Hound of Heaven

Hound of Heaven -> Francis Thompson “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind; And in the inmost of tears I hid from Him. Still with unhurrying chase, And unperturbed pace, Deliberate speed, majestic instancy, They beat – and a voice beat More instant than the Feet- All things betray thee, who betrayest me.” <<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> vmalpan@gmail.com

Breakthrough

[Philip once said:

“Lord, show us the Father and

it is enough for us.”

Do you want the marrow

out of which goodness springs?

Do you want the nucleus

from which goodness flows?

Do you want the root,

the vein, from which goodness exudes?

And all beauty?

Then you want the Creator.

And you want your breakthrough.

For remember this:

The shell must be cracked open

if what is inside is to come out.

If you want the kernel,

You must break the shell.

We must learn to break through things

If we are to grasp God in them.]

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(From Meditations with Meister Eckhart by Matthew Fox)

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vmalpan@gmail.com

Current Event: Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s Swearing in as the 44th President of the United States of America (20 January, 2009)and his Inaugural Speech 'Time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit' I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health Care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them— that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expediences sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the fire fighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence— the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive ... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]." America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. ==================== vmalpan@gmail.com

Current-Event

January 20, 2009: President Obama's Day of Swearing in as President of the United States BBC News, Kogelo People in western Kenya are celebrating the birth of a new era. Kogelo, the hometown of the father of US President-elect Barack Obama, is normally a sleepy village of 5,000, but has become a riot of colour and sound. The festivities have already begun, as they count down the hours before "their son" becomes the 44th president of the most powerful country in the world. There are women in brightly coloured "kangas", the Kenyan sarongs which are so popular here. Some have the image of Mr Obama on the cloth, worn mischievously around their waists so that when they dance, he appears to be dancing too. It is like one enormous wake, but for the fact that no one has died. Many men are also sporting traditional dress. One wears an elaborate feathered head dress and dances with a traditional spear or ratung. It is not dissimilar to the ceremonial one Sarah Onyango Obama - the president-elect's grandmother - was hoping to take with her as a gift to him. In her 80s, she and many of the Obama family are in Washington to witness Kenya's most famous son being sworn in. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ May Obama's Presidency usher in genuine experience of reconciliation, justice, peace and prosperity at the international and intercontinental levels!

Personal Experience

Stephen Nzyoki SJ teaching in St. Aloysius School in Kibera /> Views of Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya… area = about 1.5 square miles. At over 1 million people, the population density is 30 times that of New York City. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharing of Personal Experience By Gregory Chisholm, S.J.(American Jesuit,Visiting-Professor at Hekima College, Nairobi)) [I happened to be walking through Kibera, Saturday, January 17, and Obama’s smiling face was prominently displayed on the doors of a few stores. In Kibera Obama’s picture would be the freshest and brightest image of any kind throughout the area. Kibera may be largest settlement of urban poor people on the African continent. Soweto in South Africa may be the only rival. There are one million people living in an expanse of corrugated aluminum and wooden shacks which stretch for miles in Western Nairobi. There is no infra-structure in this settlement, no sewage system, no paved roads, and no public services. On a rainy day like this one the refuse and the mud and the water become a slurry in the alley ways and justify the common description of Kibera as a slum. One-third of the entire population of Nairobi live in this slum. There are about 5 other defined slum areas in Nairobi. In general they are all no-go zones for other residents of Nairobi and tourists. Robbery and car-jacking are common occurrences. The only non-residents of Kibera come in to provide the much needed services in areas like medicine, education, food, and child support. Some of those offering such services choose to live in Kibera. Several communities of nuns and religious men live in or very near Kibera. They spend their days in the midst of one of the saddest instances of ongoing human tragedy which I’ve encountered. Kibera is an epicenter for the destruction visited upon Africa by HIV infection and AIDS. In Kibera men, women and children are living and dying with AIDS. Today’s trip was my second one into Kibera. Stephen Nzyoki, SJ, of Kenya and Beatus Mauki, SJ, of Tanzania, two Jesuit seminarians, accompanied me and guided me for both experiences. Our goal was to observe the services rendered by Jesuits and others in parts of Kibera. One entrance to the district is a fifteen minute walk from Hekima College. On the first visit we walked to Lea Toto, a community home-based care program for HIV positive children founded by Jesuit Fr. Angelo D’Agostino of Detroit. A young Jesuit Kenyan physician works there with a staff of nurses, nutritionists and social workers, who are lay persons and religious women. The Jesuit physician is Alex. He is an exuberant man, who speaks rapidly in both English and Kiswahili. He puts one quickly in mind of an absent-minded academic, yet one with a genuine sense of commitment to those he serves. His case load is 50 families per day. We met him at the end of his day, yet he would have gone on talking for hours, if we let him. One naturally admires the efforts of the men and women of Lea Toto. Today we visited St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School in Kibera, a development inspired by Fr. Terry Charlton, SJ. On Saturday in the pouring rain students were gathered in classes dutifully listening to teachers or doing review work for national exams. I was really quite amazed at their demeanor and attentiveness, as well as the respect they seem to have for the school staff. These are all First Form to Fourth Form students, roughly 14 to 18 years old. Each wore a school uniform including grey slacks or skirts and a green knitted sweater. On Saturday morning, as I visited each of their classrooms, I could see that they were studying Physics, English, Religious Studies and Biology. This was their sixth school day of the week. On other days they study Mathematics, French, Kiswahili, History and Business. In almost every classroom I visited I could see some newspaper or poster or graffiti celebrating the presidency of Barack Obama. Stephen Nzyoki, SJ, one of my guides, teaches religious education in this school on Saturdays. As we visited the students in their classrooms, it became clear that Stephen has that natural but rare gift of reaching secondary school students and getting them talking and even laughing. He is very well respected and loved at the school, as well as in the sections of Kibera nearest the seminary. What surprised me even more about St. Aloysius was the environment in which all this teaching and learning took place. The buildings were very much of Kibera. There were corrugated aluminum walls and ceilings leaked water into the classrooms. Electric lighting was scarce or absent. Students were cold and layered their sweaters. My sense is that an American high school would be in a continuous state of pandemonium under conditions like these. It was Stephen who explained why the academic enterprise holds together for students at St. Aloysius Gonzaga. These young Kenyan men and women are all orphans. Specifically they are all children of men and women, most importantly, who have died from AIDS. St. Aloysius is their only chance to achieve and to possibly escape Kibera. The school provides them with a placement, with uniforms and with food during the day. There are some students who do not have any family who are given rooms, rented by the school, to live in. Stephen explained to me that almost all the students of the school live in the cramped and overcrowded conditions natural to Kibera, so the school is more spacious and more protected than any of their homes. Sister Luciana, a Kenyan Franciscan nun who has taught at St. Aloysius for many years, explained to me that students are in the school building from 6 AM until 9 PM at night, even though the school day begins at 8 AM and ends in the mid-Afternoon. She said that discipline is not much of problem, since the students themselves want to reap as much benefit as possible from school. On the other hand retaining teachers is difficult. The physical conditions in the Kibera neighborhood and at the school are difficult for most and the turnover in personnel is frequent. I left St. Aloysius today desperately wanting to get someplace warm and dry and comfortable, but that was not at all a feeling shared by the students at St. Aloysius. They were just fine. There is always a certain irony seeing manicured faces of prosperous looking people in the midst of uncomfortable and unrelenting poverty. I always found it strange at home seeing a politician’s image with tailored of Kenya. Yet that sense of irony is entirely my own issue because, for the people of Kibera, Barack Obama is a son and he is the sun. His image is everywhere. The majority of the residents of Kibera are of the Luo tribe of Kenya. This is the same tribe, the same people, from which Barack Obama’s father came. So there is growing anticipation of the inauguration on Tuesday, January 20. Some of the Jesuits at Hekima College believe that there might be a public holiday that day, although I am sure that classes will still be in session. However, if there is a holiday, the center of much celebration in Nairobi will be in Kibera. If not for the poverty and insularity of the district, it might actually be the place to be on Inauguration Day. If not for the squalor and the potential for violence, Kibera would be a desirable place from which to observe the rise, from the actual and virtual ashes, of the first person of African descent to the Presidency of the United States.] -------------------------- Thank you very much indeed for visiting this blog. Comments to: vmalpan@gmail.com

Desert Wisdom

Do You Quarrel(?)

Just Read the Following...

There were two old men

who dwelt together for many years and

who never quarreled.

Then one said to the other: "Let us pick a quarrel with each other like other men do." "I do not know how quarrels arise," answered his companion.

So the other said to him: "Look, I will put a brick down here between us and I will say 'This is mine.' Then you can say 'No it is not, it is mine.' Then we will be able to have a quarrel." So they placed the brick between them and the first one said: "This is mine." His companion answered him: "This is not so, for it is mine."

To this, the first one said: "If it is so and the brick is yours, then take it and go your way." And so they were not able to have a quarrel. ________________

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Col 3:12-13) =========================== vmalpan@gmail.com