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21 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's first reading we hear of the Lord's promise that the people of Israel will have a place where they will live "without further disturbance." When it comes to a parking place in crowded New York City, however, apparently even Santa doesn't rate such a privilege. Chip Cafiero said he'll fight the $115 ticket he received from a traffic agent in Brooklyn on the day after Thanksgiving when he was delivering gifts-dressed as Santa. The 60-year-old retired schoolteacher was riding a horse-drawn carriage and handing out toys and candy canes. An SUV carrying the toys and protecting the horse from traffic was double parked next to him. Cafiero said he yelled, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" to get the traffic agent's attention because the SUV wasn't blocking traffic. But in his words, "This grinch just went ahead and fined me." Source: An article by the New York Daily News

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Letters to Santa a sign of the times

26 Dec 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Just as the Holy Family struggled to find adequate shelter in challenging circumstances, many American families battered by economic downturn are in desperate straits this holiday season, and they are letting Santa know about it. The U.S. Postal Service is accustomed to getting letters this time of year from children writing to ask Santa for toys. But postal workers report that this year more kids are asking for basics—coats, socks, shoes—and large numbers of parents in desperate straits are writing Santa on behalf of their children. “I want them to know there is hope,” wrote a single mother who is living with her kids in a shelter. Customer relations coordinator Pete Fontana has been “head elf” at the New York City main post office for 15 years. He oversees 22 “staff elves” who will sort 2 million letters this year in Operation Santa, which connects needy children with "Secret Santas" who answer their wishes. "The need is greater this year than I've ever seen it," says Fontana. "One little girl didn't want anything for herself. She wanted a winter coat for her mother." The story is the same elsewhere. "We saw a few last year, but it was never like this," said one of the postal clerks as she sorted hundreds of letters from desperate adults to Santa at the Brentwood postal facility in Washington, D.C. Source: Articles by Donna Leinwand for USA TODAY and Petula Dvorak for the Washington Post

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Brazil endures trial by fire

03 Feb 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday prays for rescue and deliverance from the Lord, who will be “a stronghold to give me safety.” Alas there was no rescue or safety for 235 young Brazilians who perished after being trapped in a nightclub fire over the weekend in the university town of Santa Maria. Reformers are determined to change lax enforcement that allowed the club to operate with no fire alarm, no sprinklers, no fire escape, fire extinguishers that did not function, and only one exit. In a statement from his lawyer Wednesday, the owner of the Kiss nightclub, where the fire broke out, deflected blame to "the whole country" as well as to architects and inspectors charged with making sure the building was safe. Jader Marques said his client, nightclub owner Elissandro Spohr, "regretted having ever been born" because of his grief over the fire but still blamed Sunday's tragedy on "a succession of errors made by the whole country."Police investigating the blaze have said it likely started when a country music band performing at the club lit a flare, which ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling. That initial error was compounded by the near-total lack of emergency infrastructure, police have said. Many of the deaths occurred when the crowd panicked and created a stampede.The tragedy raised questions about the reliability of safety regulations in a nation set to host the World Cup and Olympic Games. Past building- and fire-safety plan permits issued to the club showed that the single exit, the foam insulation, and other contributors to the tragedy didn't violate laws."Do I agree with the fact that there was only one exit? No," said Major Gerson Pereira, an inspector with the local fire department. "Do I agree that the roof was covered with flammable material? No, I don't. I would have liked to shut down this place, but then the firefighters could be sued" because no law had been broken.Homily hint: When tragedy strikes on a grand scale, as it did in the Brazilian night club fire, our hearts go out to those directly affected. But in communities everywhere, smaller scale tragedies claim lives daily—home fires, auto accidents, violent encounters. Perhaps asking for a simple show of hands at some point in a service from all whose lives have been touched recently by such tragedies, so that we can support those who are grieving in our midst. Sources: Articles by Julianna Barbassa for Associated Press and Ana Flor for Reuters

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No summer Vatican vacation this year

09 Jun 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from the Letter to the Galatians this Sunday, Saint Paul emphasizes his independence from the other apostles in his singular revelation: “Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me,” he remarks. Pope Francis has taken yet another opportunity to signal his independence from norms and customs established by his recent predecessors, revealing Thursday he will not spend his summer in the lavish palace in the hilltop town of Castel Gandolfo, host to popes for centuries and a favored retreat of his predecessor Benedict XVI.Benedict liked to spend his summers in Castel Gandolfo and also chose to spend the first few months of his retirement in the complex of hilltop villas boasting lush gardens, a farm, and stunning views.Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that Francis would stay in Vatican City over the summer despite the usually stifling heat in Rome. He will remain in the Domus Santa Marta, a modern hotel-style residence where he has lived since his elevation in March, choosing not to move into the spacious and regal papal apartments.Millions of people in recession-hit Italy are likely to make a similar decision this year. Official data last month showed that one in two Italians were unable to afford one week of holiday away from home in 2012.The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has set a humble tone for the papacy. He has said he wants the 1.2 billion-member Catholic Church to focus on helping the poor and to become more austere itself. He is due to visit Brazil later in the month for World Youth Day, his first trip abroad as pontiff.Homily hint: Though world leaders, like the rest of us, need a vacation now and then, folks struggling to make ends meet do appreciate when their leaders signal solidarity by making more reserved recreational choices. Our new pope offers an inspiring example of a leader willing not only to talk the talk of solidarity but also to walk the walk. Political and business leaders worldwide would do well to follow his lead. Source: An article by Catherine Hornby for Reuters

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