Day 32 of Lectio Divina for Synodality
Centennial of the Diocese of Amarillo
1. Lectio (Reading)
I hear John the Baptist refuse the crown with a grin.
He is not offended that the crowds leave him.
He is delighted.
“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.”
And suddenly ambition becomes absurd.
John does not lose disciples;
he gains perspective.
He knows who he is by knowing who he is not.
He is not the Bridegroom.
He is the friend who listens for the Bridegroom’s voice
and rejoices when he hears it.
And then the sentence that terrifies every ego and frees every soul:
“He must increase; I must decrease.”
“If Boston is the fault line of the child sexual-abuse scandal that has convulsed the Roman Catholic Church, then few places have felt the aftershocks more deeply than the Diocese of Amarillo.”
New York Times
August 24, 2002
“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.”
“Here too, it needs to be acknowledged once more that reality is best viewed from the sidelines, and that the poor are possessed of unique insights indispensable to the Church and to humanity as a whole.”
Dilexi te §82
Do I have the faith—this January pillar of our Centennial—to trust that the Bridegroom often reveals reality not from the center of the feast but from the sidelines, where the poor and wounded from our “serious mistake” see what the Church must see if she is to remain faithful to Him?
2. Meditatio (Meditation)
In praying for Synodality regarding the Diocese of Amarillo’s Tribute to Bishop Matthiesen during this Centennial year, I must ask an uncomfortable question:
Am I trying to outshine the Bridegroom?
The bishop wears a ring not because he owns the Bride,
but because he stands for Another.
He is not the Bridegroom;
he points to Him.
Photo used by permission of Douglas Kirkland/Corbis via Getty Images
And I—this obese, wannabe shepherd—
am not even the bishop.
I am closer to the best man standing in the corner,
watching the Bride closely because I love her
and fear she is suffering.
Competition between the best man and the groom is unthinkable.
Yet concern for the Bride is not rivalry;
it is fidelity.
The New York Times once said that few dioceses felt the aftershocks of the clergy abuse crisis as deeply as Amarillo.
If that is so, then the wine has run thin,
and it is not disloyal to ask the Bridegroom for new wine.
Below: A Fallen Centennial Banner
Am I not asking the true Bridegroom—
the One who came forth from the marriage chamber of heaven—
to tend to His wounded Bride?
The paradox is this:
I must decrease in pride,
but increase in love.
I must step back from attention,
but step forward in truth.
The Catholic miracle is that one can be silent and faithful,
obedient and honest,
small and necessary.
3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)
The Bridegroom does not fear scrutiny,
because love does not fear light.
If the Bride is wounded,
the Bridegroom does not accuse the friend who speaks—
He thanks him.
The friend does not demand the wedding spotlight;
he simply refuses to pretend the Bride is unhurt.
And so my joy is not in being heard,
but in knowing that somewhere, somehow,
the Bridegroom is still increasing.
4. Oratio (Prayer)
Lord Jesus Christ,
true Bridegroom of the Church,
teach me the humility of the friend
who listens more than he speaks
and speaks only out of love.
Free me from the desire to win arguments
or to be noticed,
and give me the courage to remain faithful
when the Bride is wounded and the music plays on.
Increase in Your Church.
Decrease what is false in me.
Let my joy be complete
in hearing Your voice.
Amen.
5. Actio (Action – Synodality & Laudato si’)
“Once we lose our humility, and become enthralled with the possibility of limitless mastery over everything, we inevitably end up harming society and the environment. “
Laudato si’ §81
Inspired by Laudato si’, I will practice synodal humility:
listening without rushing to fix,
speaking without demanding control,
and accompanying the wounded Church
as one who loves the Bride enough
to trust the Bridegroom.
6. Song Pairing
🎶 “The Bride” – Ben Rector
he guards it.
This song reminds me that joy comes not from being central,
but from standing close enough to love.
7. Movie Pairing
🎬Movie: Father of the Bride (1991)
but the one who must let go.
This story echoes the quiet holiness
of stepping back so love can take center stage.
Email to Bishop Zurek
Subject: A Request for Synodal Discernment Regarding the Tribute to Bishop Matthiesen
Your Excellency,
I write to you during this Christmas season after many days of prayer and reflection, particularly through Lectio Divina, regarding the Diocese of Amarillo’s Centennial and the tribute honoring Bishop Matthiesen.
Over time, my focus has shifted. I am no longer asking simply for the removal of the tribute, but for the beginning of a genuine synodal process around it. I believe silence—however well-intended—has become pastorally burdensome, especially for survivors of clergy abuse connected to what Bishop Matthiesen himself described as a “serious mistake.”
My concern is rooted not in accusation, but in family: the family of survivors, the parish family, the diocesan family, and the wider Church. In the spirit of reason, religion, and loving kindness, I ask whether we might openly discern why this tribute exists, how it is received by those wounded by abuse, and what faithfulness to the Gospel requires of us during this Centennial year.
Christmas reminds us that God chose humility over grandeur, presence over silence, and truth spoken in love over avoidance. I respectfully ask that this matter be engaged synodally—with listening, dialogue, and prayer—so that healing, not division, may mark our celebration.
Please know that I remain committed to the Church, to the Eucharist, and to walking this path in charity and fidelity.
Respectfully in Christ,
Darrell Glenn
Diocese of Amarillo
My Story
“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.“
- Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
- Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
- Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.