Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/french-telecom.jpg" class="headshot" width="231" height="333" alt="French Telecom" /><p>Leave it to the French to make Confession sexy, or at least, even a bit MORE mysterious. Yeah, I know|more| a lot of you haven't gone to Confession in a very long time, but now there's a dial-a-confession hotline in France called CORD TO THE LORD for those of you who may want to test the waters. It was launched for Lent. For fifty cents a minute you can spill your guts to an answering machine that greets you with soft organ music playing in the background. There’s a Scripture reading, your confession, some prayers and even an Act of Contrition at the end. Just like the real thing. Except it’s not. Even the creator of the hotline admits that. There’s no priest and no absolution from the sin. But the idea is that maybe you might feel better just getting it all out. Well, the Catholic Church in France isn’t feeling better and has denounced the telephone confession as confusing to the faithful. But the hullaballoo got me to thinking about what’s really missing from this GALlic enterprise. It’s the human touch. That’s what’s always been special about Confession to me, on whichever side I’ve sat. It’s a person receiving the words and in some way helping to carry the burden. And whatever your theology of whether the priest represents the Church or Christ, the fact is that somebody shares your struggle and tells you that you’re going to be okay. And they even put their hands on your head just in case you’re still hanging it too low. An answering machine just can’t do that. And neither by the way can a Twitter account or a Facebook page. The more we use Social Networking venues to connect, the less we seem to be REALLY CONNECTING. Maybe Diana Ross had it right all along. Sometimes you just have to reach out and touch somebody’s hand. Or let them touch yours. </p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2010-03-07 54 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>To read Father Beck give the his Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Spirituality/father-edward-beck-delivers-weekly-inspiration-lent/story?id=9929284">here</a>.</p> 2010-02-28 53 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>To watch Father Beck give the his Reflection, click <a href=" http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Spirituality/path-redemption-tiger-woods/story?id=9892605">here</a>.</p> 2010-02-21 52 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/family.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="147" alt="The Power of Half" /><p>It's been some weeks now since the disastrous earthquake in Haiti, and we've seen millions raised for|more| the relief effort. We really do seem to come together in generosity in the face of human need and suffering. Other times perhaps it's done in smaller, more personal ways. Nicholas Kristof reported in the New York Times that Kevin Salwen of Atlanta was driving his 14-year-old daughter home after a sleepover. While they were parked at a traffic light his daughter noticed a black Mercedes on one side of them and a homeless man begging on the other. She said, "Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man could have a meal." And she couldn't let it go. When they got home Hannah told her mom the story, and she kept at it. Her exasperated mother finally said, "What do you want us to do, sell our house?" Well actually, yes, because that's what they did. Wound up selling their luxurious home and donated half of the proceeds to charity. $800,000 to help 40 villages in Ghana. And with the other half, they bought a more modest home. Hannah and her father have written a book about their experience released just this week called THE POWER OF HALF. And the power they found was that they were happier and better off in the smaller house. Kevin Salwen said, "We traded STUFF for togetherness and connectedness. I can't figure out why everybody wouldn't want that deal." I don't know why everybody wouldn't want that deal either. Probably because we really don't believe we'd be happier with less. Or that we can afford to do with less. But it doesn't even have to be money. Hannah, who's now a high school junior said, "Everyone has too much of something, whether it's time, talent or treasure. Everyone has their own half to give. You just have to find it." Seems to me that HALF is something really worth searching for.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2010-02-14 51 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>To watch Father Beck give the his Reflection, click <a href=" http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/human-bed-warmers-gimmick-9752910?tab=9482930&section=4806329&playlist=4806330">here</a>.</p> 2010-02-07 50 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/sitting.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="278" alt="Sitting" /><p>Have you heard that sitting is deadly? Yeah, just as you're enjoying that new couch, we're told that too|more| much sitting, even if you exercise, can kill you. And it doesn't matter if it's at the office, at school, sitting in front of a computer, or in your car. A new study that tracked 17,000 Canadians for 12 years found that people who sat a lot had a higher death risk. And we Americans spend about half our time sitting. So, this isn't good news. It comes on the heels of a new report that said that kids spend about 8 hours a day plugged into electronic devices. On cell phones, ipods, video games, computers. That's 53 hours a week. More than a full time job. And we wonder why child obesity is on the rise? Because they're SITTING, playing with gadgets. Not a good prospect for the future health of Americans. I know we like to be kept occupied and stimulated, but we used to do it in less harmful ways. Remember walks in the park, roller skating, and hide and go seek? Now it's Playstation and Nintendo, even though with WII you at least move around. I suppose all this gadgetry is to escape boredom and to avoid being alone with ourselves. But maybe aloneness isn't the worse thing in the world. You would think that since we're sitting so much, we might want to make it more profitable. There's a kind of SITTING that the Buddhists have long extolled. It's Sitting Meditation that tries to eliminate all our distractions and help us get in touch with our inner selves. Christians, Jews, Muslims all have their variation. We might benefit from unplugging and listening to the stillness, just for a little bit. And, yeah, we have to SIT and be still to do it, but we're sitting anyway. Why not do something that might actually benefit us and lift our spirits? And then take a walk around the block. But leave the Ipod home. Listen to the birds, the trucks, the kids, the dogs. Notice the color purple in a field. I'm standing up for sitting down, and then walking around. Sounds like a pretty balanced life to me.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2010-01-30 49 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/haiti.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="154" alt="Haiti" /><p>Ena Zizi had gone to the Cathedral to pray as she had so many times before. It must have been a powerful prayer. As Ena|more| knelt praying the earth began to shake as the walls of the cathedral came tumbling down on her. The 69 year old woman was trapped for SEVEN days under the rubble of the Haitian National Cathedral.  When she was finally pulled from the destruction, rescuers said Ena was SINGING.  They were so overcome that many started crying, proclaiming it a miracle.  Stories such as Ena's are certainly a boost to our sagging spirits as the devastation in Haiti continues to unfold.  There are, of course, tens of thousands who weren't as blessed.  Or, is that the wrong word?  Does it have anything to do with blessing?  Does God reward some and punish others?  Why Ena saved and not a two year old child with her whole life ahead of her?  There are no easy answers.  Most of us don't believe it's about blessing or punishment, despite the crazy ranting of Pat Robertson types.  But we do believe that the power of love that is God and the human spirit has not abandoned the Haitian people.  That's why they continue to pray and sing in the streets, despite being left with nothing.  We can learn a lot from them. We who are so blessed, or lucky, or fortunate, or whatever you want to call it.  Life is precarious, and sometimes with no rhyme or reason.  It can all come tumbling down on us.  Maybe it helps to think of Ena, broken but not defeated.  Singing.  You know that old spiritual, HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING?  No storm can shake my inmost calm when to that rock I'm clinging.  Since love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing? Ena no doubt knew that one.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2010-01-23 48 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/fur-fly.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="147" alt="Images of First Family Makes Fur Fly" /><p>Well, just when you thought you couldn't see any more of Barack Obama, there is was looking rugged|more| and handsome on a billboard looming over Times Square. Seemingly in an ad for Weatherproof Jackets, one of which he happened to wear in camera's view when he toured the Great Wall of China last fall. And then there's his lovely wife Michelle, only the second First Lady to appear on the cover of Vogue. But wait, now she's in an Ad for PETA, a FUR FREE and FABULOUS poster, standing alongside Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Underwood and Tyra Banks. Has the First Family sold out? Next are we going to see Malia and Sasha riding atop MATTEL toys? Well, next exactly. But the girls were referenced in a poster about school lunches, which gave members of the Administration indigestion. It seems as though the pitch images for Weatherproof, Peta, and the school lunches were used without Barack and Michelle's permission. And the White House is none too happy about it. But the controversy got me to thinking about the ways in which we all can get misrepresented. And feel violated. We may not have to worry about our images being used to sell products, but haven't you ever felt used without your permission? Sometimes because I wear a Roman collar people say all kinds of things that I supposedly believe and uphold, without ever asking me if I do or not. Haven't you heard that all lawyers are sharks, all television personalities phonies, and all librarians bookish bores. We love to live in a world of assumptions about one another without really caring whether they're true or not. After all, why mess up a good story with facts? It boils down, however, to a lack of respect for the unique dignity and personhood of every human being. That we all have a right to be known and respected for who we really are and what we really believe. But in this age of speed dating and dialing, most of us don't have a chance. It's far easier to wrap somebody up in that proverbial box and shelve them into uninformed categories. But I'd like to suggest that we resist the limitations and falsehoods others would impose on us. Rather, that we we keep fighting for that unique label of distinctly created Child of God. That's one worth wearing. Unclassified, spontaneous, not easily pigeon-holed. Pitchman for no one. Surprising possibility for everyone. Now there's a billboard image that would loom large for me. </p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2010-01-16 47 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/water-cross.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="157" alt="Cross in Water" /><p>While some of you may have been stuck in post holiday doldrums, some of us celebrated the Feast|more| of the Epiphany this week.  That’s when we recall the Magi coming to give gifts to the Christ child.  For many Orthodox Christians, it’s an even more significant feast than Christmas.  A little known tradition is to dive for a silver cross that’s tossed into the sea. It’s traditionally been a male only ritual, but this week a 16 year old Albanian girl broke that tradition.  Katerina Munguli snatched the cross from the bottom of a frigid Ionian Sea. She beat a dozen diving boys and men also trying to snare the prized religious symbol.  It’s believed that the one who retrieves the cross gets special blessings.  That fact that a girl did it though may be blessing enough. Statistics continue to show that despite advances, equality for women lags around the globe, particularly in employment and health care. Women also have higher mortality rates than males, especially in Africa and Asia. You would think that religion would try to address some of this inequality, but many perceive institutional religion as sexist as society in general.  Women still cannot be ordained priests in the Orthodox or Roman Catholic Churches, and aren't respected as equals in some other faiths as well. In some Islamic countries women are punished for exposing an arm or part of leg and can’t even drive a car. This past summer Jimmy Carter severed ties with his own Southern Baptist Convention after sixty years as a faithful member. He did so because the group said that women must be subservient to their husbands and were prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in military service.   And yet, it doesn’t seem to have always been so.  There is evidence that in the early church women were deacons, apostles, teachers, prophets, and some claim even priests and bishops. Jesus appeared to women first after his Resurrection, telling THEM to spread the Good News. So, have we gone backward instead of forward in 2000 years?  Some would say yes.  But for now there’s at least one girl in Albania clutching a cross that says more about victory than defeat. And it's one more step forward.</p> 2010-01-09 46 Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz <img src="/images/reflections/happy-new-year-2010.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="145" alt="Happy New Year 2010" /><p>It is striking to me how many absolutely cannot wait for the calendar year to come to its end. It seems that|more| almost everyone I know wants so badly to bid good riddance to 2009.</p><p>For so many, for too many, this past year forced us to navigate and balance the kinds of tests and trials few of us have experienced before in our lives - despite identified station or generation. Many in our country and world were confronted with the unfathomable. It feels like we have been standing on a cliff, so frightened that the earth will shake once again, and down we will fall into the abyss. We have seen darkness in so many facets of our world: economically, politically and socially. Even on Christmas Day, when the politicians finally left Washington DC, quieting their battle cry, to join the country in sacred celebration; we were reminded of the fragility of life, as a lost and crazed soul tried to take the lives of others in the name of religion. Indeed, we have held our collective breath, waiting to breathe in the air of renewal and hope.</p><p>It seems ironic to me, however, that we somehow think the change of calendar will also transform our fortunes. Sometimes, we think that as we rip off the page that says “December” and turn to the one which reads "January", all will be right with the world again. Yet, inside most of us know that the cosmic nature of the world does not simply change because the clock strikes 12:00 AM on the 31st of December.</p><p>However, I am an optimist and do believe that there is always a chance for a better day; indeed, for better year. I do believe that we can try to use this change in calendar to focus our intention on attaining joy and fulfillment and wholeness. For sure, we have felt pain of loss. We may even fear what the New Year may bring. But it would be a shame to throw away our sense of optimism, hope, and most importantly, our reason for being here on earth; indeed, our reason for living in the first place. One of the byproducts of this past year’s economic environment is that many have been forced to explore the riches we possess which have nothing to do with financial worth. Many have been pushed by forces beyond our control to remember what counts most.</p><p>The question is: How do we not get bogged down by it all and find a way to be aware of what is most precious? Staying aware of the blessings which surround us is a complex spiritual task. It does not come easy, but if pursued steadfastly, I do believe we have a shot at a better quality of existence.</p><p>During the past few years, I have studied a collection of mostly untapped spiritual literature. Hanhagot, or “spiritual practices”, were a list of instructions created for followers of specific rabbis in the days of old. They were written to serve as inspiration and intended to provide spiritual guidance and centering; and I believe they can indeed be used as an aid to bring joy, awareness, fulfillment, and maybe even a bit of God’s presence into daily living.</p><p>These teachings were written as practical, personal, wise and straight-forward instructions to help individuals navigate through their complicated lives. This literature was specifically above and beyond religious law. These Hanhagot were practices written with the intention of bringing together both mind and heart.</p><p>In humility, I offer the following as examples of my own spiritual practice, which I hope, with your own engagement, will help usher in and sustain days of fulfillment.</p><p>Arise each and every day and express gratitude that you are actually alive. Wiggle your toes, stretch your legs, stretch your arms, and go to the bathroom. If all of that works, thank the Holy One of Blessing that it is all possible.</p><p>Record what comes to your mind first thing when you wake up. Write it down and know that in the state between sleep and wake is a piece of your vulnerable self that may be worth pursuing to have a better understanding of self in relationship to God.</p><p>Kiss your loved one(s) whoever they may be, because you don’t know if you will be able to kiss them again. If you can’t or don’t want to, make sure to ask yourself why. God lives in that relationship and this attention and nurture should be contributed to that sacred relationship.</p><p>Smile at as many people as possible. Everyone needs to be acknowledged, and it might just help them take the turn or change of direction they need at a crucial crossroads of their journey. It will help you understand that what is going on in your life is just not as important as you may think.</p><p>Hush…please hush. Quiet in a noisy world will make space for you when you don’t even know you need it. There is wisdom in each of us, and to run away from being interactive or in relationship with that wisdom is to draw away from the world. Shhh. Don’t even think about why, just be quiet and pay attention. Acknowledge the wisdom from within, and don’t put it on the carousel of obsession. Note it, learn from it, and maybe God will help you utilize it when you don’t even know you need it.</p><p>Practice one form of private charity or act of generosity each day. Public acts of goodness will help the process of fixing the world, but the private kind, will help fix your world.</p><p>When things are great, when life is good, when you feel whole, celebrate your joy from the deepest places. But don’t stay there for days at a time, because then your joy will only be about you. Go back as soon as possible and practice what got you there.</p><p>Don’t live in utter joy or utter sadness. Usually the extremes have a narcissistic edge to them. It’s never that good. You are usually not that good. It is never that bad and you are usually not that bad.</p><p>Engage with every legitimate joy that comes your way. Eat that ice cream cone, see a movie, walk in the Reservation, exercise, study something, go to the ocean, go to a baseball game, read a great book, ride a wave, dance, see the glistening mountain tops, walk on a glacier, fly on a plane, hike, see a bee make honey, play with your dog, engage in friendship and say aloud L’Chaim “to Life”. Indeed, connection to the Holy One can come strongly through pleasure. Indeed, you honor God when you engage in pleasure, not obsessively or addictively, but in healthy and appropriate doses.</p><p>Seek out friends and relationships which are authentic, meaningful and intimate. Be vulnerable with them. Be truthful with them. Be mirrors with them and for them. Be critiqued and give that same back with love and the ability to hear. Learn and explore with them. Fantasize with them. Laugh with them. Reconcile with them. Find their soul and have the courage to let them find yours. Give to them generously and find it within you to receive openly in return.</p><p>Make reconciliation. Take stock of yourself and your relationships often. Be honest about it. Don’t reconcile until you are ready, but don’t convince yourself there never can be a “ready”. Have the resolve to make real and truthful and vulnerable reconciliation. The small transgressions, without even knowing it, put pinholes into the balloon of our souls. If you keep up the accounting of the soul, you can patch up the holes and even better, breathe in the energy, the air of being.</p><p>Be humble without putting yourself down. Indeed, Divine pride is necessary. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are better than anyone else. We all get lost, but we all can find our way. Sometimes, in fact, it is the most unlikely of messengers who redirect our way.</p><p>Strive for hope and optimism. Know that every day you, in partnership with the Divine, can renew yourself and the world around you. As the seasons change and night turns into day, and this New Year of 2010 arrives, you will see that each day can be more whole than the last. If it is day again, you must believe that it can be better.</p><p>The Ball in Times Square has dropped and the dawn of the New Year has come. I hope that the offering above can serve as some guidance to enable you to stay aware and ready for better days to come. If we can stop to breathe, notice and acknowledge just some of what exists around us, we may indeed help change our world and have a much better New Year. We all deserve it.</p><p>Happy and Healthy 2010!! </p><p>Rabbi Matthew D. Gewirtz is Senior Rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills, New Jersey. He is also the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587613131?ie=UTF8&tag=simande-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1587613131">The Gift of Grief: Finding Peace, Transformation, and Renewed Life after Great Sorrow</a>.</p> 2010-01-03 45 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/bed-of-nails.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="159" alt="Kris Allen" /><p>We’ve been hearing a lot about Stockholm in recent weeks. That’s where Tiger Wood’s wife is apparently looking|more| to flee from her philandering spouse. Back to her home and far away from the glare of smashed Escalades and marital dreams. She may find a new craze sweeping her Nordic homeland since she was last there. The Nail Bed. Yep, the Swedes are now sleeping on nails and loving it. And the Christmas season is expected to convert even more pinch-loving sleepers. The bed’s a more moderate take on the Hindu wood and iron model. The Swedish one has instead small, hard plastic disks with sharp spikes. But, still, one person says that after lying on the mat you’re back looks like somebody picked at you with a fork. I can’t help but wonder what hazards rolling over must invite. Now, in spiritual circles this might not come as too much of a surprise. After all, we’re used to hair shirts and spiked chains as traditional vehicles of self-mortification. And the nails? Well, Christ endured them in a far more brutal fashion, right? But you have to wonder, what’s gotten into the more secular Swedes? Some are claiming that the bed cures everything from schizophrenia to migraines. Though most report salubrious effects on more common ailments such as sleep problems and dandruff. Now don’t ask me what nails have to do with flaky scalps. But I wonder if the nail bed isn’t tapping into a more suspicious spiritual notion that HARD IS BETTER. One yoga instructor said that it was quite painful at first but that after the adrenaline rush, you relax and feel nice again. Maybe there’s something to that, the relief after the pain. But still, I think that I’ll stick with my feather bed and high thread count sheets. There’s more than enough pain in life AWAKE if you ask me. Now, as for Tiger Woods, he might take a cue from his wife’s homeland craze. After all, sleeping on a bed of nails may be an improvement on the dog house he’s currently sleeping in.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2009-12-19 44 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/kris-allen.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="266" alt="Kris Allen" /><p>The blogosphere has been buzzing this week with news that rapper Tupac Shakur has made the online Playlist|more| of the Vatican. His song CHANGE is listed among the other more sedate entries. It seems as though even a jailed gangster who was gunned down in Vegas can speak of redemption. But I'd like to nominate another song popular right now that didn't make the list. It comes from the far more sedate American Idol Kris Allen. I’m sure you've heard it. Yes, "We gotta live like we’re dying." Allen sings. "We got 86,400 seconds in each day." And we shouldn't waste a precious one of them. Tell the people we love that we love them because we may not get another chance. Now we all know that’s true, yet it's hard to live the message. I think because we always feel that there WILL be more time for us. I'll never forget talking to a woman whose husband was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11th. They had argued that morning and he left angry. Their last words were spoken in hurt and rage. And there was never a chance to make it better. She still lives with that regret. And I know it's not easy to always be aware of the fragility of life and our temporary status on this planet. That would be kind of exhausting. But this holiday season encourages the CHANGE Tupac sings about because we don't have an endless amount of time to get it right. The Advent prophet John the Baptist told his listeners to embrace the teacher of Love before it was too late. In the Hanukkah story the Maccabees fought to preserve Jewish identity against the Greeks because they believed God loved them uniquely, 86,400 seconds of every day. While the oil may have burned for only eight days, the love was endless. Our time here, however, is not. Maybe Kris Allen can be another kind of prophet for us in this holiday season. Light the Hanukkah candles, trim the tree, put out the creche, but do it realizing that each moment of celebration is it's own gift. "You never know a good thing til it's gone. You gotta live like you're dying."</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/gma/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2009-12-13 43 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/advent-candles.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="266" alt="Advent Candles" /><p>I’m now going around saying Happy Advent to people and some are looking at me like I’m crazy.|more| Advent? Is that the same as Happy Holidays? Well, not exactly, but it is celebratory. The word ADVENT comes from the Latin ADVENTUS, which means COMING. Advent is these four weeks before Christmas when Christians anticipate the coming of Jesus into the world. They’re meant to be a time of preparation and celebration. To get our hearts ready to receive the new born Savior. Sounds nice, right? But unfortunately for many of us these weeks are not that at all. Rather, they’ve become the most stressful time of year when cards need to be written, gifts need to be bought, and trees need to be trimmed. I’ve been thinking of how to do it differently this year. I’m cutting out the cards, especially at 44 cents a pop. I’m not buying any gifts. And the tree, well, yes, they’ll be one, but the crèche will be more prominent. And it’s not that I’ve turned into Scrooge. It’s that I want to practice more what I preach. There’s a beautiful simplicity to this time of year if we can recapture it. It’s about making way for a baby. Granted, one whose eventual life will change human hearts and the course of history. But a baby nonetheless. It’s about stillness and listening for the quiet. Hoping to hear something of God’s life stirring inside us. Because Advent is not primarily about Mary’s pregnancy, but ours. Us being pregnant with the possibility of light entering our darkness and hope casting out our fears. Even if some don’t believe Jesus is the Savior sent by God, who can argue with a baby who brings hope, and light, and peace? Adventus. O Come O Come Emmanuel, and bring us that much longed for peace.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/gma/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2009-12-06 42 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/listening-day.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="167" alt="Listening Day" /><p>Yes, we all know that Thursday was Thanksgiving, that day to stuff our faces with food|more| and our hearts with gratitude for more than food. But do you know what Friday was? No, I don’t mean Black Friday, that consumerist gorge day. The day after Thanksgiving was the 2nd Annual <a href="http://www.nationaldayoflistening.org/">NATIONAL LISTENING DAY</a>. Yep, now there’s a day devoted to listening. Study Corp, the organization sponsoring the day, wants us all to take some time to listen to and record a conversation with someone important to us: grandparent, friend, teacher. All to preserve a loved ones story. Now, that’s a nice idea, but I also see the day as an opportunity to hone our listening skills. Because so many of us don’t seem to have any. Haven’t you been with a friend or loved one who you can tell has checked out and isn’t listening to a word you’re saying? They’re looking at you and nodding their heads, but they’re a mile away. Or the people who are formulating their rebuttal the whole time you’re speaking, never really hearing what you’re saying. Or how about the ones you can see can’t wait to tell you THEIR story, while all the time missing yours. To say nothing of the ones who are texting on their blackberries while you’re talking to them, pretending to half-listen but not even coming close. I’m afraid in our over-stimulated and A-D-D ladened world, we’re losing the capacity to really listen to and hear one another. To truly BE with someone in the moment. It’s one of the greatest gifts we can give a person. To really listen to someone else validates their experience and them. It says to them: You really matter. You’re worth my time and full attention. I can learn something from you. So, this Thanksgiving I’m really grateful for those people in my life who listen to me and really hear me. And on Friday I want to commit to do the same for them. Why don’t you join me? Forget about going to the mall. Give someone your ear instead. That way when that chorus of Do You Hear What I Hear soon begins playing, you’ll be able to say truthfully, "Yeah, I really do."</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/gma/spirituality">here</a>.</p> 2009-11-29 41 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/south-carolina-license-plate.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="100" alt="South Carolina License Plate" /><p>Last year the South Carolina state legislature passed a bill that allowed a Christian license plate.|more| It showed a cross in front of a stained-glass window and the words I BELIEVE underneath. A similar bill in Florida failed to pass into law, and now a U.S. district court has struck down the license plate in South Carolina too as a First Amendment violation. I had a parishioner come up to me this week and say, Father isn’t that terrible? But I’m afraid I couldn’t share in her dismay. My response was, No, actually I think the court made the right decision. I don’t think a license plate is the appropriate place to tell other drivers what you believe. A state issued license plate should be used as intended, as a vehicle identification tag, not as a proselytizing forum for the one who happens to be driving the vehicle. After all, what about all the other faiths? Are we going to issue ones that say, I DON’T believe? Or Allah Akbar? Or Shiva is my Diva? I don’t think so. But I also don’t think the court went far enough. There are 103 other specialty tags approved in South Carolina- everything from your favorite sports team to your beloved pet. I think these should be banned too. The state should have no interest in you promoting your pet cause, literally. But what about freedom of expression some may argue? There’s plenty of room on bumpers for whatever unsightly stickers you may want to ruin your vehicle with to express yourself. Yankees fans, I’m afraid that means you too. Let’s keep personal religion and personal preference off the license plates and put them back on the bumpers where they belong. Or you can get a CHRISTIAN ON BOARD cross to bounce around in your back window. Knock yourself out. Just don’t expect the State to give the benediction.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9131443">here</a>.</p> 2009-11-22 40 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/carla-nash.jpg" class="headshot" width="150" height="220" alt="Carla Nash" /><p>By now you’ve no doubt heard about the devastating attack|more| of Charla Nash by a chimpanzee. It mauled her face beyond recognition, ripping off her nose, her lips, one thumb and a large part of her scalp. Surgeons had to create a hole in her face so that she could drink meals through a straw. And sadly, her eyes also had to be removed to halt a serious infection. This brave woman recently went on Oprah to tell her story. And that’s where the controversy begins. During the interview Oprah asked the woman to remove the veil she was wearing so that the viewers could see the total extent of the disfiguring injuries. The image was heart-rending and horrific. So disturbing that ABC News and other outlets have decided to no longer show the image of Charla without the veil. Some are now saying that Oprah went too far. Did we really need to see her face unveiled? I’m not sure but I admired the woman’s courage and I hope that some lessons might come from it. It was obvious in the interview that Charla has a spirit that runs deeper than the physical. Externally she will never be the same again. The outside is destroyed, but what struck me was how much the inside still seemed so very vibrant and alive. When Oprah asked if she realized that her mauled face would now be broadcast all over the world, she said, “That’s fine. I’m starting to get stronger and ready for everything.” Charla’s courage gives me pause. I preach that the spiritual is more important than the physical, yet it’s certainly not always easy to live that. When cruel reality is thrust upon us as it has been with Charla, it may be an opportunity to consider who are we when the externals are stripped away? Yes, we worry about our wrinkles, sagging chins and balding pates because of the disproportionate value society places on appearance. And I get it, because I’m part of it. But I’m also part of something deeper, a connection to humanity and to Charla that assures me that we’re all very much the same, regardless of appearance or skin color or socio-economic station. The substance of us goes deeper. Yearning for love, truth, beauty. This is what makes us fully human. Charla may no longer have eyes, but I suspect she now sees more clearly than many of us. I’m grateful to this brave woman for lifting the veil, and I don’t mean the one covering her face.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9079449">here</a>.</p> 2009-11-15 39 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/tom-cruise-scientology.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="283" alt="Tom Cruise Scientology" /><p>To put it mildly, Scientology has not had an easy time of |more|. Where to begin? ABC'S Nightline correspondent Martin Bashir was snubbed when Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis yanked his microphone off and ended the Nightline interview. Davis was indignant when Bashir asked if Scientologists believed that a galactic emperor called Xenu brought his people to earth 75 million years ago and buried them in volcanoes. Such Scientology secrets are supposedly reserved for the more advanced in the Church who’ve gone through extensive “audits”, as they’re called. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, which has only been around since 1953, taught that people are spiritual beings called thetans who’ve REALLY been around for thousands of years. Well, whatever Scientologists may teach, last week a Paris court didn’t think much of it. It fined them nearly a million dollars when it convicted six Scientology leaders of organized fraud for bilking followers out of large sums of money. And to add insult to injury a famous Scientologist has now denounced the group. The Oscar-winning director and screenwriter of CRASH and MILLION DOLLAR BABY Paul Haggis was angry that the Church of Scientology didn’t denounce Proposition 8 in California, which denied same-sex marriage. And he also said that Scientologists lied when they denied a policy of "DISCONNECTION" from family members or friends who question their affiliation with Scientology. In a scathing letter Haggis wondered what else they might be lying about. Now, I’m not usually one to call anyone else’s religion weird. After all, I believe in a guy who walked on water, changed bread and wine into his body and blood, and rose from the dead. However, I do wonder about calling Scientology a religion. I know it gives them tax-exempt status to do so, but it seems more like a weird cult to me. Secret beliefs and membership, lavish money payments, isolating members from loved ones, and a leader who supposedly strikes his subordinates when he doesn’t like what they say or do. That according to four former high-ranking Scientology executives. It seems to me that where there’s that much smoke, there’s fire. And I don’t mean the Holy Spirit kind. Tom Cruise’s jumping on Oprah’s couch and steaming in Matt Lauer’s chair may have been just the beginning of the unraveling. I can’t help but wonder if Scientologists won’t be the next group to inspire Dan Brown’s suspicious pen. Who knows maybe Cruise or John Travolta will have the inside track for the movie version. Tom Hanks may want to think about converting. Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9019632">here</a>.</p> 2009-11-08 38 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/illegal-alien.jpg" class="headshot" width="150" height="308" alt="Illegal Alien" /><p>As many dress up in ghoulish costumes this week and roam neighborhoods for trick or treat, we tend to forget|more| where this holiday came from. It actually dates back to the Irish Celts who in the fall celebrated the season of life meeting the season of death. They believed spirits could rise from their graves and walk among the living. And they would ritualize this with fires and costume. In the 8th century Pope Gregory III wanted to counter some of this pagan ritual and he decreed ALL HALLOWS DAY to celebrate goodness and the holy. This became ALL SAINTS DAY, which we celebrate on November 1st. But in the mid 19th century when the Potato famine brought the Irish here, they brought the remnants of the old Celtic Ritual and thus ALL HALLOWS EVE was born, which became HALLOWEEN, the day before ALL SAINTS DAY. So, it’s kind of like now we celebrate the macabre and the mischievous on the day before we celebrate the good and the holy. But sometimes maybe we go a bit too far with the mischievous. One Halloween costume that some say has gone too far is called the ILLEGAL ALIEN COSTUME. Have you seen it? It’s an orange prisoner jumpsuit, an alien’s mask and a green card. Many have taken offense at it, saying that it cruelly mocks the more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country. Target and Walgreens have now removed it from their online stores. But a spokeswoman for Halloween Costume World says, “It’s just for fun. We sell pregnant nuns and all sorts of things.” Well, yes, you do. But maybe your shouldn’t. And I’m not a prude or anything when it comes to such matters, but since Halloween has become more a children’s holiday, do we really want to teach them to mock millions of members of our community or women and men who have given their lives in service? Can’t we have good clean fun in other ways?</p><img src="/images/reflections/eli-the-chihuahua.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="150" alt="Eli The Chihuahua" /><p>Like take Eli the Chihuahua dressed up as Pope Benedict the 16th. Now some took offense at that too. But, me, not so much. Maybe because it’s just a cute dog. But most of us tend to know offensive when we see it. And maybe this All Hallows Eve is a time to have some fun with the ghoulish and the foolish, but also to remember it’s only a precursor to the more important day that follows, ALL SAINTS DAY, when we celebrate goodness and heroism. Unfortunately though, for many, that day is what’s really ALIEN. Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8951469">here</a>.</p> 2009-11-01 37 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/no-smoking-sign.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="196" alt="No Smoking Sign" /><p>A major report released last week from the Institute of Medicine said that the bans on smoking in restaurants, bars|more| and other public spaces reduce the risk of heart attacks among non-smokers. So, the bans have proven not to hurt businesses but to help prevent heart attacks even in people who DON’T SMOKE. Actually in some places in the U.S. heart attack hospitalizations have dropped 41% in the three years since workplace smoking was banned. This is music to my ears because I’m one of those ardent anti-smoker crusaders. And since my mother, a smoker, died from lung cancer three years ago, I’m become even more strident. I’m totally intolerant of being subjected to someone else’s smoke, especially when I’m walking down the street behind someone whose exhale is making me smell like an ashtray. The entranceways of office buildings in New York have in fact become ashtrays as smokers huddle in the cold sucking on their cancer sticks. But to me it’s not only a health issue but a moral one as well. To knowingly hurt ones’ body, a temple of the Holy Spirit, is morally problematic. Is slow suicide any different from immediate suicide? And yes, I know we’re talking about a habit here. A difficult and insidious one. Some say it’s harder to give up than heroin. And I do have compassion for those trying to break the habit. I watched my mother struggle any number of times to give up her 55 year addiction. And each time she failed. But the moral obligation, seems to me, is to make the attempt. The repeated, concerted attempt until success is achieved before it’s too late. I’m happy we’re all having less heart attacks due to not being around people who smoke. But I remain concerned about the smokers still having the heart attacks. I see and hear all too clearly my mother’s last gasps for air. And that memory begs me to be the anti-smoking gadfly, even when it’s more comfortable to keep my mouth shut. I take is seriously, serious as a heart attack.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8918723">here</a>. 2009-10-25 36 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/ralph-lauren.jpg" class="headshot" width="150" height="267" alt="Ralph Lauren" /><p>This week a former Ralph Lauren model says that she was fired for being too fat. Filippa Hamilton hardly looks fat. She’s|more| 5 feet 10, weighs 120 pounds and wears a size 4. But obviously that’s too fat for Ralph Lauren because they digitally altered a photo of Hamilton to make her look emaciated. The company now says it was a mistake. This news comes on the heels of a report that Barbie, too, is considered too fat. A famous shoemaker says that the doll has “cankles”, a word I’d never heard before, which means FAT ANKLES. So he’s redesigning a new Barbie with less ankle meat. This while another famous designer Karl Lagerfeld says, “No one wants to see curvy women. You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly.” So, is this all just sour grapes, or chips? Do heavier people simply resent thinner people? Or is there a weightier issue, pun intended, at play here? We’ve known for a long time that models have to meet unrealistic standards, but what about the rest of us? In our looks-obsessed culture can any of us really measure up? And are we risking our health by trying to? This month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 25% of girls in U.S. high schools and 11% of boys reported eating disorders. And a Mayo Clinic study found that anorexia is on the rise among younger children. They report patients as young as four years old. Four! It’s getting a little crazy. This cannot be a good thing for any of us. And yes, I know that we all care about how we look, me included. But we have to try to find our self worth in a deeper, less corruptible place. Because, like it or not, looks fade and waistlines-- and apparently ankles--expand. Skin wrinkles and hair thins. The Scripture says don’t build your house on sand where rain and wind can wash it away. Build it on rock, so that it lasts. Same with our self worth. We are more than the physical. What lasts is spirit. Make sure you take some time to nurture and buff that part too. And the fatter, the better.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8840913">here</a>. 2009-10-18 35 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/brooke-shields-at-fourteen.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="247" alt="Brooke Shields at Her Sweet Fourteenr" /><p>On the heels of the Roman Polanski furor comes another less reported story involving another celebrity. The actress|more| Brooke Shields, now 44, posed for a nude photo when she was 10 years old. Richard Prince, the photographer of a copy of that photo, entitled it SPIRITUAL AMERICA. Don’t ask me what that means. Well recently London police removed the photo from an exhibition at the Tate Modern Museum after child exploitation groups protested, saying it could be a “magnet for pedophiles.” Well who knows if that’s true or not. But what’s disturbing to me is that the photograph was taken with the permission of Shields mother, who then signed away the rights to the original photo, which was then featured in a Playboy publication. Now this is a little different from that couple we heard about who were reported by Wal-Mart for developing bath time nude photos of their own children for private use. The Shields photo was commercial property used to make money. What’s in a parent’s head to allow that? And one of the most disturbing aspects to me about the Polanski case was that the mother of the then 13 year old girl let her daughter go to the photo shoot unsupervised where the girl posed topless for Polanski. And then let her go back a second day unsupervised to the house of Jack Nicholson, where she was then photographed again by Polanski, but also molested in a hot tub and raped in Jack Nicholson’s bedroom. Did this mother not see the dangers inherent in her bad choices? Parental vigilance is the only protection children have against forces that can harm them. Wake up parents. We live in dangerous times. Don’t make them any more dangerous for your children by reneging on your responsibility to be the primary protectors of your children. Their lives and future depend on it.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8794852">here</a>. 2009-10-11 34 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/juvenile-detention-center.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="164" alt="Juvenile Detention Center" /><p>I lived in Chicago for four years and loved the city. I’m just not loving what I’m seeing now. Many of us watched horrified|more| at the beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert, a quiet honor student who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Four teens have been charged with first-degree murder for beating Derrion to death with wooden planks and kicking him in the head. And all this the same week that President Obama flew to Copenhagen to convince the Olympic Committee of the virtues of his Windy City where there were 290 shootings last school year and 34 teen deaths. But we re hearing more about Swine Flu than that. Why? Because these are poor minority kids killing each other. We’ve come to expect it. And what can we do about it anyway? Well, one thing is we have to begin to get across to our youth the value and sacredness of human life. That message has obviously been lost. There are too many gangs and too many guns and too many drugs. Life is seen as cheap. And as a result, we are burying our future. The despair we feel is understandable. But maybe we’re not feeling it enough. I know we have a lot of domestic and foreign issues to contend with. And our President has a lot on his plate. But instead of flying to Copenhagen this week maybe he should have been on a plane home to Chicago instead. The place where he began community organizing is in a disorganized state of emergency. Kids are dying at the hands of other kids. Maybe the voice and presence of a hometown President can do something to halt the bleeding. Seems to me that’s the real Olympian challenge.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above Reflection, click <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8728568">here</a>. 2009-10-04 33 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/turning50.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="131" alt="Turning 50" /><p>I celebrated my 50th birthday this past week.  And, of course, had to endure all of the “over the hill” jokes|more| and “down-hill from-here-on-in” predictions.  All in good fun, of course.  But there was also seriousness in my marking this half-century milestone in my life.  I realized that I have now been a Passionist for more than half of my life.  I professed first vows in 1981 and was ordained a priest in 1985.  It’s remarkable for me to consider that the majority of my life has been spent in service as a Passionist. It has been my greatest gift.</p><p>At this juncture I feel especially privileged to be able to serve as Executive Producer of The Sunday Mass.  I consider it a wonderful honor to be able to enter your homes (and computers!) with the great message of God’s love as we experience it in the Eucharist.  I do feel like your “Pastor” in a very real way and hope that some of your spiritual needs are being met by our ministry here at THE SUNDAY MASS.  Thank you for the ways in which you have embraced us.</p><p>Our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Yom Kippur this weekend, the Day of Atonement.  We are united with them in prayer.  And of course, in that spirit, we too take time to beg pardon and forgiveness for any ways in which we have not fully responded to God’s great call of love.  Enjoy this wonderful fall week.  And I’ll see you back here next week with a new Reflection and new celebration of The Sunday Mass!  God’s Blessings to you always. - Fr. Edward</p> 2009-09-27 32 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/tragedy-of-war.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="131" alt="Tragedy of War" /><p>Just when things seem to be winding down with the war in Iraq, they seem to be gearing up with the war in Afghanistan|more|. We just can’t seem to live in peace for very long. And of the many sadnesses about that, none is sadder than the toll such wars take on our service men and women who have no choice but to fight battles they have little to do with. The Army recently released it’s monthly suicide numbers. From January to August 110 Army soldiers committed suicide. That’s 21 more than this same period last year when the war in Iraq was even more contentious. It’s hard to image the pressure that these men and women are under. Recently I went to see the movie THE HURT LOCKER about US bomb disposal squads working to diffuse hidden roadside bombs in Iraq. I was like a dish rag by the end of it. I couldn’t believe anyone having to live under such daily pressure and tragedy. I came out of that movie knowing that I could never do that, no matter how noble the end result might be. True courage on display. And yet I wish that courage could be exercised in ways that have nothing to do with blowing up people. That we have come to this is so disheartening. And obviously it’s taking its toll on those on the front lines trying to stay normal in very abnormal circumstances. In 1965 Pope Paul VI pleaded before the United Nations, “NO MORE WAR! NEVER AGAIN WAR! IF YOU WISH TO BE BROTHERS DROP YOUR WEAPONS” Words that John Paul II reiterated in 1991. But we seem to be deaf to those words. We live in a world of desperation in which people see conflict and killing as the only means by which to execute change. I wonder sometimes if the dream of the prophet Isaiah that we will beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks will ever be realized. Have we gone too far into the throes of violence and subjugation that we no longer can hear the call to peace above the roar of guns and bombs. Men and women die everyday in the cause of peace. Or is it the cause of war? And some are dying by their own hands because war kills in all sorts of ways. I hope the conflict in Afghanistan doesn’t reach the proportions some are predicting. But if it does that there are enough of us who are willing to continue shouting "NEVER AGAIN WAR" until finally someone begins to listen.</p><p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8611602">HERE</a>.</p> 2009-09-20 31 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/healthcare.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="161" alt="Healthcare" /><p>Like many of you this week I watched President Obama’s speech on Health Care. And like many of you I was horrified when Republican Representative Joe Wilson heckled The President of the United States and called him a liar. Okay, he called out "YOU LIE!", which in my estimation is the same thing. Now aside from the shameful embarrassment of an elected official acting in such a manner toward the President, what interested me was the comment of the President that caused the unruly outburst. It was when President Obama said that his new Health Care Plan would not cover Illegal Immigrants. Well, you know what? I wish that the President had been lying. Because I think that any health plan that offers universal coverage should in fact cover undocumented workers as well. Especially when they are willing to pay for it just like they have to pay for everything else. I think we have a moral obligation to provide health care access for every person struggling to live in America. Otherwise we are saying that if an illegal immigrant shows up at an emergency room with a sick or injured child that we’re not going to treat that child. But we treat them now. Why wouldn’t we continue to? We have 22 million foreign-born non-citizens living in the United States. Do we really think it’s in the common good to have that many people getting sick with no available treatment? Do you want someone will tuberculosis roaming around your neighborhood? And then people say, "Well I don’t want to have to pay for it." But you’re already paying for it. And you’ll be paying more for it if we pretend that 22 million people simply don’t exist. And this is to say nothing of the religious, moral and ethical argument for providing universal health care. The Judeo-Christian tradition demands it. From the prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures to the Jesus of the Christian Gospels, God’s mandate is clear. We’re responsible for the poor and vulnerable. Jesus says, “I have come that you may have life and have it to the full.” We can’t do that if we’re sick with no available treatment. In the Gospels Jesus is the Divine Physician who brings physical as well as spiritual and emotional healing to people. They are not separate. And this is the Jesus who says that the one thing we will be judged on is how we cared for the vulnerable in our midst. “I was sick and you cared for me. Whatever you did for the least of my brothers or sisters, you did to me.” So, do you really want to be denying Jesus healthcare? President Obama may want to start lying after all.</p><p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8551368">HERE</a>.</p> 2009-09-13 30 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/labor-day.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="188" alt="Labor Day" /><p>With Labor Day upon us, the official close of summer has arrived. Always a bittersweet time. The days are getting shorter and the leisure of summer will soon be behind us. But the coolness and beauty of fall will hold its own magic. It’s interesting to note that we mark this transition with a day by which we commemorate work and workers. As you may know, the holiday began in Canada in the 1870’s born of labor disputes. And an American Peter McGuire who witnessed a parade and labor festival in Toronto brought it back to New York and organized the first Labor Day on September 5th, 1882. It later became a federal holiday to honor workers and labor unions. But what you may not know is that in 1909 the Sunday preceding Labor Day was designated LABOR SUNDAY and dedicated to celebrating the spiritual aspects of work and the labor movement. Isn’t it odd to think of work as a spiritual endeavor? Yet, of course, it is. I know it’s hard sometimes to see the blessing of work, especially when we may not particularly like what we do. Or right now you may be out of work in this horrible economy and perhaps being productive in a different way. It seems as though we were made to be creative, to produce, and even to take pride in our accomplishments. To be connected to the end result of what we have helped make can bring great satisfaction. In that way I suppose we’re a bit like God, whose primary act was to CREATE. And when God looked at all he had created God said, “It is VERY GOOD.” I know we don’t always say that when we work. Sometimes in fact it may seem very bad. But maybe this Labor Day is a t ime to remember what it’s supposed to be all about. No matter what you may be doing for a livelihood, or even if you’re unemployed right now, to take some time to look around and see the benefit that is being achieved by your labor. To try to see your creation through new eyes. And maybe even if you can’t say, IT’S VERY GOOD, you might be able to say, IT’S NOT HALF-BAD.</p><p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8485061">HERE</a>.</p> 2009-09-06 27 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/ted-kennedy.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="199" alt="Ted Kennedy" /><p>The death of Ted Kennedy this week has struck a collective nerve. Even though we knew he had brain cancer and would die, the finality of his passing has given our country pause. Once more we turn our attention to the Dynasty that is the Kennedy family and we realize how much they’ve been part of our collective American story. The joys and successes surely. But the tragedies perhaps even more so. We’ve watched them over the years and yearned for a piece of their Camelot. The Hyannis compound, the sailboats, the backyard football games. The wealth and privilege of it all. But then heartbreaking loss seems to have overshadowed all else making us realize that no one is exempt, even those of wealth and privilege. The amazing thing about Ted Kennedy was that even amidst the heartache and loss of violently losing two brothers, the struggle of a son with cancer, the other with addictions, his public divorce, and, yes, of course Chappaquiddik. He could have turned in on himself and given up in the face of such tremendous obstacles. But instead he devoted himself to 47 years in the Senate passing over 300 bills that bear his name. Most of them to help the poor and disenfranchised. Despite his own economic privilege, he never lost sight of those who struggle to survive. And it seems as though his deep faith was a driving force in that advocacy. Conservative bloggers may be now questioning whether or not all of Ted Kennedy’s views and past actions were in accord with Catholic Church teaching. But as he is laid to rest with a full Catholic burial, we are reminded that Ted kept that greatest commandment to love God and neighbor. And he never forgot that his neighbor didn’t only mean someone in Hyannis. But it meant those living in housing projects in New York and Los Angeles. Or even under the highways of those cities. He remembered the words of Jesus, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.” And I suspect the words Teddy are hearing today are, “Well done faithful servant.” -Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.</p><p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8438849">HERE</a>.</p> 2009-08-30 26 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/euna-lee-and-laura-ling.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="138" alt="Euna Lee and Laura Ling" /><p>When Laura Ling and Euna Lee were finally released from North Korea last week amid much fanfare, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. We tried to imagine what it would be like to be detained for 140 days in a foreign country by complete strangers. When my mother was five years old she and her sister were placed in an orphanage by my grandmother who felt she could no longer care for them. I once asked my mother what it was like. She said, “It was awful. Everything familiar was ripped away from me.” I suppose that’s what’s it’s like to live in exile. Maybe we know that feeling at different times in our lives. A sudden illness, the dissolution of a marriage, the loss of a child, the betrayal of a loved one. Experiences that cause us to lose a sense of home and safety that we we’ve associated with that place or those people. But maybe there can be a positive side to such dreaded experiences. Maybe they can become the impetus to see that it’s ALL temporary and fleeting. Detachment can thrust us into realizing that ultimately we do stand alone in relationship to God and our world. But alone need not mean isolated. We live connected, however temporarily to people and places who become home for us. But they are not our final home. We know our ultimate goal is to construct a lasting home that has nothing to do with brick or mortar. And I don’t only mean after death. I mean that place of comfort inside that we take with us no matter where we are geographically. My grandmother eventually retrieved my mother and aunt from the orphanage and brought them home. But my mother always realized after that how tentative that home was. And she never took it for granted again. I suppose that’s something of what Laura Ling and Euna Lee are feeling now. But a deeper feeling may come with the realization that the love and support of their family and indeed a whole nation never allowed them to be very far from home. It is indeed where the heart is. But, as they now also know, it sure does feel good when heart, body and home can be all in one place.</p><p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK HERE: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8323104">HOW DO YOU FIND HOME WHEN EXILED?</a></p> 2009-08-16 25 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/clunker.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="138" alt="Clunker" /><p>By now you've no doubt heard about the Cash for Clunkers program where you can get up to $4,500 from the government- or your own taxes really- to trade in your old car for a new one. Except that the word clunker is a real misnomer since your car may be working just fine. And when you turn it in, it will have to be destroyed. No recycling of the old stuff. The Used Car dealer loses out. And in some sense, so do we I think. While I understand the goal to incentivize buyers in this struggling economy, I hate what this program says about us and our capitalist system. Once again, it's all about more consumption. Destroy perfectly good older cars to buy newer, shinier ones. Hmm. Sounds familiar. Seems like we do that a lot. Isn't that the idea behind second marriage trophy wives? Isn't that the idea behind putting perfectly able elderly parents and grandparents in assisted living facilities once we become tired of doing the assisting? Let's face it. We live in a culture where everything and everyone is expendable. When things start to wear out we hate to be reminded that we will one day too. So we send them to the crusher and turn our attention toward the purr of the shinier and sexier. And some say, but the car program is also about helping the environment. Really? With what it's going to cost to recycle all of the old cars and with a marginal fuel efficiency gain, the environmental impact is, at best, questionable. No, it's not about the environment. It’s about encouraging Americans to consume more instead of saving more. To say nothing of the fact that many being lured by this program can't really afford to buy a new car and may eventually default on the payments. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Just remember, we’ll all be clunkers one day. I’d like to think those who love me will let me hang around a while rather than trade me in for a younger more efficient model. After all, didn’t a 1970's commercial used to tell us, You're Not Getting Older, You’re Getting Better. Oh yeah, but that was a hair dye commercial. Never mind.</p> <p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK HERE: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8280780">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8280780</a></p> 2009-08-09 24 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/water.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="167" alt="Water" /><p>Hi, I’m Father Edward Beck in New York. The great philosopher Pascal once wrote: I have concluded that the whole misfortune of people comes from a single thing, and that is their inability to remain at rest in a room. It’s a fancy way of saying that we don’t know how to slow down. While summer used to be a time for just that, it seems as though we’ve l ost that ability for leisure. Advancing technology seems to dictate that we’re available 24/7, just a vibration or ping away. So we avoid the solitary experience because maybe we don’t know what to do with it, or we fear the ennui that may result. A friend of mine told me that he’ll have plenty of time for leisure in his retirement. For now, he has to succeed and make money. He died last year of a heart attack at age 45. Maybe we need to reclaim the whole notion of Sabbath rest. Time to stop, to notice, and to be thankful for the gifts from our Creator. A daily walk in nature. A monthly retreat day. Riding in the car with no radio. Sitting and pondering a dazzling sunset. Taking time to notice life happening around us. In her novel The Color Purple Alice Walker says that if you walk past the color purple in a field and don’t notice it that it gets God mad. Well, if she’s right, I’d say God may be pretty upset. Nowadays a lot of waiters begin their spiels by asking, "Can I bring you still, sparkling, or tap water?" The still or sparkling is an interesting choice of opposites that maybe points to our struggle. Sparkling seems sexier. It bubbles and effervesces. Still is, well, still. It just lays there. And yet all bubble and no stillness can wear us out. When we’re too much about the sparkle, we risk being all surface and no depth. May be the best way to sparkle this summer is to take some time to be still.</p> 2009-07-26 23 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/pope-breaks-wrist.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="203" alt="Pope Benedict fell and broke his wrist this week" /><p>Pope Benedict fell and broke his wrist this week, perhaps a sign that the aging Pope is indeed becoming more frail. A few weeks ago this same Pope released his latest encyclical called <strong>CHARITY IN TRUTH</strong>. But there was nothing frail or weak about it. You probably didn’t hear much about it because it said some things that Americans find hard to take. In it the Pope said that our capitalist profit at all costs mentality is simply not acceptable. And, in fact, may be immoral. The stock market, the world market, says the Pope, cannot simply be about profit for it’s own ends or for its own investors, but must consider elements of distributive and social justice. So that the common good must be the ultimate goal. To quote a singer getting a lot of attention in light of his recent tragic death, “We are the World. We Are the Children. So let’s start giving.” In light of recent news reports of record profits by Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, even in this economic downturn, we have to begin to wonder if we’re not back to business as usual. Wall Street fat cats getting fatter once again. And the rest of us anorexic, simply limping along. Many economists are saying that we better gear up for another financial crisis down the road because nothing has really changed. And it won’t change until hearts change. Until we really believe it’s unjust for some to have so much and others so little. The TRUTH OF CHARITY is that we must embrace it to fully human. In the Gospel Jesus says that if I have two coats and my neighbor has none, then I must give him one of mine. Sounds simple. But so hard to do. I guess we still don’t believe that We Are the Children, no matter how many times we sing it.</p> <p>TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE REFLECTION, CLICK HERE: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8115409">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8115409</a></p> 2009-07-19 22 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/stgabriels.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="148" alt="Saint Gabriels Youth Retreat House" /><p>This weekend is a sad one. We will celebrate our LAST public Mass at St. Gabriel’s Youth Retreat House on Shelter Island, New York. Due to the severe financial crisis that the Passionists are now facing, we can no longer afford to keep and operate this great YOUTH RETREAT CENTER. Also, because we need to generate additional revenue for our very survival, we are being forced to put the whole property up for sale. A sad turn of events indeed. This is particularly hard for me personally because this is the Retreat Center where I received my Passionist vocation. Some of you know this story from my book GOD UNDERNEATH, and you will remember that I was forced to go on this spiritual retreat as a Junior in High School. It was a requirement of the High School that I attended. I went kicking and screaming and left laughing and uplifted. I witnessed something I never had before: a deep connection with my faith and spirituality. It made sense to me in a way it never had previously. And it did mostly because of the religious and priests in the black habits and Passionist hearts who were so very human and welcoming and brimming with a zest for life and their mission. Over the years the Passionists have ministered to hundreds of thousands of teenagers all over the Tri-State area. Many have returned or have written to tell us how much the retreat meant to them at a crucial time in their lives. They felt the hand of forgiveness or the embrace of acceptance or the joy of being loved. Ministry to youth is so crucial, especially in these uncertain times. I hope that the Passionists can continue to do this ministry in someplace, in some way. But, alas, it will no longer be at St. Gabriel’s on Shelter Island. That chapter in our history ends with the final Mass this weekend. But the memory and impact lingers for a lifetime. And not just in my soul but in the souls of many who have found God on that seashore and were never the same afterwards. Thank you St. Gabriels and the many priests and brothers who have ministered there over the past 46 years of YOUTH MINISTRY. Blessings - Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.</p> 2009-07-12 21 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/monks.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="150" alt="Monks" /><p>There’s a classic Zen story about two celibate monks who were on pilgrimage together. As they approached a raging river they saw a distressed young woman standing on the banks who was afraid to enter the waters. The younger monk picked the woman up, put her on his shoulders, and waded into the waters. The older monk looked on horrified but said nothing. When the three reached the other side the monk put the grateful woman down safely, and the two monks continued on their journey in silence. Hours went by without them speaking. Finally it was obvious that the older monk was angry and disturbed. He looked at the younger monk and said, “How could you have done that?” “Done what?” said the other monk, surprised. “How could you have carried that woman? You know we’re supposed to have nothing to do with women yet you carried her intimately on your shoulders.” “My dear brother,” said the younger monk, “I set that woman down on the shore of the river hours ago. Why are YOU still carrying her?” Funny isn’t it how sometimes our resentments say more about us than the one we may be resenting. When someone does something good or noble, it can disturb us, and we try to pull it down or find fault with it. Maybe they make us feel guilty because they respond in a way that deep down we know we should be. But something blocks us. We resent their freedom so rather than celebrate it we find fault with it. It’s like when the disciples come home to Jesus and say, “Master, we saw a man casting out demons today in your name. But we told him to stop.” And Jesus says, “What did you do that for?” And the disciples say, “Because he wasn’t one of us.” And Jesus says, “So what. Life was flourishing. Good was being done. It doesn’t matter whether or not you were included in it. You dopes.” I paraphrase a bit, but you get the point. So next time when someone else is doing the good or the carrying, lets enter the waters and lend a shoulder with them. Because the waters of resentment are far more treacherous.</p><p>To see Father Beck give the above reflection click here: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7982028">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7982028</a></p> 2009-07-05 20 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/michael-jackson-farrah-fawcett.jpg" class="headshot" width="198" height="125" alt="Michael Jackson and Farrah Faucet" /><p>This week we lost two beloved entertainers, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. And our sympathies to their families and fans. I know that we perceive their lives as more important because they have lived in the spotlight. We’ve watched them grow older. We’ve traveled with them in the twists and turns and highs and lows of their sometimes tumultuous existences here on earth. And perhaps we’ve even lived vicariously through them. Television has already produced hour long prime time broadcasts on each of them, and the morning shows devoted multiple hours to every iota of their tragic lives. Just seems as though we can’t get enough. And isn’t Governor Sanford of South Carolina happy about that. But while there is a need for collective mourning, and I get that, there’s also something about it that saddens and worries me. I don’t want to begrudge Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett their final moment in the spotlight. Testimony and remembrance is due both of them. But when we allow their passings to eclipse all else that is happening in the world, I wonder about the message that it sends. And what is says about who and what we really value. Protests in Iran have intensified this week with 70 University Professors who held a meeting with challenger Mousavvi being arrested. And even more people being killed on the streets. And we’ve heard almost nothing about it. How easily the 24 hour news cycle can turn on a dime toward the sexier, prurient, and ultimately more vacuous. And yes, I know the argument that we simply give people what they want and are interested in. We go for the ratings. But whose responsibility is it to point the spotlight elsewhere even when no one seems interested in looking anymore? Doesn’t the media have an obligation to help shape people’s consciousness even if it’s not a popular endeavor? If not us, who? Michael and Farrah, God’s speed to both of you. And may eternal rest be yours. As for the rest of us, let’s make sure we continue caring too about the many other lives that still hang in the balance. Let’s shine that spotlight on those who depend on the illumination that only we can provide.</p><p>To watch Father Beck give the above commentary, click here: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7941395">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7941395</a></p><p>To watch this weeks episode of Father Beck's FOCUS ON FAITH, click here: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/abcnewsnow/focusonfaith">http://abcnews.go.com/abcnewsnow/focusonfaith</a></p> 2009-06-28 19 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/jon_and_kate_gosselin.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="200" alt="Jon and Kate Gosselin" /><p>The TV World has been transfixed lately by the travails of Jon and Kate Gosselin. Rumors of marital infidelity have caused the ratings of their reality show to go through the roof. Last week a married couple that I know began to see their relationship unravel as well. Well actually it’s probably been in trouble for some time, but sexual infidelity proved the crippling blow. Of course, unfortunately, this is not uncommon. A lot of people cheat on their spouses or significant others. I hear a lot of confessions. So I know. But what I don’t know is why it’s so prevalent. Yes, in most long term relationships the sexual excitement begins to wane and the itch to look elsewhere yearns to be scratched. Some resist it. But many don’t. And I know the arguments that for guys it’s just about more sex and for women it’s about a lack of intimacy and connection. But I don’t know. I think it’s about the same thing for most of us. We’re all really insecure and want to be loved back. We want to be the center of someone else’s world. And when it appears as though the intensity of love and desire is waning in a relationship, we begin to look elsewhere to ignite other flames. We want to be important and wanted. But isn't it all actually very self-serving and based on a lot of insecurity and need? In our quest to satisfy our needs or wants and assuage our fragile self-images, we hurt people whom we love. We forget about the demands of commitment and self-sacrifice because they’re simply not as sexy. We’re afraid of our limitations and maybe even of our deaths. So we act recklessly as though we’re invincible and maybe even going to live forever. We convince ourselves that our indiscretions don’t really matter. They don’t really hurt my relationship. But in fact, they do. We really can’t have it all. Or them all. When we walk through certain doors, other ones close. And it’s usually best we leave them that way.</p><p>CLICK HERE TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE COMMENTARY: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7884927">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7884927</a></p> 2009-06-21 18 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/letterman_palin.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="272" alt="David Letterman and Sarah Palin" /><p>By now you’ve no doubt heard that Sarah Palin is none too happy with David Lettermen after he made some inappropriate jokes about her daughter. How David Lettermen or his writers or producers wouldn’t have known that such bad taste would cause a backlash, I don’t know. Maybe they were just trying to create controversy so they can beat Conan O’Brien in the new ratings war. But the episode once again raises the issue of how inappropriate and mean spirited some humor has become. Well, it’s not even humor. It’s trying to get a laugh at the expense of other people and not really caring who gets hurt in the process. And believe me, I’m no prude when it comes to humor, and I can enjoy an off color joke with the best of them. But this goes beyond the pale. Sexual jokes about minors and someone’s children are clearly out of bounds. And so are many other things we joke about including racism, sexism and all other demeaning slanders that attempt humor at the expense of someone else’s dignity. And, yes, I know that we have to be able to laugh at ourselves. But not at someone else when it disrespects their humanity. And, g ranted, sometimes it’s a fine line. But it becomes a lot clearer once it’s been crossed. And Letterman clearly crossed it, and heard about it. And we should let others know when they’ve crossed it too. The more we just shrug it off and make excuses for it, the more debasing humor continues unchecked. And we are all the lesser for it.</p><p>CLICK HERE TO WATCH FATHER BECK GIVE THE ABOVE COMMENTARY: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7827939">http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7827939</a></p> 2009-06-14 17 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/susan-boyle-and-adam-lambert.jpg" class="headshot" width="250" height="111" alt="Susan Boyle and Adam Lambert" /><p>Well, the American Idol frenzy is over, or just beginning depending on your perspective. Rumors about cheating in the voting, anti-gay sentiment against second place Adam, and of course a summer tour to promote. And then we still have Britains Susan Boyle making headlines. A less likely Idol she was recently hospitalized after being accused of throwing around the f-bomb. Hard to believe from that shy lassie. Yes, these are the Idols generating headlines and making teens and middle-aged Brits swoon. And they’re the same Idols giving me some pause. Remember an idol is an image that we blindly worship. A FALSE god. Something visible but without substance. And that’s not my definition, but Merriam-Webster’s. So are these really our and Britain’s IDOLS? Seems to be the case for some. And I’m not some anti-Pop Culture curmudgeon, but I bristle when we confuse our priorities and give the insignificant such prominence. Neilsen Ratings not withstanding, aren’t we better served by revering what is true and beautiful and lasting? And not that which fades like the morning flowers. It’s no secret that celebrity worship has become our new religion, but isn’t it a false faith with no staying power or real substance? It certainly won’t sustain us in our trials or help us to answer the deeper questions of life. Adam’s eye-liner may be the rage today. But tomorrow will call for a more sustaining vision. And what and who we worship may be the truest test of who we really are.</p> 2009-06-07 16 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/sotomayor.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="125" alt="Sonia Sotomayor Supreme Court Justice" /><p>All the speculation about the new Supreme Court Justice nominee recently came to an end as Sonia Sotomayor stepped in front of the microphone and thanked her 81 year old mother Celina for enabling her to be standing beside the President of the United States. Sonia remarked, "I've often said that I’m all that I am because of her, and I am only half the woman she is." Standing on the shoulders of others is the way Judge Sotomayor described her success. And her mother's shoulders were pretty strong. A woman who came from a poor farming community in Puerto Rico to a housing project in the East Bronx to raise her two children alone after her husband died of a heart attack. She struggled to provide for them and to send them to Catholic schools. Sonia went on to Princeton University and then Yale Law School, and her brother Juan to NYU Medical School. Amazing what one woman with strong shoulders can do. And the mother, Celina's, explanation: "I don’t know what I did. I was just there." But the word JUST doesn't fit in that sentence. Because sometimes being there is everything. I know because I had parents who were too. This Supreme Court Justice nominee is testimony to what love and sacrifice can produce even amidst the greatest obstacles. And it's less about how big our shoulders are and more about our willingness to let others stand on them. Celina Sotomayor, felicidades. And thanks for the inspiration.</p> 2009-05-31 15 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/farrah.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="134" alt="Farrah Fawcett" /><p>I was a Charlie’s Angel’s guy growing up. Like most male teens my age I had that poster of Farrah Fawcett in the red bathing suit adorning my bedroom wall. The teeth, the hair, the rest. And so it was sad indeed to see the video images last week of the hair mostly gone and the smile dimmed by the horrors of cancer and impending death. But she said one thing in her recent documentary that really made me sit up and listen. She said, "I don’t know why God has given me this cancer." Now she didn’t say it in a self-pitying way, but as if she were really looking for an answer. Ryan O’Neal, her longtime lover, wasn’t as judgment free in his assessment of God. He wondered if God was capricious and downright mean. I wondered, Did she really believe that God GAVE her the cancer? I’d say that’s a mean God too. But then, how DO we explain innocent suffering? Obviously, God LET it happen. And He could have prevented it if He’s ALL POWERFUL, right? I don’t have the answers for that, and I take some comfort in knowing we’ve been asking the same theodicy questions for millennia, and not getting satisfying answers. But there’s one answer that I DO depend on: That God doesn’t abandon us in suffering. Just like people haven’t abandoned Farrah. The curls may be gone and the radiant smile no longer, but that indomitable spirit shines through. Despite her travails, she doesn’t seem to have given up on God. And I don’t think God has given up on her either. It may just take the passage to a TRULY angelic state before that Divine embrace can finally be felt. When Charlie’s Angel becomes God’s Angel. And that IS something to smile about.</p> 2009-05-24 14 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>Once again one of Dan Brown's books hits the big screen and not without the typical swirl of controversy that surrounds his fiction. And FICTION is the operative word. Of course there's controversy because not everyone sees it as fiction, and some prefer to believe in nefarious plots hatched by the Catholic Church to kill all those opposed to it's message. Last time we had OPUS DEI, that secret group within the Church, who were intent on hushing up the truth about Jesus and his secret marriage to Mary Magdalene. Now there's controversy! This time we have The Illuminati, intent on destroying the Church itself. Hmm. I only wish this Church of ours was that exciting. But, alas, truth be told, it's pretty ho-hum. Take it from an insider. And I mean that in the nicest way. Unfortunately, people like Bill Donohue of the Catholic League think they have to defend the faith by writing books and pamphlets discrediting the ludicrous claims of potboiler fiction that doesn't even get some of the supposed historical facts right. I say leave it alone and let people take it for what it is: suspenseful filmmaking that allows our imaginations to run wild for a few hours. Last night I put down my 12 bucks and my 44 dollars for popcorn. I fell asleep in the beginning of the overly-long movie. And then perked up for a visually enticing ending. And by the way, there are some Catholic HEROES in the movie too. Definitely NOT anti-Catholic. Rather balanced I would say. And, after all, in my pursuit of the angelic, it's always good to be informed about what the real demonic forces are capable of - like the ones who set those popcorn price.</p> 2009-05-17 13 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img class="headshot" width="200" height="134" alt="AirForce One Flying Close to NYC" src="/images/reflections/plane_scare.jpg"/><p>It was the buzz heard round the world. Well, at least heard in New York, as a plane came perilously close, buzzing city skyscrapers and sending shivers down our collective spines. Turns out it was a very misguided photo op planned by the Defense Department to get a picture of Air Force One against the New York skyline. It cost about $350,000, and probably a few people their jobs. As Jon Stewart said, didn’t these brain trusts ever hear of Photoshop? Now dumb as the stunt may have been, what impressed me was the way our collective memory kicks into gear during such events. People gathering outside office buildings talking about the last time this happened when the results were much more devastating. Just when we think all of the lessons of 9/11 have been lost, they’re brought back in the flash of a menacing shadow. Funny how pivotal experiences in our lives return to us when similar circumstances occur. That’s probably the greatest gift of faith and community. Remembering our collective experience, good and bad, and how God has walked the journey with us. And how we’ve walked it with one another. I’ve heard people who lived through the Great Depression talk about how the current economic crisis brings them right back there. But more than bringing them BACK, the memory that we got through it brings them FORWARD. We do that for one another as a community, together. And that’s what you call GOOD BUZZ.</p> 2009-05-10 12 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/pigs.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="134" alt="Pigs and the swine flu" /><p>I don’t know about you, but I’m already sick about hearing about getting sick. Yes, of course I’m talking about Swine Flu, which you can't avoid hearing about no matter where you go. And forgive my skepticism, but I just can’t help feeling that yet again news outlets are feeding our innate fears and paranoia. Yes, I do know that people have died in Mexico, and that some of them were very young. And that the predominantly Catholic country even cancelled Sunday Masses, so you know it must be pretty bad right? But how bad in context still remains to be seen. A bit of perspective: 36,000 Americans die of flu-related causes each year. That’s regular old flu. And while a few vulnerable Americans will die from Swine Flu, the overwhelming majority of cases have been relatively mild. And even though it’s been reported in other countries, pointing to a possible pandemic, no reports have indicated that the severity elsewhere approaches what happened in Mexico. Remember the reports about Bird Flu and SARS? They too were going to be the great pandemic. And while there were some tragedies with those, as there always are with illness, they didn’t warrant the corresponding fear-mongering. And so, at least for now, I’d rather take a faith perspective. I’ve heard that in the Bible it’s attributed to God as saying <strong>"DO NOT BE AFRAID"</strong> 366 times. That’s once for each day of the year. And once for leap year. So for today, I’m going to take Him at his word.</p> 2009-05-03 11 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <img src="/images/reflections/nasa_pulsar.jpg" class="headshot" width="200" height="200" alt="NASA spinning pulsar hand of God" /><p>Did you ever hear the song, HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS? Last week a NASA photo showed what appeared to be a large cosmic hand reaching out into space. NASA says that the image is caused by a rapidly spinning pulsar or neutron star. Of course, everything can be explained scientifically, right? (Said with sarcasm.) But believers might look at it differently. After all, if God fashioned the universe and created the stars, can't this also be seen as the hand of God? Well, I guess that depends on whether you believe that God in fact has the whole world in his hands. It might seem to you as though God has dropped the ball or is crushing it with those hands. What with a world economic crisis, countless wars, debilitating poverty and senseless gun killings. Or could this luminous photo be a reminder that God does hold us, but in ways we might not always understand or choose? God not wanting to be the great bailout King, but rather letting us fix our own spiritual bankruptcies. Maybe HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS can play alongside I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN and the melodies not be dissonant at all.</p> 2009-04-26 10 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>As we continue our celebration of the Easter season, it was suggested to me that I make some of the texts for the reflections that I tape for ABC NEWS available here on our website. Many of them have news-related or cultural significance. This week the TV reflection was on, um, Mel Gibson. Sorry, couldn’t help myself. And whether or not you liked his movie Passion of the Christ, I’m sure you may have your own opinions of his recent public behavior. It now appears as though the "Uber-Catholic" Mel Gibson is now getting divorced. This after 28 years of marriage and 7 children. The 53 year old actor was recently photographed cavorting in Costa Rica with a 28 year old Russian singer. Perhaps that was the last straw for his long suffering wife Robyn. Worse even than his drunk driving arrest and spewing of anti Semitic slurs. So, why is this Catholic priest wallowing in this tabloid grist? Because I’ve already been asked, "So I suppose he’ll just get an annulment and he’ll be fine with the Church?" Well, no. He hasn’t been fine with the Roman Catholic Church for some time now. He doesn’t accept the teachings of Vatican II or the authority of the Pope. And he chooses instead to follow some antiquated remnant of Catholicism that dates back to the 16th century. And all in Latin, by the way. Why should he care about something as fundamental as a marital annulment when he’s already dismissed most of Roman Catholicism? This is the kind of stuff that makes ordinary faithful people crazy. Money, celebrity and building your own 50 million dollar church are no free pass from the mundane processes of conversion and renewal. I’m afraid Mel Gibson has a long way to go before we even get to the annulment question. And I mean that in the nicest way. See you next week. And continued Happy Easter as we bask in the glory of the Resurrection and finally, hints of spring!</p> 2009-04-19 9 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>Once again Christians turn toward celebrating a mystery that defies rational or scientific explanation. Easter. When we say that the Resurrection of Jesus offers new life and hope to everyone. And the even deeper counter-cultural claim that suffering and death are the path to this transformation. Talk about stopping conversation at a cocktail party. But whatever your religious beliefs, I think we can all agree that life is hard. That we do struggle. And we do suffer. And, yes, ultimately we die. And whether or not you believe that life continues after this one, the cyclical pattern is undeniable. Just look around. All the plants and trees that seemed dead during this long winter are now sprouting with new birth. And the world goes round and round. And maybe at this time in your life even though you’re still breathing, parts of you feel dead. A marriage that’s gone awry. A child in the grips of addiction. A 401K dream, now a night mare. Things you’ve hoped for in your life, seemingly out of reach. But just maybe this new springtime holds a glimmer of hope for you, too. Get outside and feel the warmth of a new sun on your face. Peer into the tombs of your life and wonder if one day soon they might be empty too. After all, thousands are flocking to Washington DC this week to marvel at the explosion of color of cherry blossoms around a Tidal Basin that just a week ago was barren and bare. Hope does indeed spring eternal. Happy Easter and many blessings of new life to you and to those you love. - Fr. Edward Beck</p> 2009-04-12 8 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>As we enter the most sacred week in the Church calendar I am aware of how much is packed into these important days. Almost too much to digest in one week. We begin on Passion / Palm Sunday with the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem with palms waving and shouts of Hosanna. The cries of jubilation soon turn to cries of horror and anguish as the “King” is scourged and beaten before being crucified, which we commemorate on Good Friday. In the interim on Holy Thursday we remember the great gift of the Eucharist that Jesus left as an everlasting remembrance. We will wash feet as a reminder of that humble act of service that Jesus performed for his disciples. The Master serves even the servants. And then on Holy Saturday we will stand vigil by the tomb hoping for new life to spring forth even in the midst of such emptiness, bringing us to next Sunday and our celebration of Easter. Although we do not televise Holy Week services, please be assured of our prayers for all of our television parishioners during this special week. The presiders of The Sunday Mass will be celebrating in parishes with various faith communities but remembering in prayer all of you who have asked for prayers...and even those of you who have not. The spiritual key to these days is to be able to reflect on our own lives in the context of the life and events of Jesus. How do the sufferings of our life lead to occasions of new life? In this way we participate in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus. May your Holy Week be a blessed and prayerful one!</p> 2009-04-05 7 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>A recent survey about religion reported on said that nearly all religious groups in the United States lost followers in the last 10 years. People are less affiliated with traditional denominations. The only group that grew in numbers was the Evangelicals, who are spread out among a few denominations. And, so, I was thinking, why has this happened? And will the trend continue? For starters, I think we have to keep in mind that this survey was conducted during a period when we were riding the high wave of an economic boom. When people have more money, they often pay less attention to God. The illusion of self-sufficiency allows one to think that we can get by on our own prowess. But now that the economic tide has turned, I already see more people in church on Sunday. And I suspect when the next survey is done we’ll see an INCREASE in church attendance and affiliation. Unless of course the stock market rebounds a lot quicker than anyone anticipates.</p><p>I also think that as we advance in technology and media sophistication, people expect more of their places of worship. Lackluster homilies, off-pitch music, drab liturgy, and uninspired worship spaces no longer satisfy a culture where the more inspirational is merely a click away. Churches and synagogues need to get their acts together and make liturgy more inviting and transcendent if people are to be drawn to it. Sometimes when I don’t have to say Mass and I sit in the pews and attend, I’m bored out of my mind by a preacher who doesn’t know when to shut up. And I think to myself: Could I sit here every week? I’m not so sure. That’s one of the advantages we have here at The Sunday Mass. Because we are only a half hour Mass, we try to provide the best liturgical prayer, preaching, and music that we can. We don’t always please everyone, but we have heard from you that you like the direction of The Sunday Mass. We’re happy to help create and attractive and prayerful environment for liturgy and prayer that brings you back to worship on a Sunday.</p><p>Maybe this explains the solitary growth among Evangelical Christians, especially the mega-churches. They have charismatic, if not always biblically sound, preaching. Their places of worship are well-lit, pleasing to the eye, have great acoustics, AND they offer day care. They also break down the large assembly into smaller community groups that share faith and support one another on a deeply personal level. That’s what people are looking for when they come to church. They want to be connected. They want to be cared about. And if we churches that have been around for centuries don’t GET that message, we might be putting out the same FOR SALE signs that a lot of American homeowners are. And don’t be surprised if the Evangelicals are the ones lining up to make the down payments.</p> 2009-03-29 6 Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. <p>Dear Parishioner of The Sunday Mass,</p><p>Thank you for checking out this new website and for your many calls and letters responding to the changes in The Sunday Mass.  I so appreciate your dedicated involvement.  It is obvious that you feel ownership of the Mass, with many of you having watched it for decades.  We certainly feel that you are our PARISHIONERS, and we want to respond to your needs and requests.  I will use this space each week for a weekly reflection, but I thought it might be important for this first one to be a bit informative and practical about the new direction of the Sunday Mass.  So, here goes:</p><p>Let me begin by telling you about our change in the music format for The Sunday Mass.  For many years we had choirs come from all over New York City and beyond to help us worship at the Mass.  This required a lot of coordination as well as chartering buses to bring the choir to our chapel.  To continue this practice seemed to work against our goal of creating a PARISH environment on the air.  If we have DIFFERENT singers and musicians each week we never get to know them or to feel any sense of connection with them.  Also, there is no way to control the quality of the music (though we have been blessed through the years with only the best).  So, we have decided that LESS IS MORE!  And we have been very pleased, as have many of you, with our new choir under the direction of Aaron Diehl.  We can depend on consistently fine quality music each week that helps us to pray.  You may have also noticed that we have a wonderful blend of traditional music, Gospel music, and contemporary music to meet to tastes of the wide array of our viewing audience.  Our singers PRAY their music and give glory to God through their voices.   We thank them for sharing their talents with our viewing audience and us.</p><p>Many of you have also commented on the high quality of our lectors.  Indeed we are blessed here as well.  Our lectors do not simply read the Word of God.  They PROCLAIM it, as we are called to in a liturgical setting.  As the Introduction to this issue of The Prayer Guide suggests, the proclamation and internalization of the Word of God is a primary element of the celebration of The Sunday Mass.  Our lectors help us to HEAR the Word better.  May we continue to do our part in internalizing what we hear.</p><p>And, of course, you have come to know the Presiders of The Sunday Mass because you are now seeing the same priests every week.  You now know that you can depend on an inspirational homily to help reflect upon the readings.  Even though all of our Presiders are busy with other ministries they make time to prepare and to be with us to celebrate The Sunday Mass.  We are blessed indeed.</p><p>And, of course, one of the most exciting things we have to tell you about is this NEW WEBSITE!. You can see the many innovations that have occurred, including the capacity to view archived episodes of The Sunday Mass, or just the homilies if you are in need of additional spiritual sustenance.  You can also learn a lot more about what we do and who we are. Please come visit us often and become part of our family here!</p><p>And finally, let me thank you for your continued financial support of The Sunday Mass through your donations for The Prayer Guide and the monies you send to help offset our mounting production costs.  We know that in these tough economic times that it requires great sacrifice for you to assist us financially.  We are most grateful for your continued generosity.  May God bless and keep you always.  Until next week,</p><p>In God’s Love,</p><p>Father Edward L. Beck, C.P.<br />Executive Producer and Host of The Sunday Mass</p> 2009-03-15 1