John Predmore, S.J., is a USA East Province Jesuit and was the pastor of Jordan's English language parish. He teaches art and directs BC High's adult spiritual formation programs. Formerly a retreat director in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Ignatian Spirituality is given through guided meditations, weekend-, 8-day, and 30-day Retreats based on The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatian Spirituality serves the contemporary world as people strive to develop a friendship with God.
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Saturday, October 8, 2011
Question: Occupy Wall Street
What do you think of the Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S.? Is it a reaction to the Tea Party? Is it the same type of movement that created the people's protests in the Mediterranean and Arab worlds? A penny for your thoughts?
Occupy Wall Street is good because a large and diverse group of people are addressing the fact that big corporations acted dishonestly, got us into a recission, and still acts like it own us and our government.
The Tea Party says it's afraid of the government making us slaves. Well and good but why hasn't it demanded the same type of accountability from the business world?
Where are our Catholic clergy in all this? I walked out of Mass last Sunday because the young, Rome trained priest derided the Occupy Wall Street Mass from the pulpit. His preaching sounded a lot like "you'll get pie in the sky when you die." Are our American bishops and priests going to line up on the side of the powerful the way they did in much of Europe in the 19th Century? Will the Bible and Catholic social teaching be used to keep people down and support the powers that be?
The Occupy Wall Street movement might not be the best way to address these problems but please, hierachy and clergy, please don't give material or formal support to corporate malfeascence and injustice.
Powerful words. Thanks. You raise good questions that I hope your experiences cause others to reflect upon them more deeply as it acts all spheres of life. Thanks.
Occupy Wall Street is good because a large and diverse group of people are addressing the fact that big corporations acted dishonestly, got us into a recission, and still acts like it own us and our government.
ReplyDeleteThe Tea Party says it's afraid of the government making us slaves. Well and good but why hasn't it demanded the same type of accountability from the business world?
Where are our Catholic clergy in all this? I walked out of Mass last Sunday because the young, Rome trained priest derided the Occupy Wall Street Mass from the pulpit. His preaching sounded a lot like "you'll get pie in the sky when you die." Are our American bishops and priests going to line up on the side of the powerful the way they did in much of Europe in the 19th Century? Will the Bible and Catholic social teaching be used to keep people down and support the powers that be?
The Occupy Wall Street movement might not be the best way to address these problems but please, hierachy and clergy, please don't give material or formal support to corporate malfeascence and injustice.
Powerful words. Thanks. You raise good questions that I hope your experiences cause others to reflect upon them more deeply as it acts all spheres of life. Thanks.
ReplyDelete