Archbishop of Boston in Haiti

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston, has been in Haiti with a group of American Catholic clergy, looking into the situation in that ravished country. Our major local newspaper, the Boston Globe, has a very good story about that visit.


Update: Cardinal Sean has his own blog, and he reported on his trip to Haiti.

Cruelity in Face of Tragedy

“To a poor man, however, be generous; keep him not waiting for your alms; Because of the precept, help the needy, and in their want, do not send them empty handed.

Store up almsgiving in your treasure house, and it will save you from every evil; Better than a stout shield and a sturdy spear, it will fight for you against the foe” (Sirach 29: 8-9, 12-13)


One of the sad side effects of a tragedy like the earthquake in Haiti is that there are some pundits who use the disaster to push their own view of the world. Robertson is reported to have blamed the earthquake on the Haitians of the past making a deal with the devil. Limbaugh sees the White House as using the disaster to fill the government coffers through a relief fund they have created for donations. In the face of such pain, lost, despair, and death, it saddens me to see people treat this situation so cruelly.

There are real people in that tortured land who are in need. It is time to open our wallets and purses, not our mouths.

Something More Important Than the "Liturgy Wars"

“When you come in to visit me, who asks these things of you? Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me. New moon and Sabbath, calling of assemblies, octaves with wickedness, these I cannot bear.

Your new moons and festivals I detest; they weigh me down, I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands, I close my eyes to you. Though you pray the more, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.” (Isaiah 1: 12-17)

When I was planning to write a post tonight, I originally intended to write about what some people have called “the liturgy wars.” But then the news came this morning about the earthquake in Haiti. Slowly the reports and images of the devastation have been coming out of that poor, hard-luck country. The National Catholic Reporter has been collecting and combining reports from the news wires on their website, including the report of the death of the archbishop of Port Au Prince. These stories and images have been gut-wrenching.

This puts the “liturgy wars” in perspective. Sometimes, we can be too focused on internal church matters; and forget what Jesus commanded us to do, to heal the wounded, to love the forgotten, and give hope to the despairing.