They’re Coming for Your Daughters
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Daniel Berrigan, R.I.P.
Here are two obituaries for Fr. Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
OBITUARY: Fr. Daniel Berrigan, S.J., Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace,
passes away at age 94, NCR April 30, 2016
http://ncronline.org/news/
“Daniel J. Berrigan, Defiant Priest Who Preached Pacifism, Dies at 94”
by DANIEL LEWIS, NY Times, APRIL 30, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/
And here is a statement written by Frida Kerrigan:
April 30, 2016
Daniel Berrigan, Uncle, Brother, Friend,
PRESENTE
A statement from the Family of Father Dan Berrigan, SJ
This afternoon around 2:30, a great soul left this earth. Close family missed the “time of death” by half an hour, but Dan was not alone, held and prayed out of this plane of existence by his friends. We – Liz McAlister, Kate, Jerry and Frida Berrigan, Carla and Marc Berrigan-Pittarelli—were blessed to be among friends—Patrick Walsh, Joe Cosgrove, Father Joe Towle and Maureen McCafferty—able to surround Daniel Berrigan’s body for the afternoon into the evening.
We were able to be with our memories of our Uncle, Friend and Brother in Law—birthdays and baptisms, weddings and wakes, funerals and Christmas dinners, long meals and longer walks, arrests and marches and court appearances.
It was a sacrament to be with Dan and feel his spirit move out of his body and into each of us and into the world. We see our fathers in him—Jerry Berrigan who died in July 2015 and Phil Berrigan who died in December 2002. We see our children in him—we think that little Madeline Vida Berrigan Sheehan-Gaumer (born February 2014) is his pre-incarnation with her dark skin, bright eyes and big ears.
We see the future in him – his commitment to making the world a little more human, a little more truthful.
We are bereft. We are so sad. We are aching and wrung out. Our bodies are tired as Dan’s was—after a hip fracture, repeated infections, prolonged frailty. And we are so grateful: for the excellent and conscientious care Dan received at Murray Weigel, for his long life and considerable gifts, for his grace in each of our lives, for his courage and witness and prodigious vocabulary. Dan taught us that every person is a miracle, every person has a story, every person is worthy of respect.
And we are so aware of all he did and all he was and all he created in almost 95 years of life lived with enthusiasm, commitment, seriousness, and almost holy humor.
We talked this afternoon of Dan Berrigan’s uncanny sense of ceremony and ritual, his deep appreciation of the feminine, and his ability to be in the right place at the right time. He was not strategic, he was not opportunistic, but he understood solidarity—the power of showing
up for people and struggles and communities. We reflect back on his long life and we are in awe of the depth and breadth of his commitment to peace and justice—from the Palestinians’ struggle for land and recognition and justice; to the gay community’s fight for health care,
equal rights and humanity; to the fractured and polluted earth that is crying out for nuclear disarmament; to a deep commitment to the imprisoned, the poor, the homeless, the ill and infirm.
We are aware that no one person can pick up this heavy burden, but that there is enough work for each and every one of us. We can all move forward Dan Berrigan’s work for humanity. Dan told an interviewer: “Peacemaking is tough, unfinished, blood-ridden. Everything is worse now than when I started, but I’m at peace. We walk our hope and that’s the only way of keeping it going. We’ve got faith, we’ve got one another, we’ve got religious discipline…” We do have
it, all of it, thanks to Dan.
Dan was at peace. He was ready to relinquish his body. His spirit is free, it is alive in the world and it is waiting for you.
Letter to a Terrorist
Desperate One,
I want you to stop killing and destroying.
What do you want?
That is the question that many might ask you if they took the time.
It is obvious that you want others to be afraid and to suffer. The real question is: Why? What do you hope to achieve by terrorizing? Your actions are a means to an end, are they not? Your willingness to die for your cause points to some higher purpose, some worthy goal deserving of great sacrifice. Have you made this clear? Have you expressed what you really want? If you have, I have not heard you. If that is the case I apologize. Please tell me again.
There are better ways for us to problem-solve.
There are some who would prefer to deny the truth of your humanity. There are those who want to quickly dehumanize you into nothing more than a vicious animal that needs to be exterminated. Frankly, that’s a big mistake. It’s a blinding perspective born out of fear and ignorance. The real truth is that you are just as human as I am.
That’s what makes you really scary. You show me a part of myself.
It would be so much easier if you were actually a monster. If you were a monster then I could believe that I am not like you. Such a fantasy! The truth is that neither of us is a monster and yet we are both capable of such monstrous behaviors, aren’t we? The other side of the coin is equally true: You and I are both capable of rising above our destructiveness. We are both capable of living up to our Higher Nature. You and I need to get past the limiting illusions of our Fear and Anger which keeps us living a Lie of Separateness. We need to move into the truth of our Real Unity and the Logical Compassion that is its hallmark.
Once we establish our common ground we also have to acknowledge that each of us has legitimate needs and desires. Many people skip over this part of the story. Many just assume. They assume that you are only a thoughtless killer lacking any shred of decency or conscience. That makes it much easier for people to hate you and to support those who want to kill you. It’s so much easier for people if they think you are so different from them. If they realized that you basically want what they want it would make hating you a lot more difficult.
You have a family and friends just like I do, don’t you? I’m guessing you want to be happy and live a long and meaningful life, just as I do. You probably want to see your children grow up to be healthy and happy in their lives. You want to enjoy your grandchildren someday, don’t you? I think we are probably much more alike than we are different. So why is it so much easier to focus on our differences? Are they really more important than what we have in common?
So what is it that motivates you to kill and destroy? What makes you willing to commit suicide for your cause? Martin Luther King once said: “a riot is the language of the unheard”. Perhaps it can also be said that acts of terrorism are the language of the unheard.
If I start to hear you and understand you, will you stop what you’re doing?
I am desperate, too.
I’m desperate for our collective madness to stop. I’m desperate to end the suffering that we both keep manufacturing. I know I need to take a good, hard look in the mirror and see how I have been contributing to our shared problem. I’m a fool if I think that it’s “all your fault”. I need to take full responsibility for my part. I want you to do the same. We are part of the same family and the highest responsibility of all family members is to love each other.
It is high time that we both live up to that responsibility.
Miracles Happen
A Happy and Blessed Easter to all! Do miracles still happen? Listen to this powerful story of one man’s experience to get you thinking during this Easter Season. You be the judge!
“Miracles Happen” on Witty Catholic Radio in Boston
Jesus rising from the dead as the soldiers run away in fear. By Ghirlandaio.
Boston CAM hosts Andrew Bacevich
Andrew Bacevich speaks at the Naval War College (from Wikipedia)
For our readers in the Boston area, here is a chance to get involved:
Please join us on June 1 to hear a talk by Andrew Bacevich on the dangers of American militarism.
Andrew Bacevich is a Catholic historian and Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University where he taught for many years. He is also a Vietnam veteran who retired with the rank of Colonel after over 20 years in the US Army. He has written many books on American foreign policy including The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by War, and Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War. His newest work, America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History was released on April 5, 2016.
Professor Bacevich is also a regular contributor to the Catholic magazine/website Commonweal and many other publications and websites. He has appeared on TV shows such as the Bill Moyers Journal and even the comedy show of fellow Catholic Stephen Colbert.
This event will be the first in a series intended to help American Catholics and others to confront the problems of militarism and perpetual war which exist in our country today. After the talk, we will have a “social hour” with a cash bar available. Relax, have a pint and make new friends. Discuss politics and religion. Even this year’s humdrum Presidential campaign! All the things you can’t talk about at work!
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
7:00 PM at:
The Hibernian Hall
151 Watertown Street
Watertown, MA
Free and open to the public. Ample parking. Doors open at 6:30.
Sponsored by Boston Catholics Against Militarism
Join our meetup. Oppose militarism and build Catholic solidarity!
The Real St. Patrick for Children
Here is a March 17, AD 2016, St. Patrick’s Day gift for you and your children and grandchildren, whether Irish or not. There is much historically accurate information here for children and adults on St. Patrick and Irish history. Maire Ferguson, the book’s author, is extremely well-versed in Irish history, language and literature. Since attending a week’s retreat on Gospel Nonviolence at Our Lady of Knock Shrine in Mayo in the mid-1990s with Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy, and she has been working very diligently in Ireland on behave of the truth of Gospel Nonviolence. The book, ST PATRICK CHILDREN’S BOOK- Two parts, will present to any child who reads it or has it read to him or both historical truth and Gospel truth. There is also a part for teenagers and adults.
The SEALs and the Harness of Necessity
Thanks to Stephen, a reader, for sending me this article.
He writes:
“I won’t judge the quality of this man’s faith, but I can’t help but be discouraged by the adulation from Catholics, especially given the kinds of things SEALS are called upon to do. I remember reading part of a book by a SEAL who wrote that he didn’t think a certain candidate would cut it in the program because he was a Christian. He didn’t think the man could set his morals aside and do what was necessary when the rubber met the road. Apparently, he needn’t have worried. I’m not a pacifist per se, but can’t we be even a tiny bit circumspect when it comes to our warrior culture?”
Shaun McAfee at the National Catholic Register, which also ran the charming article “Catholic and Killing for a Living,” (which we wrote about here), writes:
“It is truly amazing to walk in the mere vicinity of the boots of these remarkable men…After he was awarded the medal and the Commander in Chief had given his speech, the Senior Chief was provided an opportunity to give his remarks. After crossing himself in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Byers gave his speech. What he said was thoroughly Catholic!”
Uh. Was it? You be the judge: Navy SEAL Receives Medal of Honor: “May St. Michael Protect Our Warriors”
Everybody Knows
I try to keep things as positive as possible here at Catholics Against Militarism but sometimes, on some days, you just look around at what is happening in this country, what appears to be a slow and steady march into the warm and willing arms of “safety”/tyranny, the collective denial, the moral confusion, the patriotic pride, the pervasive propaganda, the “divide and conquer” strategy of our rulers, the bread, the circuses, the false promise of the Presidential election — you look at all of this and you just want to say: “Everybody knows.” Because no matter what the lip-glossed news anchors of the corporate media want you to believe and no matter what those calm and rational press secretaries say, deep down, I have to believe that: everybody knows! I believe that the sooner we stop putting our hope in systems that are ruled by Mammon — like the American political system, and the sooner we stop worshiping sacred cows — like the American military — the better.
This one goes out to President Bush, President Obama, and all of the Presidential candidates: Everybody knows, including you.
Leonard Cohen’s bitterly pessimistic song is about the state of the world in the late 1980s. When he first introduced the song, he said, “Here’s a terrible new song. Yes, it embodies all my darkest thoughts. Here it comes.” Cohen said in an interview, “The plague in the most physical sense is AIDS. But there’s another kind of plague going on too, of which AIDS is one of the symptoms. If indeed disease does have ultimately a psychic origin, then there’s a plague of alienation and separation and lassitude and panic; a sense of not being in control.”
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsEverybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knowsEverybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you’ve been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you’ve been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knowsEverybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsEverybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsAnd everybody knows that it’s now or never
Everybody knows that it’s me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you’ve done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe’s still pickin’ cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knowsAnd everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it’s moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there’s gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knowsAnd everybody knows that you’re in trouble
Everybody knows what you’ve been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it’s coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knowsEverybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsEverybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsEverybody knows, everybody knows
That’s how it goes
Everybody knowsEverybody knows
–Leonard Cohen
And then, and then….this:
Nobody Knows
Nobody Knows the Identities of the 150 People Killed by U.S. in Somalia, but Most Are Certain They Deserved It, by Glenn Greenwald, March 8, 2016
“Consider how circular this entire rationale is: The U.S., like all countries, obviously has a legitimate interest in protecting its troops from attack. But why does it have troops there at all in need of protection? The answer: The troops are there to operate drone bases and attack people they regard as a threat to them. But if they weren’t there in the first place, these groups could not pose a threat to them…
If you’re an American who has lived under the war on terror, it’s easy to forget how extreme this behavior is. Most countries on the planet don’t routinely run around dropping bombs and killing dozens of people in multiple other countries at once, let alone do so in countries where they’re not at war…
But for Americans, this is now all perfectly normalized. We just view our president as vested with the intrinsic, divine right, grounded in American exceptionalism, to deem whomever he wants ‘Bad Guys’ and then — with no trial, no process, no accountability — order them killed. He’s the roving, Global Judge, Jury, and Executioner. And we see nothing disturbing or dangerous or even odd about that. We’ve been inculcated to view the world the way a 6-year-old watches cartoons: Bad Guys should be killed, and that’s the end of the story.
So yesterday the president killed roughly 150 people in a country where the U.S. is not at war. The Pentagon issued a five-sentence boilerplate statement declaring them all “terrorists.” And that’s pretty much the end of that. Within literally hours, virtually everyone was ready to forget about the whole thing and move on, content in the knowledge — even without a shred of evidence or information about the people killed — that their government and president did the right thing. Now that is a pacified public and malleable media.”
Autumn War
This video was posted by Shelley Douglass on Facebook. She writes:
“This video is made of actions taken at Notre Dame University during the Viet Nam war – the Notre Dame resistance, which sponsored marches and a Resistance Mass at the foot of touchdown Jesus. Members of the resistance turned in their torn-up draft cards at the offertory procession. The celebrant was Archbishop Thomas Roberts of England, with Fr Dave Burrell CSC and others. The background music is the Missa Luba, which was a constant accompaniment to our lives those days. We were so full of hope! We’re a bit battered, but many of us (those who are still alive) keep up the struggle. (Tim McCarry, Presente)!”
I wasn’t alive back then but I am very interested in keeping these memories alive. So many Catholics my age (37) have no idea that any of this ever happened, that there was such as thing as resistance to war grounded in Catholic teaching. What happened? You won’t see much of this on Catholic campuses these days! Now the most “Catholic” campuses are probably the most pro-war. Seems to me this was a sort of golden age before the Catholic consciousness about issues of war and peace became completely warped by the American civic religion, before the question of war and peace was reduced to mere “politics” and “policy,” when these questions were wrestled with religiously and earnestly and philosophically and humanely, before the public debate about war and peace had to be filtered through a strict “neocon” or “theocon” lens. But my perception is probably off. Of course the mainstream public back then probably saw the war much the same as the mainstream public sees “The War” (“on terror”) now — “Communism” and “terrorism” can be used interchangeably and you can play all the same cards in the game of justification.
I really like this video because it shows the protesters as being calm, peaceful, faithful and loving. There is hope and strength. So often these days the protesters from that time are portrayed, in Hollywood films and “60s documentaries” — as drugged out party people who just wanted to drop acid, get high and have a good time. These people are clearly acting out of something more than just teenage rebellion and a desire to subvert.
I’m wondering what Paul and Doug were up to back then. Would you guys have been in these protests if you had attended Notre Dame or would you have been in a different crowd?