Two-part harmony: the church hierarchy could use some voice lessons for its delicate duet with the laity. A new book offers tips to get the whole church in tune.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GEORGE DENNIS Wikipedia has several articles related to people named George Dennis:
You have to like an author who starts off by saying he does not think his ideas are heretical he·ret·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to heresy or heretics. 2. Characterized by, revealing, or approaching departure from established beliefs or standards. but would not be distressed if they are--since he has been forced to listen to a lifetime of heretical sermons. When he explains this comment (which for all too many of us does not need explaining), it becomes clear O'Brien means he has been forced to listen to a lot of trite nonsense from priests unwilling or unable to wrestle with the gospel. But the line also works as a way of saying to the magisterium mag·is·te·ri·um n. Roman Catholic Church The authority to teach religious doctrine. [Latin, the office of a teacher or other person in authority, from magister, master; see , "We've listened to you for the last 40 years, and now it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a for you to pay a little attention to what we have to say." A lifetime after the Second Vatican Council Noun 1. Second Vatican Council - the Vatican Council in 1962-1965 that abandoned the universal Latin liturgy and acknowledged ecumenism and made other reforms Vatican II Vatican Council - each of two councils of the Roman Catholic Church and Pope John Pope John has been the papal name of twenty one popes of the Roman Catholic Church . It is the most common papal name.
n. pl. ag·gior·na·men·tos The process of bringing an institution or organization up to date; modernization. [Italian, from aggiornare, to update : a- , O'Brien wants to jumpstart a dialogue, not just because that is what he thinks the church should do, but because it is what he thinks the church is. He dedicates his book to "all those, silenced, suppressed, excommunicated, imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- , or executed by church officials for speaking with other voices." But he is not writing to help Catholic dissenters dissenters: see nonconformists. , theologians, or parishioners find their voices. Instead he has set out to instruct the teaching office of the church how to recover its voice, or at least to replace its current authoritarian, didactic, strident, and often condemnatory voice with something that Catholics and the rest of the world might be willing to listen to. O'BRIEN STARTS BY ARGUING THAT THE GENIUS and contribution of Vatican II Noun 1. Vatican II - the Vatican Council in 1962-1965 that abandoned the universal Latin liturgy and acknowledged ecumenism and made other reforms Second Vatican Council Vatican Council - each of two councils of the Roman Catholic Church was not primarily in the content of its teaching but in its conversational approach. By embracing a dialogical and discernment model of learning and teaching, the theologians, bishops, and popes of the council presented the Catholic tradition as a living thing, a sustained conversation passed down from one generation of believers to the next. Unfortunately Popes Paul VI, John Paul II John Paul II, 1920–2005, pope (1978–2005), a Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope elected since the Dutch Adrian VI (1522–23) and the first Polish and Slavic pope. , and Benedict XVI retreated from this model, embracing a more didactic approach that spent little or no time listening to or learning from other voices, and over the long haul losing the attention and respect of much of their audience. Before explaining in detail how the church should speak to its members and the world, O'Brien--who is not a theologian but a thoughtful and well-read philosopher, former university president, and lifelong Catholic--offers his own take on what the church should say. In three dense chapters on worship and Christology, he unpacks the central elements of the Christian faith, celebrated in our liturgy and centered around the Good News that is Jesus Christ. But if O'Brien has set out to show how our Christian faith is proclaimed and shaped by Baptism, the gospel, and the Eucharist, or how God the Creator and the Word-made-flesh (he pays too little attention to the Holy Spirit) transform history into a divine comedy, he does so without the deadening language of traditional churchspeak. Using literature, psychology, contemporary science, and especially art, O'Brien paints a vivid picture of our Catholic faith and proves that we need not be chained to ancient formulas or language that don't speak to the faithful or answer their questions. IF THE MAGISTERIUM IS TO RECOVER AN AUTHENTIC teaching voice (although conservatives might argue it need not, while some liberals would argue it should not), O'Brien believes it must speak as a loving and nurturing patriarch. In the modern world the papacy and hierarchy cannot and should not claim the infallibility of academics or judges, but must exercise an unflinching care for the formation of the faithful, grounding them in the character of Jesus Christ. Like Jacob and Peter, the church's patriarchy will make mistakes but must pour its whole self into communicating the truth who is Christ to each generation of Christians. The voice of such a reformed patriarchy will be certain in its commitment and love but open, humble, and respectful in its recognition of the imperfection im·per·fec·tion n. 1. The quality or condition of being imperfect. 2. Something imperfect; a defect or flaw. See Synonyms at blemish. imperfection Noun 1. of all human knowledge. This magisterial mag·is·te·ri·al adj. 1. a. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a master or teacher; authoritative: a magisterial account of the history of the English language. b. voice admits it is not an island of innocence or perfection in a world broken by sin, acknowledges that previous church pronouncements on moral issues have been incomplete or mistaken, and recognizes that it has often learned a great deal from other voices, including those it first ignored, silenced, or condemned. O'Brien also believes that this voice will be a forgiving one. Imbued with the certitude cer·ti·tude n. 1. The state of being certain; complete assurance; confidence. 2. Sureness of occurrence or result; inevitability. 3. that original sin has touched us all, and trusting in the God who refuses to divide the world into friends and enemies, the church must be a community of peace and reconciliation, and it must speak with a voice that listens deeply to the hearts of all. Such a voice would engage in wide-ranging and open discussion; listen to the laity, women, and theologians; dialogue with other churches and the world; and speak in ways that are transparent and open to question and review. This would be a chorus that could sing Handel's Messiah--and be heard. MCCORMICK'S QUICK TAKES [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More books calling for church reform: As It Was in the Beginning by Robert McClory (Crossroad, 2007) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Making the Church Our Own by Leonard Swidler (Sheed & Ward, 2007) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Catholicism at the Crossroads by Paul Lakeland (Continuum, 2007) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By PATRICK McCORMICK, professor of Christian ethics at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion