I have written elsewhere on the theme of the importance of our secular society and its leaders acquiring a form of religious literacy – if only so they can understand what they are doing before they intervene in areas of the world where people are willing to die for their beliefs, here I want to reflect a little more on how the Catholic Church can respond to this heightened awareness of the place and importance of faith.
In my own diocese the Bishop is driving an impressive agenda of reforming the whole catechetical and educational process. He is proceeding as a successor to the Apostles should. He could have had a long consultation process, in which those most opposed to reform would have been most vocal in explaining why the current useless system should not be changed, and eloquent in analysing the 101 reasons why nothing should be done. His proposal for an annual pilgrimage of witness through Norwich was, when he first proposed it, criticised as too ‘daring’ – it worked, so it is now being called successful; if he had listened to the nay-sayers, nothing would have happened. We were told no one would come, young people wouldn’t come and wouldn’t like it, locals would feel uneasy at a procession with a Crucifix and a statue of the Blessed Virgin: well the young were highly represented, the locals welcoming, and the gloom-mongers confounded.
Now, taking some good orthodox models of catechesis for children and adults, and some good ones for RCIA, we are engaged in adapting them for our diocese and getting them out to the parishes. Those most directly responsible for the current dire state of affairs in all these areas, are prophesying doom, some even asking why it is necessary – perhaps they have grown so used to managing decline that they regard anyone going to church for any reason as a success? Who knows? We don’t really have the time or the resources to engage in an argument with them, and the Bishop is leading from the front – these things will happen.
Will they work? The evidence thus far is that if the trumpet gives a steady note, people respond. They don’t want to hear about nuance and metaphor, they want to hear the Good News. That involves ingesting some really bad news first: we are all sinners; that means sin is real; we are all in danger of hell; that means hell is real; we can none of us heal what ails us by ourselves; that means original sin is real. The Good News is that from all of these things we have been delivered by Christ, and we can encounter him every day if we will at the altar. We can follow his ways, we can walk with him. when we fall, and fall and fail we shall, we have a recourse to confession and absolution. Here, it is not just that no child will be left behind, no human need be.
Our job, under the direction of the Bishop, is to draw up the materials which will underpin this through an orthodox exposition of the timeless faith of the Church. It is, I suppose what the Marxists used to call ‘vanguardism’ – a small group of people motivated to provide leadership in the right direction. It has a longer history than that – a man called St Paul was the first Christian to do it. He wasn’t, history tells us, universally popular, and many thought him too daring, and his ideas remain ones which fail to find a consensus among those for whom fudge is one of life’s necessities – but his method worked, and in the absence of any better model, we thought we’d revert to it.
famphillipsfrancis said:
I envy the diocese you describe. Charity forbids me to reveal my own.
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chalcedon451 said:
We are making progress – but from a low base.
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Philip Augustine said:
I also envy the work done by your Bishop. I am currently in the midst of beginning my studies as a Catechist; however, it’s proving difficult there are no local classes even in the very close and neighboring home of my diocese’s Bishop.
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chalcedon451 said:
It is hard pounding, as the Duke of Wellington said of Waterloo.
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Dave Smith said:
With all the religious ‘new speak’, where the concept of ‘accomanying’ the sinner seems to imply that we confirm them in their ‘own’ walk and their own direction, how refreshing is the idea of accompanying the sinner on the path of all those who desire to follow Him (denying themselves with crosses on their backs); enouraging them when they stumble to get up once again whilst rebuking them when they exert little or no effort of their own in gaining grace through scripture, prayer, devotion, confession and the Mass etc.
I suppose in these days of instant gratification, the idea of a long and arduous journey is not popular, but then, I have never known an artisan that mastered a craft as soon as they put their hand to the task. It is a process and it is in that process where accompanying the sinner is useful. To the one who does not put their hand to the task, all the dreaming in the world of success is simply that: a vaporous dream. Some encourage dreaming and others encourage taking the first steps on that long path to realize their dreams.
It seems your bishop is keen on leading and beckoning others to follow rather than stopping on the wayside and offering excuses for their inactivity and refusal to set their feet upon the path. Excuses usually don’t bring about a change of direction in one’s life. But a beckoning by those who are happily following Christ with their own burdens might intice one to give it a try. Kudos to your bishop, C.
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chalcedon451 said:
As I commented to Francis, we are starting from a low base, but the Bishop is behaving as a good shepherd should.
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Dave Smith said:
If anything scuttles his project it will be the noise from all the outside voices such as your Dominican Priest Fr. Timothy Radcliffe: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pro-homosexual-vatican-appointee-catholics-should-stop-asking-about-what-ga
Lord have mercy. Who would have thought that preaching the good news would be fraught with so much controversy?
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chalcedon451 said:
We intend to keep a tight grip on this 😄
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Dave Smith said:
Indeed. Hang on for dear life, my friend. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
The problem will come soon – but we’re confident in the Bishop’s support.
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Dave Smith said:
Let’s hope the Pope doesn’t get wind of it. 😩
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chalcedon451 said:
We’re not telling him – local church autonomy and all that 😉
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Dave Smith said:
Good thinking. He’ll probably be too busy making that new movie to take much notice anyway. 😇
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chalcedon451 said:
That’s what we’re thinking – and he will, I am sure, ignore any ‘gossip’ 🙂
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Dave Smith said:
But of course. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
We’ve a window of opportunity with this very good bishop, but we don’t know how long we shall have him, so we are striking now!
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Dave Smith said:
That is always the problem. Our best bishops were taken and moved to larger sees and our worst ones were left to devestate us. So you are right. You just don’t know how long you’ll have him or what will happen once he leaves.
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chalcedon451 said:
We intend to entrench what we’re doing – at every level – hearts, minds – and stranglehold on the windpipe 😄
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Dave Smith said:
I wish you luck that. We had a bishop that wanted to cripple us with his synod forever and ended up retiring here and despite his presence (forever) it was forgotten as soon as the next (orthodox) bishop came . . . who was then sent to the diocese of Birmingham (EWTN) Alabama. So what our old bishop couldn’t do even with his presence is a tall order to get instilled in the manner your speaking of. Good luck with it. I hope that is not the case for your efforts and his. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
That’s why we’re not hanging about 😄
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Dave Smith said:
I hope forgiving Martin Luther and asking the Lutheran’s for forgiveness isn’t part of your curriculum. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
Nope, oddly enough 😄 we are younger and more energetic than the liberals – and we’re out breeding them 😇
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Dave Smith said:
Better get with it then . . . that’s the hope of your Muslim immigrants as well. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
Yes, but there are very many more of us to start with 😄
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Dave Smith said:
Better shut off the faucet if you want it stay that way. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
We’re doing our best – but we have this EU thing in the way
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Dave Smith said:
I know and I wish you luck in getting that monkey off your back.
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chalcedon451 said:
There’s a lot of anger here today about the Government’s so called good deal – so we shall see. I had one piece in the Telegraph on line last week, and another coming up in a prominent ‘anti’ blog this week – at some point must get on with the day job!
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Dave Smith said:
I know . . . it seems that the dike is not holding and you can only hold up your own small corner of it. But life goes on.
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Philip Augustine said:
Too focused on sin? You mean if the topic arises and I quote and follow the doctrine of the Church, is that this guy means? I’m all for this year of Mercy; however, it doesn’t replace the need to acknowledge and repent our sins, including my own.
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Dave Smith said:
Amen, amen, amen. 👌
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Bosco the Great said:
They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble
a procession with a Crucifix and a statue of the Blessed Virgin
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Bosco the Great said:
Hab 2:18,19-WHAT PROFITETH THE GRAVEN IMAGE THAT THE MAKER THEREOF HATH GRAVEN IT; THE MOLTEN IMAGE, AND A TEACHER OF LIES, THAT THE MAKER OF HIS WORK TRUSTETH THEREIN, TO MAKE DUMB IDOLS?
19-WOE UNTO HIM THAT SAITH TO THE WOOD, AWAKE; TO THE DUMB STONE, ARISE, IT SHALL TEACH! BEHOLD, IT IS LAID OVER WITH GOLD AND SILVER, AND THERE IS NO BREATH AT ALL IN THE MIDST OF IT.
The Church of St. Thomas More in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, is awaiting confirmation from the Vatican to declare an official miracle concerning a statue of the Virgin Mary, which is said to be at various times growing taller, smiling, and crying. Catholics are reportedly flocking to the church to see the alleged miracle.
“We are waiting for confirmation from the Vatican before making an official statement” Father Raymond Pereira of the parish said, according to The Star Online
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/vatican-catholic-church-virgin-mary-statue-miracles-malaysia-147766/#CEsd7WLm4bCMROok.99
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/vatican-catholic-church-virgin-mary-statue-miracles-malaysia-147766/#6KYbXYFKexPMwVkS.99
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chalcedon451 said:
When you find someone other than yourself and a few other misguided loons who think Catholics worship a statue, come back. Old rubbish Bosco, very boring, very inaccurate, just like the spirit which is in you.
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Bosco the Great said:
None of the above are my words.
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chalcedon451 said:
You are the one putting the spin on them.
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Bosco the Great said:
You guys got a walking talking mumbling crying growing statue. The State Run religion is about to make a statement on it. So tell me, if that isn’t idolatry, ill eat my hat.
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chalcedon451 said:
Since no one is worshipping it, which is the definition of idolatry, you’d best arrange a hat barbequeue.
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Bosco the Great said:
Well, if you say so my brother
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Gareth Thomas said:
Oh yes, I do like the bold expropriation of Marxist terms to explain the way traditional Catholic mission has always operated. C451, I think you just invented reverse liberation theology. Respect, comrade. 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
I think I did – and thank you Gareth – avanti populo!
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David B. Monier-Williams said:
C, I definitely think you should publish that video I just sent you. It might confuse the hell out St. Bisto.
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chalcedon451 said:
Let me see, David.
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Bosco the Great said:
Id love to watch this video.
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Steve Brown said:
C, a very worthy project. But, I have to wonder, will there be ones wanting to teach and the $million (or pound) question is; will this cause a large increase in those who want to LEARN? We can only hope & pray so.
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Steve Brown said:
C, take me with a grain of salt. I know good bishops are out there and doing great jobs, but it’s very hard when you have Pope Francis driving as hard as he can in the opposite direction. example: would be the article Dave posted above about Dominican Priest Fr. Timothy Radcliffe. In this case, all those great bishops should inform Pope Francis as long as Fr. Radcliffe is in the Vatican, no more funds will be coming from them.
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chalcedon451 said:
We have the teachers – the learners, we shall see.
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chalcedon451 said:
He’s a good man – and his backing is what we need 🙂
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chalcedon451 said:
He’s a good man and sees how very much there is to be done – our job is get the materials we need together and get evangelising the young and the converts and the teachers – and then, hopefully, there will be less work to do in future among the faithful – it’s a long haul, so wish us God-speed.
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chalcedon451 said:
I suspect the problems will come once we begin implementing this – but bring them on 🙂
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