Love Struggles for Primacy in the Church
Sunday, 22 January 2012 00:00 | 
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Thank you to "Call Me Excellency" for this reflection
What happened to the standard (love of neighbor) set by Jesus as the identifying hallmark for his followers? The law of loving others was replaced early in the Church’s history, but a contemporary illustration will help us understand exactly what happened.
Peter Hebblethwaite, in his biography, Paul VI – The First Modern Pope, relates the following: In July 1967 Pope Paul VI welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch, Athenagoras II, to the Vatican. “Paul insisted on no title other than the primacy of charity.” In his comments “Paul quoted his patron: ‘Be eager to give one another precedence.’” (Romans 12:10). “Among Athenagoras’ suite was the Metropolitan Meliton, his chief theologian, who dangerously remarked, ‘Paul VI has made the papacy out of date,’” meaning that Paul had changed the primacy from the papacy back to love.
More Reactions to the New Missal TranslationSaturday, 21 January 2012 21:20 | |
Read the full article on 'Questions from a Ewe' The new Mass translation inspired me to revitalize my Latin skills and examine the source Latin text. Using literal translation techniques (the approach used by translators in rendering this new translation), I translated the Mass to see what it actually says and make my own assessment as to its accuracy. The net is, it contains many inaccuracies. I was going to include the full source Latin and my translation compared to the new translation at the end of this but it's about 12 pages long. So, instead, if you want a copy, please send me an email and I will send you a copy. But here are a few things I noticed that I thought worth pondering. Participate in Justice & Peace EventSaturday, 14 January 2012 10:52 | |
“Hope has two beautiful daughters: their names are anger and courage. Anger that things are the way they are. Courage to make them the way they ought to be.” (St Augustine of Hippo)
NJPN OPEN NETWORKING DAY 11 February 2012 10.30 – 4.00pm Holy Cross Priory, 45 Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HW Speakers: Pat Gaffney and Rosemary Read: ‘Building a Culture of Peace: a year long opportunity building on the World Peace Day message 2012 – Educating young people in justice and peace.’ All are welcome. Details at www.justice-and-peace.org.uk Freedom in Love: A Challenge for the ChurchSaturday, 07 January 2012 16:25 | |
We thank Stephen Boehrer and "Call Me Excellency" for this reflection The ability to love others for their own sake is a unique human freedom from self. It is true human freedom. We can gauge our ability to love, our inner freedom, by the markers that Jesus outlined for us. To the degree that we are under the control of anger, self-deceit, envy, fear, greed, gluttony, lust, pride or sloth, loving others can only rise to a minimum level if at all. If we love only those who love us, we are still at a minimum level of ability. If we love our neighbors, strangers and foreigners, we go up a level. If we continue to love and forgive those who have hurt us, we move up again. If we achieve the ability to love an enemy, to forgive and do good for an enemy, we are at an upper level. And if we achieve the ability to lay down our life for any of the above, we could not be more free. At that point we are truly the fullest image or expression of God that we can be. At that point we are fully human. We then love as God loves us. It follows that to love our neighbor IS to love ourselves IS to love God. HOW DOES CHURCH FIT INTO THIS PICTURE? Church is a happening. It happens when people love each other, when they reach to be their best selves by loving. Jesus did not start a church. Jesus started a movement. At first it was called simply “The Way.” He wanted people to love each other. The word church has come to have many applications: 1. As an institution (The Lutheran Church, The Catholic Church). 2. As prelates or leaders who define meanings (as in “The Church Says.”) 3. As a building. Church is none of these in its real meaning. Nor is church a juridical construct, a system of rules, or a collection of beliefs, a credal ID tag. Church is not people bound together by utility. What creates church is love. Church is the community that love puts together and holds together. When a religious leadership puts itself ahead of Jesus’ purpose and portrays ‘membership’ or ‘loyalty’ as the true mark of being Christian, they have left Jesus by the wayside. If the Church community decides to insert a leadership, or useful buildings, or particular practices, those additions must all serve and promote the community by being in the service of love. So, we can extend our list of simultaneous happenings. Love of neighbor IS love of self IS love of God IS to create Church. It’s that simple! But it is only a blueprint. Love still has to be lived, and we should not confuse simple with easy. The climb to the top of love’s freedom is laden with obstacles and difficulty. More on that next time. Do you think that our bishops look upon the Church as described above? Discriminators, Unite!Wednesday, 04 January 2012 17:06 | |
Thank you, John and Is God Laughing or Crying?
Gays, Lesbians, Feminists,
Dissenters and Conscientious Objectors
be damned;
The Vatican just replaced 'em all
with our fellow Anglicans.
There's more than one way to
keep the Holy Roman Empire
in tact. |
On the mission activity of the Church
pastoral office of Bishops
