Read this, do one act of contrition, and call me in the morning...
Reading this post from Godspy was like peering into my own soul. Ick. Thank you for writing this Mr. Pessaro. I'll go do an act of contrition now.
posted by Br. Matthew Augustine, OP @ 10:33 PM
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3 Comments:
Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, in his book, "What is the point of being a Christian?" quotes Richard Sennet at one point, who wrote about the strengthening of the community by purification,
"The image of the community is purified of all that may convey a feeling of of difference, let alone conflict, in which "we" are. In this way the myth of community solidarity is a purification ritual...What is distinctive about this mythic sharing in communities is that peolpe feel they belong to each other, and share together, because they are the same...The "we" feeling, which expresses the desire to be similar, is a way for men to avoid the necessity of looking deeper into each other." (The Myth of Purified Community, in "The Uses of Disorder: Personal Identity and the City Style," London, 1996.
Fr. Timothy goes on to comment,
"This purification can take the extreme form of ethnic cleansing. Often it takes the form of expelling those who do not conform, the fifth columnists concealed in the community, subverting its purity and weakening its cohesion"
He suggests that all of us, no matter what our ecclesiological bent, not matter what label we give ourselves or receive from others (liberal, conservative, traditional, progressive, "Kingdom Catholic", "Communion Catholic") must listen to one anothers in a risky, stimulating adventure of encountering those who think differently.
Perhaps in our polarized society, this is a sign of our times, a sign of being "born from above," of being "in the Spirit:" respectful, charitable listening to the stories that we only dare tell in an environment of love, in an environment of respect, in an environment in which we try to understand what pain and joy lies behind the statements, pronouncements and preferences we find so, well, "different."
I regret that Janice, whose written words on this blog were sometimes shrill and frightened, other times aggressive, wasn't invited to share the experiences that led her to distrust the idea of intentional discipleship.
P.S. the quote from Timothy's book is found on page 170.
P.P.S. Br. Matthew, I respect your humility. Church history shows that no "side" in the Church wins for long. A reaction is inevitable, because "winning the day" is an attitude born of the flesh, while love, the search for understanding and any truth that might be found in my theological opponent's statement, and remembering our whole purpose is to bring Christ to the world, is of the Spirit.
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