A Formula for Social Change?

Is there a "formula" for bringing about social change?

In his sermon at our Holy Thursday liturgy, my pastor Fr. Doug spoke about the Parkland high school students who are taking a stand for change.

He said that prayer is important. But not enough. He said "We have to pray with our feet."

Meaning that we also have to take a stand. And walk as the students are walking.

This means getting off our butts and actually walking.

Yesterday, Good Friday, we walked the stations of the cross. At each station, we stopped to read a meditation and sing a short hymn.

One of the meditations asked:

"How often in our lives do we come across unjust situations and we say nothing out of fear of getting caught in the crossfire? Can we summon the confidence and strength of purpose to go against the tide of opinion and reach out to support the oppressed?"

Seems to me that this is another element in the formula for social change:  self-examination.  Facing ourselves honestly. Asking what we are afraid of.

Margaret Wheatley looks at the world today and sees the telltale signs of collapse. In response, she is training Warriors for the Human Spirit.

Her formula seems to be about transcendence not transformation. Transformation, she seems to be saying, has not worked.  Our efforts to change society have not worked out the way we hoped.

Expecting further deterioration in the world, with destruction the ultimate end in the next decades, her training focuses on helping create "warriors of the human spirit" who will help people through comfort, courage and compassion.

As part of my spiritual regimen this Holy Week, I have been listening to lectures by Marcus Borg, the great Protestant scholar and theologian who passed away a few years ago.

Borg said: "Christians are called to participate in (Jesus') passion for a different kind of world."

Tonight at the Great Easter Vigil, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. 

His emergence from the tomb, like that of Lazarus before him, is a potent image of new life coming from underground. 

Easter reminds us that, after death, there is always new life.

In the Gospel account, three women are the first to receive the Good News. They are the first to see the risen Jesus.  They are the first to be "sent" to bring the good news to the apostles. 

May we too be sent and continue to carry the good news to others.

On dying...and living

A friend from my church had a massive stroke a week ago. He is in his Eighties. His family does not expect him to hang on much longer.

My wife and I visited him at the hospital this morning.  We were there as friends of the family. But we were also there as a prayer delegation from church.

In the latter role, we were there to pray with him and his family. To help them with the grief they are deeply experiencing. And to help them to "let go."

This letting go means sending him off (like a boat upon the water) on his journey to whatever comes next. As faith-filled people, we believe that there is a "new life" (another shore) after this one.

Though we cry tears for his going, our hearts are joyful.

May his final voyage bring him home.

On the Meaning of Christmas

Re-posted from December 2011

As the Catholic son of a Jewish mother, I've always had a mixture of feelings about Christmas. On one hand, it's definitely my favorite time of the year. On the other hand, I am saddened that so many find no joy in its celebration.

Yesterday, I came across a blog post by communications consultant Shel Israel, called "A Jew's View of Christmas," a bittersweet remembrance of growing up as a Jew and watching the Christians around him enjoying Christmas.

This is the comment I left on his blog.

For me, the meaning of Christmas comes down to one word: Gift. In the Gospel story, gift is a central image and idea:

~ The Incarnation is God coming into the world as a gift of love and transformation.

~ The baby is an unexpected gift to Mary and Joseph.

~ And the Magi bring extraordinary gifts to the Holy Family.

So the best way to keep Christmas? Here are five ways:

G - Give the gift of yourself to others

I - Inspire others with peace and joy

F - Find the star in your life that leads you

T - Take the Spirit of Christmas with you wherever you go

S - Say thanks often for all the gifts you have been given

As a kid, I remember a TV commercial that said, “You don’t have to be Jewish to like Levi’s Rye Bread.” I think the same goes for Christmas. You don’t have to be Christian to like Christmas.

As the song lyric says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

My wish to all is Joy to the world. And let me echo Shel Israel's closing wish: "Happy holidays, and may the New Year bring all of us closer to peace on Earth.”

Amen.

Enjoy the season. Give your gifts. Be the blessing.

Posted by Terrence Seamon on Tuesday December 20, 2011

What to Keep?

2016 has been a rough year in many ways, from selling our home and moving, to losing loved ones, to the election of a president. A year filled to overflowing with change.

With so much changing, the question comes up, What do you hold on to?  What do you keep?

I think we should keep what we love the most.

I love when Thanksgiving rolls around. Even if we have had our share of setbacks and disappointments, Thanksgiving reminds us to be grateful for all that Life has given to us...stars, birds, flowers, rain. As well as our family, our friends, and our neighbors.

It's a time to reflect, to take stock of all that we have. 

What are you thankful for? 

What gifts have you been given in your life? When is the last time you said a prayer of thanks?

Who are you thankful for? 

Who has been a gift to you in your life? When is the last time you thanked them?

There is much to be thankful for.

That's what I think I will keep.

Praying for Leaders

When Pope Francis first addressed his followers, he said, "Pray for me."

Jesuit priest and writer Fr. James Martin explained:  

“It’s very common, the most natural thing in the world; and priests, brothers, sisters and bishops do it every day. Including me. We all need prayers and so does the Pope."

Yesterday at my church St. Matthias in Somerset, NJ, we prayed for President-elect Trump.  Here is what we said:

~ For President-elect Donald Trump and all elected officials...that the words of the psalmist may guide their hearts and minds "to lead the people with justice and with equity," upholding the dignity and rights of all people, working steadfastly to build a nation of respect, inclusion, and compassion...we pray...

Some in our faith community raised an eyebrow that we would include such a prayer in our services.

Our pastor's comment was:  What would Francis do?

Starting A Movement

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

I've always liked that quote from the great cultural anthropologist Mead.

Long before this era of Change Management, she got it! She understood the power in a highly engaged small group, the energy that can be unleashed!

When I think of energy, I recall the late Ferdinand Achacon, Ferdi to his friends, and "Bong" to those who really knew him well.

Ferdi died in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. By his living witness, he taught us about starting a movement to change things for the better.

Ferdi was an agent of change.

Several years before his passing, he became aware of how many homeless families there were in our area of central New Jersey. He also learned about a church-based network that existed to help such desperate families.

He thought that our parish should join the network and become part of the effort to help support and sustain homeless families while they sought a path to recovery.

After patiently pushing the idea through the thick resistance he encountered, we finally joined the Interfaith Hospitality Network.

If I were to distill some guidelines for change agents from Ferdi's example, I'd pinpoint the following:

F = Focus: Focus on the need you see that must be addressed. Help others to see it too. Confront the fears that keep us from stepping up and facing the problem.

A = Assert: Advocate for those in need. Arrange to speak with the people you must convert. Get on their agenda. Argue with the inertia.

I = Insist: Don't take "No" for an answer. Insist that they see you. Inspire a small group to join together and to act. Encourage them to imagine the improvement they could bring about in the lives of others.

T = Trust: Trust in what you know is right. Don't waver. Don't forsake the mission even when it feels like nothing is going your way. Trust in truth.

H = Hope: Without hope, the darkness closes in. Ferdi knew this. And he never lost hope. Even in the darkest of times.

A friend of mine used to say of Ferdi that he knew how to "poke you with a stick," but do it in a way that made you glad later, glad that he did prod you to do the right thing.

A few years back, I had the opportunity to interview Ferdi for an article I was writing for our parish magazine at St. Matthias.

He said: "I grew up in the Philippines. My family used to feed the poor in our village. My family has always been giving. My parents used to take care of the poor. I learned that you have to be more than yourself in helping the poor."

You have to be more than yourself.

Looking around at the many needs in our communities, it's time we started to apply such wisdom to the daunting task of improving this world. Let's get the ball rolling.

Pick your spot. Keep the faith.

~ This post is humbly dedicated to Ferdinand "Ferdi" Achacon, husband, father, disciple, agent of change.

Terrence Seamon designs and facilitates leadership development and team building for his clients. Follow him on twitter @tseamon.

What Can You Do Differently?

There’s a saying that the definition of insanity is, Doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.

Think about your own behavior patterns. Does the shoe fit? Is there some area in your life where you are repeating some pattern over and over while expecting different results to occur?

I recently read a very good article by HR executive Lee E. Miller who drove this point home for job hunters whose searches were dragging on and on. Miller’s main point, You have got to stop repeating things that aren’t working. Instead, you’ve got to ask yourself, What can I do differently?

Sounds like a great strategy. But how do you do it? And where do you get new ideas to replace your existing ones?

In his article, Miller offered a bunch of good ideas. Last night, as the guest speaker at a job search support group, I taught the attendees an old organization development procedure called the Start Stop Continue (SSC) Method as a way to generate new ideas.

It goes like this. Think of your goal. Then, ask yourself these three questions:

What could I Start doing that would increase movement toward my goal?

What could I Stop doing that would increase movement toward my goal?

What could I Continue doing, but with some modification and improvement, that would increase movement toward my goal?

I got the attendees into small groups to share and discuss possible activities in these three categories. They came up with a slew of ideas!

So how about you? Do you have a goal you are trying to reach, but find yourself making scant progress? Try the SSC Method.

Terrence H. Seamon is an organization development consultant who provides leadership and team development services to employers in New Jersey. Follow him on twitter @tseamon.