It bothers me a lot that there is so much division/disgust/anger/recrimination/strife/etc. among Catholics these days . There seems to be little trust or caring among the different "factions" ... be they liberal, conservative, moderate, traditional or progressive.
And I add myself in being guilty of some of this also. But I also believe there is room for all of us in this Church...
Pope Benedict XVI's words spoken during his trip to France in September 2008 speak to our divided condition. Maybe we all need to take them to heart...
"No one is too many in the Church. Everyone, without exception, must be able to feel at home and never feel rejected."
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4 comments:
It's God's church. We should keep that in mind in our approach to worship. I have the benefit of travel and participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (rather than "be community while we do liturgy and dialogue with each other") in many different places (San Juan PR, Washington NC and Philadelphia PA in the last 30 days). When I return to my Va Bch parish it's like a time warp to the silly 70's: fellowship and community (whatever that means)trump reverence and worship- the fruits of 30 years of Sullivanism. For some unfathomable reason I believe that adherence to the First Great Commandment should take precedence over loving others and ourselves.
Yes there is room for many in Christ's Church, but I believe that the bishops should exclude those who obstinately and publicly persist in facilitating grave evil, i.e. the convenient, selfish murder of God's innocent children via abortion. Have we become so inured to convenient, solipsistic evil that we can no longer be scandalized?
I agree with you, Standing Maryanna - Christ prayed that we be one, thus we must work for unity.
I was reflecting on this as I was driving back home today from a confirmation Mass held at St. Joseph's in Richmond. Our Bishop emeritus, despite his advanced age, has ministered a beautiful and vibrant traditional Latin confirmation to three large groups of children from this diocese. What a tremendous experience this is when there is such a confluence of generosity of spirit from Bishop Sullivan, with a beautiful church and music of the highest calibre, young people who are being strengthened in their Faith, and most importantly, the Holy Spirit.
In my opinion, it is the generosity and the liberality of Bishop Sullivan's spirit that allowed Traditional Catholicism to survive the past few decades in his diocese, and which is now begining to thrive again.
Perhaps the progressive lay leadership that de facto controls this Diocese can learn how to be liberal in the true meaning of the word, the way Bishop Sullivan lives it. It would begin to heal the divisions among the factions you so well enumerated.
You expressed it beautifully, Mark. And you are one of the few who have had anything good to say about our former bishop.
This may sound corny, but we really have to have mercy on each other and allow the other to worship as he wishes.
I love the ordinary form as it is celebrated in my parish. But I don't need it to be the only form. Others love the EF. I have been to several of these, but much prefer my parish celebration. I don't want the OF to be taken away from me; and I don't want the EF to be taken away from you...
There is room for all in the Church provided that her pastors submit themselves to her discipline. The way too many of our parishes freeze out the uninitiated laity by their home-grown liturgies is most unfortunate. It fractures the unity of our Roman Church and slows evangelization by its fractured witness.
Consider that only in parishes where the missal's norms are fully respected will people witness the "...unity of doctrine, unity of organization, unity of worship .(which is)... so conspicuous that by it all men can find and recognize the Catholic Church (John XXIII "Ad Petri Cathedram": 6/29/1959.
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