Last Sunday an Irish missionary priest spoke at our church.  Father Flanagan
has visited our church before and I really enjoy his homilies. Usually, I’m
aware that whenever Father Flanagan visits our church his main purpose is to
solicit donations from St. Paul’s parishioners.  Sunday’s visit was no
different from previous ones.  However, his method to get us to fork over
donations this past Sunday was sort of unusual.  Father asked the
congregation if they wanted to get closer to Jesus.  Furthermore, he asked
us if we wanted Jesus to remember us whenever we went to our eternal rest.
He instructed us that in order for that to happen, we needed to make a check
for his overseas ministry to help the underprivileged in Jamaica where he
ministers to the poor.  Father continued by saying that whenever we’d go to
our eternal rest, Jesus would greet us with these comforting words, ”you
fed me when I was hungry, and you clothe me when I was naked, now welcome to
my kingdom.” You’ll then ask our Lord, “Lord, when did we feed and clothe
you?” He’ll remind you that when you were alive and gave Father Flanagan a
donation at St. Paul¹s Church to feed the poor in Jamaica you did it to Him.
You got to hand it to Father Flanagan in his method to get Catholics
throughout the United States to help him feed and clothe the poor in
Jamaica.

Prior to the mass, Father Flanagan put leaflets and flyers with photos of
his church and his congregation in Jamaica in the pews.  I couldn’t help but
notice that his parish is predominately black. The flyers also had photos
of small-dilapidated shacks where his parishioners live. Sad to say, my
dog’s house looks like a mansion compared to where those poor people live.

As Father continued telling depressing stories of his parishioners, I got a
flashback of when I was a parishioner at All Saints, a predominately
Hispanic congregation in North Fort Worth. I remembered how Mexican,
American Hispanic, and Latino priests from Central and South American came
to solicit donations from our predominately Hispanic parish to help poor
Latinos at their Latino parishes.  I can’t recall a Latino priest ever
soliciting donations to help a poor white or black parish in the United
States.  I guess they assumed that there¹s no poor white or black Catholic
parishes in the United States, or elsewhere in the world.

As I continued to hear Father Flanagan appeal for help for his black
congregation I suddenly began to think of the many times I¹ve seen white
religious ministers and charitable organizations on TV asking American
viewers to help them with their donations to feed, heal, and clothe people
from all corners of the world.  On the contrary, of all the years I’ve
viewed TV, I’ve never seen a Hispanic or black minister or Hispanic or black
organization soliciting to help other people of different races other than
their own.  Again, and I¹m assuming here, that they think their respective
races are the only ones deserving assistance from others, including white
people.

For years my wife and I have attended dances sponsored by Hispanic
organizations like LULAC and the American G.I. Forum, to raise money for
scholarships for Hispanic high school graduates.  Likewise, blacks have
organizations like the United Negro College Fund that raise money mostly for
African Americans and black institutions of higher learning.  All this is
fine with me, and to be honest about it, I could care less if Hispanic and
black groups openly solicit help for their own in whatever endeavor.
However, I sometimes wonder if it would sit well with blacks and Hispanics
if white groups would openly, like they do, solicit money strictly for white
students and poor whites.  I’ve often wondered how blacks and Hispanics
would react if a group of white folks would sponsor an organization to fund
white students bound for college and titled it, A White Mind is a Terrible
Thing to Waste¹¹.  Sort of makes one wonder what minorities think when
whites do what they do.

For years I’ve been a fan of the Don Imus Show because he plays old country
and 50s rock and roll tunes on his program. And, I admire his dedication to
helping kids with cancer at his ranch in New Mexico. Though I don’t
subscribe to Mr. Imus’ off color comments about religion, politicians,
women, etc., I¹ve learned to take it with a grain of salt. As a matter of
fact, MSNBC fired Mr. Imus when he called the black women on the basketball
team at Rutgers University “nappy headed hos” His vocal critics and
responsible for his firing were Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton.  I
recall that Mr. Imus personally apologized to the Rutgers team and appeared
on a radio program hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton to apologize to blacks.
However, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson remained adamant in having him
fired, which ultimately came to be. What I found so hypocritical in Mr.
Imus¹ firing is that Rev. Sharpton and especially Rev. Jackson have made
racial comments about whites, policemen, Jews and as of late, the Democrat
presidential candidate, Sen. Obama. Seems that Rev. Jackson was unaware
that his microphone was still on when he insulted Sen. Obama for scolding
blacks on family and moral values. He stated that Sen. Obama needed to have
part of his male anatomy cut off! Oh well, I guess that blacks and
Hispanics can make racist comments about themselves and whites without
scorn. But, white folks beware! Don’t you dare make racial comments about
blacks or Hispanics because only you will be labeled as genuine racists!

Are white people mean, I still ask? Not really, it just depends who you
ask.

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