Dorothy Day. A Woman of the Gospel, Works of Mercy and Justice and Peace November 6, 2010 Rosemary and Bill Hallinan

Transcription

1 Dorothy Day A Woman of the Gospel, Works of Mercy and Justice and Peace November 6, 2010 Rosemary and Bill Hallinan Announcements Only Introduction: (from Dorothy Day, The Scandal of the Works of Mercy The Commonweal, 4 November 1949) The Corporal Works are to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to ransom the captive, to harbor the harborless, to visit the sick, and to bury the dead. [Peter Maurin] pointed out that we have turned over to the state responsibility for home relief, social legislation, and social security, but are repeating the works of the first murderer, Am I my brother s keeper? The Works of Mercy are a wonderful stimulus to our growing faith as well as love. Our faith is taxed to the utmost and so grows through this strain put upon it. It is pruned again and again, as springs up bearing much fruit. For anyone starting to live literally the words of the Fathers of the Church 1 The bread you retain belongs to the hungry, the dress you lock up is the property of the naked ; What is superfluous for one s need is to be regarded as plunder if one retains it for one s self there is always a trail ahead. Our faith, more precious than gold, must be tried as though by fire. It is by Works of Mercy that we shall be judged. Opening Hymn: Cry of the Poor (570) Call to Worship: Recognition of the saints in our lives. (Robert Ellsberg) The saints are those who, in some partial way embody --literally incarnate -- the challenge of faith in their time and place. In doing so, they open a path that that others may follow. Dorothy Day was one of those saints. Let us worship this evening keeping in mind her never-ending good works! Amen Lighting of the Candles: Everyone is invited to light a candle for someone you consider a saint (living or dead) who inspired them. As you light your candle please say, I light this candle for. If you wish to say why, feel free to do so. Otherwise, please have a brief moment of silence between each one. 1 E.g., St Basil of Caesarea, St Augustine of Hippo, St. Ambrose of Milan

2 As we stand around these candles with joined hands, we remember the powerful communion we have with our personal saints, both canonized and uncanonized. Let us pause in silence to be grateful for all we have learned from them and for ways in which they have helped us reflect their goodness. Amen. First Reading: Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 15:7,11 At the end of every thee years, bring all the tithes of that year s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns, may come and eat and satisfied, and so that your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. If there is a poor person among you in any of the towns of the land that your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward this poor person. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward the poor and needy in your land. The Word of God. Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm: 1 Chronicles 16:9 (R.) Let hearts rejoice who search for their God. Sing to God, sing God s praise, proclaim all God s wondrous deeds. Glory in God s holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek our God! (R.) Let hearts rejoice who search for their God. Look to God s strength; seek to serve God constantly. Recall the wondrous deeds that God has wrought, God s portents, and the judgments God has uttered. (R.) Let hearts rejoice who search for their God. You descendants of Abraham, God s servants, children of Jacob, God s chosen ones! Throughout the earth God s judgments prevail. (R.) Let hearts rejoice who search for their God.

3 2nd Reading: The Vision of Dorothy Day (www. goodreads.com/author/quotes/) What we would like to do is change the world make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And to a certain extent, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, of the poor, of the destitute we can change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever-widening circle will reach around the world. We repeat, there is nothing that we can do but love, and dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as well as our friend. and we believe. Gospel Acclamation Gospel: Matthew 5, Thus is the wisdom of Dorothy Day. We have listened Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. You are the Light of the world. Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Glory and Praise.

4 Silent Reflection/Then Dialogue Intercessions: Based on What I learned from Dorothy Day by Jim Forest. First of all, Dorothy Day taught that justice begins on our knees. "We feed the hungry, yes," she said. "We try to shelter the homeless and give them clothes, but there is strong faith at work; we pray. Let us remember the ones who found the source of their inner strength in prayer. SO BE IT! Second, Dorothy Day taught that justice is not just a project for the government, do-good agencies, or radical movements designing a new social order to solve the world's problems. Justice for you and me, here and now, right where we are. Let us remember our community s nurturers, living and dead, who inspired us spiritually, and led the way in peace and justice issues. SO BE IT! Third, Dorothy Day taught that the most radical thing we can do is to try to find the face of Christ in others, and not only those we find it easy to be with but those who make us nervous, frighten us, alarm us, or even terrify us. "Those who cannot see the face of Christ in the poor," she said, "are atheists indeed." Let us remember the vulnerable ones who allow us to care for them, to be with them in their time of need. SO BE IT! Fourth, Dorothy Day taught that beauty is not just for the affluent. Let us remember the great lovers of life, whose humor and enthusiasm lifted our spirits and brought us joy. SO BE IT! Fifth, Dorothy Day taught that meekness does not mean being weak-kneed. There is a place for outrage as well as a place for very plain speech in religious life. Let us remember the brave ones who walked through their struggles with hope, who taught us how to trust and have confidence during our times of sorrow or difficulty. SO BE IT! Sixth, Dorothy Day taught us to take the "little way." The phrase was one Dorothy borrowed from Saint Therese of the Little Flower. Change starts not in the future but in the present, not in Washington or on Wall Street but where we stand. Let us remember our local Catholic Workers, Leslie and Brian here in Tucson, and all the Catholic Workers here and abroad. SO BE IT! Seventh, Dorothy Day taught us to love the church and at the same time to speak out honestly about its faults. Let us remember the faith-filled ones who led us, by their words and example, into deeper relationships with God. SO BE IT! Last but not least: Dorothy Day taught that we are here to follow Christ. Not the pope. Not the ecumenical patriarch. Not the president of the United States.

5 Not Dorothy Day or any other saint. Christ has told us plainly about the Last Judgment, and it has nothing to do with belonging to the right church or being theologically correct. Let us remember the risk-takers, who faced their fears and took action, who sought justice even though they had to pay the price for it. SO BE IT! Please mention at this time anyone you wish the community to pray for: Response: SO BE IT! BREAKING BREAD PRAYER: (Catholic Worker.org/1980 and emmascommunity.net) Compassionate God, we bring before you these gifts of bread and wine signs of your kindness, fruits of our toil. May they remind us that at the banquet of your Son, there are always special places reserved for those who carry the heaviest burdens in this life. May this bread broken and cup shared link us together in charity and peace so that we may be living signs of God s kindom. Body of Christ, nourish and feed our hunger for wholeness. Blood of Christ, wash us clean from our sins and failings. Open our minds to understand the fullness of the gift of your Eucharist. Evoke in us a gratitude for your presence and a forgiving spirit toward all. Unite us to all of humankind who share in the same forgiveness you offer a hungry, thirsty world. Amen Let us sing the prayer Jesus taught us: Our Father In the words of Dorothy Day, We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love each other we must know each other. We know him in the breaking of the bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and, where there is companionship, life is banquet, too, even with a crust. We have known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love, and love comes with community. Make of us a community of life-giving power, a sign to all people of your compassionate care. We make our prayer in and through the heart and Spirit of Jesus. Breaking Bread Hymn: Companions on the Journey (Words on Back page) Silent Reflection Closing Prayer and Blessing: Through Christ, Ruler of Peace: We pray for Peace for the Earth s Peoples. Through Christ, Bringer of Love: We pray for love in our lives. Through Christ, Master of the Dance: We pray for delight in the Good. Through Christ, Divine Healer: We pray for forgiveness for past wrongs.

6 Through Christ, Morning Star: We pray for the Grace to make a new start for ourselves. And so may God bless us and keep us, today and always, The Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit, And until we meet again May God hold us in the palm of her hands. AMEN Closing Hymn: People of Peace (Words on back page) Happy Birthday Ren (Nov. 6) Happy Birthday Bill (Nov. 10)

7 Companions on the Journey R. We are Companions on the Journey; breaking bread and sharing life and in the love we bear is the hope we share for we believe in the love of our God, we believe in the love of our God No longer strangers to each other, no longer strangers in God s house; we are fed and we are nourished by the strength of those who care, by the strength of those who care. Refrain We have been gifted with each other, and we are called by the word of the Lord: to act with justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with our God, to walk humbly with our God. Refrain *********************************************************************** People of Peace R. To be people of faith in times of doubt; to be people of hope in times of despair; to be people of peace, people of peace, O Lord, your instruments of peace. Where we encounter hatred let us bring your love; where hurts has been oppressive, your healing care; wherever there are people who are need to be free: make your church and instrument of peace. Refrain To heal the broken hearted, To comfort those who mourn; to go to those imprisoned, Bring freedom to the bound; to be a light for all who struggle to be free: make your church an instrument of peace. Refrain In giving to the hungry, in satisfying thirst, in welcoming the stranger, in comforting the ill; in being those who hunger for justice and for truth: make us all your instruments of peace. Refrain

8 About Dorothy Day ( Although she is famous for saying Don t call me a saint, many consider Dorothy Day the kind of saint that sinners like us can relate to. She was born in New York City in 1897 and died there in 1980, having lived the kind of full and amazing life that most of us could only dream of. She accomplished more in her life than almost anyone else in the 20th Century, comparable only to Mother Teresa herself (who, by the way, was an admirer of Dorothy Day, too!). But very much unlike Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day was a woman with a past. I think that s why so many of us can relate to her in a way that we can t with Mother Teresa. Everyone admires Mother Teresa, including non-catholics and even atheists, but we all know that we could never reach her heights. But with Dorothy, it s different. She makes us feel like we could do what she did, even with our own pasts. Before she became a Catholic in 1927, she had been a Suffragette, a writer, a common-law wife, a single mother, an anarchist, friend of Eugene O Neill, anti-war protester (for which she spent time in jail), and yes, truth be told, a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. No boring layabout, she. Mind you, that was before she became a Catholic. Dorothy Day was, of course, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement (along with Peter Maurin). But like many young, well-intentioned intellectuals in Depression-era New York, she was attracted to the social justice platforms of the Communist Party. Later she came to realize that Marx s philosophy amounted to a different kind of exploitation of the worker. She rejected Marx s rejection of Christianity and his calls for violent revolution, becoming completely committed to peaceful, non-violent activism, although she always remained an anarchist. She started a newspaper called The Catholic Worker, which sold for one penny and, believe it or not, still sells for one penny today. Today there are more than 185 CW communities around the world whose motto remains: We are committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken. Catholic Workers continue to protest injustice, war, racism, and violence of all forms. Dorothy Day is a saint for us sinners because she herself had made the big mistakes. She also graduated from the school of hard knocks. She even attempted suicide. Anything we could have done, she s already been there and done that. But she pulled herself together, found the Catholic faith, and the rest is, as they say, history. Dorothy Day still lives on in the Catholic Workers around the world.