God’s Plan (part 3)

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Many times, as people—especially people of faith—try to make sense of death (and life), some will say, “This is all part of God’s plan.” Every time I hear this I have to ask, “Is the death of someone we love and value in life part of God’s plan?” I do not believe that God has a great cosmic calendar that indicates my comings and goings in life.  For me as a mainline Lutheran pastor,  I have learned that words—even words of Grace–never seem adequate and can even cause more angst and confusion. Prayers (mostly in the heart), hugs, tears, silence,  listening and simply being with the broken–letting them know they have a safe place–are my responses to those who are hurting. This is my plan for living out God’s grace in the face of things in life that are senseless. 

But Katie asked me to provide a perspective on where people might be coming from when they say, “This is part of God’s plan” during tragic moments.  So, I asked for clarification from students and friends and colleagues who believe that God does have a particular plan that includes suffering, struggling and dying.  

What I learned is that there are some who believe that God’s plan is to bring us to our knees and “humble us” through difficulties in life. It is in those broken places that we will find God and be drawn back to a relationship with God.  In other words, some people NEED tragedy and death to “wake them up to the love of God.” God knows what we need, and sometimes it’s suffering or loss. So your loss is part of a plan for your overall good.

Another thing I heard is that God does not have some great cosmic plan for each of us but it IS God’s plan to use the difficulties, death, darkness of life to help us understand that the only way we will find peace and hope and be restored to joy is through God and the love of Jesus. If we face the challenges and difficulties in life by turning against God or ignoring God’s presence in our life, we will remain in the broken and sorrowful places of life. Therefore, God’s plan is to use life’s struggles and sorrows to move us toward healing that can only come through Jesus.  

Others believe that nothing happens outside of God’s plan, so even terrible tragedies have significance and purpose.  Life and events are not meaningless and hopeless. So if I tell you a terrible loss is part of God’s plan perhaps you will feel it is redemptive in some way – had some reason for happening – rather than just being some uncontrollable event in a nihilistic world, which would make the pain of the loss even worse.  These people may believe that limited human understanding cannot comprehend what God has in mind, but if I reassure you that everything is part of a plan you simply cannot understand you might feel better about it.

I am sure there are many more reasons to say, “It’s all part of God’s plan,” but most of the people I spoke to see it as being comforting and reassuring.

Stanford University & Bibliotheque Nationale de France French Revolution Digital Archives

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From Hyperallergic:

Toppled crowns and tumbrels to the guillotine are just part of the massive archive of images and documents released online this month. The French Revolution Digital Archive, a partnership between Stanford University and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, was announced last week with some 14,000 high-resolution images.

From the French Embassy of the U.S.:

The site contains both resources for the dedicated scholar and fascinating material for the everyday history buff, from prints depicting the events of 1789 to records of parliamentary deliberations and private letters.

FRDA is the result of a multi-year collaboration of the Stanford University Libraries and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) to produce a digital version of the key research sources on the French Revolution and make them available to the international scholarly community.

The search engine that powers the French Revolution Digital Archive allows users to limit by:

  • Date, Date Range
  • Material Found in Speeches
  • Proximity of Words (1-5 words)
  • Only Words in Title and Key Terms
  • Turn Off Stemming

Facets allow users to refine results. Categories include:

  • People
  • Documents
  • Genre
  • Collection
  • Artist

A dynamically created visualization located at the top of every search results pages allows users to view results grouped by volume (year/month).

From the Curator Section of the FRDA Web Site:

The FRDA provides access to the most complete searchable digital archive of French Revolution images available. Images de la Révolution française is a benchmark image-base undertaken by the Bibliothèque nationale de France on the occasion of the Revolution’s bicentennial in 1989. It aimed to “allow the reader to explore the relationships, articulations and confrontations between the ideas of the Revolution and their metaphorical embodiment, the constant cross-fertilization of ideology and make-believe…” For this project the BnF created over 38,000 separate views of over 14,000 individual images, showing closeups and dividing documents with discrete iconographic materials into appropriate sections. The Images, which were originally offered in analog format on laserdisc, had become extremely difficult to access due to rapid technological change. Within the framework of its digitization programs, the BnF rescanned at high resolution almost half of the images on the laserdisc from the original materials. New JPEG files were created from the original videodisc for the remaining images in the corpus. Now all of these images are available online as part of the FRDA.

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The images included in the FRDA are classified by provenance or by subject within the collections of the BnF. Descriptions of the Hennin and De Vinck image collections, which constitute an important part of the FRDA corpus, are found in separate print catalogues. The Images de la Revolution francaise laserdisc constituted an initial stage in the development of an iconographic corpus of the Revolution, bringing these visual materials together into a single collection accessible through highly indexed descriptive metadata using a controlled vocabulary for artists, iconographic genres, places of publications, and subject terms. Unfortunately the obsolescence of laserdisc technology meant the loss of access to this descriptive metadata, as well as to certain images themselves, which became available only through the General Catalog of the BnF. FRDA incorporates this indexed metadata, and expands its research possibilities, by finally restoring access to this coherent corpus of iconographic materials on the French Revolution.

Direct to French Revolution Digital Archive

Direct to Images of the French Revolution

On Use and Reproduction of Material (via Web Site)

This image(s) is a digital reproduction of works from the collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France that are no longer protected by intellectual property rights. The use of these contents for commercial purposes is subject to payment and covered by a license. Commercial use includes the resale of the contents in the form of prepared products or the supply of services.

For commercial use, contact: utilisation.commerciale@bnf.fr.

The use of these contents for non-commercial purposes is free of charge, subject to compliance with applicable French legislation and notably the inclusion of the source’s statement.

 

 

G-d’s Plan (Part 2)

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Five years ago, my wife lost her father to a very sudden and surprising heart attack.  The loss was great. He touched many lives and had many friends and family.  Being a smoker in his fifties, people were able to understand and make sense of his death. While his passing was sad, it was accepted by those around him. Time passed and wounds began to heal.

Two years later, my wife’s younger brother, one of two twins, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was wearing his helmet, lost control, and was killed on impact. This loss however was not accepted so easily by those around him. This young man, who had just turned 21, was taken from this world far too early and people needed to make sense of this tragedy.

In an attempt to find comfort, non-Jewish family and friends began to try and explain why this terrible event had taken place. I started to hear phrases change from “we are so sorry for your loss” to things like “G-d needed him” or “it’s all part of his plan”.  Being there to support my wife, I simply sat back and listened to person after person approach her to try to give her an explanation or reason for why her brother had passed.  My wife simply listened and said “thank you”, not telling them that their explanations were only making her feel worse. “Why did G-d need him more than I, or his mother or his twin brother needed him?” my wife would ask me in sporadic private moments during the whirlwind of mourning.  Then someone approached my wife and said “Now your father’s death makes sense. G-d needed him to be there to wait for your brother in heaven.”  I was astounded. I could not understand how someone would think this phrase would comfort a mourner, to place the blame on G-d and somehow try to make both deaths a positive. Loss is difficult and difficult things make us feel uncomfortable. We need to find explanation, but to say it is G-d’s plan to take the life of a family member is sometimes not the explanation we need.

A close friend and coworker (who happens to be priest) was recently released from the hospital after a long struggle with intense medical issues. We spoke about G-d’s place in this event and he simply said “Do I think G-d wanted me to get sick, No. But did G-d help me get better, yes.”

When speaking with someone who has suffered loss, As a Jew, this is my go to statement:

“May the Almighty comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”

This phrase is chosen specifically for a few reasons:

This helps the individual connect their pain with their surrounding community. Just as the Israelite community mourned the loss of the temple in Jerusalem as a whole, so too does the entire Jewish community share in the morning of the individual’s loss, seeing that all Israel is a single body. Sharing pain helps to make the process more bearable.

There is no definitive statement made. No firm idea of G-d’s plan, or a divine cause and effect. Instead the statement helps to relay the understanding that G-d and prayer are not the reason for the action, but a place to turn for comfort. As is said in the Reform Jewish prayer book Gates of Prayer and one of my favorite quotes regarding how Jews view prayer;

“Prayer cannot bring water to a parched field, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city, but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart and rebuild a weakened will.”

Ask Big Questions

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DePaul freshman Charlotte Mukahirn gives us her reflection following her experience with the university’s Ask Big Questions event on January 16th, 2014. Ask Big Questions is an initiative of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in partnership with the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust that aims to foster understanding through better conversation. 

     Upon entering the conference room, I had only expected to discuss one question with the attendees of ABQ: “What will you do differently this year?” I had thought about the question to some extent beforehand, but my answer was still up in the air. Soon enough, people began to file in through the door. I could spot a few familiar faces, but at least half were unknown to me. We were asked by the leaders of the group, Sam and Joel, to arrange the chairs into a large circle while they set up their presentation. At first, a slight panic struck me. I’m going to be speaking in front of so many people. In reality, the group consisted of perhaps fifteen to eighteen people. But, for someone with social anxiety (like me), the number was a bit daunting. Then, Joel and Sam began the discussion by walking us through the guidelines for the night’s meeting. The rules were simple: Be respectful, give each person their time to talk, and if someone happens to offend you, don’t be afraid to let them know how and why their words affected you. Afterward, a short icebreaker took place in which each person told the group their name, major, and a change that happened to them recently. An atmosphere had already begun to form in which we felt comfortable sharing the highlights of our break, or even the lowlights. Familiarity spread about the room like ripples in a pond until we were all ready to move on. Then, Joel pulled up a document on the screen.

     “Take a moment and read through this,” he said, “and then find someone near you to discuss which parts of this passage stick out to you.” Simple enough. The title and author of the passage escape me now, but it generally stated which actions people commit that are damaging to their happiness. Actions like hiding your talents from the world, working jobs that violate your values, and silencing yourself for fear of criticism were among many of the actions presented in the passage. Afterward, we broke off into either pairs or small groups to discuss what we had just read. Surprisingly, the conversations began to flow almost effortlessly. Everyone in the room could connect to some part of the passage and had experiences to share with the group. After a few minutes, we merged back into our circle and began to share. Each person had their own insights, a new perspective to bring to the table. The conversation shifted from only discussing the passage to divulging experiences from our own lives in which we had been frozen with fear and doubt. Nearly everyone could recall a time in which they had restrained their true selves for fear of being criticized or mocked. But then there were also those who had overcome their fears and realized that our reluctance stems from nothing more than internalizing our doubts. Eventually, we arrived at a conclusion: our assumption that the people around us will react negatively to our true selves holds us back from being happy. And, people generally are not that volatile when confronted with differing opinions. Miscommunication is at the root of our negativity, and having a dialogue is the cure. We finished our discussion with the question, “What will you do differently this year?” and then called it a night. As we left, everyone seemed to feel more at ease, confident, and even relieved.

God’s Plan (Part 1)

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What do you say to someone who is grieving?  I’ve been thinking about it since reviewing a recent string of comments on my Facebook page.

When a former high school classmate ended a Facebook comment saying she miscarried her child in the second trimester, I was struck by her vulnerability in sharing her loss and wondered if anyone else would notice.

Some alumni of the all-girls Catholic high school we had both attended responded. Mostly just “sorry for your loss.” I gasped aloud, however, to read “God has his reasons” and then “Loss is always so sad and hard to work through but one silver lining is that you have your little one right next to God looking out for you! Happy New Year!”

I find “it’s all God’s plan” troubling and leading to questions grieving people probably don’t find comforting: “Really, we have a God whose plan is the death of children?  God plans random accidents and oppression? How does God formulate these ‘plans’ and why is the plan for my loved one? If my kids hear this will they fear God taking them out because mom needs some more supporters up in heaven?”

But I do feel torn.  I believe in a powerful and loving God who does have plans for the world, who hears our prayers and responds.  I take comfort (eventually) that God makes good come from bad, though I rarely want to be told that in a moment of crisis. I’ve been taught God is Love and Love in my mind doesn’t “plan” sadness like miscarriages and typhoons, though Love does create us to live in a world where sad, tragic, and violent things happen.  Is it enough of a comfort we are given the dignity to maneuver, contribute, cry and laugh through that world with the support of people we love, and a loving God?

I could get all theological here.  There are roots in my tradition to support “God has a plan” responses.  Clearly people are being taught it’s a good thing to say and it may be comforting to the woman who lost her baby – I hope so! But I felt the need to process the topic with some colleagues.  Mat was eager to know why people offer such sentiments and his reflection on his experience follows.  Diane said she could help me see where the many people who do like to reassure with “It’s part of God’s plan” are coming from.  And Tom helped still my intellectual ramblings when I asked his opinion about the “God has a plan” response.  He said, “Well experience teaches us not to say that – most people really don’t like to hear it!”

Some people might, but as a general rule I avoid it.

Marketing and Profiting from Vincent de Paul

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The Vincentiana material culture collection at DePaul University’s Archives and Special Collections Department possesses a large number of devotional items (holy cards, statues, medals, prints) of Vincent de Paul created over the last four hundred years.  These items not only reflect the popularity of Vincent de Paul, but the potential profit of that popularity.  After all, printers would not have put out editions of Vincent de Paul holy cards and images if there weren’t a ready supply of interested buyers.  Supply and demands works as inexorably with devotion as it does with capitalism.  One of the most interesting ways to use Vincent’s name and image to brand an item for sale was several historical examples of “elixirs” or patent medicines designed to cure a variety of ailments, including the ever-popular “anemia.”  It appears that some of these were directly or indirectly sponsored by the Daughters of Charity themselves.  Attached is an example of a late 19th century advertisement for such a medicinal product.

Newsnote: Vincentiana Purchase of the Week, 1/7/15 Carte de Visite: Jean-Baptiste Etienne c. 1864

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As a companion to the carte de visite previously highlighted this image of Jean-Baptiste Etienne appears to have been taken very close in time to the other image recently purchased. This interior shot was undoubtedly taken at the maison-mere on the rue de Sevres. The chair on which Etienne rests his hand is the same chair as in the previous photograph. The chair is still preserved at the maison-mere. Interestingly, the Empire style chair is also featured in one of the monumental paintings by Bro. Francois Carbonnier that are in display in the tribune of the mother house chapel.

Vincentian Moments

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Part of our work with the Interfaith Scholars is to make moves to draw people closer together through our different faiths. Our purpose is to transcend differences and better understand one another and the role that our faith plays in our day to day lives. One of the ways that the scholars do this is by creating what we call Vincentian Moments. These moments take an aspect of each faith tradition and draw a comparison to an aspect of St. Vincent Depaul’s teachings. 

The first installment comes from Scholar Thano Prokos who decided to on his own background in the Greek Orthodox Faith.

St. Vincent says,

 “Our Lord humbles in order to raise up, and allows the suffering of interior and exterior afflictions in order to bring about peace. He often desires some things more than we do, but wants us to merit the grace of accomplishing them by several practices of virtue and to beg for this with many prayers.”

In “Taking the More Excellent Way,” Fr. Anthony Hughes talks about the story of St. Mary of Egypt and uses it to explain on how we make use of personal suffering. He argues that our trials and suffering are the things that make us grow and we become beautiful human beings.

St. Vincent stresses the same idea, that when we are humbled in our lives it’s our duty to rise back up.  What both men are saying, is that the hardships we face are not necessarily what we should focus on. We shouldn’t be consumed by our grief. Rather, it’s important to focus on what the next step is. How do we respond to tragedy? Both men encourage a detachment from the experience of grief and a focus on the divine through prayer.

Vincent asks us to say our own personal prayers to God with the hope that our prayer focuses our attention on what is good and how we can strive to be better. Fr. Anthony asks us to pray for others, particularly those who hurt us. The goal of this practice is less “divine intervention” but more to remind us that those who hurt us are every bit as human as we are. It changes our perception of them from the evil other into someone that we can be compassionate towards in the hopes that in the future, we can demonstrate our growth by meeting  hostility with love.

Ozanam Centennial and Bicentennial

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2013 marked the bicentennial of the birth of Frederic Ozanam.  The year that is about to end witnessed a large number of celebrations in Paris and world-wide for the anniversary.  The Vincentiana collection at the John T. Richardson Library at DePaul University in Chicago has recently acquired  a copy of the announcement for the centennial celebration held in Paris in April 1913.  The card appears below: