{"id":3407,"date":"2020-03-20T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T04:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/?p=3407"},"modified":"2020-03-23T16:10:23","modified_gmt":"2020-03-23T20:10:23","slug":"dom-helder-camera-s-voice-and-eyes-a-good-traveler-cares-for-weary-companions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/2020\/03\/20\/dom-helder-camera-s-voice-and-eyes-a-good-traveler-cares-for-weary-companions\/","title":{"rendered":"Dom Helder Camera ‘s voice and eyes “a good traveler cares for weary companions”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friday, March 20, 2020<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is possible to travel alone,
\nbut we know the journey is human life
\nand life needs company.
\nCompanion is the one who eats the same bread.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheer beauty can look inadequate for repairing violent storm damage, such as COVID-19, \u00a0our new global visitor. \u00a0But I doubt it. \u00a0Beauty does not deceive when we find more spring in our step and smiles in our eyes. \u00a0The work of beauty is to remind us that deep down, under the exhausting burdens of our adult commitments, lives a wellspring of grace.<\/p>\n

Dom Helder Camera,\u00a0Fortaleza<\/a>,\u00a0Cear\u00e1<\/a>, Northeast Region<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Brazil<\/a>\u00a0\u2013February 7, 1909 – August 27, 1999: \u00a0He was archbishop of Recife and Olinda Brazil from 1964 to 1985 during a severe military dictatorship. \u00a0He\u00a0interpreted Catholic teaching with a consistent, fierce attention to the violence of systems that maintain brutal poverty. \u00a0Not surprisingly, \u00a0he made serious enemies who worked to silence him. \u00a0 It is said that some of Dom Helder\u2019s enemies hired a hit man to assassinate him. \u00a0Like the professional he was, the hit man stalked the archbishop for some time, learning his habits, seeking a place and time most apt for killing. \u00a0 In the process, he listened to Dom Helder Camera speak a number of times until, one day, he fell at his feet, weeping, and begged for the grace to change his profession and his life.<\/p>\n

Dom Helder’s\u00a0unblinking attention to the violence of poverty was matched by legendary playfulness. \u00a0Here is one story among many; this one I witnessed. \u00a0Once Dom Helder was speaking to about 1500 people who sat on the St. Louis levee overlooking the Mississippi River (by the Arch). In the middle of his talk, a helicopter took off right behind him filled with tourists taking a ride for a bird\u2019s eye view of the river and the city. \u00a0 It made so much racket that it was impossible to hear what the Dom Helder was saying. \u00a0He paused, and turned around toward the\u00a0helicopter which flew at that moment just above him, \u00a0and offered the helicopter pilot and the tourists a puckish little wave. \u00a0When the helicopter got a little farther out on its trip, he turned back to us and blew our minds as we listened.<\/p>\n

A Friday in March, \u00a0morning sunshine is dancing for us in the midst of our vast worries. \u00a0 Blessings.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a hard week everywhere you look; \u00a0hence two beautiful poets, brimming with beauty and courage.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

john sj<\/p>\n

p.s.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Here\u2019s my favorite DH photo. \u00a0Alas, I\u2019ve never found one of him waving to the helicopter.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s Post- \u00a0a saying of Dom Helder<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is possible to travel alone, but we know the journey is human life
\nand life needs company.
\nCompanion is the one who eats the same bread.<\/p>\n

The good traveler cares for weary companions, grieves when we lose heart,
\ntakes us where she finds us,\u00a0 listens to us.
\nIntelligently, gently, above all lovingly, we encourage each other to go on
\nand recover our joy
\nOn the\u00a0 journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Dom Helder Camera<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

p.p.s.\u00a0 William Carlos Williams also understood about life-weariness and beauty\u2019s restorative powers. \u00a0 Try reading it aloud once or twice.<\/p>\n

The Maneuver<\/strong><\/p>\n

I saw the two starlings
\ncoming in toward the wires
\nBut at the last,
\njust before alighting, they<\/p>\n

turned in the air together
\nand landed backwards!
\nthat\u2019s what got me \u2014
\nto face into the wind\u2019s teeth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nWilliam Carlos Williams
\nSeptember 17, 1883 \u2013 March 4, 1963
\nhttps:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/William_Carlos_Williams<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday, March 20, 2020 \u201cIt is possible to travel alone, but we know the journey is human life and life needs company. Companion is the one who eats the same bread.\u201d Sheer beauty can look inadequate for repairing violent storm … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11641],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3407"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3409,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3407\/revisions\/3409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/poetry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}