News from Maloy, Iowa, CW farm
Catholic Worker
Friends,
Here is the latest news from Strangers and Guests Catholic Worker Farm in Maloy, Iowa, our life on the land and in the world in this most dangerous of times.
Betsy reports on the status of the gardens and flocks and the many visitors who have come our way since our last issue in July.
Our friend Dottie writes about praying, living and working with us over the past month in our house.
We offer some reflections from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s classic “On Prayer” from 1969: “Prayer is either exceedingly urgent, exceedingly relevant, or inane and useless….” “Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods….”
I reflect on Pope Francis’ famous address to the US Congress 10 years ago when he cited CW cofounder Dorothy Day by name as one of four remarkable Americans. Less often remembered from that speech is Pope Francis’ question, “Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society?” Francis answered his own question, “Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.” In this vein, I quote Dorothy’s suggestion she posed in 1954, “It is time again to cry out against our ‘leaders,’ to question whether or not, since it is not for us to say that they are evil men, they are sane men.”
This month marks 37 years since Betsy and I with our children settled on this little farm. October 30 is the 50th anniversary, too, of the day in 1975 when I arrived at the Catholic Worker in New York City. We are grateful to all of our friends who have helped us on our way and give us courage to face the future.
Peace,
Brian