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You will be reading this article a few days after the mid-term elections that took place on Tuesday, November 2, but I am actually writing it a few days before Election Day since our bulletin deadline is early in the week. To tell you the truth, I am so happy that the month of November has finally come, not because I look forward to the winter months with the cold, ice and snow, but because we can move beyond all the election advertisements and news articles that have preoccupied the media for weeks and even months. I very much identify with Richard Roeper in his piece on October 27 in the Chicago Sun-Times headlined “The best part about Election Day? The end.” He begins his commentary:

No more YouTube grazing for footage of some clown stomping the head of a woman who had shown up in a costume to make her point, whatever her point was.

No matter what happened on Election Day as far as political parties winning or losing, no matter who won and who lost in the state races, no matter what the analysts conclude about the overall effect of the Tea Party movement on the election results, those elected at the national, state and local levels will still be called upon to lead their constituencies in this real world in which we live. They will still have to deal with an economy that is yet to really turn around, with unemployment near the 10 percent level, with an angry and disillusioned populace, with many things that need fixing for the good of the nation and its people. Budget deficits will not miraculously disappear, a stroke of the pen will not bring instantaneous jobs, good will alone will not solve violence, backbiting, and rancor. Stubborn ideological debates and arguments will not create answers to pressing problems that cry out for solutions and understanding.
All too frequently our elected officials take the approach that only certain issues can be tackled because of concern about political consequences. They put off “until after the next election” both the discussion and the legislation that is needed. The trouble with this excuse is that there is always another election looming in the months ahead. Some of these issues must be addressed now if they are going to be addressed at all. And it requires that people from both sides of the aisle truly listen to each other, have an open mind to possible ways of solving a problem, dialogue in good faith, agree to work with each other, be willing to compromise except in areas where absolute principles cannot be abandoned. Unless this is the case, stalemate is inevitable, people are hurt, and the nation and/or state suffers irreparable harm, perhaps never to completely recover.
We need to fix the immigration situation in our country. It’s more than how we patrol and maintain our national borders, although that is part of the discussion. We have millions of people living in the United States who have been productive workers and have contributed not only their labor but also their taxes to our economy. Many of these workers are employed in jobs that, for the most part, other Americans have no desire to take while employers desperately need their assistance in order to survive. Many of these workers have children who have been born in the United States and therefore are citizens. Too many of these workers are men who have been separated from their families for years and see their spouses and their children back home only sporadically or almost never. This is hardly the way it should be. The bishops have constantly called for immigration reform and have offered basic principles and means to accomplish what is necessary. This can be done if only all parties work together for the good of all.
During this recent campaign we have heard a great deal about the health care bill that was passed and is beginning to be implemented. Some would like to see the entire bill repealed and go back to what we had; others would offer amendments to specific provisions of the bill. Perhaps the bill as presently written and passed is not perfect in every regard. What bill is? But many of the provisions are meant to benefit millions of Americans who have not had any health insurance and have feared that they would be caught with a debilitating disease with no means to address it. The bill also addresses many medical reforms that ultimately will help to offer health care more efficiently and with less cost. Seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, receive some additional help. No one likes to see insurance costs increase dramatically, and some of these costs are due to processing more paperwork, but hospitalization and emergency room costs as presently delivered also account for much of the increase. Let’s keep what is beneficial and tweak what needs to be altered. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water!
Unemployment continues to be a big problem leading many Americans to be dispirited and angry. The middle class in particular feels under assault, and they have good reason to worry. We’ve just gone through the worst recession since the Great Depression, and the light at the end of the tunnel is dim at best. Some experts say that in every recession Americans get gloomy and then recover with the economy. Once demand returns, they say, jobs will come back and, with them, optimism. “But Americans are far more apprehensive than usual, and their worries seem to go beyond the short-term debate over stimulus vs. deficit reduction. They fear that we are in the midst of not a cyclical downturn but a structural shift, one that poses huge new challenges to the average American job, pressures the average American wage, and endangers the average American Dream,” as Fareed Zakaria says in his article “Restoring the American Dream” in TIME (November 1, 2010), pp. 31-32.
The result of all this is that many middle class jobs that workers have lost in the downsizing that has taken place as a result of the recession may never return. Companies have found that they can meet demand now with far fewer workers than before. I was reading recently of one company that employed 26,000 before the recession and now has cut that workforce almost in half to 14,000 with almost the same revenue stream. Even where the number of employees has not been so drastically cut, often the salaries offered for the same job have dropped significantly. Therefore one can hope to have a job in the future, but it may not pay as much, so the standard of living must be lowered and the lifestyle simplified. Republicans, Democrats and Independents will have to work together to solve this phenomenon and to gradually change the morale and the tenor of the American public. No one party can do it alone.
We must likewise address the escalating number of housing foreclosures and the banking situation that allowed it to happen. Some people would like to revert back to the way things were before the passage of the financial bill which put more regulations and supervision of Wall Street and the banking industry. I suppose these critics would act on the principle that businesses should be free to operate as they best see fit and the federal government should stay out of the day-to-day operations. Many Americans would like to think that this would work, but greed, cutting corners, sinfulness and the human condition are still very much at work, and what we are dealing with now shows that the common good demands more regulation.
We are now seeing that some banks are foreclosing on homes and businesses without proper oversight of the accompanying documentation. True, many people overstepped their ability to pay off their loans because of housing speculation and hopes for continued appreciation of these properties, but there are also numerous people of good will who have been paying their mortgage payments regularly until unforeseen circumstances caused them to briefly default. All of these cases should not be thrown into one single basket with little individuality and sensitivity. Everyone deserves that proper procedures along with professionalism at least be followed.
Finally, the education of our children from pre-school, to kindergarten, through the elementary grades, into high school and beyond is a cause for concern in our country. I have written about this issue before since it is one that is close to my heart as a former educator, but we must not let educational excellence slide; otherwise it will have long-range implications for the United States. It will affect our values, our ability to provide educated workers and thinkers, our national pride and our reputation on the international map.
There are obviously a number of other issues that need attention, but these are ones that have at least been in the pipeline for some time. The last thing we need at this time is stagnation in Congress. We elect people to lead, to listen both to their people and to other colleagues, and to solve problems for the greater good.
In conclusion, let me quote from the editorial by Drew Christiansen, S.J., which appears in the November 1, 2010 issue of America magazine:

“In the session of Congress now ending, it was not the more democratic House of Representatives but the supposedly more deliberative Senate that repeatedly failed to realize gains for the common good. Senators failed to carry out the most perfunctory governmental functions, with hundreds of judicial and executive appointments placed on hold, making even the ordinary business of government sclerotic.
“Important international negotiations, like those on trade and currency rates, falter for lack of Senate approval of experts to take up senior administrative positions. Court cases have been allowed to back up for months while scores of judicial appointments were put on hold out of the pettiest of motives—to deny President Obama the possibility of exercising the power of appointment. One recent analysis suggested that the electorate is upset over the decline of the United States.
“But it is a self-inflicted decline. The country has been hollowed out from within by lack of discipline, self-sacrifice and vision. We will need more than Stoic managers and politics to pull us out of this collapsing political culture.”

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
How is it possible to remain faithful when innocent people suffer at the hands of vicious and cruel tormentors? A mother and her seven sons serve as noble examples. The mother is forced to watch as each of her sons is tortured and put to death. Even the king and his cohorts are amazed at the young men’s courage. Before each one dies, he declares his faith that God will restore him to life.
Jesus was confronted by those who wanted to make his teaching concerning the resurrection look absurd. They suggested the implausible case of a widow who had seven husbands, all of whom died. They smugly asked, “Whose wife will she be at the resurrection?” Jesus told them that God is not the God of the dead. All who believe will be alive in the resurrection of the righteous.
Paul prayed that we will be delivered from “confused and evil” people. God is not absent in suffering. God hears the outcry of the faithful, and they will behold the justice of God.
For Reflection: What have I done for the cause of justice today?
THE CATHOLIC NEW WORLD
The Catholic New World is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago. It is published every two weeks so that the members of the Archdiocese might be updated on the teachings of the Church, on happenings throughout the Archdiocese, on events both past, present and future, and commentaries from a Catholic perspective on various things that occur around the world. Each issue Cardinal George writes a column. It is his opportunity to personally visit each parishioner to teach and edify all those whom he has been selected to serve.
This weekend you are being asked to either renew your subscription to The New Catholic World or to subscribe to the archdiocesan newspaper for the first time. There are envelopes at the back of church so that you can easily mail in your annual subscription for $25.00. For more information, you may go to www.catholicnewworld.com or you may call 312-534-7777.
THE ST. PETER’S FUND FOR THE POOR
Recently I received a note from Fr. Larry Nickels, O.F.M., the Director of the Franciscan Connection in St. Louis. In part, he wrote, “Thank you once again for the generous donation to the Franciscan Connection. The generosity of those who visit St. Peter’s becomes a blessing for their sisters and brothers in South St. Louis City.” Fr. Larry’s note reminded me that I should tell you a bit more about how the money you donate via the poor box in church is used.
We have a number of organizations that you assist with the funds collected in the poor box. The Franciscan Connection in St. Louis is sponsored by our Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart, and it assists people who cannot make rent payments, who are about to have their utilities turned off, who need a little help for food during the month, etc. It also is an umbrella operation for a group of volunteers who help poor people make needed repairs to their homes, e.g., painting several rooms, fixing problems with their roof or siding, repairing a bathroom, etc.
We have contributed to Hales Franciscan High School and San Miguel Schools for help with scholarships for needy students so that they can get a good education and additional help with their studies. Another recipient of our poor funds is the AIDS ministry at St. Bonaventure House here in Chicago. We regularly send donations to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, which makes food available to many food pantries around the city, which in turn help to feed hundreds of families. Emmaus Ministries helps people to get jobs, and we just contributed $2600 to Food For the Poor to build a house in Honduras (the government there will match this gift so that two houses will be built)—these are a few of the groups we try to help with financial assistance.
The biggest contribution we make from the Poor Fund is to Franciscan Outreach in Chicago. Franciscan Outreach is the extension of what Fr. Philip Marquard, O.F.M., began many years ago to be of assistance to all kinds of people in need. It now consists of a Dining Room which feeds 90-100 people every evening of the year, the Mary and Joseph Shelter on the near west side which each night accommodates approximately 200+ men and 40 women (these guests also receive a meal in the evening and a breakfast in the morning before they go back to the streets), and the Marquard Center itself which houses the administrative offices as well as provides showers for guests, some clothing, a place to wash their clothes, mail boxes where they can have a permanent address, social workers to advise on how the guests can utilize various agencies as well as gain employment training and job placement.
Thank you, one and all, for your continuing donations to our Poor Fund. Every penny you donate goes directly to helping the poor. May God bless you abundantly for hearing the cries of the poor and responding as best you can.
PAYING LAST RESPECTS
One day, not too long ago, the employees of a large company in St. Louis returned from their lunch break and were greeted with a sign on the front door. The sign said, “Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym.”
At first everyone was sad to hear that one of their colleagues had died, but after a while they started getting curious about who this person might be. The excitement grew as the employees arrived at the gym to pay their last respects. Everyone wondered who this person was that had been hindering his/her progress. They thought: well, at least he is no longer here.
One by one the employees got closer to the coffin and, when they looked inside, they suddenly became speechless. They stood over the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin: everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror which read, “There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: it is YOU!”
You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization, and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.
Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life.