Politics and Religion are taboo topics of conversation in most social settings. But deep within the fabric of my heart, spirit and soul, I desire to share with you—that I am Catholic. The dichotomy of internal dialogue begins to tear at my heart, brewing intense self-scrutiny. (Don’t forget, I am a consecrated Catholic with a 27-year commitment…and counting.) I can neither defend nor justify the evil actions of members of the ecclesial body of the Catholic Church, or explain the mystery of its better half—sanctity. Personally, I have experienced the heinous and bigoted transgressions of members of my Church, along with the blessings, love and compassion from its very life force.
The Catholic Church is composed of two elements: the human and the divine. The Divine nature of the Catholic Church is the source of all goodness, compassion, knowledge, wisdom and understanding, etc. However, when the human side attempts to interpret the Divine—“perfect love” becomes prey to the personality and potential whim of the individual(s). Regardless, the source of this perfection remains unchanged. Yes, the Church is governed by laws, particularly the law to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength; and your neighbor as yourself’. The ideal, in the hands of mortals is an aspiration, not an accomplishment. However, for those of us laboring in the trenches holding onto God’s inspiration with every breath, we do the best we can, accompanied by our flawed nature that is “weaker than the spirit”. I am in love with the very existence that heals me as it wounds me.
Brother Dennis may I ask if we can have a conversation about homlessness and poverty. I am in Baltimore and want to discuss further this matter. Thank You
Selfish, manipulative control freaks seems to be the ones that twist the word of God into reasons for being bigoted and mean.
That is taking the Lord’s name in vain, by the way. As a child I was told that “taking the Lord’s name in vain” meant saying gd, et al….but it just never rang true. One day it dawned on me that wrapping the Bible around your own selfishness in order to promote ideas that put others down so that you look more “pure” is what that Commandment means.
I’m ordering some skin cream…I’ll post back with my results.
deb
As a devout catholic of 50+ years(including infancy), I have not always agreed with all of its teachings. For instance, At a wedding i attended the non-catholics were asked not to partake in Holy Communion. Although i understand some of the philosophical reasoning, it’s difficult for me to accept the message of exclusion it gives. Didn’t Jesus allowed Judus to participate in the last supper.
The point i make is that the Church is made up of human beings that are not perfect, making less than perfect decisions. But the greater point i think is that within our own imperfections our faith allows us to be forgiven. We should therfore forgive others for the same reasons. If from the beginning we accept the imperfections of the human side of the Church we can release ourselves from those very discriminations aimed toward us. For it is the spiritual side of ourselves that God enables us to be less human and more perfect in the forgiveness of others. Why be bound(or hurt) by the same transgressions that we ask forgiveness from for ourselves?
Hello Br. Dennis:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, and I plan to continue to do so. This entry particularly spoke to me, especially your thoughts and distinction between the human and the divine. Looking at these elements in a separate light paints a clear picture and a fresh understanding of how man can distort the true essence of divinity. I understand that the church is a ROCK with GOD at the center, and with this awareness, my faith continues to strengthen!
God Bless,
Michael
Remember what Flannery O’Connor said about the Church: Some people suffer for it, others (often its strongest supporters and the folks that love it the most) suffer from it!
I like that
, (or rather, those bits I could easily read). I am color blind (tritanopia in my case). I mostly use Opera browser (not sure if that makes a difference), and much of your web page is a little difficult for me to read. I know that it is not your problem really, nevertheless it would be nice if you could consider color blind visitors when carrying out the next web page re-working.