Love your enemies.

I woke up this morning to find my Facebook feed lit up with the news that Osama bin Laden has been killed. Thankfully, most of the status updates were not of the celebratory type, though there was a particularly egregious "Got 'em! USA, Stopping terrorism since 2001!" post. Leaving aside the inaccuracy of this statement -- we were struck by terrorists in 2001 and did not manage to "stop" Osama until this weekend, ten years, thousands of lives, and untold more hatred sown later -- many of my Facebook friends are fellow theology students who tend toward the more stereotypically liberal, friendly Christianity than the stereotypically and often unfairly caricatured conservative, "Jesus is an American warrior" type. (More on this later.) In any case, I was at least relieved that I did not have to stomach celebrations of death on top of news of death this morning.

The Gospel commands us to love our enemies. Even the tax collectors love their friends; but Christians are called to a higher standard, to love our enemies as well as our friends. There are no footnotes explaining that it's okay to hate our enemies and celebrate their deaths if they are really bad people. The command is simple: love your enemies.

Does this mean we have to be pushovers and not stand up for ourselves when someone is trying to harm us? Some would disagree with me, but I don't think so. I attended a panel discussion on just war theory at the University of San Francisco a few years ago, and then-Msgr. Robert McElroy used the example of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his position. In the biblical story, the Samaritan happens upon the man who has been beaten after the robbers have already left. But what would the appropriate response have been if the Samaritan had witnessed the attack? Would it have been to stand back and watch the man be beaten and robbed? I follow Msgr. McElroy in asserting that the appropriate response in that situation would be for the Samaritan to intervene to protect the accosted man, even if that meant he would necessarily have to injure the robbers as a result.

I see two main objections to this analysis. The first is that maybe the Samaritan would not be able to prevent the attack, and his attempted intervention would only result in himself being injured or killed. The second is that this reasoning can be stretched and abused to justify preemptive strikes that are really offensive rather than defensive. Both criticisms are valid. However, I will set them both aside for now since neither applies to the situation that inspired this post.

My distaste for celebrations of bin Laden's death does not arise from a conviction that bin Laden was a good person, or from a belief that the United States should not have taken steps to protect itself and prevent future harms. It arises from a basic conviction that an unnatural death is never something to be celebrated. It is always, if not a tragedy, at the very least a sad occasion. A bad man died; but how many thousands of other people also died unnatural deaths in efforts to bring about this one? His death is a reminder of all those that have occurred both at his hands and in the name of the War on Terror.

Now, a note on the liberal/conservative stereotypes. A comment on another celebratory status update read "man im glad to hear some patriotism an not some liberal [rhymes with "ducks"] lol." Looking at my friends' updates, those celebrating bin Laden's death are mostly conservative Christians, including Catholics; and those decrying the celebratory atmosphere are mostly liberal, including many who are not particularly religious, if at all. Thus it happens that those celebrating bin Laden's death are the most vocally anti-abortion, while those cautioning against the celebration thereof are perhaps on the whole more likely to be pro-choice. Interesting, no? Broadening this to thinking about the nation as a whole, I think I can safely assume that this divide in attitudes would hold true for a reasonably significant majority of the population. Obviously, not everyone strives to align his/her life with the Gospel. But from a Christian standpoint, this makes no sense. How can people be against celebrating bin Laden's death, but be in favor of killing unborn children? Yes, there are the "babies are innocent/bin Laden was not innocent," and the "it's a woman's body, and she gets to choose what to do with her own body" arguments; but if we look deeper to the actual fact of the deaths themselves, inconsistency abounds.

"Love your enemies" is biblical. "Respect for life from a natural birth to a natural death" has entered my knowledge specifically through the Catholic tradition, but I do not doubt that non-Catholic Christians and non-Christians can also assent to this. Though it may be difficult, let us use this occasion to remember and mourn the death and evil that are so prevalent in our time, in all their forms and whatever their causes.

I will end with a quotation lifted from a friend's status update:

"Unpopular and difficult though it may be, let us never celebrate or equate with justice the death of an individual himself but unabashedly rejoice in the end of his evil efforts, particularly in this Easter time. May we be ever vigilant against the allure of 'justified' hate which inevitably soils the very good it seeks to restore and tears our own hearts only further asunder."

Amen!

Daring Baker!

I joined the Daring Kitchen a few weeks ago, and just saw May's Daring Baker Challenge recipe! It is a secret until the "reveal date," which is May 27th, so I can't spill the beans here -- but I promise it will be a fantastic creation! Stay tuned, as I will be posting pictures of the finished recipe, along with a descriptive blog post, on May 27th!

For more information on the Daring Baker and Daring Cook challenges, visit www.thedaringkitchen.com!

Vigil.

My favorite part about tonight's Easter Vigil Mass, as with the service I attended last year, was the Litany of Saints. If I can link correctly, you will be able to find a great version here. The community of saints has become increasingly important to me over the last few months -- not much time, I know. I just think the idea of having an entire community of people, ancestors, saints, holy people, scholars, martyrs, pastors, parents...everyone from Jerome and Augustine to Isaac, Sarah, and Abraham...Prisca and Aquila...Peter, Paul, and Andrew...all the apostles...Mary Magdalene and Veronica...and countless others throughout the ages...all praying for us, for me -- is beautiful and powerful.

As I waited for the Mass to start tonight, I thought, 'A man died nearly 2000 years ago...and here we are today. In this church, at this school, with my life's work still stretched ahead of me, vaguely shimmering in the distance, all because of a man who died on a cross.' More than a mere man, of course; he was a God-man. But still, a man.

I panicked tonight as I saw an older, raggedy-looking man walk down a side aisle in the church. I panicked because my first thought was, 'I don't want him to sit next to me; he looks a little odd and maybe unpredictable.' But not only because of this thought -- the true source of my panic was a realization that if I do not treat people as though they are Jesus...if I am not welcoming to those I consider the least...and those who are the least...those who are or might be hurting, scared, frustrated, lost...I will go to hell. "What you did not do to the least of them, you did not do for me." Am I welcoming to all? Or only to those I deem worthy? Smart enough? Possessing of adequate social graces?

This is a hard saying for me. I like being comfortable. I like being able to reasonably predict how people are going to act. As much as I want to stretch my comfort zones, I am scared to do so. But God doesn't care whether my reason for giving someone the cold shoulder is shyness or disdain. He cares that I give someone the cold shoulder and make him/her feel unwelcome, period. And my thoughts are all known to God, too, which means that I have to work at changing my thoughts themselves, not just at putting a believable smile on my face, sucking it up, and doing God's work while wishing I didn't have to.

Inspiration.

Watching the Boston Marathon yesterday was incredibly inspiring. The wheelchair and elite athletes first, then the mere mortals, most of whom can run an entire marathon at a faster per-mile pace than I can run for just one mile! It gave me something to aspire to; not for next year, but maybe in two or three years. Maybe.

Spending time and sharing the spectating experience with friends was an incredible gift. From the one I first met nearly eleven years ago to those I have met in the last few months, they all add joy and purpose to my life, and support my motivation to chase dreams and achieve goals.

And how perfect is that -- to be surrounded by people who push me to be better, to transcend myself and my self-imposed limitations? Maybe they think I am smarter and more fit than I am, or maybe I don't think I'm as smart or as fit as I am -- or as I can be. Either way, they invite me to achieve more than I thought possible.

I am incredibly grateful to have them in my life.

Margaritas in...

Pound cake? Check.

I intended to make margarita cupcakes, but found a lemon pound cake recipe, have really cute mini loaf pans, and thought I could just sub out the lemon for margarita mix. (I was going to be a purist and mix my own tequila:triple sec:lime juice, but given the cost of tequila and that I don't really drink it...I figured pre-mixed was a much more cost-effective way to go. I put 3 tbsps of margarita mix (yes, the mix is alcoholic) in the batter, and didn't really get much of a margarita flavor. I mean, it tastes good, but mostly lemony and a bit sweet -- definitely not like tequila at all! Then, I poked holes in the top of the loaf with a toothpick and brushed more margarita on top; it made the loaves nice and moist, but still no bite. I want something with a little bite to it so I can roll the rims in a bit of salt! Every bite should be like biting into tequila-y, lime-y goodness -- not like taking a shot of tequila -- but I'm not there yet.

I also tried making a margarita curd, but put too much sugar in it; I should have reduced the amount of sugar, because I was following a lemon curd recipe. Again, it tastes really good, but too sweet and not like a margarita. Hmph.

So, back to the drawing board. I might have to suck up the cost and go buy a small bottle of tequila, at least to brush on top of the cupcakes, when I try them again tomorrow. And I'll buy some limes, and add some zest to the batter...and definitely reduce the sugar in everything.

The good baking news for today is that my second recipe, from the Flour Bakery cookbook, just came out of the oven and looks delicious. I wanted something breakfast-appropriate that could double as a vehicle for all the jam I canned last summer, so I baked a bran-raisin muffin recipe in mini loaf pans. Super cute, and more surface area for jam!

I think I may be done with baking for the day, unless I make the pate brisee for home made pop tarts a bit later this evening. I will probably end up making it tomorrow, so I can actually get some schoolwork done today. I was going to tackle brioche, but don't want to end up with more baked goods than I can eat! Though I am sure no one would complain if I brought some to school on Tuesday....

Testing the photo-uploading process with a picture of the lemon buttercream layer cake I made for my mom's birthday last weekend....

A beginning.

After hearing me wax eloquent about my plan to concoct margarita cupcakes for marathon Monday, a friend asked me tonight if I had a baking blog. I told her I do have a blog of sorts, but am not very good at writing in it...and my food photography sucks, which does not help matters. But I started thinking, why the heck not just go for it? As the name of my blog implies, this will not be only about baking; but baking certainly occupies a significant role in my life, so will likely also play a central role here.

Tomorrow morning, ingredients. A lack of butter and eggs makes baking difficult. Tomorrow afternoon, pop tart dough. And possibly brioche dough. As well as a trial run at margarita cupcakes. Yes, with salt around the rim of the frosting.

And, of course, Augustine will require my attention. De Trinitate, go!