I searched in vain for a Lenten message from my Bishop but found nothing that was vaguely topical on the Diocesan website.
Maybe it is in paper format at the backs of churches, who knows?
I have a 'dry' Mass Sunday today as the only EF is at 5pm c. 75 miles away and my invalid carriage won't go the distance.
However, I did come across this message from the Bish issued last October to mark the start of The Year of Faith.
I think you will agree with me that, once you peel back the outer layer, you will find it pithy and really quite sweet (ho hum)...........
Just an extract, the prose is too fruity for a full expose.......
"My dear people
When we press an orange, orange-juice comes out – because that’s what’s inside. But, when we ourselves are pressed, what is it inside us that comes out? Is it something tolerant, or something dismissive? Something confident, or something embarrassing? Something convincing or something apologetic? As Catholics, we often seem to be on the back-foot: opposing legislation or immoral practices, rejecting abortion or same-sex marriages, protecting our adoption agencies or our right to wear a cross, or upholding the sanctity of life against embryonic stem-cell research. We ask ourselves: Where is Jesus Christ in all these apparent battles? and: How does our stance represent truly our Catholic faith? For, we often seem to be struggling with the pips rather than coming to grips with the substance of what we believe about sin and salvation, incarnation and atonement, resurrection and new life".
OK? Fascinated? How about giving it marks out of ten?
The comments box is all yours...........pip. pip!
Maybe it is in paper format at the backs of churches, who knows?
I have a 'dry' Mass Sunday today as the only EF is at 5pm c. 75 miles away and my invalid carriage won't go the distance.
However, I did come across this message from the Bish issued last October to mark the start of The Year of Faith.
I think you will agree with me that, once you peel back the outer layer, you will find it pithy and really quite sweet (ho hum)...........
Just an extract, the prose is too fruity for a full expose.......
"My dear people
When we press an orange, orange-juice comes out – because that’s what’s inside. But, when we ourselves are pressed, what is it inside us that comes out? Is it something tolerant, or something dismissive? Something confident, or something embarrassing? Something convincing or something apologetic? As Catholics, we often seem to be on the back-foot: opposing legislation or immoral practices, rejecting abortion or same-sex marriages, protecting our adoption agencies or our right to wear a cross, or upholding the sanctity of life against embryonic stem-cell research. We ask ourselves: Where is Jesus Christ in all these apparent battles? and: How does our stance represent truly our Catholic faith? For, we often seem to be struggling with the pips rather than coming to grips with the substance of what we believe about sin and salvation, incarnation and atonement, resurrection and new life".
OK? Fascinated? How about giving it marks out of ten?
The comments box is all yours...........pip. pip!
Move along folks, nothing to see here, nothing to see.
ReplyDeleteI feel for you, but really my bishop isn't any better. Are you in the Arundel & Brighton diocese by any chance? I ask because that fruity nonsense kind of sounds like Kieron - but then it could also flow from the pen of practically any bishop in the land (with one or two notable exceptions).
Well just my opinion;it started out kind of goofy,but it got stronger. I was prepared to read on to see what was his conclusion or pastoral guidance.
ReplyDeleteNeil, you are the second person to flag up + Kieran Conry. The first was in a private email and it gave my bishop 10 out of 10 for gobbledygook! No, it was not him, as you say, it could have come from any (most) of them.
ReplyDeleteAnon, it did not improve and did not come to any logical conclusion.
Not exactly a rousing statement to fire up the troops of the Church Militant is it?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteClinton, I think that his point is that to be part of the Church Militant is wrong. Heaven help us all. Richard