3 meme

1) If you had to give one million dollars to any 3 charities, which ones would you choose and why?

Catholic Near Eastern Welfare Association because I have a passion for Eastern Christianity. At heart I am more Eastern than I am Latin, but always in communion with Rome, despite the shabby way our Eastern Catholic sisters and brothers have sometimes been treated by the Western Church (thank God for JPII and now Benedict XVI). These ancient communities are the presence of God's kingdom in the midst of much strife. I'd love to be a Chaldean or Syrian deacon!

Pink Cross Ministries because I think the work that Shelley Lubben does exemplifies what it means to love, to be always ready to assist, and not judge. Further, she exemplifies what it means to start from a positive hypothesis. She knows what it means to daily strive to usher in God's kingdom by showing people who really need to see, through her actions, that God is love. This is an opportunity to draw attention to a great post by Laura Bramon Good on Image's Good Letter blog entitled Elliot Spitzer Makes a Porno, Part I. In this post Ms. Bramon Good highlights the all too easily overlooked aspect of this case. I find it heart-breaking that Ms. Ashley Alexandra Dupré, the escort with whom Spitzer consorted, is the only one who has publicly apologized, saying she was sorry to Mrs. Spitzer through the media. I, too, think Spitzer should be prosecuted. It is a simple matter of justice for women like Ashley Dupré.

The Cathedral of the Madeleine, half of which would go to establish a religious education and formation endowment, the rest would go to the Cathedral Foundation.

2) If you could only ever read 3 books again, which books would you choose and why?

The Gospel of St. John, or the whole Bible- because it is the best book to understanding myself and the world and helping me to connect to the world.

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin- It is probably the best story I have ever read and teaches me a lot about what it means to be human in what is very often an absurd world and the joy of being alive.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky- Because Alyosha is the best Christian in all of literature and Ivan is the most passionate person in all of literature. Besides, Ivan's telling of The Grand Inquistitor in the novel is so devastatingly true, not about the church as an institution, but about some people, like me, who are often mistaken about what it means to be Christians. My reason for choosing this novel is the same reason I share in the charism given to Don Giussani.

3) If you could somehow incorporate 3 people (living or dead) into your family who would you want to be realted to?

I honestly cannot answer this question. It is too speculative. While there are many people I would love to meet (see my MySpace profile), there is no one, living or dead, I would want in my family who is not already in it.

Okay, I tag Rebecca at Faith's Mystery, Fred at Deep Furrows, and Alex at Vitus Speaks.