Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
Daily Archive
13 March 2013
Which Francis?
Posted by catholicsensibility under Saints | Tags: pope francis, saints |[3] Comments
13 March 2013
One Last Post On The New Pope
Posted by catholicsensibility under Commentary, Politics | Tags: clergy, politics, pope francis |[7] Comments
NCR’s John Allen profiled him the other week. This spot didn’t give me cause for alarm:
These were the years of the military junta in Argentina, when many priests, including leading Jesuits, were gravitating towards the progressive liberation theology movement. As the Jesuit provincial, Bergoglio insisted on a more traditional reading of Ignatian spirituality, mandating that Jesuits continue to staff parishes and act as chaplains rather than moving into “base communities” and political activism.
This is right. Base communities and political activism is for lay people. Clergy have no business in it, and except for basic duties as citizens should leave it to the laity, one-hundred percent.
Some of my liberal sisters and brothers might disagree with me on this, but I think this is essentially a progressive position for modern Catholics. Exceptions might be made, but these would be vanishingly rare. I certainly think the clergy can throw their support behind lay activists. And they should, regardless of ideology. Activism needs to be formed by a deep interior reflection and contemplation. Not by assuming we’re getting contemplatives and reflectors in our midst.
13 March 2013
Pope Francis on Evangelization I
Posted by catholicsensibility under Church News, evangelization, spirituality | Tags: evangelization, pope francis, spirituality |[2] Comments
From another interview, when discussing the missionary spirit of the faith:
Staying, remaining faithful implies an outgoing. Precisely if one remains in the Lord one goes out of oneself. Paradoxically precisely because one remains, precisely if one is faithful one changes. One does not remain faithful, like the traditionalists or the fundamentalists, to the letter. Fidelity is always a change, a blossoming, a growth. The Lord brings about a change in those who are faithful to Him. That is Catholic doctrine. Saint Vincent of Lerins makes the comparison between the biologic development of the person, between the person who grows, and the Tradition which, in handing on the depositum fidei from one age to another, grows and consolidates with the passage of time: «Ut annis scilicet consolidetur, dilatetur tempore, sublimetur aetate»
Aside from the Latin quote, I think a few self-styled traditional Catholics might bristle. But I think we have a pope who will be taking up the cause of evangelization. Or rather, he won’t be laying it aside.
I’m finding these old interviews to be full of fascinating details. With a mod to my brother Charles, maybe a Jesuit pope is just what I we needed.
13 March 2013
Pope Francis On Liturgy I
Posted by catholicsensibility under Ministry, Parish Life | Tags: baptism, pope francis |[4] Comments
Let’s talk baptism …
To us here that would be like closing the doors of the Church. The child has no responsibility for the marital state of its parents. And then, the baptism of children often becomes a new beginning for parents. Usually there is a little catechesis before baptism, about an hour, then a mystagogic catechesis during liturgy. Then, the priests and laity go to visit these families to continue with their post-baptismal pastoral. And it often happens that parents, who were not married in church, maybe ask to come before the altar to celebrate the sacrament of marriage.
I like this sense of hope and optimism.
My parish had a recent small controversy with the baptism at Sunday Mass of children of two couples, one unmarried and one in a same-sex union. It’s nice to know the Holy Father would support the view that “the supreme law is the salvation of souls.”
13 March 2013
Well, this is a surprise. First Jesuit with the fisherman’s ring. Dan Horan says:
The Jesuits will be insufferable now.
First from the Western or Southern hemisphere.
I remember a Pope Francis in Walter Murphy’s novel The Vicar of Christ.
This Jesuit pope, I suspect, has something of Saint Francis Xavier in mind.
I like the man’s voice.
13 March 2013
My friend Charles took exception to my observation:
I think most Catholics and all non-believers will care once the pope demonstrate what kind of person and believer he is.
And asked:
Todd, brother, would like to retract and reiterate the last clause of your sentence? (Judge not, lest ye be judged.)
Well, no I wouldn’t. First, I’m stating my analysis of the state of the Church, and what I think Catholics are thinking about the pope. I may be wrong. But I’m hearing from people who wish for a Holy Father who is a hardliner, more pastoral, who will clean house with the curia, who will clamp down on predator-easy bishops, etc.. Sometimes these wishes are well-founded in morality, spirituality or such, at least as they assess it. And some of it might be coming from people who have totally uninformed opinions about Catholicism. In many cases, they might give the new pope the benefit of the doubt–until the first disagreement pops up. Or they may, given recent discouragement, wait and see. I’m leaning to more “wait-and-see” Catholics. Non-believers definitely.
So when my brother suggests …
It seems to me that that tho’ we may, indeed, have been created in the likeness of God, we weren’t bestowed Pantocrator status as part of the deal. At best, your mistatement is naive, at worst, very Dan Brown. Not sufficient either way.
… I’m pretty much discounting it. At best, I’m right. And large segments of the Church are going to wait and see because it’s not likely we know how the man will serve as pope until we have him under our belts for a few years. And at worst, if I’m wrong, the Church is in a much better spiritual place than I thought: that we will receive the next Bishop of Rome with joy and he will make his ministry emphasis quite clear early on. And I’m on board with that, too.
Either way, it doesn’t matter. I hope for the best. I’m not thinking the Holy Spirit will stick us with the worst. I’m also not invested with being right or wrong. The day moves on.
But it’s good to be clear about what constitutes the difference between being the cause of bad news and being only the bearer of it.
