-----------------------------
From: Frank Higdon (ahead of us at MKL)

Thanks, Dave, for your insights. Also to all who are searching for
ways to help us as members continue to be faithful to the call for
reform of Vat II. I can see that the more I'm stateside and away from
the grass roots of Bolivia (where I feel I belong) it's easy to get
sucked into the status quo. Cynicism is the greatest slavery. So all
you guys know that we (Maryknoll members et allii) need you to keep us
at least toward the cutting edge. I think all of us have at one time
or other wondered if we should change "life styles"-- and it is still
something that I'm always facing.

If might be good if some of you brothrs and sisters that have married
could write your reflections about the value you might see in our
"staying in" or opting out. Most of us know that some kind of reform
must come. I even think most Catholics (Maryknollers included) think
that we should have all the stuff Larry talks about. The problem is,
how do we get from where we are to there?  My own thought is that God
is asking me to sacrifice my life to keep the Titanic afloat as long
as possible till there's another boat (presumably a Vat II boat) being
built. I agree that the reforms called for by Vat II haven't even
begun to be put into place. We've thought only in terms of structures,
rituals and life styles. While there is a quarter of the world's
population undernourished, instead of figuring out the problems of
distribution, we're wondering about how to set the table! As Richard
Rohr puts it: We want everyone to look at the moon and we can't get
past the one, holy, catholic and apostolic finger pointing at it!

@#@# added note - forget source    - if 1/4 of the world is undernourished and there is poor
     distribution of wealth, what good are the Mass and sacraments?
   - is not the relief of such distress a sacrament?

Several of us have put on the table ideas on how Maryknoll's
responsibility in the new millenium should organize itself and
respond. They're supposed to talk about all this at the Nairobi
conference. Please pray for those folks there, ok? Price and Walsh did
a good job a hundred years ago. Time we adapted to this new
century. It sure has changed.  Blessings and peace to all.

Pancho
hingham