Well, it can't. It can only wander around with the various units bumping into one another with a few officers yelling "Charge!" and the bulk of them telling the troops how they should recycle their bathwater and buy fairtrade fags.
The enemy will, of course, be having a field day; taking his time, picking off the easy targets, avoiding the slightly troublesome ones and distributing leaflets saying: "You have plenty of time...."
Liberal Catholics taking on the enemy
And the troops, God bless 'em, they are parading and drilling and marching except that they have forgotten the finer elements of all three so they are out of step, buttons undone on uniforms and tripping over each other.
That, in case you had not quite got there yet, is an allegory for the modern Catholic Church (I do know that most if not all of you will have made the connection, it's just that occasionally the odd liberal Catholic wanders on to this blog only to hitch up their skirts and run screaming for the delete button).
Now this post, believe it or not, is meant to be about the sensitive topic of re-evangelisation; how the Church informs and educates those within its walls to the reality of Catholic spiritual (and secular life).
Father Ray Blake had an excellent post a few days ago that provided us with an admirable hit list of that we might consider adopting for our own spiritual development but, I am speaking of educating the masses, the troops who have forgotten how to dress by the right and quick march.
Some time ago I posted on how, as Catholic bloggers, we have the nettle of evangelisation within our grasp but the problem is that most Catholics know little or nothing of the existence of Catholic blogs; it's rather like shoving a book under the nose of one who cannot read - a connection needs to take place before knowledge can be implanted.
A good friend (MC), whom I have yet to meet over a pint of Bateman's, has his own programme for reaching out to his fellow parishioners. MC has produced a series of newsheets (that hardly does them justice) in which, in short, pithy posts, he opens up topics for discussion.
For example, he covers current affairs illustrating that the 'brick by brick' progress is actually taking place and he also includes facts of Catholic life that many will have forgotten.
Here is his post titled: "Five lost Catholic practices currently being re-instated by faithful Catholics"
1. Sprinkling of Holy Water around the home
2. Catholic home altars
3. Once again calling our Church 'the One True Church'
4. Kneeling for Communion
5. Increased attendance at Pro Life vigils from all age groups
All truly excellent stuff - I just wish that I had the know how to reproduce the whole newsheet here.
Maybe, he will post it on his own blog.........he should because, the rest of the concept relies on those interested parties in printing off each newsletter and leaving them at the back of their local church avec permission from the PP, of course.
This idea has, as they say, got legs.
What it needs now is some of the blogging community to run with it.
The enemy will, of course, be having a field day; taking his time, picking off the easy targets, avoiding the slightly troublesome ones and distributing leaflets saying: "You have plenty of time...."
And the troops, God bless 'em, they are parading and drilling and marching except that they have forgotten the finer elements of all three so they are out of step, buttons undone on uniforms and tripping over each other.
That, in case you had not quite got there yet, is an allegory for the modern Catholic Church (I do know that most if not all of you will have made the connection, it's just that occasionally the odd liberal Catholic wanders on to this blog only to hitch up their skirts and run screaming for the delete button).
Now this post, believe it or not, is meant to be about the sensitive topic of re-evangelisation; how the Church informs and educates those within its walls to the reality of Catholic spiritual (and secular life).
Father Ray Blake had an excellent post a few days ago that provided us with an admirable hit list of that we might consider adopting for our own spiritual development but, I am speaking of educating the masses, the troops who have forgotten how to dress by the right and quick march.
Some time ago I posted on how, as Catholic bloggers, we have the nettle of evangelisation within our grasp but the problem is that most Catholics know little or nothing of the existence of Catholic blogs; it's rather like shoving a book under the nose of one who cannot read - a connection needs to take place before knowledge can be implanted.
A good friend (MC), whom I have yet to meet over a pint of Bateman's, has his own programme for reaching out to his fellow parishioners. MC has produced a series of newsheets (that hardly does them justice) in which, in short, pithy posts, he opens up topics for discussion.
For example, he covers current affairs illustrating that the 'brick by brick' progress is actually taking place and he also includes facts of Catholic life that many will have forgotten.
Here is his post titled: "Five lost Catholic practices currently being re-instated by faithful Catholics"
1. Sprinkling of Holy Water around the home
2. Catholic home altars
3. Once again calling our Church 'the One True Church'
4. Kneeling for Communion
5. Increased attendance at Pro Life vigils from all age groups
All truly excellent stuff - I just wish that I had the know how to reproduce the whole newsheet here.
Maybe, he will post it on his own blog.........he should because, the rest of the concept relies on those interested parties in printing off each newsletter and leaving them at the back of their local church avec permission from the PP, of course.
This idea has, as they say, got legs.
What it needs now is some of the blogging community to run with it.
For a few moments I thought you were speaking of a generation of fine young men and women posted to Iraq and Afghanistan for reasons best known to our governments.
ReplyDeleteBut how bang-on your analogy is!
- Mack in Texas
Richard,
ReplyDeleteGood post as usual-Posters and pamphlets are great resources and weapons for us laity the footsoldiers so to speak! The Holy Father is no doubt doing his best-The general; we cannot rely on the majority of our Bishops-the majors, but our only hope is from our priests-the sergeants! By this I mean if every heterodox or by-liturgical priest said only the TLM Mass this would reduce liturgical abuses and restore the lost of Faith considerably also!
Michael.
ReplyDeleteMack, we never seem to learn the lessons that history provides. No army has succeeded in Afghanistan in thw past 200 years. Michael, we are of one mind.