““But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
Mt 6:15
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
I got all choked up and threw down my gun
Called him my pa and he called me his son
And I came away with a
Different point of view”
I agree with our bishop, Patrick J. Zurek, in putting forth in his Holy Week homilies this year the Encyclical of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, as the standard for love and unity in our diocese. Today, let’s reflect upon paragraph #238 and current events in that regard:
CHAPTER SEVEN
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
THE VALUE AND MEANING OF FORGIVENESS
Inevitable conflict
“That is important for us during this ‘Amoris Laetitia’ Year of the Family — to encounter families, even broken ones, and to accompany them on their journey through thoughtful dialogue,”
In the Diocese of Amarillo one wouldn’t know that this is “Amoris Laetitia” Year of the Family. We’re still all about promoting “Holy Orders” as the focus Sacrament of Vocation, with an imposed “Prayer for Priestly Vocations” and a “quota” that threatens us with no priests if we don’t pay.
238. Jesus never promoted violence or intolerance.
The St. Louis prelate (as well as Bishop Zurek) was among 67 bishops and cardinals who sent a letter to Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president, in May asking that any discussion on “eucharistic coherence” be removed from the assembly agenda.
He openly condemned the use of force to gain power over others: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.
Since 2010, the Catholic Church has had a complicated relationship with the health care law. Catholic hospitals have long emphasized the poor and vulnerable must have access to health care, but church leaders have objected to the law’s contraceptive mandate, requiring that employee health insurance plans provide contraceptive coverage.
It will not be so among you” (Mt 20:25-26).
“seeks only an accommodation that will allow it to continue serving the children of Philadelphia in a manner consistent with its religious beliefs; it does not seek to impose those beliefs on anyone else.”
Unfortunately this ruling does not mean much for the Diocese of Amarillo because Catholic Family Services closed it’s adoption agency in 2010.
Instead, the Gospel tells us to forgive “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) and offers the example of the unmerciful servant who was himself forgiven, yet unable to forgive others in turn (cf. Mt 18:23-35).
“We must focus on the areas of healing and reconciliation, accountability, transparency and ongoing education for all involved in child and youth protection,”
The Diocese of Amarillo’s former victim’s assistance coordinator, Belinda Gonzales Taylor, is also on the NRB. A lack of focus on healing for abuse survivors added to the, “Crisis at the Cathedral”.
“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.
A lie is a lie…always!
A Reflection on Christian Life, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
Amarillo—Wednesday, June 16 is the deadline to RSVP to a Family Social, on Saturday, June 19 at 6:30pm at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 4512 NE 24th Ave., sponsored by the Engaged Encounter team and the diocesan Family Life Office. If you’re interested in finding out more about Engaged Encounter, this is a perfect opportunity, as the EE team is expanding its marriage preparation team. To RSVP or for more information, please call James Schulte in the Family Life Office at 806-414-1059. Childcare will be available upon request.
Rather than mandated prayers, “quotas”, or blaming “the few”, evangelization of this type is the key to growing priestly vocations in the Diocese of Amarillo.
Today I pray that those of us in the Diocese of Amarillo, but especially those at St. Mary’s Cathedral and, “the few” , come to forgive Bishop Zurek for writing, “A Reflection on Christian Life” simply because “the Gospel tells us to forgive”.
