend. This morning, I will celebrate Mass for him. Like many Jesuits, he was a man devoted to serving the Lord, and keeping his heart and mind open to what the Lord is trying to teach us. I grieve that there will be no more writings from him. I celebrate that his life and his own devotion to prayer will remain a model for me for whatever time the Lord allows.

The elections are over for Congress for another two years. No matter who is in Congress, there are TWO laws that we must fight to protect:
The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) for Special Education.
Sadly, some of the people elected to Congress have said that they wish to get rid of the ADA. (Yes, these people actually said that the ADA should be eliminated!) Without the ADA, we will return to the time when the government ignored the rights of deaf people and people with disabilities. We will go back to a time when there were no qualified interpreters in hospitals, courts, and police stations; no programs for mental health for deaf people; no Centers for Independent Living (CIL). People don't believe this can happen.
Yes, it can. Some of those elected to Congress do not believe that deaf people or people with disabilities should have any laws to protect their rights. Some of these people do NOT believe in funding special education for children with disabilities. And these same people want to get rid of the part of the Health Care Law that helps people with disabilities(pre-existing conditions) get health insurance. What to do?
Giving up is not a choice. WE must all work to protect the rights of people who are deaf and or disabled. How? Learn the email address and mailing address of your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. Make sure you continue to remind these people that you will NOT accept cuts or weakening of the ADA and IDEA. You will not accept changing the Health Care law to keep people from disabilities(pre-existing conditions) from getting health insurance. Everyone must continue to work to protect the rights of people with disabilities (especially children with disabilities).

SAT, 10/16: I arrived back in Guatemala City at 8am after a four hour drive.. The city was very busy because everyone in Guatemala works on Saturday as a working day. The wedding was at 11am, in a wonderful, small church. I celebrated the wedding Mass for ERIC & RAE in spoken Emglish, ASL, and spoken Spanish. There was a very good Guatemalan sign-language interpreter who translated me into Guatemalan sign. We had about 15 deaf at the wedding.Some knew ASL. Many had never met a Catholic priest who could sign. Several remembered FR. JOE BRUCE who once worked in Guatemala.
The reception afterwards was wonderful. The "champagne" toast was with apple juice; no alcohol. The meal was simple, but very tasty food. We had a fellow playing music and everyone was up dancing...for hours! Nobody sat down. I had the opportunity to talk with the young deaf adults from Guatemala. Many of them are working, but would like to leave Guatemala. The pay is low; there are no laws like the ADA to protect deaf people. The government of the country does not care about its own people. There is a lot of violence.The gangs there are worse than the gangs here.
Yet, at the same time, these were people who have a beautiful spirit. They smile, laugh, enjoy the simple things in life. They dance, and truly appreciate their families and friends. They have great faith in God. Sometimes in America, we have so much. We forget the simple beauty of life. We forget to be grateful for all we have and the wonderful country we live in. There is much suffering in Guatemala; there is immense faith among the people.
If you wish to learn more about the truth of what the Guatemala people face, go to:
www.nisgua.org wwwghrc-usa.org