How do you sing 'I just wasn't made for these times' in Latin?
The Holy Father has released a friendly statement congratulating Muslims at the end of Ramadan.
Protect the Pope has an interesting post today on Nostra Aetatae and also a post on those mischievous Tablet writers who have taken the Pope's words on homosexuality out of context so that it reads, 'Pope okays gay sex'.
OK, take a deep breath and realize that you were precisely made for these times, because you are here now.
ReplyDeleteTwo literary references you will recognize
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. Gandalf in Book One, Chapter The Shadow of the Past LOTR
and two
Let nothing disturb you, nothing affright you.
All things are passing; God never changes.
Patient endurance attains to all things.
Whoever possesses God is wanting in nothing; God alone suffices.
— Teresa of Avila
I waited most of my adult life for the Summorum Pontificum, saw many nearest and dearest to me either go to the SSPX or become atheists.
Now,very much alone, as I shall be when I stand before God, I ask Him to purify myself to that I can strengthen the Church
Do that for the sake of all of us, for as many saints there are, the Church will be made stronger.
No fear!
It used to be that orthodox Catholics were just at odds with the secular world; now we have been cast aside by the institutional Church.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's jolly nice of Francis to send greetings and pious wishes to Muslims to mark the end of Ramadan.
ReplyDeleteAs he is keen for those of different religions to respect one another I am sure he won't forget to mention, in a friendly way, the local matter of the persecution of Christians at the hands of Muslims in Syria. See Telegraph online story today.
"Turning to mutual respect in interreligious relations, especially between Christians and Muslims, we are called to respect the religion of the other, its teachings, its symbols, its values. Particular respect is due to religious leaders and to places of worship. How painful are attacks on one or other of these!"
ReplyDeleteHint hint!
Yep, I read the statement but, you know, sometimes one can be so diplomatic as to mean anything and nothing and sometimes one needs to be rather more direct in order to make the point. We cannot forget as Christians that, overwhelmingly, it is not Christians who are the persecutors. On the ground there is no fine sense of religious equivalence. There is a way to speak of these things without being aggressive; publicly and continuously asking for prayers for oppressed Christians who share our belief as Christ in God is but one. Eggshell diplomacy is easy to ignore and file away in the usual place, as evidenced by the numbers of unconvinced, fallen-away Catholics, let alone anyone of a different faith.
ReplyDelete