Unam Sanctam puts the screws to the sort of "gotcha" invalidating many people attempt to use when discounting other ecclesial bodies. I am currently still shaking off reading three or four blogs that spent many a paragraph on nitpicking, fault finding, or simple name calling in an attempt to point the judgmental finger. Orthodox, Catholics, and Evangelicals alike have their own playbooks on discounting each other. I've grown rather tired of it.
I no longer entertain discussions on who has longer or more antiphons than whom. Who retained such and such practice in its most "authentic" form. Who stands, sits, prostrates, bows, genuflects, does the Lambada, what-have-you at what time during the liturgy. We are not street gangs looking for the most street cred. We are the faithful striving to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." He does not mention whether the iconostasis doors are pulled closed, if the Great Entrance occasions a complete revolution around the nave, or if we receive his Most Mystical Body on our hand, tongue, or inserted forcefully with a spoon. You are not very likely to convert anyone by trolling for the "mistakes" of others and accosting them for them. I applaud Unam Sanctam for his continued defense of orthodox practice against such techniques.
take from me the spirit of sloth,
despondency, lust for power and idle talk.
But grant unto me, Thy servant,
a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults
and not to judge my brothers and sisters.
For blessed art Thou unto ages of ages. Amen.
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Christ between us!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the link, I must often deal with this issue and his response is refreshing. I have been reading your blog for about six months now and I appreciate all that you do. I pray God continues to bless you and your work.
Grace and Peace!
Fr. Michael W.
Chaplain, US Army
CSTC-A
Kabul, Afghanistan
Bless, Father.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the very kind comment and for reading. I appreciate the work you do very much as well and acknowledge yours is the greater part of good than my efforts. If you will forgive the cross-service reference (in mentioning Father Vincent Capodanno) it takes the "courage of a lion,
and the faith of a martyr." to do what you do.
@Fr. Michael, let me echo Josephus that you're indeed very courageous, in firstly offering your life to God's Church and then offering it again to bring God's Word and Sacraments to the men at the front. I'm glad to have been of small service to you.
ReplyDelete@Josephus, I totally agree with what you've said about nitpicking. As I said then the commenter first posted his comments, in my younger days (about 2 years ago =)) I too was very into apologetics. Perhaps more to convince myself than others. I studied the issues deeply and tried my best to grasp all the intricacies of defending the faith.
Perhaps I've mellowed, but I find it less compelling to do it nowadays. Perhaps I myself am already convinced?
But in his comments, the commenter has triggered some response from other commenters and he did raise many issues and practices common to the apostolic Churches that non-Catholics have trouble with. So, out of a genuine desire to dispel misunderstanding and confusion that might hamper his journey into the fullness of the Church, I attempted the response. I might have fallen off the charity wagon off and on but I try to be as charitable as I can while being clear and non-ambiguous.
Regarding your comments about liturgical nitpicking, I noted the same thing. I hope you will not find me too presumptuous in sharing my experiences with you?
Finding the most perfect liturgy is almost impossible this side of the veil. Some of us get so into the liturgical minutiae that we lose sight of the Great Mystery before us and that's a real shame.
I can easily understand that position having been in it myself. I voraciously consumed book after book as much to allay my doubts as to learn more. Eventually you experience enough and meet enough clergy to better understand where books - in their own little worlds - end and real practice begins.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you erred on the corrective post at all really. How much real dialogue did he truly want to have, or was he just broadcasting his beliefs without trying to understand yours at all. Occasionally this blog gets comments and emails whose sole purpose is to antagonize or insinuate some opinion of theirs into a negligibly related post. I consider those actions to be "fair game" for whatever response Christian charity allows. :)