Good Friday=No Hoops

A very somber day indeed. Today we commemorate the death of our Lord on a cross, initiated by the sinfulness of the human race. Though we know how the story ends, it is deemed worthwhile for us to dwell on this tragic event and join our own sufferings with those of Christ on the cross.

This day, though always very meaningful for me, takes on an extremely sour tone this year. Not only must I meditate on the Way of the Cross, but the entirety of the Easter Triduum falls on what is normally my most unproductive weekend of the year: the first round of March Madness.

I posted last year on my obsession with this glorious event. I cherish this weekend above almost all others. But instead of my usual routine of 12 hours/day of beloved basketball, I'm forced to (gasp) attend to the various liturgies that make up part of my job description.

We had our Holy Thursday service last night, a celebration that focuses on the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and the moving Gospel passage in which Jesus stoops down to wash the feet of his disciples. I did allow myself to watch the first round of games and then caught the tail end of the festivities when I returned from church around 9:00 PM. But after much anguished deliberation, I've decided to do the unthinkable: No basketball today. At all.

"Say it ain't so!" many of you are thinking. I know, I know, Day 2 of the tournament is just as exciting as Day 1: 16 games, often full of upsets and buzzer-beaters. A sports junkie's dream. Nonetheless, I feel that it is incumbent upon me to do my very best today to put aside such indulgences and attempt to enter into the sacred side of this day more fully. It will be difficult, my faithful readers, but all things are possible with God, even this.

A blessed Triduum and a Happy Easter to all of you!

The Decline of the Human Family

Interesting website:

http://www.demographicwinter.com/

Fascinating to think that many still believe that overpopulation is a global problem.

Race

Watched "American History X" the other day, a movie dealing with various aspects of race relations in America, mostly from the perspective of two young skinheads. It's a great movie, and provides much food for thought.

The viewing came on the heels of a conversation with a newly-married couple we had over for dinner the other night. They are expecting their first child (Lord, have mercy), so we spent a good portion of the evening talking about childbirth (Shannon was foaming at the mouth) and child-rearing.

I lamented somewhat the fact that our kids are hardly exposed to any other cultures outside that of our white, middle-class existence. For our last 2 years in the suburbs, we lived in a condo in a larger complex that was almost entirely inhabited by African-Americans. Between our interactions with other residents and the fact that St. Emeric was about 40 percent minority (my estimate), Cavan was constantly exposed to people from other races and cultures. Though he was very young, of course, he never seemed to bat an eye when interacting with folks of other races, and that's what we would like to have for our children.

Unfortunately, our new situation in Champaign doesn't provide the same environment as Country Club Hills did. We live in an all-white neighborhood. St. John's is almost all white. So is St. Matthew's (our family parish). Shannon's hippie groups are almost all white. Almost all our friends in town are white. I would say that now, I probably personally interact with African-Americans maybe once a month, if not less.

Growing up in Ava, I always jokingly refer to the fact that we had one and a half black people in my high school (it was the truth). The first time I really was exposed to any minority groups was in college, and come to think of it, not even very much then. Throughout the U.S., people still tend to stay within the confines of their race and class, rarely straying outside of it.

It's a shame that my kids will get such limited exposure to other cultures on a daily basis. I remember how much my own thinking was enriched from a multi-cultural perspective during my time at Catholic Theological Union. That institution (though I had many issues with it as a whole) drew students from many different countries and cultures and encouraged them to interact and share their own experiences. I had many great interactions with other students, learning much from their own stories. It brought the universality of the Catholic Church to the forefront of my thinking and has colored it favorably in my mind.

Champaign is like most any other town; we have the "good" neighborhoods and the "bad" neighborhoods (which is usually a euphemism for "black" neighborhoods). People stay in their own area, accepting that the two cultures will usually only interact at the grocery story, the Post Office, etc., though the interaction is usually only very superficial. The cultural divide is just too great, though (limited) progress has been made in the past 40 years.

So how to expose children to multi-cultural experiences and interactions? Hmm. Unfortunately, it will take a lot of work.

More sickness . . .

Kellyn threw up in bed last night. This is really getting old . . .