Today's ReadingsSt. Luke recounts an experience of Paul where he comes upon a shrine "to an unknown God."
He, being the preacher that he was, immediately tells the people that he will tell them who God is and what God is.
We, too, some would say that ours is also a time for teaching what we know about God. Today we honor St. Bernadine of Siena. He, like Paul was a preacher who knew his God. So, there is a question in my mind: "What would Paul and Bernadine be preaching were they to be walking the streets of Washington or any city today?"
Without doubt in my mind, I believe they would surely have become involved in the serious issues that are dividing Catholics around the world but especially in the USA. No doubt they would have become involved in the recent acrimonious remarks made by many regarding the visit and honoring of President Obama at Notre Dame. Even though we have passed the event several days, debate and meanness seems to continue.
What would Paul and Bernadine have addressed? I honestly believe they would not have allowed themselves to get tangled in the web that many Bishops and laity found themselves. I believe that the two saints would have addressed the Ten Commandments, in particular the Fifth Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." Sometime, when you can, read the Acts of the Apostles and learn how the people of the early Church handled disagreements. Read St. Paul's various letters and see how he handled serious disagreements, especially with St. Peter and the issue of circumcision.
In short these men of stature would not have fallen victim to squabbling. Openness. Patience. Willingness to listen to another person ... not so much as to find a compromise of murder. That cannot be done. Rather, listen to how the sharing of ideas or emotions can easily lead to the unearthing of deep feelings that can lead to great moments of teaching. My father used to remind me and my brothers when we were arguing or beating up on each other that one small cup of honey would draw more bees that a full barrel of vinegar. Condemnation, finger pointing and such will never open another person's heart to hear the word of God. Read and hear the words of author David Gibson published in Sunday's Washington Post.
A century ago, the church was deeply divided over Pope Pius X's campaign against "Modernism," which was a catchall for anything Rome deemed suspicious. When Pius died, the conclave of 1914 elected Benedict XV, who immediately issued an encyclical calling on Catholics "to appease dissension and strife" so that "no one should consider himself entitled to affix on those who merely do not agree with his ideas the stigma of disloyalty to faith."
"There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism," Benedict XV concluded. "It is quite enough for each one to proclaim 'Christian is my name and Catholic my surname.'"
If the Catholic Church had a bumper sticker, that could be it. And it means that the real dilemma for American Catholics today is not whether Notre Dame is Catholic, but whether we are.
Mr. Raymond Arroyo of EWTN was commenting that 54 or so American Bishops had written to protest the "honoring" of the US President at Notre Dame and that such a number should be of significance for Catholics. A question that comes to mind that was not asked of the EWTN Commentator: "And where were the other more than 200 American Bishops?" Perhaps they understood the mind of Pope Benedict XV! Perhaps Benedict XVI also has followed the mind of his previous namesake!
Without doubt in my mind, I believe they would surely have become involved in the serious issues that are dividing Catholics around the world but especially in the USA. No doubt they would have become involved in the recent acrimonious remarks made by many regarding the visit and honoring of President Obama at Notre Dame. Even though we have passed the event several days, debate and meanness seems to continue.
What would Paul and Bernadine have addressed? I honestly believe they would not have allowed themselves to get tangled in the web that many Bishops and laity found themselves. I believe that the two saints would have addressed the Ten Commandments, in particular the Fifth Commandment, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." Sometime, when you can, read the Acts of the Apostles and learn how the people of the early Church handled disagreements. Read St. Paul's various letters and see how he handled serious disagreements, especially with St. Peter and the issue of circumcision.
In short these men of stature would not have fallen victim to squabbling. Openness. Patience. Willingness to listen to another person ... not so much as to find a compromise of murder. That cannot be done. Rather, listen to how the sharing of ideas or emotions can easily lead to the unearthing of deep feelings that can lead to great moments of teaching. My father used to remind me and my brothers when we were arguing or beating up on each other that one small cup of honey would draw more bees that a full barrel of vinegar. Condemnation, finger pointing and such will never open another person's heart to hear the word of God. Read and hear the words of author David Gibson published in Sunday's Washington Post.
A century ago, the church was deeply divided over Pope Pius X's campaign against "Modernism," which was a catchall for anything Rome deemed suspicious. When Pius died, the conclave of 1914 elected Benedict XV, who immediately issued an encyclical calling on Catholics "to appease dissension and strife" so that "no one should consider himself entitled to affix on those who merely do not agree with his ideas the stigma of disloyalty to faith."
"There is no need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism," Benedict XV concluded. "It is quite enough for each one to proclaim 'Christian is my name and Catholic my surname.'"
If the Catholic Church had a bumper sticker, that could be it. And it means that the real dilemma for American Catholics today is not whether Notre Dame is Catholic, but whether we are.
Mr. Raymond Arroyo of EWTN was commenting that 54 or so American Bishops had written to protest the "honoring" of the US President at Notre Dame and that such a number should be of significance for Catholics. A question that comes to mind that was not asked of the EWTN Commentator: "And where were the other more than 200 American Bishops?" Perhaps they understood the mind of Pope Benedict XV! Perhaps Benedict XVI also has followed the mind of his previous namesake!
