Stop and Listen

I grew up in an Ireland which was 95% Catholic. We also had the Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, but that was about it. One of my memories when I first came to Florida was a billboard which read "Bartow's 37 Churches Welcome you."

It has troubled me over the years that Christians were so divided, so wasteful of their efforts to bring members to Christ in their particular church. I fantasized that the Christian Churches of a community should unite to give a presentation on the basics of Christianity over several weeks, followed by brief presentations in each church on what made their church more Christian. Unlike recent election primaries, I would hope that the most convincing presentations would focus on the many achievements of the other churches and their fidelity to the Gospel, while humbly admitting their own failure to live up to their mission.

About Authority ....

I frequently read comments posted by that most prolific writer, Anonymous. It irritates me, probably because I disagree with them, even when their subsequent comments disagree completely with their previous one. I'm not sure what it really is that is off-putting to me, possibly that a signed criticism carries more weight than an unsigned one. The writer is putting himself on the line.

Still there are reasons, sometimes substantial ones, why individuals do not want to identify themselves. It's a lot easier to append your signature to a statement or petition where you are one of many, than it is to stand alone in speaking up. Sometimes such action may jeopardize one's future or even one's current position. That's where age gives one great freedom. If you are near retirement, you can be pushed out without fanfare. I am inclined to think of some bishops who have received a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge into their twilight. But that frees them to speak out, unlike an otherwise pastoral cardinal who endorsed the papal teaching on birth control in Humani Generis but told a priest privately "I had to say it. It was expected of me." If you are retired, there's nothing "they" can do to you. If you are a prominent and respected theologian "they" can withdraw your license to teach as a Catholic theologian, and if you are a priest you are removed from the list of episcopabile.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE COUNCIL - PART II

Of the 70 draft documents submitted by the Curia for discussion, the bishops rejected 69 and asked that they be rewritten. The draft on the Liturgy was debated with massive support for sweeping changes. At an early session of the council an American bishop pointed out that most participants lacked fluency in Latin and offered to finance a system for simultaneous translation of the proceedings. At the suggestion of Cardinal Suenens, the bishops decided to start with the Constitution on the Church from which most of the other documents would follow. While the council was in recess in 1963, Pope John XXIII died and was succeeded by Pope Paul VI, a progressive committed to the ideas of his predecessor.

Let's Get Together

Fifty years ago John F. Kennedy was running for the Presidency of the United States of America.  He was a young, attractive and intelligent senator from Massachussets. However, he was a member of a group which had so far been unsuccessful in seeking the nation's  highest office --- he was a Catholic. This had  not  disqualified him from serving is the Navy and risking his life in his country's service in World War II, but for many citizens it barred him from the Presidency. Catholics were "second-class citizens."

Eucharist - a Mystery

Talk about sharing what your faith means to you! I can grasp why we never talked about religion when I was growing up in Ireland.  Mainly because we couldn't (or at least I couldn't) share our most intimate feelings with someone who might not grasp them. I lived in a parish where our pastor believed that children should receive the sacraments when they could express an understanding of them, not when they arrived at an age established by rules. Consequently, several of my classmates and I received the sacraments of Penance, Eucharist and Confirmation at the age of seven.

While I agree with his approach in theory, I cannot guarantee that I understood what the words really expressed. How many of us really can say that we understand the mystery of the Eucharist today?  Who can explain the mystery of transubstantiation? Can I explain my belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the bread and wine after the words pronounced over them by the celebrant at Mass?

Cursillo

The other day a friend asked me what I meant by saying that a Cursillo was the most significant event on my spiritual journey. I knew what I meant, but I could not express it in a nutshell. I think Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics, are not accustomed to giving personal testimonies or witness talks. Yet that is what Christ told his disciples to do --- to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. When I was younger two topics were taboo in polite society in Ireland: religion and politics.

But times change...

Where is the Church?

Welcome to my blog! I was born in Ireland, but I have lived much of my life in America, mainly in Florida. Those of you with an Irish background may find my blog title familiar, from the old Irish blessing "May the road rise to meet you and the wind be always at your back."

We all like to reminisce about the past and sometimes share our vision of the future. I recall sitting late by the fireside enthralled as my father and old friends shared memories of events and characters from their youth. In fact, I remember upon my arrival in New York sharing some of their stories with neighbors from home now living in the Bronx.

However, I want to share other musings from my concerns about the future and the past of an essential part of my life in both countries, the Church.