St. Clement Keeping the Faith

  On this Feast of St. Francis, the great peacemaker, I want to share with a good conversation I had with a parishioner after Mass last Sunday.   She asked, “Why was the book White Fragility chosen?”   She was concerned because it seemed so angry and seeking revenge.   Here is what I shared.   The book was chosen because a group of parishioners heard about the book and were curious, me included.   We decided we would meet regularly and invite others to join.   The book is challenging to read.   It uses difficult and uncomfortable language.   It uses a language that does not easily invite others to share in the conversation and is uncomfortable.   This is what I learned.   We all have a bias.   Our bias is based upon our experience:   our parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles who formed us, where we lived, went to school, our healthcare and even our grocery stores.   We cannot change our experience.   It does i...

  September 13, 2020 Sunday Scriptures Forgiveness Has Power The Psalm is Sunday tells us, “The Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in  compassion.”   Jesus, in the Gospel tells Peter that he must forgive his brother not 7 but 77 times. There is certainly a message to forgive and forgive often if you want to behave as God behaves. There is power in forgiveness.   Have you ever held on to a hurt for years? I have. When I finally went to that person, I was the one who apologized for not being forthcoming and robbing us of several years of friendship. I gained forgiveness in return. I gained a supportive and loving friend. I was embarrassed to admit that I held on to my hurt so long, but by embracing humility I experienced joy.   There is a great need for humility and forgiveness today. There is so much that divides us...race, sex, politics, religion, how we deal with COVID and more. Let us embrace the power of kindness, mercy, and compassi...

  Live the Gospel of Generosity Sunday Readings September 20, 2020 The Gospel is full of generosity. Today’s parable about the owner of the vineyard paying all workers the daily wage, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son and many more.   Something consistent about generosity is that it is “other” oriented.   In today’s Gospel, for the workers to appreciate God’s generosity, they have to look at how he has met the needs of the workers, especially those who started late in the day.   God gave to them what they needed.   His care was not based on the work they put in, but on their willingness to work.   This is gospel generosity.   This is gospel justice.   My challenge as a human being to be “other centered” rather than “me centered”.   I have to go beyond my natural instincts to do what I see as fair.   Parents do this with their kids.   Some kids need more structure and care t...