…Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,…
MK12:34
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs
“Which is the first of all the commandments?”
In his Holy Week homilies Bishop Patrick J. Zurek put forth the Encyclical of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, as the standard for love and unity in our diocese. Today, let’s reflect upon paragraph #229 in that regard:
CHAPTER SEVEN
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PEACE
229. The Bishops of South Africa have pointed out that true reconciliation is achieved proactively, “by forming a new society, a society based on service to others, rather than the desire to dominate;
I now speak to all the rest of you, the parishioners of St. Mary’s
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, A Reflection on Christian Life
Cathedral Parish. You are the faithful and loyal disciples that the Lord Jesus
desires. I am so sorry that you have to experience this awful bashing against
other members of the Body of Christ manifested here. I cannot thank you
enough! I am proud of you; your Rector, your Associate Rector, all my
brother priests are very proud of you.
a society based on sharing what one has with others, rather than the selfish scramble by each for as much wealth as possible;
…the faithful would receive “courage in their temptations; comforts in their afflictions and infirmities; light in their doubts; and all the graces necessary to persevere in the service and love of God”
a society in which the value of being together as human beings is ultimately more important than any lesser group, whether it be family, nation, race or culture”.
“It is time to recognize migrants not as interlopers and intruders,” he said, “but as people who reveal the face of Christ in their love and courage and who enrich us by their presence.”
[213] As the Bishops of South Korea have pointed out, true peace “can be achieved only when we strive for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development”.[214]
“We are slowly emerging from the dark period of the pandemic,” he said. “Dante’s words, ‘Uscimmo a riveder le stelle’ (‘We come forth to behold the stars again’), accompanies us and exhorts us to raise our eyes toward the infinite, filled with that light that illuminates our confidence in the future.”
“The Glenn” in conjunction with the Laudato Si’ Action Platform has pledged to develop a Laudato Si’ Plan, which we can use to discern and implement our response to Laudato Si’. This part of the blog will update readers on this journey.
Amarillo—Couples in the Diocese of Amarillo planning to get married within the next three to six months are encouraged to attend the third Engaged Encounter weekend of 2021, taking place Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center, 2100 North Spring.
Today this “restless” and formally unrecognized catechist is asking our shepherd “under the dome, “How are you shepherding ‘with understanding‘ when you show a ‘desire to dominate’ with a ‘quota’ instead of using ‘service to others’ as the basis for the work of the Diocese of Amarillo in the coming months (which) will indeed
be to reawaken and strengthen hope as we move out of pandemic and into a genuine
renewal of the life of the Church in Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.
I ask St. Charles Lwanga and his companions to pray that those of us in the Diocese of Amarillo, but especially those at St. Mary’s Cathedral and “the few” , “strive for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development”.
