Are bishops who allow buildings to be dedicated to themselves declaring “from the heart“, “‘I am the foremost‘ of ‘sinners‘ whom God has lifted up ‘from the dunghill‘ to ‘bear good fruit‘ by ‘keeping (the Father’s) word’ because I’m leading the Amarillo Diocese in calling Jesus, “Lord, Lord” and for the “victims of clergy sexual abuse” to forgive and forget what happened twenty years ago”; or are they building “a house on the” “serious mistake” “without a foundation”?
Saturday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall”
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 #250 in that regard:
CHAPTER SEVEN
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
MEMORY
Forgiving but not forgetting
250. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Or better, in the face of a reality that can in no way be denied, relativized or concealed, forgiveness is still possible. In the face of an action that can never be tolerated, justified or excused, we can still forgive. In the face of something that cannot be forgotten for any reason, we can still forgive. Free and heartfelt forgiveness is something noble, a reflection of God’s own infinite ability to forgive. If forgiveness is gratuitous, then it can be shown even to someone who resists repentance and is unable to beg pardon.
BOTTOM: Another dedication raised to the current “benevolent” bishop from his priest admirer.
When I (Matthiesen) was ordained (bishop) I was advised by his ((Monsignor Waldow’s) former classmates to be careful, alleging that he is a congenital liar. In the case of John (Salazar), this proved to be tragically true .. Waldow once confessed to me in the presence of priest witness that he had bad-mouthed (me) ever since I was ordained the bishop, and that he is an alcoholic. To this day, I don’t know that the latter is fact or fiction.
From a 2008 letter in which Bishop Matthiesen defended the “serious mistake”
This approach demands of us the decision to abandon a modus operandi of disparaging, discrediting, playing the victim or the scold in our relationships, and instead to make room for the gentle breeze that the Gospel alone can offer.
From a January, 2019 letter by Pope francis to TO THE BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE
OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS on retreat. A retreat that Bishop Zurek missed in order to take a personal vacation.
Just yesterday
From a 2019 letter in which Bishop Zurek uses the same “modus operandi” as Bishop Matthiessen
afternoon another social media communication was sent out. One line
interested me very much. “I am stepping away from this issue until our parish
and our diocese are stabilized.” This is a clear indication that this one of “the
few” has no intention to stop causing division in the Body of Christ. His line is
quite clear; he only wants division and disunity.
A Memorial in the Grotto of St. Mary’s Cathedral raised by Monsignor Waldow. He wrote:
“In memory of the death of innocence of the victims of clergy sexual abuse. When innocence dies…a life stops. It is essential that we never forget.”
