Oklahoma Sponsoring Committee

 As some of you may be aware, I hate not breaking open the Scriptures in my homily.  At the same time, there are occasions when we have to use the homily time for something else; and today is one of those days when I have something different to talk about.  It’s a program begun in our Archdiocese a little over a year ago called the Oklahoma Sponsoring Committee.  We’re one of five or six metro area parishes who have embraced it and while it’s an intentionally slow-moving process we’re now at the point that we will be hearing more about it from time to time, and so I wanted to give you my take on it and why I’m glad it’s here at our parish.

I’d begin with a true story.  It’s a story about Blessed Pope John XXIII.  One day he was walking at an unexpected time in the Vatican Gardens when he came across one of his gardeners --a Vatican employee.  Instead of moving on he decided he wanted a chat with an “ordinary guy.”  So the gardener hopped up from his knees and they chatted.  The Pope said, “tell me the truth, how is everything in your life?”  The little Italian man, who had worked there for some time, took the Holy Father at his word and explained that he and his wife had six children and what a struggle it was for them to survive financially.  The Holy Father later spoke with the Cardinal with responsibility for running business side of the Vatican.  He asked the Cardinal what the gardener was paid, which was very little.  The Pope then said “we’ve got to pay our employees more.”  The Cardinal politely explained, “Holy Father if we pay the employees better wages then we won’t be able to give as much charity to the poor.”  The Pope responded “Then we will have to give less to the poor because justice always comes before charity.”

Justice always comes before charity!

 You see, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is a complex, living organism.  There are many parts to it.  There is (a) personal spirituality:  personal study, private prayer, scripture reading, etc., there is (b) public worship:  Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, wakes, weddings, funerals etc., there’s (c) charity:  like what we do with Sr. B.J.’s Pantry, Catholic Charities, and so many other causes, but then there’s the often forgotten (d) social justice.  And we have to remember that when we cut one slice out of the gospel and say “we don’t need that one,” we wound the gospel and weaken our identity as Christians.

The Oklahoma Sponsoring Committee is not a charitable endeavor; it’s social justice.  It’s helping to bring about a more just environment in our community, especially focused on helping those who don’t know how to go about finding justice on their own; and that usually means helping the poor, the marginalized … the undereducated find their voice.

God knows all analogies limp but I personally view it a little like being a lobbyist for the poor.  That’s entirely my own analogy, it’s not formally a part of the Sponsoring Committee Philosophy.  But again, you know what lobbyists do.  They educate and influence their elected leaders for projects that they value.  For instance, the Insurance Industry pays millions to lobbyists to see that insurance industry-favorable laws are passed and maintained in our Nation. Well, why not have lobbyists for the poor?  Of course the analogy limps because lobbyists work for someone while Sponsoring Committees never do for others what they can do for themselves.  Our job isn’t to do the work for those who seem to be without a voice; it’s a process of helping them find their voice, surface their needs, and work toward a greater justice within their own communities.  And secondly, too often the efforts of paid lobbyists usually involve a winner and a loser, but our belief is that when the community is served truly with justice there doesn’t have to be any losers.

 Now, there are some fundamental points we need to understand:

 First, the process has existed for some time in 60 Dioceses throughout the United States and is embraced by many bishops and archbishops, including many very conservative bishops.  I believe they embrace it because they’ve seen the good results it creates for their communities, especially for the poor.  In fact, the Diocese of El Paso just gave a major award to its I.A.F. – sponsored Sponsoring Committee for its good works in El Paso.  You know, I am aware of people expressing regret or frustration over some of the background philosophy of this process, especially its indirect ties to some of the ideas of Sal Alinsky.  At the same time, I’ve never yet had anyone present to me a complaint about an actual project undertaken in any of those dioceses across the United States.  I think it’s time to step away from the anxiety over some of the background philosophy and focus on the consistently good and Gospel-works of this process.

Secondly, the process is ecumenical, involving all kinds of churches and denominations; it’s not just Catholic.  We’re a leading part but not alone in this.  And that’s fundamental to the process because if we were to try to do this alone we simply could not determine the needs of a broader community such as the metro area of Oklahoma City.  To that extent this process responds beautifully to the thousands of pages of papal and council documents urging Catholics to work ecumenically with people of others faiths in appropriate projects.  And too, I very strongly suspect that one of the reasons the bishops like this process so well is that it allows us to control and determine the agenda.  All member Churches involved in sponsoring committees must agree on any issue undertaking by the group as a whole.  That means that sponsoring committees never have and never will take on pro-abortion, pro-contraceptive, anti-life, or any other issues contrary to our beliefs.  The Bishops know and fear that when the Catholics opt out of our participation and leadership in this process we run the huge risk of leaving community organizing in the hands of those whose values are radically different from our own. No, I believe we have a moral obligation to take our rightful place in the community and exercise our leadership role—carrying with us our Catholic values and beliefs.

Thirdly, the process is indeed, and unabashedly, political.  While that has become a dirty word in our secular vocabulary, the Church has for centuries demanded that Catholics become thoroughly involved in the politics of the day.  It’s a part of our calling to change the world and bring about the Kingdom of God.  And we don’t do that by retreating to ourselves.  Indeed, in this Easter Season we have multiple readings from the Acts of the Apostles.  The Resurrected Christ commissioned his apostles to go out into the world and preach the Good News to all.  Initially, they were very happy to sit in Jerusalem and do little.  It took persecution to move them out into the world where they were startled at how the Gospel was received.  Frankly, it makes me wonder what it will take for us to go out into the World and speak the Gospel loudly and fearlessly, oftentimes prophetically, conveying our pro-life, pro-family, pro-justice values.  And of course, as American citizens we have every right to be involved in the political process.

And so, an example:   in California congregations across Los Angeles told their Sponsoring Committee groups that they were terrified for their children.  There was a 50% drop-out rate across the Los Angeles metro area.  This often results in kids joining gangs, getting involved in drugs, and all the rest.  Their sponsoring committees discovered through research that the critical point was algebra.  So many were failing algebra that they gave up, dropped out, etc.  So the sponsoring committed further researched various solutions and settled on “The Algebra Project,” which uses an innovative method to teach math.  Their sponsoring committee approached the LA school district, urging them to run the Algebra Project as a pilot program for ninth graders in three schools, which the school board committed to do.  At this time, when normally schools would have had half of the kids drop out, there are no students in the pilot program failing algebra and none have dropped the class.  Obviously these kids were not high achieves in the past.  Their sponsoring committee is now fighting to expand the program to the whole metro area.  In a district of 700,000 students, with a lot of decisions understandably made from the “top down,” they’ve discovered that it takes congregations like ours to stand up for these kids and fight for what they need to have a chance at a future.  And God knows their success only strengthens our communities and our nation.

 This is what Sponsoring Committees do.  Could this make a difference in Oklahoma City?  I think so.  Did you know:

• In our OKC public schools in 2002, 79.6% of students were on free or reduced lunches; seven years later (2009)  90.7% of metro kids are on free/reduced lunches!
•  Oklahoma has the highest incarceration of women in the world!  Do you know what that costs the tax-payer?  Do you have any idea of the conditions in our state prisons?
•  13.5% of our city population is 65 or older.  As we baby boomers move toward retirement age we face substantial challenges in terms of affordable assisted living facilities, adequate public transportation when we cannot (or should not) be driving, as well as a host of other issues.

 Undoubtedly there are plenty of appropriate, gospel-based social issues that need to be surfaced for the betterment of our local community.   And again, according to the social documents of popes and bishops councils, individual Catholics and catholic churches are supposed to be a part of that.

 In closing, if you read the Sooner Catholic you’ll know that Archbishop Beltran endorses this program as do more than sixty bishops across the U.S.  It’s caused some emotional upheaval for some who feel, among other things, that communism is infiltrating the Church or that it’s an activity of “ACORN.”  It’s not in any way related to ACORN and it’s certainly not communist.  Others feel that the Church just should not, in any way, be involved in politics—despite the fact that the Church repeatedly demands that we get involved in politics. 

I certainly do admit that I personally find it regrettable that this process has come to Oklahoma at what I fear is a bad time--and timing is everything!  It arrived along with a presidential election that shook the foundations of many as well as an international economic catastrophe that touched every corner of the globe.  It has left many fearful and riddled with anxiety about our future and the future of our children.  I actually suspect that had it come a few years earlier or later then it would not have registered near the anxiety it has.  But we can’t give ourselves over to our fears.  There are challenges to living out the full Gospel of Jesus Christ in every age and retreating to our comfort zones is not a Gospel option. 

I need to state that I very much respect those who hold opinions different from my own.  Many are reasoned and the result of careful study and concern.  Nevertheless, after giving them my own careful thought and consideration, I have tried in this homily to explain more clearly my understanding of this process and why it meets with my approval as well as our Archbishop’s approval.

After Mass representatives from our local parish membership will be available to share more with you at the entrance of the Cathedral. If you have interest in this process or concerns about it, please speak with them.  Dialog is important.  And of course, don’t be surprised if you see in our bulletin more information about local meetings or ways you can get involved.

God bless, and may the rest of your Easter Season be filled with blessings and joys.