Comments
Ok... After several days of not posting comments, Reflections of the Spirit will continue to post your comments.
But, lets understand something. This blog was not created to be a platform for criticizing fellow parishioners. It was created to show the injustice that the actions of our bishop has had on all of the members of Holy Spirit parish.
If your comments cannot make your point without criticizing or calling your fellow parishioners names, then they will not be posted. We are all members of a Catholic Parish. Let’s conduct ourselves accordingly.
~Kanickers
29 comments:
"We are all members of a Catholic Parish. Let’s conduct ourselves accordingly."
That has been the problem: Catholic behavior as exemplified by Catholic "leaders". Maybe you should rather ask that people behave as secular humanists. By definition secular humanists should treat people as humans if not as 'children of god'.
Anonymous is on the right track. Look at the Catholic Church of late. Claims of uniqueness, huge sex abuse payoffs, an ex-Nazi Youth as Pope. Of what good is this church to the human condition? Both "sides" squabble about crumbs, literally! What is the Catholic Church doing for humanity?
To Kanickers:
I have missed reading the postings on this blog. This blog always seemed to be a place where I could find healing and to attempt an understanding of why the church continues to hurt those people that the Church was supposed to serve. It would be my request that this blog continue to speak the truth. I know that this truth often seems to be one sided, but I want to thank Kanickers for reminding me that we should listen to each other’s views. Maybe we should all try to remember that as we send in our comments.
Here goes:
Why are we always so afraid of the truth? Why are we so afraid to think that our priests, bishops, deacons, nuns can lie? Why do we place God in a Box? Do we take this box and open it up and see only what we wish to see? Do we not see a God who loves, who forgives and is so filled with compassion for us that He loves us no matter what we do to each other? Is that an excuse for us to continue to hurt each other and to continue to close ourselves from truth? The Church is not perfect because WE, its members, are not perfect people. It is only when we truly listen to God’s Spirit that we can began to understand God’s love for all of us. Why do we place limitations on this God? Do we really believe that we are always right? I do not have all the answers, does anyone.
This blog was supposed to help us deal with the ugliness that human beings can do to each other in the name of God.. Our church does not always do the right thing. Our church has made many mistakes time after time. It continues because God and the Holy Spirit live in this "Church" in spite of the ugly things that have been done in God's name.
Just read the history of our church. Do not be afraid to arm yourself with the truth. This does not mean that you leave this church; this does not mean that you hate those who harm it. This simply means that we are human and do not always have God's grace with us. The love for our church continues because we believe in God’s goodness, his spirit of love and truth. I have asked why? Why do you continue to love this church when it has treated you and so many others with such distain….My answer is simply this. I am and will always believe in the true teachings of the Catholic Church. (All of the teachings.) That is who I am. I love my church and will always love it, just like a mother or father loves his children, not blindly but always teaching and holding them responsible for their actions against others and to teach them to understand how the truth is always the only path to take.
I know that I fall short many times. But I never give up on God or myself. I know in my heart that God walks with me. I know that I can handle the truth and try to make things better for me and my children and those that will follow me. Does that mean that I am always right? Of course not. But I have always looked for the truth and have never been afraid to look at that truth and know that our church, our priest, our bishops our popes and even some lay people have done some unforgivable things to its people. But it is because of God's Grace that this Great Church continues.
So let us continue to speak to the truth and respect our church and each other. Let us realize that we all hold the love of God in our hearts and let us not be unkind or use this blog to hurt each other. I for one will speak to anyone who wishes to speak to me either on this blog, or in person. I believe that our community at Holy Spirit is a community that believes in God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That it believes in our mother Mary, Our saints, and most importantly, that we truly receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the sharing of his body and blood during our Mass.
Why can we not focus on that? Why can we not start there? No more name calling, no more screaming. We must learn to respect each other no matter how difficult this maybe.
To those who use all Caps... you know that means that you are screaming. I understand that maybe you always write that way. But why must you continue to do it here? You want people to hear you. Then listen also. Respect the rules of the Internet. We all know that all caps means you are screaming. So if you want to be heard then begin by listening...
I will close now. If anyone wants to answer to this, please do so. But do it with God's love in your heart.
Once again I want to thank Kanickers for his or her hard work and for reminding us of one simple fact. We should love and respect each other here and everywhere we walk.
Chayo, you write too much. I can't read it al.
Dear Chayo,
This blog is only for the use of those who have been persecuting our pastor and bishop. Get the facts straight, you want what you want and that is it. I know lots who have responded to this site but ONLY your message comes through. You and I both know this is not right, but it is your way or no way. So count me out, I will continue to hold my head up high and worship at HS and I will continue to come forth to help out the parish with Monsignor as its leader. I am happy he is there and there is no slashing at him from me. Tell Kanickers that it not the truth of what you speak if our posts are not posted.
So, sorry for you....
SO CHAYO YOU DON'T LIKE USING CAPS...I DO NOT HAVE THE LANGUAGE OF THE INTERNET SO I DO IN FACT WRITE IN CAPS EVERYWHERE. I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE AN INTERNET FREAK, SO I AM SORRY YOU DON'T LIKE THE CAPS. I AM NOT YELLING, SO THE PROBLEM IS WITH THOSE WHO THINK THAT WAY. I WILL CONTINUE TO WRITE IN CAPS BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY I WRITE BEST....
M.R.
Chayo,
I read your lengthy note. In your comment about hating those who harm our church, then does that mean I hate you, Ann, Guy, Jerry, Bridget, and the rest for what you have publicly done to our church, our bishop and our pastor....It sounds a bit confusing to me...Maybe this will win you an emmy. Does nothing for me and others who have seen the actions and public hate you have shone to our HS parish....
J.J.R.
I couldn't help thinking today of a comment made by James Carroll:
"Those in power speak the language of love and forgiveness. Those who are oppressed speak the language of justice." I think this applies so often.-awc
And, unfortunately we did not hear today about the anniverary of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It was less than 15 years ago that we had a visitor from Hiroshima come and talk with us in the parish hall about "Nuclear war, never again!" He taught the children in the parish how to make the peace doves out of paper. Two men in the parish, whom I love, got angry and screamed that if we had not dropped the atom bomb that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, we would have lost more than 20,000 US soldiers in the Pacific war. Besides being embarrassed that our guest, from Hiroshima, was insulted and embarrassed, it was sad that no one had taught these two gentlemen one of the basics of Catholicism, the principle of proportionality. A Catholic cannot say, "Let's kill 1000 people because we can save 100 lives." Every life is precious. We cannot kill 1 person to save anyone's life. And how many times do we need to blow up the world? Why do we keep stockpiling these weapons? The Peace Pastoral, drafted primarily by Bishop Gumbleton and accepted by the entire US Catholic Conference of Bishops, spells it out. It is immoral to blow up the world one time, let alone 3 times. It is immoral to first strike. It is immoral to build up nuclear arms at the expense of health care, education, housing, food for people. Immoral. And, as Sr. Joan Chittester, osb, states, "Why ask God to do anything about the weapons? We made them, He did not. We can get rid of them if we really want to.=Ann Williams Cass (awc)
Daisy says:
I go along with those who want justice done...like ID this author of this site...After all it is only fair.....
I too want to be like Chayo when I grow up....
Where is the beatification taking place?
Of course that estimate of 20 thousand US military deaths if we did not atomic-bomb Japan is just an estimate; we knew beforehand how many civilian deaths the bombs were likely to cause. Actually, I understand that we killed less than we hoped to! There were many other reasons to use the Bomb other than force Japan's surrender, not least of which was to warn the world of the might we possessed. Of course, the reaction was for other countries to hurry and get the bomb, too, and look where we are today.
One of the tasks of the Church is to be at the forefront of pointing out these grave errors, condemning them, and struggling hard for alternatives. That is what Jesus taught us. But the Church is failing in this task, and that is a large part of what this blog is about: bringing the Church around to realize its God-given mission in this world.
They accused Jesus of hating his religion, and look what they did to them. All you attacking Jerry, Ann, Guy, Chayo, Ana, Marta, Michelle, Ben, Bridget, etc. would gladly crucify them and Jesus along with them again. You are blind so there is no way you will see it but you think you are being good by supporting corrupt clergy.
To J J R
I do not hate anyone.
This is what I said. "Do not be afraid to arm yourself with the truth. This does not mean that you leave this church; this does not mean that you hate those who harm it. This simply means that we are human and do not always have God's grace with us."
God's grace to you
To awc:
Did you have any one who you deeply loved die on 911? Well many did and are still being affected by its disaster.
mvp
Dear Anonymous (so sorry you can't use your name),
No, I did not know anyone personally who died in the tragedy of 911. I have many friends in NYC who were affected more deeply than others here were perhaps. But, is your point that therefore it justifies the Iraqi War? I think the US Bishops, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict have been very clear: the war in Iraq is not a just war. And remember, we did not go into Iraq to revenge the terrorists, which would have been wrong according to Catholic teaching anyway, but to get rid of the weapons of mass destruction that Bush thought they had, even after the UN team told him quite the contrary. Now, a number has been done on us US citizens. If you ask most people today why we are in Iraq, they will tell you to free the Iraqi people. I don't think so. We did not invade Iraq to free the Iraqi people.
But back to the point, we cannot justify the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians either because of what happened on 911. You might want to, but that is not Catholic, or quite frankly, the way Jesus would have thought or felt. Think about that. How would Jesus have felt and what would he have done? You'll get your answer. Do I think there needs to be restitution? Yes, but I do not believe that killing will solve anything. This war has gone longer than WWII and we still have not accomplished anything there. We have countless US troops losing their lives [as well as thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians] because they are ill-equipped and staffed. It has to stop. We need our troops home and safe. Go to the website for the US Catholic Conference and you will see the response that the bishops are making on this subject. I know you will not take my word for it, so study it yourself there.-awc
There are innocents being killed right in McAllen each week, downtown at the abortion clinic. Why do we not hear any outrage about that? The count far exceeds the lives lost in the wars. This does not justify the wars, but it asks the question of why you never express outrage about that, or why the P&J group doesn't include that location in their marches. The Church says that without the basic right to life all the other issues have nothing to stand upon.
Just asking.....
Re: Abortion Clinic
I agree! Why isn't Fr Louie and his fellow priests doing something about this? And where is our Bishop on this? Also, have YOU been there with YOUR sign of protest?
Just asking...
Of course, the Peace and Justice Commisssion does protest abortion. It is one of the stops on the Stations of the Cross that Louie banned. And we have had many events around abortion when we were meeting at HSP. Like the last anon. says: The hierarchy is MIA on this topic as well!
And over the years we have had a human billboard against abortion, and we have sent people to Washington, DC, for the national march against abortion. We ran notices periodically in the parish newsletter offering support and counseling to anyone who found out they were pregnant and we offered to go with the teen girls to tell their parents. We have done a lot of work on abortion. The problem is those of you who are newcomers do not know. I even offered to set up Birthright here in this diocese. I have asked the Bishop to restore Project Rachel. I personally counseled young women thinking of getting an abortion. You guys just do not have a clue!-awc
Ann, thanks for all the facts on how this parish was and what the bishop has willfully and immorally destroyed. Yes, the newcomers running the parish (into the ground) now have no idea.
And of course the current pathetic attempt against abortion by the "in" crowd is simply to condemn it; no help for expectant parents is considered nor examination of root causes. In fact, I can't say that I have even seen any condemnation of abortion lately. What a lazy, cowardly bunch.
A funny thing happened on the way to the newsletter. Someone wrote in, asking that the author of this site identify themselves, and attributed it to Daisy. Well this is not possible because Daisy already knows the website author. What a silly ploy to get some controversy going. This is why people feel vulnerable using their names, when even a "non de plum" is not safe from plagerism.
It is very sad state when bullies, vipers and bad spellers cause the demise of worthy characters but I'm afraid Daisy will write no more.
the real Daisy
About Daisy:
Hmmm...Now will the real Chayo stand up?
I am standing. I always have.
Here's a good quote for the day from Sojourners:
There is to be acceptance of people who come from very different places (using this metaphorically as well as literally). There is to be willingness to hear "reasonable criticisms or observations" and to learn from the example of others. ... In a world that builds barriers, puts up walls, keeps the other out, and is looking for certainty, we turn to the Rule [of Benedict] and find a man who insists on balance, mutual respect, reciprocity, openness. [Benedict] refused to live with a closed mind.
- Esther De Waal
from "A Life-Giving Way" quoted in Essential Monastic Wisdom: Writings on the Contemplative Life by Hugh Feiss
-awc
I assume this is NOT Benedict XVI she is talking about!
No, she is talking about St.Benedict! The founder of the Benedictines!lol-awc
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