I can’t quite take in the good news of the mid-term elections. Can’t quite believe that at last we have voted out of Congress the Republican extremists and have taken a decisive step to halt the Bush Administration’s “preemptive” war strategy in Iraq, which has unleashed such terror and destruction of life. The recent Johns Hopkins survey of civilian deaths in Iraq estimates 655,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since March 2003. Others estimate that as many as one million Iraqi people have been killed. And, of course, we hold in our hearts the anguish of the 3,000 plus American families who have lost loved ones in this horrible war (not to mention the thousands of wounded).
I was heartened to hear that in the elections one third of white evangelicals shifted their votes away from Republican extremists. Much of the thanks for that decisive shift should go to Jim Wallis. He’s written books and done a zillion speaking engagements all over this land for the last 20 years to help people get Jesus right. Not to mention helping people get solid biblical literacy under their belt. On biblical literacy we can only go up. Over 70 percent of Americans think you can find “God helps those who help themselves” in the Bible. Worse, 12 percent of Americans identify Joan of Arc as Noah’s wife! The God-is-on-my-side-so-I-can-do-no-wrong-and-my-enemy-can-do-no-right mentality has led us into the present quagmire.
But simply because Democrats will now lead Congress doesn’t mean we citizens can go slack. Democrats are every bit as prone as Republicans to shift with the political wind and to act out of expediency rather than principle. Now, more than ever, we need to be actively engaged in dialogue with elected leaders to shape policies of peace and justice for all.
Wow, it is humbling to be able to write to you–with words I know you’ll read.It is a blessing. I am putting together a documentary on forgiveness–the chasm that has been the residue of this war is huge…and it’s between pride/hurt and forgiveness. Sister, I believe that this documentary is my calling, that people need to see the power of forgiveness! As Jesus would forgive! I know you have a long waiting list of speaking engagements…but we would love to wait and eventually document you and you’re take on this war and the role that forgiveness plays in it…do u have any suggestions?
God Bless You always Sr. Prejean
Jamie Lynn Utitus
ps – i mention u on my blog…check it out! forgiveusall.blogspot.com
ps – i mention u on my blog…check it out! forgiveusall.blogspot.com
Sr. Prejean
I am talking a class about the prisons in america at Towson University,Baltimore MD
i am very sorry that you have shifted form your simple idea of helping people to the death row inmates, like they need God more than some poor people that are suffering everyday in our neighberhoods. I am from Albania and maybe you know, that we come from a third world counrty where poverty is our nature, and living is a luxury, surviving is the reality.When i said that you shifted from your idea i meant that in the beginning of your “proffession” as a nun you were living step by step with the poors and hating and blame the society for not helping, the same society that now for some reason it is acceptable to you, to dinne and talk to them, sure you can blame the goverment for the action in Iraq or anywhere else in the world but, how many time have you been in Iraq since you know for a fact that 165000 people have die so far, since when the religion care so much about the politics in this counrty other that concentrate to the basic principles of helping the people in need. I was one of them and God was not there,never came to Albania and he never will be. To talk about human behavior and culture is a different thing but to blame the goverment for causing the deaths in Iraq is totally wrong, is not us anymore is their system and each other. Taking the limo, flying first class, dinning with the upperclass of our society is a luxury not a solution. If you like to know the solution all you have to do ask for it the wright way.
Sorry for the criticizem, but this is how i feel and i dont even know you.
Your God can bless you!?
Dear Sister Helen,
I am still amazed by the fact that you can gloat over a Democrat election improvements. What that really means is,now the culture of death can continue. Democrats such as yourself will still be able to advocate the killing of partially born children. Another famous Sister… Mother Theresa once said, ” How can you know peace in the world, if you are willing to tolerate the murder of the unborn”. Sister, you are a Catholic nun, we Catholics deserve to have sisters who are willing to have speak up for all of God’s children, not just the ones who vote Demoncratic.
I am looking for your scripture quotes? I am looking for your religion? I am looking for Christ in your blog. All I find is anger.
I just wanted to say I commend you for your love of humanity even when it is a cost to you personally. What a wonderful testament.
Dear Sister Helen,
I was noticing on your website your membership and support for Earth Literacy. This is a non-Christian, pan-theistic pagan and/or New Age organization. Why do you support such a wacky group? You should be ashamed of yourself to lending your vocational creedance to this outfit.
When are you going to get your act together?
Dear Sister
Helen, I thought you may be interested in this book. This Book Changed my mind about the Death Penalty. I feel the more people know about these issues maybe some things will change. At one time I wrote this about the book I read…. Who And Where Is Dennis Fritz, You may say after reading John Grisham’s Wonderful Book “The Innocent man”, Grisham’s First non-fiction book. The Other Innocent Man hardly mentioned in “The Innocent Man” has his own compelling and fascinating story to tell in “Journey Toward Justice”. John Grisham endorsed Dennis Fritz’s Book on the Front Cover. Dennis Fritz wrote his Book Published by Seven Locks Press, to bring awareness about False Convictions, and The Death Penalty. “Journey Toward Justice” is a testimony to the Triumph of the Human Spirit and is a Stunning and Shocking Memoir. Dennis Fritz was wrongfully convicted of murder after a swift trail. The only thing that saved him from the Death Penalty was a lone vote from a juror. “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham is all about Ronnie Williamson, Dennis Fritz’s was his co-defendant. Ronnie Williamson was sentenced to the Death Penalty. Both were exonerated after spending 12 years in prison. Both Freed by a simple DNA test, The real killer was one of the Prosecution’s Key Witness. John Grisham’s “The Innocent Man” tells half the story. Dennis Fritz’s Story needs to be heard. Read about how he wrote hundreds of letters and appellate briefs in his own defense and immersed himself in an intense study of law. He was a school teacher and a ordinary man from Ada Oklahoma, whose wife was brutally murdered in 1975. On May 8, 1987 while raising his young daughter alone, he was put under arrest and on his way to jail on charges of rape and murder. Since then, it has been a long hard road filled with twist and turns. Dennis Fritz is now on his “Journey Toward Justice”. He never blamed the Lord and solely relied on his faith in God to make it through. He waited for God’s time and never gave up.
Dear Helen,
I just came across your blog as I was doing a little procrastination. I want to encourage you to keep posting something every now and then. It must be hard to take all the “hits” from folks who disagree with you and cannot find a civilized way to express it, but I admire your willingness to take a stand, even when you are criticized for it.
Perhaps those of us who are open to looking at all sides of an issue can show a little more support on this blog…
I’ll see you in Minneapolis this March…
Love, Sandy
http://nunsuch.wordpress.com
I’m glad there are less Republicans in office. I lean more toward the conservative way politically, but some of them need their brains examined! The left side isn’t much better, but if we have a good trail mix of political views, it might be better. I don’t know. I saw this bumper sticker and I want to find it and attatch it to my car. It says “We need less religious nuts and more spiritual fruits.” I’m glad that you are doing God’s work and looking after those who need love and help.
Thank you!
Britney
http://www.pleonast.com/user/beez0811?
Dear Sr. Helen,
Forgive me for using the “comment” section to contact you, but I cannot find an email address for you. Anyway, I have just written a book on the relationship between justice, economics, and business practice, a book I use for my course at the University of Dallas, Social Justice for Business Majors. I thought it somehow appropriate to advertise a book on social justice written by a Médaille to a Sister of Medaille concerned with social justice. Here is the announcement:
I am proud to announce the publication of my book, The Vocation of Business: Social Justice in the Marketplace, by Continuum International.
The overriding theme of this book is that the original unity of distributive and corrective justice that prevailed in both economics and moral discourse until the 16th and seventeenth centuries was shattered by the rise of an individualistic capitalism that relied on corrective justice (justice in exchange) alone. But an economics that lacks a distributive principle will attain neither equity nor equilibrium and will be inherently unstable and increasingly reliant on both government power (Keynesianism) and consumer credit (usury) to correct the imbalances. Catholic social teaching, by contrast, emphasis a greater equity in the distribution of land and other means of production, and the just wage, and thereby leads more naturally to economic equilibrium and social justice. Finally, the book shows many examples of functioning systems, both large scale and small, that operate on the principles taught by the Church and produce a high degree of both equity and equilibrium.
I am also proud to have two very nice “blurbs.”
‘In this remarkable book John Médaille succeeds in showing how the more radical elements in Catholic Social teaching can be turned into really practical projects for building an alternative to capitalism. He shows that the key is to alter the culture of the business and the corporation in order to ensure that political and economic purposes, distributive and corrective justice become once again integrated, as classical philosophy and Christian theology alike demand. *The Vocation of business* supplies us at last with some keys for the turning of Christian critique of liberalism into a new from of effective practice.’
John Milbank University of Nottingham
“John Médaille has produced a tour de force – a book that manages to give the reader just enough insight into the various thinkers and subjects treated without overloading the reader and without missing anything important out. The careful yet unequivocal judgement on neoconservatism and the chapter on Distributism are particularly good.”
Helen Alford OP, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, The Angelicum
Take a look inside this book at Amazon.com (http://tinyurl.com/3bdmud ). You may contact me at john@medaille.com
John C. Médaille
“A dead thing can go with the stream…
but only a living thing can go against it.”
-G. K. Chesterton
http://www.medaille.com/distributivism.htm
john@medaille.com
The example of “God helps those who help themselves” IS in the Bible. One place is where David goes out to face Goliath. I learned this from the same Saint Joan of Arc you mention. Perhaps if people would learn her amazing story of service to God they would learn a lot more than that she was not married to Noah. Try http://www.maidofheaven.com to learn more. As Saint Joan one said: “Aide toy, Dieu te aidera”
Thanks for the post. Poznovatelno.