Caritas patiens est

Do All Mediae Viae Lead to Rome?

2007-02-27T05:55:00.000+01:00

Strike me pink!

As they say on Monty Python, "What's all this, then?"

Is this really true--or is it another leak-to-the-media stunt?

What? Only 90 per cent?

2007-02-02T06:23:00.000+01:00

I don't know whether 90 per cent Bible knowledge will get me into law school, but luckily for me, I have an advocate with the Father.

You know the Bible 90%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

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If you think the Church's only business is saving souls, you're not paying attention

2007-01-22T18:58:00.000+01:00

This was the New Testament reading yesterday:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,and news of him spread
throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by
all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his
custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed
a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage
where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and
to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it
back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked
intently at him. He said to them,"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in
your hearing."

Notice that the scriptural passage quoted Jesus talks about poor people, blind people, oppressed people, and prisoners. Not the sinful.

And this is why I don't concern myself overmuch with scandals in the church. Enough about those priests who spy for the secret police, gay bishops, liturgical squabbles, seemingly endless schisms, or any of the rest of the matters that have so many people up in arms.

It's not that Liberation theology (or Social Gospel or whatever you want to call it) is my alpha and omega. It's just that I would rather focus on Jesus, for whom the importance was in doing, rather than quibbling. From time to time I meditate on the following passage:

When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then
he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations,
and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at
the left. Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I
was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the
righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or
thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome
thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and
visit thee?' And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it
to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' Then he will say to
those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome
me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit
me.' Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then
he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least
of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment,
but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)
When it says "Begone, you wearer of Barney costumes," I'll change my mind.

A humble plea.

2007-01-21T05:35:00.000+01:00

Could everyone decide to shut up about homosexuality for the rest of this calendar year? Whether you think the topic is a matter ~~hellfire and brimstone~~ of adhering to scripture OR ~~groups hugs and Kumbaya singalongs~~ becoming more tolerant of every member of God's creation, the arguing and pontificating (from everyone except the Pontiff) goes on ... and on ... and on. But nothing gets settled.

So why can't we talk about fornication among unmarried heterosexuals? Or bestiality. Or child abuse. Or something other than gay men in the priesthood.

So, let's not talk about sex. Instead, let's talk about ... compulsive gambling. Or the rise of methamphetamine use. Or heating on your taxes. Rude language. Sticking an old parking ticket under your windshield wiper to fool the police. People who sample the grapes at the supermarket.

Please?

I'm outing myself.

2006-10-25T03:28:00.001+02:00

I guess. Except it was actually a tie between RC and Wesleyan. And the only time I've ever been in a Methodist church was at a wedding. Have I been brainwashed by Methodists? Only time will tell.

You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.

Roman Catholic

86%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

86%

Neo orthodox

79%

Classical Liberal

43%

Reformed Evangelical

43%

Fundamentalist

43%

Charismatic/Pentecostal

39%

Emergent/Postmodern

39%

Modern Liberal

21%

What's your theological worldview?
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Cue K. C. and the Sunshine Band

2006-07-14T17:57:00.000+02:00

Cuz ...that's the way (un hunh unh hunh) I like it:

The Catholic Church, being Christ’s bride without spot or wrinkle, is indefectible. She is holy because Christ is holy; she is perfect because Christ is perfect. She can not teach error. Her ministers, however, have sinned in the past, sin now, and will sin in the future until the second coming of Christ. She has lost some of her sons to heresy and some to schism, and those who remained have, in various periods, sunk into corruption. Renewal comes about, of course. God raises up a St. Francis or a St. Dominic, a St. Catherine or a St. Ignatius, who not only reject the endemic moral cowardice of their times, but through their own heroic holiness and passion for truth, bring about a transformation in the lives of their fellow Catholics, teaching them by their own example to love sanctity. The current corruption is nothing new, and reforming saints will certainly appear in our midst. Yet even those of us who are not reformers need not sit down under our present woes. Each of us, according to his station in life, can make a modest contribution to the renewal.

For more of Father Shaughnnessy's article, click here.

Mysterious ways, indeed

2006-07-12T20:31:00.001+02:00

This article, giving the mainstream Protestant churches a smackdown, appeared in the L. A. Times. Well worth registering to read, if you need to.