Please Don't #FitchTheHomeless: Abercrombie & Fitch and the Value of Human Life

Greetings, Coffee Talkers!

Anyone who has seen a store or an advertisement for the clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch knows that the company caters to the young, popular, thin, and beautiful. This is hardly a secret. In fact, I remember at first being surprised in college when I had somehow been added to the Abercrombie & Fitch mailing list. And I was not added in a generic way; the glossy ads were sent to me by name. Soon, though, I realized what they were up to -- I had not been added as a joke by a friend, but by some marketing rep from the company itself because I was serving as student body president that year. Apparently, I was being targeted because I must be 'popular.' That really made me have even less desire to shop there than I already had, which hardly seems possible as I had never stepped foot in a store. But I digress.

Some may have seen the recent 'news' that Abercrombie & Fitch CEO said that he only markets to cool people. As it turns out, this wasn't news at all, but rather a seven-year-old resurrected quote-turned-internet-meme that just verified, in candid terms, what the company has been up to all along. But it was so candid that it has become politically incorrect, with so many thousands of people circulating the quote with accompanying indignation that Mike himself recently issued a half-hearted apology.

Pre-apology, however, another meme-ster by the name of Greg Karber came up with a campaign to clothe the homeless with Abercrombie & Fitch apparel so that, "together, we can make Abercrombie & Fitch the world's No. 1 brand of homeless apparel." Naturally, this caught on like wildfire among those indignant with a CEO who would make such remarks, and was frequently re-posted on social media sites with the hashtag "FitchTheHomeless" and accompanied by phrases like, "Let's do this!" and "Right on!"

Only, it's not right on. In fact, it's really off. Because in an effort to address the injustice done by a company who seems to have disregarded the inherent dignity of the human person, regardless of size, age, class, or appearance, somehow this #FitchTheHomeless movement intends to right this wrong by further wronging the right. In other words, by giving out A&F clothes to "the homeless" for reasons of changing the brand's marketing appeal, Karber and crew have just taken part in perpetuating what they were allegedly trying to combat -- the objectification of individual people, who have worth outside of their appearance or status in this world. The message here seems not to be "Let's truly care for each homeless individual because they are worthy of care, and of the dignity associated with nice clothing," but rather, "Joke's on you, Abercrombie & Fitch, for wanting to have your clothes only worn by cool and popular people. Because now we gave those clothes to the largest, unnamed group of un-beautiful and un-popular people we could find: 'the homeless'."

Set on trying to destroy a brand's image, the #FitchTheHomeless movement is also an affront to another type of much more important image.

"They sent some Pharisees and Herodians to [Jesus] to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, 'Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?' Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, 'Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.' They brought one to him and he said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' They replied to him, 'Caesar's.' So Jesus said to them, 'Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.' They were utterly amazed at him." (Mark 12:13-17)

More than an endorsement of paying taxes,  Jesus points out something very important to the Pharisees and Herodians. He tells them to repay to Caesar what is Caesar's, and they know what is Caesar's because it was crafted in his image. When Jesus then tells the men to repay to God what is God's, we see that to know what is God's, we must also look to what has been made in God's image. "God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27) Give Caesar his money; give God your very self, your whole life.

From this, we can better see what the problem really is with the statements of the Abercrombie & Fitch CEO -- not that he was too exclusive, but that he seemed to not respect the dignity of every person, made in the image and likeness of God. And this is the same problem of #FitchTheHomeless -- the inherent God-given dignity of each human person is not being respected.

Instead of boycotting a brand or 'Fitching' the homeless, let us each consider our own dignity regardless of size or status, and reach out to every person, from our own families and neighbors to those marginalized by marketing efforts and societal norms around the world, to truly build bridges of peace and justice.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers,
Leslie

20 Years Since World Youth Day Came to the USA!

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I'm back! Hope you all have been enjoying your Easter season thus far. I know I have!

I recently received a fun e-mail sent to my Coffee Talk account:

 Good morning Leslie -
I am a freelance writer with Our Sunday Visitor working on a story about the 20th anniversary of WYD Denver. Somewhere along the google line your blog, your name surfaced.

Tell me more! Do you have an interesting story/conversion as it relates to Denver.  If so I would like to talk to you more about it in an email or phone interview....if you are interested!

Let me know and we will take it from there!

Viva Il Papa!

There was a 3-part element of surprise in that e-mail:
1. It's been TWENTY YEARS since I first attended World Youth Day, and since World Youth Day was in the United States!
2. Twenty years later, I'm still preparing to go to World Youth Day! This time in Brazil!
3. People (or at least person) read(s) my blog!

So in honor of the twentieth anniversary of World Youth Day Denver, and the soon coming adventure to World Youth Day Rio, I share with you this action-packed interview!

1. Give me a brief history of your 1993 WYD journey....how old were you, from where...where were you on your faith journey?

I was a 15-year-old high school student when I attended World Youth Day Denver with my home parish, Our Lady of the Desert, from Apple Valley, California. I was involved in some activities at my church, but understood little of my faith and had not traveled a great deal at that time. The preparations for and pilgrimage to WYD was an experience that really changed me, my worldview, and my experience of Catholicism. 

One especially awesome part of the experience was that, since this World Youth Day was held in the USA, we were able to travel by bus and to meet up with other groups as we journeyed toward Denver. Each step of the journey, I could feel my horizons expanding in a very tangible way. At our first stop, we met up with hundred of other youth from our own Diocese, most of whom we had never met before. At the next stop, we met up with even more youth from our region of Southern California. Then, at a stop in New Mexico, we met up with thousands of youth from throughout the Southwestern United States, and witnessed a beautiful liturgical celebration that included Native American customs. Finally, when we arrived in Denver, we joined with hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world. In those days, I understood more than ever before what it looked like for the Church to be 'Universal.' It was an experience beyond words.

2. Was there a particular event at Denver that changed you - was there an 'ah ha' moment ..? A lasting impression perhaps?

As I look back on my first World Youth Day experience, I can see many profound lessons that I learned in hindsight. But what I'd like to share is an experience that struck me the most in those days when I was a bright-eyed 15-year-old in Denver. I had purchased a simple Mickey Mouse baseball-style cap to wear for the journey. It cost me $5 at our local Target, so it was nothing particularly valuable, but I liked the hat very much. As we were walking through the streets of Denver, we were greeted by hundreds of friends we had never met before from all over the world. I call them friends because it was obvious from their broad smiles and infectious laughter that we were not among strangers, even though many of us did not speak the same languages. And one friend approached me in particular, greeting me with great joy and pointing to my hat. The young man spoke no English, and at the time, I did not speak his native language of Spanish. Still, he communicated to me through smiles and gestures that he liked my hat very much. I thought about how much I liked the hat myself, but how it would be special to give the hat to him to whom it would mean much more. When I took off the hat and offered it to him, he smiled with even greater joy than before, showed his friends proudly, and gave me a warm hug. Next, without a thought, he took off his outer shirt (he was wearing an undershirt beneath it) and handed it to me. It was the most beautiful t-shirt I had ever seen, a special shirt made for his World Youth Day pilgrimage group from Valencia, Spain. It had a lovely image of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. 

I found the shirt recently, and was so pleased to still have it twenty years later. It brought back many special memories of that time, and also seemed particularly special as I was most recently blessed to attend the World Youth Day experience in 2011 in Spain. It made me think of my young friend from 20 years ago in Denver.

4. What do you do now? is it Church related? Tell me about your blog/website when did it start...why?

Yes, everything I do now is Church related, and I really do attribute much of the initial inspiration and formation that laid the foundation for what I do now to World Youth Day Denver!

My full-time job is as a Director of Music and Liturgy at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Victorville. My part-time jobs are varied, but related to the Church, and the first among them is as the World Youth Day coordinator and group leader for Our Lady of the Desert, Apple Valley (my home parish with whom I traveled to Denver 20 years ago!) and Holy Innocents. I also serve as an Instructor for the Parish Ministry Formation Program of the Diocese of San Bernardino, as a writer for Lay Witness Magazine, Catholics United for the Faith, Ignatius Press, and as a Religion Columnist for our local newspaper, The Daily Press.

I started writing my blog, Coffee Talk with Leslie, in January of 2011. At that time, I had been getting a lot of questions from friends and students about Catholicism. Also, I found people sometimes asking me to interpret for them different things that would happen in the news that pertained to Catholicism, since the major media outlets did not always do a good job of that. I decided to start a blog to answer people's Catholic questions, offer commentary on news related to Catholicism, and sometimes just to offer my own reflections on daily life.

5. Any advice for a young person on the fence on whether to attend a WYD or not?

Just go! Seriously, if any person has the opportunity to attend a World Youth Day, I would recommend the experience wholeheartedly. I would recommend it to the young in age, and the young at heart of all ages! It is the experience of a lifetime.

6. talk to me about seeing  JP2 what was that like - the anticipation etc....

I remember being in Mile High Stadium, and as we awaited Pope John Paul II's arrival, you could feel the excitement building. We knew that a helicopter was to bring him into the stadium, so as a helicopter hovered above and then started to land, the crowd went wild. Our uproarious cheers gave way to a helicopter full of security guards...and then another...and then another! Finally, when we weren't really even expecting the Holy Father, there he was! The cheers then became almost deafening, and the excitement was contagious. Chants of "JP 2, we love you!" and "Giovanni Paolo!" filled the air. Even rain could not dampen our excitement, and Pope John Paul II suggested that it was God's own way of reminding us of our baptism. It was a truly exciting time.

7. Have you attended other WYDs - which ones and how have they compared to 1993?

After World Youth Day Denver, I attended World Youth Day Toronto, Canada in 2002, and World Youth Day Madrid, Spain in  2011. I am preparing to lead a group to World Youth Day Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this July.

World Youth Day Denver was the only one that I attended strictly as a pilgrim. In Canada, I was part of an international volunteer alumni group from NET Ministries (National Evangelization Teams) who helped to facilitate the Catechetical Sessions and the Evening Vigil with Pope John Paul II. 

Then, for World Youth Day Madrid, I was a group leader. 

So each experience was different, but wonderful and life-changing. Each World Youth Day helped me to have a better sense of my vocation, what God was calling me to do at that time in my life, and a deeper sense of hope and trust in God's plan for me, my loved ones, and my whole life.

Also, at World Youth Day Toronto, I had a special experience when I saw Pope John Paul II. I wrote a little about it in this blogpost: "The Look of Love: My Encounter with Pope John Paul II"

I hope you have enjoyed hearing about some of my World Youth Day adventures, and I hope you'll consider attending one (or more!) yourself. As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,

Leslie

Lent Day 39: Holy Week Blessings

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I hope you all have a blessed Holy Week! I hopped on to say that Coffee Talk is going dark for the rest of Holy Week, so I'll see you after Easter!

Peace and blessings as you journey through the Paschal Mystery this week.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Lent Day 38: the EXCITING NEWS!!!

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

A blessed Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion to you all! Can you believe that Holy Week is upon us? This Lent is flying by, and soon it will be the glorious season of Easter!

I know it's still a week premature for that famous chorus from Handel's Messiah, but you can hum it, at least, while I share with you two pieces of exciting news!

Exciting piece of news #1:
I'm a day away from completing the seemingly never ending writing project for the new Parish Teacher Manuals for the Faith and Life Catechetical Series, published by Ignatius Press and Catholics United for the Faith!

FAQ:
Q: What are you talking about, Leslie?
A: Faith and Life is a religion textbook series for grades 1 - 8 that has been used primarily in Catholic schools, and they're updating the series to be comprehensive for catechetical programs in Catholic parishes. I have been writing the manuals for parish teachers (catechists) to use.

Q: How did you get hired for that job, Leslie?
A: I dunno. Really.

Q: Is it as glamorous as it seems? Describe a day in the life of a parish textbook author.
A: Picture me, sitting in my pajamas late at night, hunched over my laptop in a dimly lit room, with a crazy ponytail, until my eyes start burning or feel as though they are going to fall out of my head. It is very glamorous. And I will gladly autograph your copy when those badboys are in print.

Exciting piece of news #2:
I recently got a call from a friend I know from my grad school alma mater. Haven't heard from him in years. Just had vowed to never stay up late hunched over my laptop again after the Faith and Life thing is finally done, but truthfully knew that I cannot help myself from writing about Catholic stuff, even for my own leisure. Found out said friend was calling me to help him write a book! On Catholic stuff! Helping to explain Catholic stuff to people in terms that are easy to understand! Which is pretty much my favorite thing ever!

So he started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the book. Look. I hate asking people for money. And it's still weird to me that people would give money to help some little ol' Catholic folk write a book. So I'm not going to ask you for money. But I am going to ask for your support in promoting this campaign, not just because I've been invited to be part of the writing team, but because I genuinely think it's a great idea, and a needed resource. People in the adult classes I teach ask for this kind of resource all the time, to be honest. So if you'd like to see a resource that breaks down Catholic teachings into terms easy to understand for the Every Day Man, would you check out the project? Put in a good word with the Big Guy (God, not Daddy Warbucks...or, on second thought, maybe both??), who has all the resources needed for said project? Spread the word to others who may be interested?

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers!

Peace and all good,

Leslie

Lent Day 37 (a day late): When Popes Collide

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Sorry I didn't post this last night -- the need for sleep got the best of me again. But the great news is that I'll post again tonight. And something EXCITING, too! So brace yourselves, and stay tuned!

It may seem like I've been posting Pope-related posts almost every day...and that's because, in fact, I have been! There's so much great papal news these days, I'd be remiss to not mention at least bit of it!

So first, check out this sweet article about Pope Francis personally calling his newpaper kiosk owner in Argentina to cancel his subscription. It even made me a little teary-eyed. What can I say; I'm a sucker for touching Papal stories!

Next, the TWO POPES HAD A MEETING! What an historic moment! Check out this article by Rocco Palmo, and this entry from The Sacred Page which includes video footage of the two Popes together. (Warning: it is mostly Benedict and Francis praying together at Castel Gandalfo, so it's not a lot of high-action footage -- haha!)

Blessings as you prepare for Holy Week (now only hours away!). Stay tuned for tonight's exciting news, my friends!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Lent Day 36: Washing the Feet of Inmates

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Pope Francis has chosen to celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday in a prison, where he will wash the feet of 12 inmates. Whew.

Here's an article about it. And also, a moving related commentary which also addresses the recent Steubenville rape case. Kyrie Eleison.

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Lent Day 35: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

I hope you all enjoyed yesterday's day off of Lent and celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary! I know I did. When I went in to work and told some of my co-workers about the non-Lenten fiesta, our receptionist promptly agreed to go out and buy a decadent cake for all of us to share. I love working for the Catholic Church! :)

There are usually two Lenten solemnities: besides yesterday's, there's also the Annunciation, typically celebrated on March 24. However, this year since March 24 falls on on Palm Sunday, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is transferred to the Monday after Divine Mercy Sunday, April 8. So this means we only got one solemnity during Lent this year. That also means that we'll have an extra day of Lent this year. And, of course, it means that I celebrated doubly hard yesterday!

When one of the Lenten Solemnities falls on a Friday, we can eat meat! This happened two years ago, and won't happen again until March 24, 2017. I'm already planning to have In-N-Out that day!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Lent Day 34.5: The SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH!!!

Hey, Coffee Talkers!

If you're reading this one hot off the press, what are you still doing up? Ah, well, no matter. What I'm here to let you know is that, while it was day 34 of Lent a few short hours ago, right now it IS NOT LENT because it's the SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY!!! So get off of Coffee Talk! Eat some meat, sing the Gloria (but still no 'A' acclamation yet!), and do a jig! Watch the Papal Installation Mass! Have a party! CELEBRATE!

See ya back in Lent, y'all!

Peace and all good,
Leslie

Lent Day 33: The Pope & the People on St. Patrick's Day!

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Pope Francis continues (much to this dismay of his security personnel and Vatican advisors, I'm sure) to buck the trends and reach out to the people in new and moving ways. This makes me think of the early (pre-pope-mobile) days of the papacy of John Paul II. Enjoy!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,

Leslie

P.S. The video is not showing up right now on Blogger Mobile, so if there's a big blank space above, try clicking here! :)

Lent Day 32: Pope Francis to the Media, and How He Chose His Name

Hello, Coffee Talkers!

Pope Francis addressed communications media reps on Saturday and had lots of great things to say, including an explanation of how and why he chose the name Francis. I love it! I have included the full text below. Enjoy!

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday met with Representatives of the Communications Media on Saturday. Below is an English translation of his full text:

Dear Friends,
At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet all of you who have worked here in Rome throughout this intense period which began with the unexpected announcement made by my venerable Predecessor Benedict XVI on 11 February last. To each of you I offer a cordial greeting. 

The role of the mass media has expanded immensely in these years, so much so that they are an essential means of informing the world about the events of contemporary history. I would like, then, to thank you in a special way for the professional coverage which you provided during these days – you really worked, didn’t you? – when the eyes of the whole world, and not just those of Catholics, were turned to the Eternal City and particularly to this place which has as its heart the tomb of Saint Peter. Over the past few weeks, you have had to provide information about the Holy See and about the Church, her rituals and traditions, her faith and above all the role of the Pope and his ministry. 

I am particularly grateful to those who viewed and presented these events of the Church’s history in a way which was sensitive to the right context in which they need to be read, namely that of faith. Historical events almost always demand a nuanced interpretation which at times can also take into account the dimension of faith. Ecclesial events are certainly no more intricate than political or economic events! But they do have one particular underlying feature: they follow a pattern which does not readily correspond to the “worldly” categories which we are accustomed to use, and so it is not easy to interpret and communicate them to a wider and more varied public. The Church is certainly a human and historical institution with all that that entails, yet her nature is not essentially political but spiritual: the Church is the People of God, the Holy People of God making its way to encounter Jesus Christ. Only from this perspective can a satisfactory account be given of the Church’s life and activity. 

Christ is the Church’s Pastor, but his presence in history passes through the freedom of human beings; from their midst one is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Yet Christ remains the centre, not the Successor of Peter: Christ, Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of the Church. Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist or have reason to exist. As Benedict XVI frequently reminded us, Christ is present in Church and guides her. In everything that has occurred, the principal agent has been, in the final analysis, the Holy Spirit. He prompted the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church; he guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election. 

It is important, dear friends, to take into due account this way of looking at things, this hermeneutic, in order to bring into proper focus what really happened in these days. 

All of this leads me to thank you once more for your work in these particularly demanding days, but also to ask you to try to understand more fully the true nature of the Church, as well as her journey in this world, with her virtues and her sins, and to know the spiritual concerns which guide her and are the most genuine way to understand her. Be assured that the Church, for her part, highly esteems your important work. At your disposal you have the means to hear and to give voice to people’s expectations and demands, and to provide for an analysis and interpretation of current events. Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience, like so many other professions, but it also demands a particular concern for what is true, good and beautiful. This is something which we have in common, since the Church exists to communicate precisely this: Truth, Goodness and Beauty “in person”. It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness. 

Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: “Don't forget the poor!” And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor! Afterwards, people were joking with me. “But you should call yourself Hadrian, because Hadrian VI was the reformer, we need a reform…” And someone else said to me: “No, no: your name should be Clement”. “But why?” “Clement XV: thus you pay back Clement XIV who suppressed the Society of Jesus!” These were jokes. I love all of you very much, I thank you for everything you have done. I pray that your work will always be serene and fruitful, and that you will come to know ever better the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the rich reality of the Church’s life. I commend you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization, and with cordial good wishes for you and your families, each of your families. I cordially impart to all of you my blessing. Thank you. 

I told you I was cordially imparting my blessing. Since many of you are not members of the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I cordially give this blessing silently, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each, but in the knowledge that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you! 

As always, thanks for stopping by. Be assured of my prayers.

Peace and all good,
Leslie