“A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.”
Mt 7:18
Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
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 #243, current events and an occasional question in that regard:
CHAPTER SEVEN
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
THE VALUE AND MEANING OF FORGIVENESS
Inevitable conflict
243. To be sure, “it is no easy task to overcome the bitter legacy of injustices, hostility and mistrust left by conflict.
“it is the ancient practice of presenting themselves on certain occasions as the sole possessors of the truth — the pure ones — and trying to belittle the work of others with slander.”
It can only be done by overcoming evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21) and by cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation, solidarity and peace”.
Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of 10 nuns who were brutally murdered by Soviet soldiers in Poland at the end of World War II and declared venerable Robert Schuman, who is considered one of the founding fathers of European unity.
[225] In this way, “persons who nourish goodness in their heart find that such goodness leads to a peaceful conscience and to profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties and misunderstandings.
“Science can purify religion from error and superstition; religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes. Each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish,”
Even when affronted, goodness is never weak but rather, shows its strength by refusing to take revenge”.[226]
“Mothers, in their unconditional and sacrificial love for their children, are the antidote to individualism; they are the greatest enemies against war.”
Each of us should realize that “even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart against my brother or my sister, the open wound that was never cured, the offense that was never forgiven, the rancour that is only going to hurt me, are all instances of a struggle that I carry within me, a little flame deep in my heart that needs to be extinguished before it turns into a great blaze”.[227]
“serious mistake” to expect that “good fruit” can come from a “rotten tree” planted by a serious sexual abuser when he dedicated a Religious Education Center in honor of Bishop Matthiesen because Matthiesen went against Church officials in giving that abusive priest a second chance; a second chance that landed that priest in prison for indecency with a child by sexual contact at the parish of which the dedicated Center is a mission?
“A serious mistake was made in bringing John Salazar to the Diocese of Amarillo for ministry,”
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
“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.
encourages greater contact with the natural world in a spirit of wonder, praise,
joy and gratitude. That is why outdoor play is part of our Laudato Si Plan.
Now through Saturday, June 26, at St. Ann’s Church, Canyon and Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Spearman;
• Saturday, June 26-Friday, July 2, at St. Anthony’s Church, Hereford and St. Mary’s Church, Umbarger;
However, as soon as he looked down at the
A Reflection on Christian Life, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
powerful waves and felt the strong wind, he began to sink
Today I pray that those of us in the Diocese of Amarillo, but especially those at St. Mary’s Cathedral and, “the few” , do not allow Bishop Zurek’s words in “A Reflection on Christian Life“, or “even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart against my brother or my sister, the open wound that was never cured, the offense that was never forgiven, the rancour that is only going to hurt me,” to cause us to look “down at the
powerful waves” and feel “the strong wind,” and begin to sink into the legacy of clergy abuse in our diocese; thus becoming a rotten tree that bears bad fruit.
