The Work of God's Hands

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August 15, 2011

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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The Work of God's Hands

The Work of God's Hands Newsletter Image The readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time contrast the constant change we experience in this world with God's eternal love. Through Psalm 138, we remind ourselves of this love - "Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever" (8) - and of our relationship to God - "forsake not the work of your hands" (8). As the work of God's hands, God know us. Though we do not know the mind of the Lord, whose judgments are inscrutable and ways are unsearchable (cf. Rom 11: 33), God knows us intimately: "For from him and through him and for him are all things" (Rom 11: 36).

As the work of God's hands, we are also subject to God's authority. Although exalted, God sees the lowly and knows the proud (cf. Ps 138: 6). The reading from Isaiah illustrates that God reverses positions, removing those who defy God from offices and stations (cf. 22:19). Do we turn to this God, who is concerned with every detail of our temporal lives, to ask for guidance in how we can procure the energy to fuel our daily lives without damaging our earthly home?

In Peter's recognition of Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16), we know that we have access through Christ to God's love and authority. Jesus entrusts to Peter "the keys to the kingdom of heaven" and the power to bind and loose in heaven as on earth (Mt 16:19). Apostolic successor Bishop Luc Bouchard has exercised his pastoral ministry to respond to the concerns associated with extraction of tar sands in Alberta, Canada. His pastoral letter encourages us to examine how we can respond to God's loving fidelity and cooperate with God's will in caring for the work of God's hands.

Responding to the Word: Ask Your Senators to Support the DREAM Act

DREAM Act

Please urge the entire Senate to support the DREAM Act and give thousands of deserving students a chance to be legal residents.

Call, and/or e-mail your Senators to encourage them to support S. 952, the DREAM Act of 2011. You can call their Washington office via the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

Take further action by going to the Justice for Immigrants website to send an electronic postcard to President Obama asking him to protect innocent DREAM youth from deportation. You can also find out how your parish can participate in the upcoming Pray for the DREAM events Sept. 18-Oct. 9.

More information on the DREAM Act:

S. 952, the DREAM Act of 2011, would authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children. Applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, they must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years prior to the DREAM Act becoming law, they must pass a criminal background check and the must not have turned 35 when the act becomes law. The DREAM Act is not an alternative to comprehensive immigration reform but a step in the right direction.

Take a Survey to Share Your Views on Climate Change

This summer, FAN is working with the National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRPE) and Jack Zhou, a Ph.D. student at Duke University, to gauge how religious Americans think about the issue of climate change. Please help us collect the most complete view of attitudes on this issue and represent your own perspective by participating in our survey. The questionnaire will take about 15 minutes to complete, and your responses will be kept completely confidential. NRPE supports FAN's Care for Creation work through the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change (CCCC). Thank you for your participation.

Stand in Peaceful Opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline

Holy Land Image for Tar Sands Action Item Today (August 15) we celebrate the hope we find in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she who witnesses the resurrection of the body and precedes us into glory. As with the Psalm for the following Sunday, Mary's magnificat canticle proclaims God's favor to the lowly and warning to the proud and mighty. We learn from the joyful mystery of Mary's visitation to Elizabeth to exercise charity in all things. We learn from the First Letter to the Corinthians that Christ has "subjected everything under his feet" (15:27). With Mary's charity in mind, we ask whether the proposed Keystone XL pipeline is subject to Christ and look into our own hearts to ask the same question about each area of our lives.

The State Department is considering whether to approve Keystone XL, a proposed pipeline from tar sands oil extraction in Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas. FAN members and other concerned citizens will gather before the White House from August 20 to September 3 in peaceful opposition to the pipeline. On August 29 in particular, FAN members will participate in an interfaith witness. You can sign up to participate on the Tar Sands Action website. If you sign up for the interfaith witness, please also email Rose Berger to ensure that you receive information related to that event.

The following resources provide further information about the tar sands:

- Four-page fact sheet

- January 2009 pastoral letter from Bishop Luc Bouchard of the St. Paul Diocese, located in the tar sands area

- If you cannot participate in person, you can sign a petition online

Signs of Hope: Another FAN Members Becomes GreenFaith Fellow

FAN is pleased to announce that Dennis Testerman, OEF, who is featured in the DVD that accompanies FAN's C4C: Franciscan Care for Creation program, joins Sr. Jackie Keefe, CSSF in the next class of the GreenFaith Fellowship Program. As members of FAN, Sr. Jackie and Dennis receive scholarships towards their program tuition.

To learn more about the GreenFaith's Fellowship Program and the Certification Program, please visit the GreenFaith website. You can also participate in an informational webinar about the Certification Program on Monday, Sept. 19 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. EDT. E-mail Stacey Kennealy to register.

FAN Supports Clean Air Act Standards

Image of Coal-Fired Power Plants On August 4, FAN submitted a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in support of strong implementation of the EPA's standards on the Clean Air Act, which would address the levels of mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants. The letter featured Franciscan values of care for creation, the dignity of the human person, the consistent ethic of life, respect for the poor and vulnerable, and the right relationship of justice. You can read FAN's letter on our website.

O creator God, we hold your Word in our hearts. Give us the joy of hearing this Word in all of creation. In the midst of the distractions of our frenetic society, help us to slow down and be still, alert to your presence in all things. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[Prayer for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise]

Mission Statement

Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus, and the example of saints Francis and Clare, the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) is a collective Franciscan voice seeking to transform U.S. public policy related to peacemaking, care for creation, poverty, and human rights.

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