“When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.”
mt 8:18
Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr
“So-called gnosis’ was an enormous temptation in the early Christian Church. By contrast, persecution, even the bloodiest, posed far less of a threat to the Church’s continuing purity and further development. Gnosticism had its roots in late antiquity, drew on oriental and Jewish sources, and multiplied into innumerable esoteric doctrines and sects. Then, like a vampire, the parasite took hold of the youthful bloom and vigour of Christianity. What made it so insidious was the fact that the Gnostics very often did not want to leave the Church. Instead, they claimed to be offering a superior and more authentic exposition of Holy Scripture, though, of course, this was only for the ‘superior souls’ (‘the spiritual’, ‘the pneumatic’); the common folk (‘the psychic’) were left to get on with their crude practices. It is not hard to see how this kind of compartmentalizing of the Church’s members, indeed of mankind as a whole, inevitably encouraged not only an excited craving for higher initiation, but also an almost unbounded arrogance in those who had moved from mere ‘faith’ to real, enlightened ‘knowledge’.”
Irenaeus of Lyons, The Scandal of The Incarnation
This sounds a lot like MAGA Catholics of today.
I go where the in crowd goes
I’m in with the in crowd
And I know what the in crowd knows”
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 #247, current events and an occasional question in that regard:
CHAPTER SEVEN
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
MEMORY
“A serious mistake was made in bringing John Salazar to the Diocese of Amarillo for ministry,”
Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
247. The Shoah must not be forgotten.
“What is the biggest disease in life? Cancer? Tuberculosis? The current pandemic? No. The greatest disease in life is the lack of love — not being able to love,”
It is “the enduring symbol of the depths to which human evil can sink when, spurred by false ideologies, it fails to recognize the fundamental dignity of each person, which merits unconditional respect regardless of ethnic origin or religious belief”.[231]
As I think of it, I cannot help but repeat this prayer: “Lord, remember us in your mercy.
“The secretary thanked Pope Francis for his long-standing leadership on the need to care for the environment and tackle the climate crisis. The secretary and Pope Francis also discussed China as well as the humanitarian crises in Lebanon, Syria, the Tigray region of Ethiopia and Venezuela,”
Grant us the grace to be ashamed of what we men have done, to be ashamed of this massive idolatry, of having despised and destroyed our own flesh which you formed from the earth, to which you gave life with your own breath of life.
Never again, Lord, never again!”.[232]
“Now, somehow, we are all together trying to alleviate the situation and pain caused by this.”
“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 Praying in nature by blessing a natural space as a reflection/meditation
area and regularly praying there is part of our Laudato Si Plan.
Amarillo—Our Lady of Guadalupe Church will host its 40th Las Fiestas de Amarillo Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18 on the parish grounds at 11th and Houston.
Or the love
A Reflection on Christian Life, Bishop Patrick J. Zurek
that God has for us ceases to be transforming.
Today I ask St. Irenaeus to pray that those of us in the Diocese of Amarillo, but especially those at St. Mary’s Cathedral and, “the few” , recall Bishop Zurek’s warning in “A Reflection on Christian Life“, to not lose focus on Jesus and bring about a state in which “the love that God has for us ceases to be transforming”. While the legacy of clergy abuse in our diocese, is an “enduring symbol of the depths to which human evil can sink”, we can still find relief from “a crowd around” us and “cross to the other shore” praying: “Lord, remember us in your mercy. Grant us the grace to be ashamed of what we men have done, to be ashamed of this massive idolatry, of having despised and destroyed our own flesh which you formed from the earth, to which you gave life with your own breath of life. Never again, Lord, never again!”
