Anne Marie

By Brother Daniel Leckman, S. J .

Four years ago, someone very dear to me passed away. The day she died, as I was heading off to work, rollerblades in tow, Carla, my brother’s girlfriend, saw me heading out. “Where are you going?”, she asked a bit confused. “To work,” I replied sheepishly. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea today? I mean …”, she added. “I have to. I can’t just stay put. I just … I gotta go … see you later,” I said as I took my leave.

I don’t remember the whole rollerblade ride to work. I remember that on my way to work there were many churches and that as I passed each one I would cross myself or say a prayer for those who needed it. I remember listening to music, and enjoying it so much more than usual that day. I think I felt like I was sharing it with my ill, bed-ridden sister a lot more that day. Maybe her spirit was already with me.

When I got to work, I sat down and was ready for whatever God would grant me that day. Was it going to be a full day of work? I knew it probably wasn’t. Still, I wanted it to be. I wanted life to continue. I wanted … a break. My boss knew this was going to be a hard day for me. She and I stepped out for a few minutes. We sat together. She shared with me some of her own experiences: “It’s never easy. You may even feel anger today. Don’t reject those feelings. Don’t be afraid to be emotional.” Suddenly, the phone rang. I knew it was going to be for me. It was only 9 am.

A Tale of Two Rallies

By John O’Brien, S.J.

  

There were two large gatherings of people in the Western Hemisphere this past weekend. The first was Saturday’s self-billed “Reason Rally” at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where 20,000 atheists gathered as a show of political force. Comedians, activists, bloggers, and the evolutionist writer Richard Dawkins headlined the event, which was reported to be lively despite the drizzling rain.

Speakers called for “zero tolerance” for anyone who disagrees with atheism and urged the nonreligious to run for public office at all levels of society. The most caustic advice, however, came from Dawkins, who told the crowd they should heap scorn on people of faith, above all, on Catholic beliefs such as the Eucharist.

“Mock them, ridicule them in public,” Dawkins said. “Don't fall for the convention that we're all too polite to talk about religion.” A preponderance of four-letter words throughout the day was reported, colouring blue the overall tone of the event.