Down Syndrome, A Punishment from God?

I am just baffled sometimes knowing that there are people who still hold this idea.  To them, Down Syndrome (DS) is a punishment for the manifestation of sins in the world.  They would use words like “disabled,” “retarded,” and “abnormal” to imply a special brand of imperfection.  Yet I am unable to imagine what kind of God do they profess in believing.  It is certainly not the one you hear the evangelist John proclaims as so loving whom He sent his only Son to be among us.  It is possible that they might not even know who God is because they have yet to experience the love of someone with DS (1 John 4:8).      

A child with DS is not defective or a mistake.  Like any child, they are first and foremost, a special gift, a precious human being, a child with much to offer.  For me, there are three things that I have learned from people with DS.  First, they are loving and affectionate people.  How would the world be like if they were to govern it?  It may not be as structured and organized as it can be, but at least there would be endless joys of hugs and the genuine care for others.  What you see in front of you is really what you get.  Simple, straightforward and unpretentious people whose lives are so pure.

Secondly, patience, and lots of patience.  It takes time to develop the relationship of understanding.  People with DS can be a little difficult to understand since their speech may not be clear.  I find that ambiguity can cause us to be frustrated, but we need to have the patience, flexibility, and peace in knowing that the vagueness is okay.  Charitable love eventually will take over and I have learned that it will fill up the gaps for us for it has no strings to tie us down. 

Lastly, I am grateful for the lesson of humility.  The humility to know who I am, and that is weak, limited, and broken.  I am not any better or know any better than I think I am.  Whether we have an extra chromosome or not, we are all playing together on a grass field sprouted in God’s grace.  We all have the same goal and we are all on the same team.  People with DS helped me to celebrate diversity and stretched that word beyond my definition.  Diversity is bigger than just race, gender and ethnicity.  It is about accepting the uniqueness of others and knowing that despite our differences, we are all the same in God’s eyes.  All the people with DS whom I have encountered have been an ongoing inspiration for me as I get to know them.  This is why I am not able to understand how someone can say that the evidence of sin and punishment lies in the extra chromosome.  I once read from someone that said the only evidence of sin is how the world reacts to those with DS.  I am no more human, no more born in less sin, and no more blessed in God’s grace than anyone else.           

Today is the last day of October.  It is the last day of the month we celebrate awareness of people with Down Syndrome.  One of the stories that I saw that touched my heart earlier this year was a story of an identical twin who has DS and diagnosed with leukemia together.  You can see their story of hope below and let us keep them and all those with DS, their families and caretakers in our prayers.

 

 

The two words that can change the world: BE KIND!

It is so astounding how just two simple words have the potential to change the world, yet it is so hard to do.  Be kind.  One of my favorite quotes by an unknown person speaks that: “To be kind is more important than to be right.  Many times, what people need is NOT a brilliant mind that speaks but a SPECIAL HEART that listens.”  Kindness is not what we give, how much we give, or who we give it to, but it is who we are.  Many of us, myself included, believe that we have no power or are too insignificant to make a difference in this world.  But we don’t need to eradicate world hunger or cure cancer to be a difference.  When we detach ourselves of the results of our actions and focus on our giving nature, we will be freer to form relationships and explore new ways of loving that we have never imagined.       

Many people associate kindness with actions, but kindness is rather an attitude that manifests itself in deeds.  Kindness grows root and sprout in mysterious ways.  It is a magnet that attracts.  It makes people want to come in and see what’s going on.  Kindness leads to conversion more than anything else.  I like to picture kindness as a tiny snowball on top of the hill.  As it rolls down, it grows larger and larger, faster and faster, until it becomes unstoppable.  Let us strive to be the tiny snowball on top of that hill, and be reminded again that: 

“To be kind is more important than to be right.  Many times, what people need is NOT a brilliant mind that speaks but a SPECIAL HEART that listens.”

And, yes, about this I am quite sure that I am right!

You don’t have to take my word for it, just ask Sophia.

Why I'm Going Purple For Spirit Day

Just to be clear and upright, this post is not one on Catholic moral teachings.  It is an invitation to stand against bullying and violence targeting LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) youths in American schools.  This Friday, October 19, is a day known as “Spirit Day” (http://www.glaad.org/spiritday) that started in 2010 in response to the young people who had taken their lives. 

According to the Trevor Project, LGBT youths are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight peers (therefore, it is a life issue).  They are eight times as likely when their families reject them compared to families with no or low levels of rejection.  As Catholics, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that LGBT should be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity.”  This is an opportunity for all of us to show our support and love for our neighbors who suffer from discrimination and bullying.  Let’s show our support for our LGBT brothers and sisters by praying for one another, speaking out against bullying and wearing PURPLE this Friday on Spirit Day. Purple is a color of compassion and remorse, the compassion and remorse over any hate speech.

For UW alumni and students, it should be easier to wear purple this Friday.  I will be showing some Huskies pride along with my support for Spirit Day.  P.S. Go Dawgs!     

 

 

Spiritual Significance of Eating

As Catholics, eating and drinking with our sisters and brothers are central acts to remember what Jesus has done for us. When we receive the Eucharist in mass, that sense in remembrance is heightened as we behold the flesh and blood of Christ himself. John E. Burkhart says that we cannot be worthy enough to gather in the table of the Lord if it wasn’t for the grace of God that bestowed on us. Jesus lays out a feast for us because of the desire to be with us. The meal that God wants us to gather to or in communion with, is one where we can share our humanity with one another and bridge that together with the divine bond. A meal is more than just fulfilling the satisfaction of physical hunger, it is about giving oneself to others and realizing our brokenness.

With our busy lives today, we see meals as the part of the day to do some socializing as well as filling our bellies with quick food. We sometimes don’t have the time to sit down and talk or laugh about the things that is happening around us. It seems routine sometimes to finish eating and get back to the things that we think are more important. But if we think that meals are just merely earthly activity, we are missing the important part, the spiritual significance of it. The purpose of eating is not simply about foods but sharing our lives with each other through the context of a spiritual relationship. We share our blessings, our worries, our anger and fellowships with one another so that we may become more intimate with others, and ultimately with Christ.

A particular meal in the Old Testament, the Passover Feast, represents a covenant meal of bringing God’s chosen people out of Egypt. At the Last Supper, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for his disciples to eat in order to give us a new and everlasting covenant. We are reminded every time at the altar that Christ has become the bread and wine for us to be nourished. God is the giver of every meal and the host at every table. Every meal is an opportunity to worship and praise God and celebrate the resurrected Christ. Though we may come in many different ways, we are all of one body that shares the living bread and cup of salvation.

DEUS CARITAS EST (God is Love)

A friend of mine once asked me, where do you begin when someone is curious about Catholicism and wants to know more?  For someone who knows little about the faith, I suggested the best place to begin is painting with them the image of God is love.  This is one of the first images that I learned of God: God is love all the time!  The very nature of God is love.  That means it is not something God shows, as in God is loving, but something that characterizes who God is, love.  For this reason, God loves us because of who God is, not because who we are or what we do.  The fact that God loves us will never change.  God sets his love upon us because God freely chooses to be in accord with God’s nature.  We are made in the image of God and we are able to love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).

We forget this sometimes because we feel that we are not good enough or holy enough.  As the song (“You Are More”) by Tenth Avenue North suggests: we are more than the choices that we’ve made, we are more than the sum of our past mistakes and we are more than the problems we create.  We are indeed more than our faults and failures simply because we can imagine a God that thinks of us and smiles (Anthony de Mello).  This is because we don’t need to do great things in order to impress God.  We are not called to duplicate Mother Teresa or anyone else on this earth.  What we are called to is to realize our authentic selves.  To be a saint, Thomas Merton wrote, is to be yourself. 

Today marks the 50^th Anniversary of the Vatican II Council.  One of my favorite documents that were produced from the council is Gaudium Et Spes (Joy and Hope).  What a wonderful reminder as we kick off the Year of Faith.  Every morning as we wake up this year, let us be reminded of the message of hope in the incarnation on Christmas day and the joy in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.