OKLAHOMA AND THE MOST HOLY TRINITY – GOD'S ETERNAL EXCHANGE OF LOVE

“Man Lives In God and by God”

The ancient tradition of the Roman Catholic Church calls for celebrating the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity on the Sunday following Pentecost. This year that Feast Day is TODAY, May 25^th. And so, we are reminded that “by sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange” (Catechism 221).

An old friend of mine was fond of saying, “Here’s what that [exchange] looks like” – the eternal exchange of God’s trinitarian love lived out by and among His people. In the aftermath of Oklahoma’s devastating tornado this past week, we have seen, time and again, that exchange magnified. To steal the off-quoted line from the baseball movie that was about so much more, “Is this Heaven? No, it’s Oklahoma – in the face of tragedy, death, destruction, and heartbreak.”

Here’s what the eternal exchange of love has looked like right here in the Sooner State:

•       TV meteorologists with urgency in their voices and deep concern in their eyes pleading with   folks to take cover from incoming deadly storms
•       Neighbors opening their storm shelters to strangers and friends alike
•       Teachers covering school children, without regard for their own lives, as tornadoes strike
•      First responders working tirelessly to rescue victims, save lives, and recover the lost and console the grieving
•     Print and television media types working long and exhausting hours (away from their own families) to tell stores of heroic courage in the face of grave danger, compassionate consolers comforting those suffering the greatest of loss, hope overcoming despair, and community rising again to trample devastating destruction
•      Dignitaries and celebrities -- like the President, the Governor, the Thunder (KD, Russell, and the rest of the Boys, Sam P, and so many others) , the college “head honchos” (from Joe C to Bobby Stoops to Sherri to Travis Ford, etc.) and their players, the Oklahoma country singers (Toby, Blake, Miranda, you name ‘em) – helping in the ways they can to make the lives of the victims and those aiding in their recovery just a little bit easier
•       The Churches and Non-Profits and Businesses all working cooperatively to make all types of support – food and drink, clothing, shelter, toiletries, health care, counseling, and supplies – readily available to any and all in need
•       John Q Oklahoman trying to help in some meaningful, tangible way – even to the point of being willing to “stay home” so as to not interfere with the professionals doing what they’re trained to do and resigning themselves to “just” write a check, send supplies down, and “pray without ceasing” for those affected

Since the Murrah Building bombing in 1995, our State’s response to devastating tragedy has become known everywhere as “the Oklahoma Standard.” Long before that tragic day in April 1995 (and the seemingly endless parade of deadly tornadoes that have descended upon our great state since), “the Oklahoma Standard”, wherever demonstrated, actually has been nothing less than the “Eternal Exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” – or as R.P. Philippon says, “The complete Trinity dwelling in [God’s people].” In the words of Blessed John Paul II, “In the communion of grace with the Trinity, man’s ‘living area’ is broadened and raised up to the supernatural level of divine life. Man lives in God and by God.”

Indeed, the Most Holy Trinity, God’s eternal exchange of love, lives and breathes and moves in this time and place by, through, and in Oklahomans suffering from the tragic loss of devastating storms, supporting one another through the horrific devastation, and moving forward in faith, hope, and love.

Yes, I am convinced, this is exactly what God’s Eternal Exchange of Love, lived out here and now by His people (Oklahomans and our friends near and far) looks like. Yes, indeed.

-Denis P. Rischard*

*Denis Rischard is a life-long Oklahoma Catholic. He and his wife of 27 years, Susie Bolka Rischard, have nine (9) living children (ranging in age from 23 to 5) and one, Lucy Catherine Rischard, in heaven. Denis was raised on a produce farm in southwest Oklahoma City (just outside of Moore) and is a graduate of Oklahoma City’s Sacred Heart Catholic Grade School ('75) and Mt. St. Mary Catholic High School (’79), the University of Notre Dame (’83) and the University of Oklahoma College of Law (’86). Since his graduation from law school, Denis has been a practicing attorney in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area for the past 27 years. He has represented Oklahomans as well as local and national businesses in a variety of civil litigation matters over the years. Just recently, Denis has expanded his practice to include Elder and Special Needs Law, in which he, through specialized planning techniques, protects the rights of seniors and other vulnerable Oklahomans, helping them attain the government benefits to which the existing laws entitle them while simultaneously preserving their hard-earned assets and family legacies. If you or those you know and love might benefit from Denis’s services, please feel free to contact him at The Law Offices of Denis P. Rischard, 100 Park Avenue, Suite 707, Oklahoma City, OK 73102; (O) 405-235-2393; drischard@rischardlaw.com; or facebook.com/TheLawOfficeOfDenisPRischard 

ELECTION DAY 2012

While reflecting on this country's most important Presidential Election perhaps ever, as an Oklahoma Catholic Lawyer my thoughts keep turning back to David Green and the Hobby Lobby's fight against the Federal Government's attempted enforcement of laws that contravene the Green family's religious freedom and, in turn, violate their fundamental right to exercise their religious beliefs. And although I'm certainly by no means a "politico" or even one who fancies himself a "religious liberty" expert (I was a lot more interested in my alma mater Notre Dame's football game against my College of Law's (OU)  than any of the recent Presidential debates, although I did find them interesting if not decisive) I have found the Green family’s legal battle against the government to illuminate the choice in tomorrow's election like no other present day issue.

You will recall the dilemma faced by the Greens and their ultra-successful Hobby Lobby (arts and crafts) and Mardel (Christian books) businesses. Obamacare places a federal mandate on these businesses that requires them to provide their employees with insurance coverage for certain contraceptive drugs and devices, which the Greens, based upon their sincere, deeply-held religious beliefs, oppose. Failure to follow these Obamacare contraception requirements could subject the Green family businesses to fines up to $1.3M per day.

Mr. Green, from all accounts a patriotic American as well as a devout Christian, recently characterized his family's dilemma as "being forced to choose between following the laws of the country that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families." In other words, by adhering to the strict requirements of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the Greens are forced to contravene their deeply-rooted religious beliefs that the First Amendment of our land's Constitution mandates each American has a fundamental right to preserve.

As Americans, each of us is entitled to our views, beliefs, and opinions on the economy, foreign policy, militarization, health care, life and death issues (abortion, the death penalty, etc.), and all  other issues on which our Presidential candidates seek our votes. As well, we all, of course, are entitled to our views, beliefs, and opinions about those Presidential candidates and their ability to stir the country's economy, to implement appropriate foreign policy, to properly deploy and bring home our troops and maintain an effective military, to work with Congress to assure our nation implements the right laws to enable Americans to have ample opportunity to pursue their own life, liberty and happiness, and to appoint justices who will uphold and protect our country's Constitution and, thus, the fundamental principles upon which she was founded.

And while it's most likely few would argue with the above thoughts, I likewise am convinced the very fact that David Green and his family have been forced to do legal battle with their own government in order to protect the very religious liberty our Constitution otherwise guarantees probably speaks volumes about who our next President should be -- AND, MOREOVER, WHO IT SHOULD NOT BE.

Unwritten Rules

Friends:

As I venture into the world of social media (it's kinda like a dinosaur sticking his big toe into the pool before diving in, or something like that,) I find myself thinking, "This must be what being one of my kids feels like ...... 'Go ahead there's nothing to be afraid of'; 'Don't play scared!'; 'You can do anything!'"...... And yet, it's the unknown that's terrifying. The inability to master that causes one to freeze. The fear of looking silly that petrifies.

With that said, and a great big jump, here goes my entry into that world formerly reserved for the circles in which the older of my nine (9) kids run and only the coolest of my friends engage -- social media. Today, I'm "blogging" -- or "face-paging" or "text booking" or any of the other silly names I give to that which heretofore I haven't known or understood, much less participated in... And so, my first question in entering this unknown: "What are the rules?"

Well, as far as I can tell, there aren't any "written" ones.... At least not that any of my new "friends" face pages identify. Which begs the question, "Are there 'unwritten' rules?" According to the linked article, they exist all over the place in sports... And, while we're on the subject, don't ever adhere to an unwritten rule whose logical extent could determine the outcome of the game. (Though I respect the Giants' Tom Coughlin and barely know who the Bucs' rookie coach Greg Schiano is, Coach Coughlin is so far out of line it's not even worth discussing, let alone all the air waves and cyber space the topic has consumed.)

In my own professional world -- the time honored practice of law -- there are all kinds of "unwritten" rules, or, probably more precisely, common sense protocol or etiquette. Don't talk over opposing counsel, much less the judge. Stand when His/Her Honor enter the courtroom. Always take the judge's call. Wear your best dark suit to the first day of trial. Don't predict victory -- and certainly never guarantee it.

Often I wish there were more "unwritten rules" in the legal profession -- like there are in baseball, the sport in which the "unwritten" seems to fly in the face of competition or run counter to the very sportsmanship the unspoken rule was to maintain. For instance, it would be so much easier if lawyers knew exactly when to stop cross-examining the "bloodied" witness -- like in baseball, where there is no stealing bases beyond the 7th inning in a lopsided game (or is it the 6th inning, and how many runs was that anyway that the other team won't score so the lead is safe?) Or, if lawyers had a clear picture of when they were forbidden to file an appeal of a case in which they had effectively been "no-hit" -- maybe a unanimous jury verdict or a summary judgement in the opposition's favor -- like the "no bunting to break up the late inning no hitter" rule in baseball. On second thought, practicing law is in many ways difficult enough, and so maybe we should just be glad we're not baseball players.

These "unwritten rules." I guess they're supposed to provide a modicum of etiquette to sports where the rule-makers, in someone's mind, didn't think it all that important. I'm not sure they're always necessary - or right. But, there seems to be a lot of consequence, or at least scrutiny, for the violators. I sure hope they don't extend to the world of social media. If they do, then I'll really have something to fear -- other than not knowing how to "text-book" or "face-page" this blog.

By the way, if you or someone you know needs someone to help you better understand the "rules" in connection with your legal rights, please feel free to contact me by phone at 405-235-2393 or visit my website.

Until later,
Denis