Conflicts over The Place Christ was Born!

One of the scandals of Christianity has been the conflicts between  various Christian denominations over control of the holy sites in the Middle East.  Catholics squabble with Greek Orthodox, and Greek Orthodox will fight with the Armenian Orthodox; each trying to preserve their piece of a holy site. This state of affairs has existed over the centuries.  Now Huffington Post has a story about a fight between Greek and Armenian Orthodox in the ancient Church of the Nativity.  The church is supposed to enclose the site where tradition holds Jesus Christ was born. 

So in a place that celebrates the birth of the Prince of Peace, Christian clergy are fighting with each other like street gangs over turf.  I can never understand why there is this lack of cooperation, lack of charity, and possessiveness.  Whatever happened to “They will know we are Christians by our love?” 

A Christmas Greeting

Here’s Hoping That Everyone Had A Very Merry And Holy Christmas!

A Lovely SFO Lady Passes Away

While surfing the Web, I came across the announcement that Emanuela De Nunzio, SFO, had passed away on November 10, 2011.  She had been an Italian member of the Secular Franciscan Order since 1949.  After Vatican II, the SFO underwent a renewal, one of the results being that all the worldwide fraternities were united under one Minister General.  Ms. De Nunzio was elected as Minister General in 1990, and again in 1996.

Among her achievements was to get the Secular Franciscan Order recognized as an equal, and valuable part of the Franciscan Movement, and became the first Secular Franciscan to join the Conference of the Franciscan Family, with the other Ministers General.  She also promulgated the revised SFO Constitutions in 2001.

A true servant of God, and daughter of Saint Francis, she will be missed.

Princes of the Church on Twitter

Slowly but the surely, the Web is making inroads among the Princes of the Church.  A posting from the Vatican Insider has a story about Cardinals using Twitter.  It listed some of the top users, those with the largest number of followers.  Among them is Boston’s own Archbishop, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap.  The reporter estimated that Cardinal Sean has about 1,993 Twitter followers, placing him in third place among those Cardinals who are active on Twitter.  Read more.

Changes Coming In The Archdiocese of Boston

Some of the local Boston MA media outlets have a report of the Archdiocese of Boston announcing a new reorganization plan for the Catholic parishes; among them WBZ, Channel 4.

According to the reports, the local parishes will be organized into collaborative groups, sharing resources and staff, under one pastor. Redundant staff members could be laid off, and theoretically the group could decide to close a church to conserve resources.

Members of the Council of Parishes, an organization dedicated to preventing the closing of parishes, has already denounced the plan. They claim that the implementation of this reorganization could lead to the closing of hundreds of parishes. Some are accusing Cardinal Sean O’Malley of defying the Vatican, which recently prevented a local diocese from closing church buildings.

First, the exact details of the plan have not been released. Priests of the Archdiocese are to be briefed next week, and then the laity. Second, we cannot continue the same path we have been, hoping to keep all parishes opened, all parishes independent. The Catholic Church in Boston does not have the finances or the clergy to do that. This challenging situation requires thinking outside the box, new solutions. The experience of Catholic community must never remain static, but evolves in response to changing times. As long as the local communities, whatever their makeup, their shape, are united with their bishop, the Catholic Church lives.

I hope I can keep myself open to these changes, that the Holy Spirit will help me see the Father’s will in what is about to happen. And that I always remember that, no matter where we are, what community I eventually belong to, we are all united in the Body of Christ.

Thanksgiving Day - A Franciscan Reflection

Among the stories about St. Francis of Assisi is the one where Francis and his companion, Brother Masseo, had gone through an Italian town, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Evening was coming, so they went around the town, begging alms for their evening meal.  Francis, thin and gaunt, was not too successful; while Masseo, a handsome lad, was able to gather a few whole loafs of bread.  They met outside of town, and found a flat stone next to a running brook of clear water. 

After they had placed their food on the stone, Francis looked at the scene, sighed and said to Masseo that they had so much to be thankful for; they were not worthy of such great gifts.  Masseo thought that Francis had been in the sun too long.  Here they were, sitting in an open field; no table or place settings; and only with just enough bread to keep hunger at bay.  Francis replied that they should be thankful, for everything they had, the bread, the stone that was their table, the brook that would provide their drink; this all came not from their efforts, but from God, their Father. 

The Father, in great ways and small, continues to show His love for us.  He helps us through the bad times, helps us see the beauty, the good at all times in our lives.  So let us be thankful.

Is the Current Meeting of US Bishops Missing the Point?

There have been many news stories about how disaffected most Americans have been with their government, be it local, state, or federal. Especially on the federal level, many citizens believe that the politicians are more interested in beating each other up, rather than assisting people, who are suffering from unemployment. They see American politicians as being indifferent to their plight.

The National Catholic Reporter’s website provides a link to a commentary on the Baltimore Sun’s website; Baltimore is the city which is hosting a meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The commentator, Francis X. Doyle, who was formerly with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, makes the observation that while Americans are going through the stresses of massive unemployment, home foreclosures, and national uncertainty, the bishops are not addressing any of these issues at their national meeting.

Now, I would make the observation that while the issues being discussed by the bishops are important, the people need their pastors, their shepherds to speak words of comfort, of hope to them. The last thing they need is to have their immediate concerns ignored by the very men charged with caring for them.

Catholic laity’s opinion of the US bishops is slowly beginning to improve. The bishops risk losing that growing goodwill if they fail to address what is worrying most of American Catholic families, right now.