Can it be said that I’ve truly “given it my #all” to address the issues affecting the “places” in the Diocese of Amarillo which for me constitute the “Local Church in the one and unique Catholic Church” when these realities persist:
From Luke 21:1-4
- A memorial remains erected by a convicted pedophile priest for a bishop who made the “serious mistake” of granting that convict a second chance, leading to the destruction of the innocence of youth;
- A letter remains on the diocesan website rebuking “a few” who reported abuse at St. Mary’s Cathedral, casting them aside rather than seeking justice and healing;
- Daily Masses at St. Mary’s Cathedral are aborted, justified by a call for “an incredible sense of Reverence for the…Priests and especially for the Bishops“, thereby leveraging the Eucharist as a means of power and control;
- A new bishop’s residence is constructed, symbolically putting our next bishop “in his place” before he even arrives.
Shouldn’t all these realities compel me to reflect deeply and act in accordance with the truth of the Gospel?❓
XVI ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
How to be a missionary synodal Church
Instrumentum laboris
Part III – Places
Local Churches in the one and unique Catholic Church
90.
Bishop Zurek, for his part, called what Matthiesen did a ‘serious mistake,’ yet the memorial still remains.”
“Today, the local Churches are also made up of associations and communities that are old and new expressions of Christian life.‘” However, is a memorial erected by a convicted pedophile priest for a bishop who made a “serious mistake” in a rural parish over a decade ago truly reflective of either an old or new expression of Christian life❓ Or does its presence suggest that I’m all against standing with those of whom it is said, “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.“❓
“In particular, Institutes of consecrated life and Societies of apostolic life contribute much to the life of the local Churches and the vitality of missionary action. The same applies to lay associations, ecclesial movements and new communities.” Nevertheless, doesn’t the letter, “A Reflection on Christian Life,” instead of enriching the life of the local Church, expose a reality in which “a few” who reported clergy abuse at St. Mary’s Cathedral are excluded from living as “faithful and loyal disciples that the Lord Jesus desires”—casting them out to be with all those who proclaim, “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.“❓
Alleluia, alleluia, “Today, belonging to the Church is expressed in an increasing number of forms not formally attached to a geographically defined base but related to bonds of association. This variety of forms must be promoted in the light of the missionary orientation and the ecclesial discernment of what the Lord asks in each context. Animating this manifold variety and caring for the bonds of unity are the specific competencies of the diocesan or eparchial bishop. Study Group 6 has been entrusted with reflecting upon these aspects.” Meanwhile, am I truly caring for the bonds of unity at St. Mary’s Cathedral if all I do is remain silent when the daily Eucharist is aborted for the sake of the priest’s health and spirituality❓Should I not, instead, heed the call to “Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.“❓
Alleluia, alleluia
Finally, will not the violence harbored in my heart—wounded by “sins against synodality (the very sins that now place our new bishop in a position where he must “Just Say NO❣️” to being “put in his place.”)— also manifest in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and all forms of life in the “places” within the Diocese of Amarillo❓
All these “places,” for me, constitute the “Local Church in the one and unique Catholic Church”.
Does this not compel me at all to go beyond merely being with those who…
“‘…have all made offerings from their surplus‘”❓
The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life.
From paragraph 2 of ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME