Faith and Science (and climate change).

In keeping with the idea that inspired the the name of my blog, these are my notes from the

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEETING“FAITH AND SCIENCE: TOWARDS COP26”
Hall of Benediction
Monday, 4 October 2021.

What follows are not my words but excerpts from the the address in order; the ellipses represent where I left out material.

The result I think presents a nice complete summary. Worth sharing and thinking about.

We recognize the signs of divine harmony present in the natural world…

…in an attitude of openness to interdependence and sharing…

We cannot act alone, for each of us is fundamentally responsible to care for others and for the environment… This commitment should lead to an urgently needed change of direction, nurtured also by our respective religious beliefs and spirituality… …openness to interdependence springs from the very mystery of … God: “The human person grows more, matures more and is sanctified more to the extent that he or she enters into relationships, going out from themselves to live in communion with God, with others and with all creatures…

…together many cultures and spiritualities in a spirit of fraternity, can only strengthen our realization that we are members of one human family. Each of us has his or her religious beliefs and spiritual traditions, but no cultural, political or social borders or barriers prevent us from standing together. To illumine and direct this openness, let us commit ourselves to a future shaped by interdependence and co-responsibility.

This commitment must constantly be driven by the dynamism of love, for “in the depths of every heart, love creates bonds and expands existence, for it draws people out of themselves and towards others”.   Love’s driving force, however, is not set in motion once for all; it needs to be renewed daily. That is one of the great contributions that our religious and spiritual traditions can make to help bring about this much needed change of course.

Love is the mirror of an intense spiritual life: a love that extends to all, transcending cultural, political and social boundaries; a love that is inclusive, concerned especially for the poor, who so often teach us how to overcome the barriers of selfishness and to break down the walls of our ego…

The challenge to work for a culture of care for our common home, but also for ourselves, is one that inspires hope, for surely humanity has never possessed as many means for achieving this goal as it possesses today. We can face this challenge… (by)… example and action, and education. Inspired by our religious beliefs and spiritual traditions, we can make important contributions in both these areas. Many opportunities present themselves, as the Joint Appeal clearly notes in pointing to the various educational and training programmes (sic) that we can develop to promote care for our common home.

That care is also a call to respect: respect for creation, respect for our neighbour, respect for ourselves and for the Creator, but also mutual respect between faith and science, in order to enter into a mutual “dialogue for the sake of protecting nature, defending the poor, and building networks of respect and fraternity”. [5]

Respect, in this sense, is more than an abstract and passive recognition of others. It is an empathetic and active experience of desiring to know others and to enter into dialogue with them, in order to walk together on a common journey. For, as the Appeal goes on to state, “what we can achieve depends not only on opportunities and resources, but also on hope, courage and good will”…

Lessons In Grief: What 25 Years Without My Father Has Taught Me

I was 11 years old. I was so young that I remember playing with Legos on the family room floor. At the time, I found it a point of pride to answer …

Lessons In Grief: What 25 Years Without My Father Has Taught Me

Salman Rushdie Ask Yourself Which Books You Truly Love

www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/opinion/sunday/salman-rushdie-world-literature.html

Film Snapshot: Megan’s psalm in ‘Pale Rider’

Film Snapshot: Megan’s psalm in ‘Pale Rider’
— Read on intheopen.blogspot.com/2010/08/film-snapshot-megans-psalm-in-pale.html

Have We No Decency? A Response to President Trump – Washington National Cathedral

Have We No Decency? A Response to President Trump – Washington National Cathedral
— Read on cathedral.org/have-we-no-decency-a-response-to-president-trump.html

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/08/the-radical-case-for-teaching-kids-stuff/592765/

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-the-pulpit-with-rabbi-david-wolpe/id1112396528

Mis Zapatos Colorado

I’ve been going through “stuff”. I came across this drawing I made in November 1983 about 6 months after I finished Drawing 101 during the final semester of college. I wish I had documented my thoughts at the time. Alas, I didn’t. But I suspect the shoes drawn are the last of dozens of identical pairs I wore during college. I wanted to capture the symbolism but not necessarily the exact circumstances of what these shoes, all of the other pairs just like them, represent.

I know I am no budding artist and never have envisioned myself as such.

I’m more inclined to put words on paper and craft images that way than I am to draw actual pictures. I am much more comfortable with a camera too. All and all, there is a special significance to this drawing that leaves me intrigued. I am positive that initially, I was simply passing time when I drew this picture. Any iconic effect has come about in retrospect.

My journal entries certainly capture the roller coaster of emotions and activities of college. In many ways, I suspect, I hope, I was no different than my peers in that sense.

These shoes certainly capture experience that is particular to me, even if others know parts of the story or can glean understanding of it from knowing me.

I changed shoes like clockwork every two weeks during the academic year all four years of college. This style of shoe ‘worked best.’ I am not being nostalgic or sentimental when I think about how much walking I did, let alone how I navigated the hills and valleys of a campus near the confluence of two rivers in Ohio. All during the days when mainstreaming was relatively new. I have never ignored or downplayed the physical effort it took. I’ll be honest, I simply did what I had to do. The physical wear and tear (stress) was real. No sense in denying fact. Yes, this icon evokes memories of timing the distance between dorm and academic mall and to-the-minute details between each destination. I readily recall the realization that my physical limitations were often bounded within the 3 to 4 four-block area of campus with occasional long walks beyond the confines of 4th to 7th Streets and back, up and downhill. No mythical uphill both ways for me. I still feel the scrape of tumbling down Timblin hill and feel the suck of the mud as it robbed me of one or both shoes, more than once. I take solace in the knowledge that even fully able-bodied folks suffered the same tragedy, like me, sober and not. I pity today’s students who don’t have that experience because the college has since provided a bridge from Timblin Field ( or whatever it’s called today) to Ban Johnson Field House,

I am, 36 years later, still acutely aware that Cerebral Palsy defines parameters of who I am and how others perceive me and assess what I can and am willing to do and how I perceive myself. However, Cerebral Palsy also helped create the legendary tales of skidding down Putnam Street luge-style on an icy trip home from hanging around a frat house, as well as questionable rumours of careening the brick- paved streets in grocery carts. Not all the trips to and from wherever were lonely treks from Mecca (a local bar) and other such oases and home. In fact, these shoes helped me ascend several rooftops and surmount the DP stairs. And, if the timing and pace were just right, I could “ do the steps “ from Beech to Russell, which didn’t have a handrail, “boom, boom, boom, 1, 2 3, …4, 5, 6” in stride all by myself. Just don’t talk or distract me. In more ways than not, these shoes symbolize independence like I had never experienced before or have since. That’s the reason this drawing has survived periodic “ pitch and throw” episodes.

The picture is imprecise, in part because of Cerebral Palsy related eye to hand coordination issues. But, I like the imperfections, because they speak to the reality of my existence. Don’t get the wrong impression: it is nice to realize that the struggle has been worth every step. It is pleasing to know that my friends and family notice. I still appreciate that my college recognized the endeavour I faced; I was awarded a prize at graduation for student ‘most determined to graduate in spite of conditions which made it challenging.’ I won’t deny the veracity of the sentiment entirely. I caution once more, at the time, I did what I thought I could do and what needed to be done. I’m gifted, yes; determined, yes, but, not so much different from many, if not most, others.

I felt the need to complete the picture to acknowledge the iconic power of the image. These were my shoes (mis zapatos) and they tell MY story. It is up to me to provide just enough color to define the image (colorado).

Jesus Was a Socialist | Chuck McKnight

Many Christians think socialism is at odds with their faith. But Jesus taught (and the early church modeled) principles very much in line with socialist thinking. Let’s take a look at the many things Jesus had to say on this subject.
— Read on www.patheos.com/blogs/hippieheretic/2019/03/jesus-was-a-socialist.html