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The Bishop's
Notebook
28 March 2002
Maundy Thursday
This Sunday we will say "The Lord
is risen" and others will respond "The Lord is risen indeed."
What an incredible article of faith this is. God is able to
overcome the most heinous actions mankind can devise.
The relevance to the aftermath of September 11th is obvious.
Those of us in New York and Washington are still very focussed
on those events. But as I travel around the country I am discovering
that many of my colleagues have refocused their attention on
other matters. Towards the end of last year I wrote in a column
that we needed to allow ourselves to grieve - we were in too
much of a rush to "get over it."
But that was then, and this is now. Perhaps it is time for us
to begin to look up instead of down. And what more appropriate
time to do that than in the season of the Resurrection! Yes,
God is truly able to intervene in the lives of God's creations.
The astonishing, amazing, incomprehensible victory over human
death could only be accomplished by the will of God. In our
modern, scientific, technological world, we have discovered
many ways to take life, but we have yet to learn how to reverse
death. Only God can do a Resurrection.
With gratitiude to Sr. Molly Hargadine, of the Fellowship Charitos,
who, in a recent newsletter reprinted some letters from children
to God. Here's one: "I do not think anybody could be a better
God. Well, I just want you to know, but I am not saying that
because you are God already. … Charles." Truly, no one could
be a better God. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory.
David Henritzy, Director for Healthcare Ministries
The
Bishop's Notebook
22 March 2002
The take on the future of Andrea Pia Yates by hard-liners and
the ignorant is that she is lucky. Lucky to face 40 years of
incarceration. Lucky she didn't get a needle in her veins. Lucky
to have room, board, three squares, and a gym and a law library.
Lucky that she will live the remaining years of her life with
only the unspeakable grief of having killed her five children.
Good fortune just seems to follow at her heels like a stray
puppy, doesn't it?
Part of Yates' good fortune was to have a history of serious
mental illness. Add to that a husband so wedded to the tenets
of a fringe fundamentalist sect, he can only be considered an
accomplice in his own children's deaths. Without the inclusion
of the manner in which she murdered her children or the time
spent obsessing about their deaths, Andrea Yates' history is
too painful to take in fully.
Briefly, she had a history of psychotic post-partum incidents
beginning with the birth of her first child. She heard voices
from Satan, messages from cartoon characters, she overdosed
on Trazodone and was found by her husband with a knife to her
own throat. Just take a moment and imagine what home-schooling
children 3, 5, and 7 while caring for an infant and toddler
would be like with a disposition towards mental illness. Add
to that five pregnancies mandated by your husband's ideology,
an isolating religion obsessed with guilt and demonization,
and managing a household of seven. A prescription for Haldol
was helping along with the supervision of a psychiatrist, but
another "required" pregnancy came along and Andrea went off
the drug and out of psychiatric care.
Here's a random question for the jurors of Harris County, DA
Chuck Rosenthal, and her husband Russell Yates: Wasn't the 666
Andrea scratched into her forehead a tip-off that things weren't
going so well?
It seems to us that the criminal justice system in this country
needs to take a long, hard look at itself regarding how justice
is dealt out to those who are mentally ill. It is an embarrassment
internationally. It is utterly ironic given the current administration's
statements regarding the miscarriage of justice in other countries.
Just one example: Authorities in Texas are still trying to execute
John Paul Penry. Mr. Penry has such a limited IQ that he was
unaware that he had received a stay of execution until several
days after it occurred.
In England, Andrea Yates might never have gone to trial. She
would have faced treatment in a psychiatric hospital. Now, she
faces suicide watches, a caged life, inadequate psychiatric
care, and our prison system will produce yet another shell of
a human being in the name of justice. In this particular case,
one only hopes she is so non compos mentis that she is not aware
of her husband's appearance on Oprah or of his web site where
photos of her lost children are on display. She will come out
worse than the way she came in because our prison system's goal
is to make sure no one escapes rather than successful rehabilitation.
Part of the surprise here is to see this castigatory system
in action while the movie "A Beautiful Mind" is so popular.
Why is it that anyone with less than $10 can see a film and
come out two hours later with a better understanding of the
schizophrenic's internal hell, while the entire judicial system
of Harris County remains unmoved?
Andrea Yates could not claim to be insane legally. You see the
current law asks only if she knew that what she did was wrong
while she was doing it. She did. She called both her husband
and the police afterwards. When she opened the door to the police,
she told them "I killed my kids." The law used to ask a defendant
if she could control her behavior. That changed in a number
of states shortly after the assassination attempt on Ronald
Reagan. I suppose the switch from awareness vs. control hoped
to foster a moment's reflection for all the psychotics in the
world on the consequences of their actions.
Forty years in prison for Andrea Yates is a total miscarriage
of justice. While Resolution B001 passed by the 2000 General
Convention is a beginning, the church needs to begin to address
changing the system in its present state. More active energy
must be put into making the cultural shift from retributive
justice to restorative justice. Where and how will all the Andrea
Yates of the world be rehabilitated?
Andrea Yates is our sister in more ways than we know. Did we
mention that the fundamentalist sect to which Russell Yates
belonged claims to be Christian? Did we mention that Andrea
Yates was brought up a Roman Catholic? Did we mention that leaders
in this sect believed that Roman Catholics are the devil incarnate?
As a sacramental church and as Christians we are called to speak
out and participate in the sacrament of activism. We must do
this not only for the sake of the mentally ill or innocent whose
lives are destroyed in the maw of the prison system but to show
the world how Christians really are supposed to live. In the
name of Jesus Christ, we must show the way of a loving God and
the church that bears his name.
Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary Yates are embraced in the merciful
arms of Our Lord. Jesus stands at their tomb as he did before
the tomb of his friend Lazarus, weeping. He cries for this tragedy,
for all the lives out of control, for a united Church too silent
on this issue. And he waits for us to be stirred by his example
"to bring good news" to the lost and forgotten.
This article was written collaboratively by Jackie Means
and Brook Packard
The Bishop's Notebook
15 March 2002
The prayer below was offered by Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense.
He prayed it before the President's Cabinet on Monday, 11 March, 2002,
the six-month anniversary of the terrorists' attacks on America. I
found the prayer to be most powerful. Perhaps you will too.
FYI, Secretary Rumsfeld is a communicant at Christ Church Georgetown,
in Washington DC, where Stuart Kenworthy is rector. Stuart is an ECUSA
Army National Guard Chaplain, serving with a DC unit.
--Gerry Blackburn, Director of Military Ministries in the Office of
the Bishop for the Armed Services, Healthcare and Prison Ministries.
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Prayer offered before the Cabinet
by
Donald H. Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
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"Ever-faithful
God,
in death we are reminded of
the precious birthrights of life and liberty
You endowed in Your American people.
You have shown once again
that these gifts must never be taken for granted.
We pledge to those whom You have called home, and ask of You
-
Patience, to measure our lust for action;
Resolve, to strengthen our obligation to lead;
Wisdom, to illuminate our pursuit of justice, and;
Strength, in defense of liberty.
We seek Your special blessing today for those who stand as
sword and shield,
protecting many from the tyranny of the few.
Our enduring prayer is that You shall always guide our labors
and that our battles shall always be just.
We pray this day, Heavenly Father, the prayer
our nation learned at another time of righteous struggle and
noble cause -
America's enduring prayer:
Not that God will be on our side,
but always, O Lord,
that America will be on Your side.
Amen"
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The Bishop's
Photo Album
15 March 2002
| Scenes from Bishop Packard's recent
visit to Fort Hood, Texas |
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| LTC Jeff Cobb, Battalion Commander
4-5 ADA, ICD, and an Episcopalian, adjusts his equipment after
the "Warfighter" exercise at Ft. Hood |
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David (a Chaplain at Ft. Hood,
Texas), Chris (his wife), and their sons Baraka (left to
right)and Amani (front) after sharing pizza with
the Bishop in the kitchen of their new home |
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Jeff Gorman, lay leader of the
Ft. Hood Eucharistic Community (and member of St. Christopher's,
Killeen, Texas) chats with Ft. Paul Moore, Rector of St.Christopher's |
The
Bishop's Notebook
7 March 2002
I recently
had the honor and pleasure of attending Executive Council to
"stand in" for Bishop Packard, who had to leave before the meeting
concluded, for another trip. We met at St. Mark's Episcopal
Church in San Antonio Texas, just two short blocks from the
Alamo and that city's famous River Walk. A social highlight
was the evening hosted by Bishop James E. Folts, and the Suffragan,
Bishop Robert B. Hibbs, of the Diocese of West Texas. It was
a special pleasure to sit at table with The Rt. Rev. Scott Field
Bailey, retired Diocesan. We reminisced about the General Convention
at which he was Secretary of the House of Bishops and (then)
Fr. Folts and Fr. Claude Payne (now Bishop of Texas), Bishop
Bailey and I all worked together in the Secretariat of the House.
Of course most of the time was not social, but business. One
thing I learned was that Executive Council works HARD! Meetings
are intense and tightly scheduled; alternating between committee
time and plenaries. Much attention was paid to, and excitement
generated by, the 20/20 Program. We heard a report on the progress
being made toward a potential move of the offices at 815 Second
Avenue to the campus of General Theological Seminary - talks
are serious and moving forward.
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| The
Rev. Dr. David Henritzy chats with Mr. Richard Parkins, Director
of Episcopal Migration Ministries, during a break in the business
sessions at Executive Council. |
As
befits a meeting like this, we spent significant time in prayer
and worship. Every day began with an hour of morning prayer and
scripture reflection, every day at noon we gathered for the Eucharist.
Bishop Packard relates to the National Concerns Committee of Council
and was there to present a progress report on the stage of our response
to General Convention Resolution A079 on healthcare. He and I talked
about our concept of the Continuum of Healthcare, and our emerging
HealthWise Congregations initiative. National Concerns received
and approved our report with enough enthusiasm that they recommended
we also bring it to the Congregations in Ministry Committee. The
response there was also supportive. All in all, an excellent, productive
and energizing meeting.
David Henritzy
The Bishop's Notebook
1 March 2002
As the number of our Lenten days increases, I am reminded
of what Presiding Bishop Griswold has written about the concept
he calls the “ministry of relinquishment.” He has used this
term in reference to the episcopal office but I think it is
particularly appropriate as a reflection for chaplains.
We are called to a journey which by its very nature asks us
to be ultimately open to an encounter with Christ. As a contemplative
once said it is by our very living with “trueness” that we will
know our way. Often in such a life we find assurances in proven
strengths and reliable performances. Others know us that way
too. Health abounds. Careers are on track! But along comes a
questionable evaluation or exchange with a superior and this
route does not seem so certain.
Bishop Griswold says this is a moment we might most know the
interior Christ. Tried and true outward accomplishments now
seem to be the area for testing and doubt. Rage and accusation
might follow as we try to fashion a semblance of order out of
a direct path gone astray. When the smoke clears-if we are honest
about it-we have died to “(our) profound way of doing things.”
We may regain balance but things aren’t quite the same.
What has happened? The discerning Christian, apart from all
distractions, will recognize an encounter with the very paschal
mystery which defines all things. Do we not often travel with
worries about assignments and promotions and dimly see a rhythm
of dying and rising?
Perhaps this Lent might afford memories of such relinquishment,
how we survived, how we joined with Christ in what that pain
and discovery meant for others, and how prayer either flowed
or was absent. We struggled then, maybe now, possibly tomorrow
with these concerns but always in a prayer of our urgency to
find an answer.
That fumbling effort is the key to the dignity we have in God.
As Frank Griswold advises, “each of us has a particular shape
of our soul” , and, as a monastic cautioned him, “pray as you
can, not as you can’t.” May our Lent be the time to exercise
special availability in prayer so that we see relinquishment
as joining with Christ and the blessing it is meant to be. +gep
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