The foster care system is a huge challenge. Each year thousands of Alaska’s children are placed in out-of-home care, according to the Alaska Office of Children’s Services. On average approximately 3,000 children are in foster care in Alaska each month. Children often enter the foster care system because they have been determined to be unsafe or at high risk of maltreatment in their family home.
Changes are afoot in Alaska this November, both in the halls of government and the spiritual leadership of the Catholic Church. During these pivotal transitions the faithful should be fully engaged. First up is Nov. 8, when we have a duty to participate in advancing the common good of our immediate communities, state and nation by casting ballots that are guided by well-formed consciences and a commitment to uphold the non-negotiable moral teachings of Christ and his church.
This year two Alaska Supreme Court justices, Joel Bolger and Peter Maasan, are on the ballot. Earlier this year Bolger and Maasan voted to strike down, as unconstitutional, a law providing for parental notification for a minor’s abortion enacted as an initiative by the people in 2010 with 90,000 Alaskan voters approving the initiative, a 56% majority.
But I have another theory about this sudden burst of literary interest. People are desperate to escape from this election season. The good news: it’s over very soon. The bad news: Uncivil behavior may not go away.
The important question to ask is this: are these buildings of ultimate importance in and of themselves? In truth the sacred buildings find their importance within the context of the sacred liturgies that the church itself, the worshipping Body of Christ, celebrates every Sunday.
I am an older priest now and it seems I still know very little. But I do know this: If we want to stop the tragedy of abortion, we must show more active love to the mom and her unborn child.
Finding real community, even within a church, isn’t always easy. It takes effort. Fall is the time when churches are gearing up for classes and other activities. To find and foster community, take the chance and get involved with a parish committee or the class that’s exploring Scripture. Merely showing up on Sunday morning is not enough to forge community. It’s just a start.
Healing and reforming ourselves from flaws, whether we are victims or the ones harming, requires honest reflection, trust and risk. It is through this path that we cooperate with God to re-form ourselves into the people who are originally created with dignity and for love.
Of course, simply paying a visit to one’s own local parish, Our Lady of Lourdes in Cincinnati, for instance, might also authenticate one’s faith. However, the very thought of traveling to a far-off destination with a sacred history will inevitably prove to be an overwhelming desire.
When my brother died, my mother didn’t want anyone to know it was suicide. She feared the priest would not bury my brother in our Catholic cemetery if he knew.