A4 WWW.THERECORDNEWSPAPER.ORG COMMENTARY THE RECORD JANUARY 9, 2020
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop of Louisville Marnie ' McAllister Jennifer L. Jenkins Glenn O. Rutherford President Editor Advertising Director Editor Emeritus
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THE RECORD
Archdiocese of Louisville
The gifts we bring
Sunday reading, Jan. 12, 2020: New year, new creation
JEM SULLIVAN
There's something about the beginning of a new year that makes us want to start afresh. Television reality makeover shows tap into this natural human desire to be- gin anew. Something in all of us longs for a makeover, whether spiritual, physical or emotional. We make resolutions that give a sense of starting anew as another calendar year be- gins. Whether it's a reso- lution to pray more consis- tently, to eat healthier, to exercise more often, or to be more mindful of our words and actions, we look for ways to improve ourselves in the year that stretches before us. However, keeping New Year's resolutions is another matter. We are only a few weeks into this calendar year and I'm sure that, like me, you've already fallen short of your best intentions to turn a new page. Our shortcomings need not lead to disappointment or self-doubt. Rather, the begin- ning of a new year is a graced opportunity to remember our absolute dependence on God. We stand in need of God's grace, every moment of every day. For God, who created me, is the one who alone can re-create me so I become the person I was created by God to be! The baptism of the Lord brings us to the font of grace that makes us new every day. For at baptism we were given the unmerited gift of becom- ing a new creation in Jesus, God's beloved Son. Baptism is the ultimate spiritual makeover of crea- tures who, lost in sin, are reconciled to friendship with God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that Jesus submits to the baptism of St. John as a manifesta- tion of his self-emptying love. This divine love is poured out for you and for me on the cross when from the pierced side of the crucified Jesus flowed blood and water, sym- bols of the sacraments of new life that are baptism and the Eucharist. And as today's Gospel concludes we see the Holy Spirit, who hovered over the waters of the first creation, now descending on Jesus to inaugurate a new creation as the Father reveals Jesus as his obedient and beloved son. By his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus sanctified all baptismal waters in which our sins are buried and we rise as reborn in the Spirit to new life. Baptism is the "gateway to life in the Spirit," as the catechism puts it. In bap- tism, we are released from the tyranny of sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God. Sin can no longer hold us as captives because we have grace, the supernatu- ral strength to live a new life in Jesus Christ, whose life, death and resurrection is the pattern of our renewal and rebirth. Baptism is "God's most beautiful and magnificent gift," wrote St. Gregory of Nazianzus. To live daily this new life of grace we pray, "speak to me, Lord." Reflection Question: How can you rely on the grace of baptism?
Helping trafficking survivors thrive
AMY NACE-DEGONDA
It's rare that I get the op- portunity to see the Bakhita Empowerment Initiative's seeds of hope blossom. The Catholic Charities of Louis- ville anti-human trafficking program is committed to help- ing clients emancipate them- selves, and once we empower clients to embark on a new path of their choosing, we step aside as they move forward and flourish. That's why I was incredibly moved when a former client recently brought their fam- ily into Catholic Charities to meet the Bakhita staff. A survivor of labor traffick- ing, this client was estranged from their family and had been forced to work long hours in difficult conditions at a local restaurant for little to no pay. Bakhita staff helped them exit this exploitation and assisted them in securing basic needs such as food, housing, lan- guage services and legal help. This included applying for a T visa, which allows trafficking survivors and their immediate family members to reside in the United States. Eventually, this individ- ual was reunited with their spouse and child after years of being separated. The family is now thriving in their new home, where both parents are employed and their child is enrolled in school. It was an honor to see this client's success and a remind- er of why we do this work. The Bakhita Empower- ment Initiative provides direct assistance and case management to survivors of human trafficking - the second-largest and fastest- growing criminal enterprise in the world. We identify the immediate needs of survivors, which includes ensuring they are safe and that their basic needs are met. We then iden- tify long-term needs, which may include gaining employ- ment, going back to school or finding permanent housing. Our staff encourages self- liberation as opposed to "res- cuing" clients, an approach that restores power, which is vital to achieving self-suf- ficiency. We also understand that there's no one-size-fits- all approach. We listen to clients. We of- fer the specific help they need. We empower them. And although protecting the privacy of our clients lim- its direct volunteer opportuni- ties, there is still so much you can do to assist our efforts. You can donate items such as Walmart, Kroger or fast-food gift cards, hygiene items for toiletry kits, or quarter rolls for laundry. You can participate in fundraising events, such as the Bakhita Empowerment Initiative's Kentucky Derby Festival minimarathon char- ity team. (And if you're not a runner, you can still help us spread the word.) If you own a rental prop- erty or work in the hotel in- dustry, you could provide free or discounted lodging, even for just a short time. Or you can simply learn more about the signs of hu- man trafficking, then share this information with oth- ers. We encourage anyone to report suspected trafficking to the National Human Traf- ficking Hotline at 1-888-373- 7888. January is Human Traf- ficking Awareness Month, and I ask you to please share the journey with Catholic Charities as we strive to pro- vide help and create hope for survivors. Amy Nace-DeGonda is as- sistant program director of the Bakhita Empowerment Initiative, Catholic Charities of Louisville's anti-human trafficking program.
Why images of crucifixion?
FATHER KENNETH DOYLE
A.
The image of the tor- tured body of Jesus on the cross has been used by Chris- tians as a devotional symbol since the early centuries of Christianity. The purpose, of course, is to illustrate the immense love that Christ had for us and the sacrifices he endured to redeem us. The crucifix serves, too, to remind us that we are called to make our own sacrifices on behalf of others. This depiction of Christ on the cross takes its inspiration from St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians, where St. Paul writes, "We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles" (1 Cor 1:23). What you might want to say to your mother is that the Catholic Church honors her perception that Jesus now shares in glory - so much so that some Catholic churches today choose to portray the image of Christ on the cross dressed in the white robes of his resurrected glory. Most crosses that adorn Catholic church steeples and bell towers display only the cross, not the body of Jesus; likewise, Catholics are not averse to using such reli- gious symbols as the Jeru- salem cross or the Celtic cross. So Christians of all denominations, though their devotional symbols may sometimes differ, clearly reverence both the passion of Christ as well as his res- urrection.
Q.
Most of my family is Protestant, but I became an adult convert four years ago and was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic faith. Members of my family often ask me questions about Catholic beliefs, and usually I can answer them, but recently my mother asked me one that I need your help with. She said, "Since Jesus is now resurrected and sits at the right hand of God the Father, why do Catholics keep him crucified on the cross in your statues, religious jewelry, pictures, etc.?"
QUESTION CORNER SHARE THE JOURNEY SPEAK TO ME LORD
EDITORIAL
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord 1) Is 42:1-4, 6-7 Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10 2) Acts 10:34-38 Gospel: Mt 3:13-17
The travesty of the death penalty must end
FATHER PATRICK DELAHANTY
Stunned. I could not be- lieve what I'd just heard. Kenton County Circuit Court Judge Raymond Lape, now deceased, had looked squarely at the defendant and told him to cross-examine the witness. Defendant Gregory Wil- son, facing death, said, "Your honor, I don't know how to cross-examine a witness." With no lawyer for the de- fendant present in the court- room, the trial continued. This sordid trial ended in 1987 with the expected death penalty for Wilson and a lesser sentence for his co-de- fendant, Brenda Humphrey. Humphrey had engaged in an illicit sexual affair throughout the trial with the Kenton County Circuit Judge James Gilliece, a "dear friend" of Judge Lape. Hum- phrey was released on parole in 2017. If Wilson had competent representation, the jury that convicted him would have known also that Humphrey had confessed to her sister that she was actually the one who slit the victim's throat. During Wilson's appeal, Judge Boyce Martin, who served on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, described this case as "one of the worst examples that I have seen of the unfairness and abysmal lawyering that pervade capi- tal trials." He added, "When a person is sentenced to death in a kan- garoo court such as Wilson's, with an illicit sexual affair taking place between a co-de- fendant and a colleague of the trial judge and no semblance of qualified defense counsel, it irreparably tarnishes our legal system. Until we reform this broken system, we cannot rely on it to determine life and death." Wilson lost that appeal, which had a three-judge pan- el, and other appeals. He has remained on death row these last three decades. In December, Wilson got some justice. Governor Matt Bevin commuted his death sentence to life with the pos- sibility of parole. In his statement about the commutation, the former governor said, "To say his le- gal defense was inadequate would be the understatement of the year. The prosecution and defense in this case were, from start to finish, incredibly incompetent. Justice should be served on all sides. It was not. The fact that the actual admitted killer is now out of prison and her co-defendant is on death row would indicate that Mr. Wilson got the short end of the justice stick on his day in court." Wilson is not alone in re- ceiving the "short end of the justice stick." Two others re- ceived commutations of their death sentences. In the clemency request for Wilson, attorney Dan Goyette wrote that Gov. Paul Patton commuted the death sentence of Kevin Stanford "because he believed that the justice system had 'perpetuated an injustice' " in that case. And Goyette further notes that Governor Ernie Fletcher granted clemency to Jerome Leonard "because of the inad- equate representation" Leon- ard received from the lawyer who represented him at trial. Cases like these are clear evidence that legislators in Kentucky should repeal the death penalty, but there is even more evidence they should do so. In 2009 a team of well- known and respected Ken- tucky jurists, attorneys and legal scholars began what be- came a two-year analysis and evaluation of the fairness and accuracy of the death penalty in Kentucky. This Kentucky Death Penalty Assessment Team issued a 438-page re- port that raised concerns about the process and made nearly 100 recommendations to prevent wrongful convic- tions and provide for reliable outcomes. In its report, the team raised concerns "about the ex- penditure of Commonwealth resources to administer what the Assessment Team has found to be a system with insufficient safeguards to en- sure fairness and prevent ex- ecution of the innocent." Every person sentenced to death in Kentucky was tried under this system. The time has come to put an end to this travesty and ensure no defendant gets the "short end of the justice stick."
A TIME TO SPEAK
What gifts will we bring to Christ this year? Like the Magi or the Three Kings, we are called to bring our gifts to the Lord, Pope Francis said during his homily for the feast of the Epiphany Jan. 6. He said to be like the Magi, to wor- ship as they did, is: "To bring gold to the Lord and to tell him that nothing is more precious than he is." "To offer him incense and to tell him that only in union with him can our lives rise up to heaven. "To present him with myrrh, balm for the bruised and wounded, and to promise him that we will aid our mar- ginalized and suffering neighbors in whom he himself is present." In short, we are to love the Lord, to be in union with him and to love one another, with special attention to the vulnerable. These aren't easy gifts to bring; they don't go on the clearance rack. The first two feel personal and spiritual. They may be best discerned with the help of a faith-filled friend, spiritual director or parish priest. The last one lies in the realm of Catholic social teaching and the works of mercy. It lies squarely in the con- crete everyday of our world. And the Archdiocese of Louisville has some immediate ways to plug in and get started. This week, the archdiocese begins its annual Days of Human Dignity, a series of events that highlights vari- ous issues related to the dignity of life. First up is National Migration Week, observed Jan. 5-11. It's a time for the U.S. church to promote unity and solidarity with migrants and all people who are displaced. The theme of this year's observance is "Promoting a Church and a World for All." In January, the church also ob- serves Poverty Awareness Month, a time to learn more about living in solidarity with the poor. The Days of Human Dignity con- tinue with a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King on Jan. 20, the Memo- rial Mass for the Sanctity of Life Jan. 19 and a Walk for Life on Jan. 24. In March, the archdiocese will have an event for Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl, promoting the works of mercy to people in need overseas. In a nutshell, these days address care for the stranger, the poor, the oppressed and the vulnerable, all of whom are marginalized and suffering. Unfortunately, each of these issues is divisive in our society. We disagree vehemently both on the source of the problem and possible solutions. It's easy to ignore the poor and oppressed because the values of our society tend to lay blame for these con- ditions on the poor and oppressed - as though the conditions are a moral failure. Society often regards migrants and refugees with similar disdain, as though they're at fault for seeking se- curity. When it comes to vulnerable life, the life of a child, society tells us there is no life. Or, alternately, that child has no right to its life. A mother choos- ing abortion, often in crisis, receives blame instead of needed support. How do we as Catholics aid these suffering and marginalized people? It's tricky, given the many compli- cated social and political currents that shape our view of the marginalized and suffering. Pope Francis offered some guid- ance a day after the Epiphany. He de- voted his homily on Jan. 7 during a morning Mass to the Holy Spirit and the examination of conscience. It's worth repeating here. Warning Christians to guard against worldliness that blurs the lines between good and evil, he said: "The spirit of the world brings you to corruption, to the point that you can't distinguish between what is good and what is bad; it is all the same, ev- erything is the same," he said. Reflecting on the reading from 1 John 3:22-4:6, he said, "When you feel something, when you want to do something or you have an idea, a judgment of something, ask yourself, 'Does this feeling come from the spirit of God or the spirit of the world?' " Let's pray for the Holy Spirit's guidance as we bring forth our gifts this year. MARNIE McALLISTER Editor
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