Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Would You Like a Vesper?

Well, it's been quite a day....Nine hours til Bollettino.

After all this rightward rage, which has now proven itself omnidirectional, I'm just waiting to be called a Wiccan. A Heretic. Heterodox. Or something else fun along those lines.... Go ahead, make my day.

With apologies for ruining the ideological delusions of my critics, I don't "travel on the other side of the fence." To say I do lacks reason and nuance and reeks of rash judgment and bias. Then again, when one is light years away from a conceptual "fence," the sense of perspective of who falls where is lost. Again, why is everything so ghettoized in this way? Why is there a fence in the first place? Jesus didn't make a fence, snowflakes. It's so terribly human -- as is salivating over tiaras and lace albs -- not to mention a superfluous distraction from issues of substance. The poor and heartbroken are always with us, but it's seen in circles as more Christian to canonize Tom Delay. All I can say to that is.... nothing. It speaks for itself.

Come closer, come closer, and you will see -- Jesuits and progressives are people too, you know. It's not unity when some Catholics feel closer to Jerry Falwell than John Paul's cardinals.... It's bad enough that an Iron Curtain has been erected as is. Can't we all just get along? Well, I can -- even with people who don't look, think, vote or pray like me....

Am I alone in this?

Now here's an exclusive, for those into the prophecies of Malachi -- does this mean the ban on clairvoyance gets lip service from those who love this stuff, by the way? (I don't love it, it's news.) In sum, a post this morning was titled "Gloria Olivae" -- the "Glory of the Olives," Malachy's seeming reference to Benedict. But my pun wasn't about the Pope, at least not directly.

To look at Bill Levada's coat of arms, one will find a green tree. To quote the blazon, the tree is "taken from the arms of the Oliveira family, from which the name of Levada is derived."

The tree is an olive tree.

Oh yes.... The champagne is chilling in the fridge.



Blogger elizabeth kantor said...

You are not alone! I don't know about fences, but I think I'm one of the folks you think of as being on the other side from yourself. I'm unhappy about the Levada rumor (and about the picture of him "performing a Mass" in the TIME story, w/ the photo of the dreadful 70s-style tablecloth and the altarwoman)--except when I remember that the Holy Father knows what he's doing--and delighted w/ the Fessio rumor. I wish the bishops would pay less attention to medical insurance, the minimum wage, &c., and more to abortion. I'm at the Tridentine Mass every Sunday. But I don't see why we shouldn't all be civil to each other, even if some of us must be entirely wrong about a lot of things of eternal import. Enjoying your blog,
Elizabeth Kantor

11/5/05 21:26  
Blogger Matthew Lickona said...

Why is everything so ghettoized? I think it's because people feel that the faith they love and profess is under attack. You may not agree with their assessment, but if ever there was something to defend, wouldn't it be the faith? Of course there is a danger is being overly defensive, but it's hard for me to believe that a defender's feeling is born out of empty air.
Careful with the "Jesus didn't build fences" formation. Jesus came to bring salvation to everyone, but he made distinctions, lots of 'em. If you don't take up your cross and follow. If you don't love Him more than father or mother. If you lead one of these little ones astray. If you fail to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc. a la Matthew 25. He was rather vocal in his criticisms of those who loved places of honor, but were whited sepulchres. You may not think overmuch about the fence yourself, and that may be to your benefit. But that doesn't mean the fence doesn't exist, does it?
I take your point about Jesuits and progressives being people, and I think this is one of the great things about the blogosphere - you get to interact with people you might otherwise never meet.
matthew lickona

11/5/05 22:40  
Blogger Richard said...

Hello Rocca,

The only thing I might add is that, a la Amy, you seem to be a harder fellow to pin down on some things even if it's apparent that you have a different perspective on some issues than many of Amy's refugees. I find your blog a fascinating read, personally.

As for fences I might only respond by suggesting that your strong antipathy to Fr. Joseph Fessio also (some might argue) "lacks reason and nuance and reeks of rash judgment and bias." Be he a media hound or not, I think anyone who waves the flag for academic freedom - especially against Cardinal Ratzinger - has to concede that St. Ignatius Institute got as a raw a deal (or worse) as any proportionalist or liberation theology dissenter has at the hands of the CDF.

Having said that, I also agree that it's depressing how much Church politics (for lack of a better word) has become like Washington's three ring circus intense partisanship, demonization and irreconciliable differences.

best regards
Richard Lender

12/5/05 07:56  

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