Asking for Clarity

September 29, 2017 Vol 02, No 19 A journal for restless minds Asking For Clarity Asking For Clarity Doesn’t the Pope Answer His Critics?” His A disconcerting silence objective thoughts and reasoned com- A disconcerting silence ments—in my humble opinion—bear Let Your Actions Speak reading. Rather than interpret, parse, Words are not enough here has been a disconcerting and rephrase his words, I will let Father silence from the Vatican Deacon’s Diner Longenecker speak for himself: Food for a restless mind these past two years, despite “six major initiatives in which Tboth clergy and laity have expressed concerns about the Pope’s teaching, particularly emanating from Amoris Laetitia. Despite the his week’s big Catholic news repeated pleas and warnings of chaos and is the release of a “filial correc- confusion, Francis has refused to respond or tion” of Pope Francis by a 1 Colloquī is a Deacon’s Cor- acknowledge the initiatives.” group of theologians and ner weekly journal. Its mission T church laymen. … and purpose: to encourage seri- There are and have ous discussion, to promote rea- been a plethora of reports This is the sixth major soned debate, and to provide on this silence, including initiative in which both serious content for those who this past week in our lo- clergy and laity have ex- hope to find their own pathway cal newspaper. What has pressed concerns about to God. been the thrust of most of the Pope’s teaching, par- Each week Colloquī will the reporting has been to ticularly emanating from contain articles on theology, cast a pall on those who have publicly Amoris Laetitia. Despite the repeated philosophy, faith, religion, Ca- questioned the Pope as a small group of pleas and warnings of chaos and confu- tholicism, and much more. fringe radicals within the Church who sion, Francis has refused to respond or Be forewarned! Articles are out to get the pope at all costs. acknowledge the initiatives which are as may and often will contain fuel follows, in chronological order: for controversy, but always On September 26th, Father Dwight with the express intent to seek Longenecker, who says of himself: “I’m a In September 2015, just ahead of the the Truth, the whole truth, and former Evangelical, then an Anglican priest, second Synod on the Family, a petition nothing but the truth, so help us now a Catholic priest,”2 wrote an interest- of nearly 800,000 signatures from around God. ing and well-considered article, “Why the world including 202 prelates was CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 1 Let Your Actions Speak candy behind a bush where I could esus asks us, “Which of the two did later reclaim my booty. his father’s will?” The answer is Words are not enough J obvious: the one who refused but Let us be completely honest with his parable, for most of us, then did as he was asked. His immedi- ourselves. Both of the sons in the para- has a familiar ring to it. At ate refusal was of little note, for he ble represent each and every one of us some point in our lives, we subsequently did the will of his father. at some point in our lives. We have all can usually recall saying Obedience reveals where our heart is; promised to do something and then Tone thing and doing another. Most, I obedience, or disobedience, reveals the not followed through with our prom- imagine, have been like the son who direction the heart is moving. ise; we have all refused to do some- said yes but then refused to act upon “Obedience is never neutral, for to not thing and then ended up doing it any- their assent; fewer are like the one who obey God is to disobey his will. Inaction to way; resolving to give up some bad said no but then acted to the contrary. God’s known will is simply a passive form habit or to adopt a good one—and fail- of rebellion, but rebellion none-the-less.” I still vividly recall a moment in ing on both accounts. Our actions truly do speak louder than my life when I said yes, but acted con- our words. trary to my response. When I was nine or ten years old, we “Whenever I take the opportunity to had a neighbor, a wonderful actively love God in personal obedi- lady, originally from Spain, who ence, I end up sensing a new tender- was both generous and kind to ness in my heart toward Him and a everyone. On Easter Sunday, she stronger resolve to obey again next set a large basket full of candies time. Obedience is not an end, but a on her front porch with a small means—a means to express our love sign that read, “Please, take all to God, and a means to increase our you want.” Being the literal- love for God. It is a catalyst in the ope Paul VI wrote in a letter minded person that I was, I proceeded process of loving God and becoming more on the eightieth anniversary of 2 to fill every pocket, my shirt, my like Jesus.” Pope Leo XIII’x encyclical Re- mouth, and both hands with candy. P rum Novarum, “Let each one examine Many of us harbor the notion that My parents naturally inquired himself, to see what he has done up to now, faith and religion are roughly synony- where I had obtained such a stash of and what he ought to do. It is not enough mous, but they are not at all the same. to recall principles, state intentions, point sweet deliciousness, to which I honest- Religion must be animated by faith; ly replied, “Mrs. M. said to take all we to crying injustice and utter prophetic faith must be lived out in the context wanted.” Naturally, and quite rightly, denunciations; these words will lack real of religion. Both are essential and relat- my parents saw things quite different- weight unless they are accompanied for ed; one without the other is defective. each individual by a livelier awareness of ly to my way of thinking and told me, The fault Jesus found with the quite emphatically, to take it all back. personal responsibility and by effective action. It is too easy to throw back on oth- chief priests and the elders of the peo- After no small amount of arguing ers responsibility for injustice, if at the ple was they had religion without on my part, I finally acquiesced and same time one does not realize how each faith. Religion without true faith is all agreed to return the candy. Of course, one shares in it personally, and how per- too common among us. For example, I had no true intention of doing so, sonal conversion is needed first. This basic some people believe their mere ac- and as soon as I walked out the door humility will rid action of all inflexibility ceptance into a religious group and and out of their sight—ostensibly on and sectarianism, it will also avoid dis- outward observance of ritual are all my way to return those ill-gotten couragement in the face of a task which that is required to achieve salvation. goods—I surreptitiously stashed the seems limitless in size.”1 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 They encourage us to level our- But everything comes back to say- ften referred to as “the selves with others, appreciating their ing “Yes” or “No” to God. Yet, these hatched, matched, and dis- perspectives to better understand their are not words we say but what we O patched Catholic”—that is issues and attain a level of compassion do. A “Yes” that is said but is not done someone who identifies as Catholic, is not otherwise possible. How much is only an evasion. We cannot just talk baptized, feels the need to be married holier would we be if we could con- the talk, we must walk the talk. in the church, wants to be buried in sistently and humbly regard others as e must decide to obey the church, and goes to church at we do ourselves. God all the time in every Christmas and perhaps at Easter—but Jesus told the chief priests and el- way. Partial obedience is that is about all. W ders that "tax collectors and the prosti- a euphemism for disobedience. No God demands more than just a tutes are making their way into the king- matter how weak you have been for “Yes,” more than mere words. God dom of God before you." They certainly years, God will always give you the calls us to a living faith where we ac- were not keeping God's Law. They grace to obey. God offers each of us tively engage in a living relationship had said “No” to his commandments the greatest treasure possible– with him. many times. But when they met Jesus, unending peace, joy, happiness, and they experienced a radical transfor- life with him in his kingdom. We can Good intentions are never mation in their lives. They listened and lose that treasure if we say no and re- enough. And promises don't count they responded. Many of the dregs of fuse the grace God offers us to follow unless they are actually performed. society heard the message and in his way of truth and righteousness. Our actions speak; words are but changed their lives. They became We will be rewarded when we say yes whispers of hope.

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