A long time ago I made the error of judging the truth of a religious belief and system of beliefs, based upon the actions of a few that were leaders of a local congregation of that particular belief system. Hypocrisy can be found almost anywhere and among religious we look more intently for it if we are so inclined.

As it happened, I discovered that there were other reasons, sound legitimate theological reasons for leaving that faith community behind and I entered the Catholic Church. By then I realized that the truth of the faith is not measured by how seriously its adherents take it. Indeed, at the time I entered the Church the clerical abuse scandal in the Boston, Mass area was at its peak. But there had been other scandals and most recently it has been the same thing all over again in Ireland.

I think that in this case, while the details of the problem are terribly sad and a real indictment of the leadership of the Church in Ireland, the report that was commissioned was very instructive, and well worth reviewing for its clear assessment of what went wrong, who was responsible and what it was they were thinking.

Here’s an excellent article by Michael Kelly on that report called, The Wolves Roamed Freely.
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…for the Month of January 2010 are completed. This being the liturgical Year C of the Roman calendar.

You’ll find them at THOUGHTS.

I listen to this first because I love the sound of Russian sacred music and I can stand shoulder to shoulder with our Orthodox brothers in praying the prayer our Lord taught us to pray. So much almost goes without saying.

But I notice this video in particular has a quality almost of the old days of the Soviet Union, such that it has been done surreptitiously, and even the singing of the Lord’s Prayer would be dangerous to those participating. The church itself seems almost barren and the videographer takes time to show the pipe organ, not being used for this musical selection.

This seems to me almost symbolic in the sense that under oppression the Christians are tested and survive and they have become very good at singing a cappella, so good in fact that it has its own quality that surpasses the instrument supported music. And indeed, there is something so beautiful about human voices in chorale sans instruments when it is well done that in my own mind it is really the highest form of music and liturgically speaking the highest form of praise to God.

It would be nice to get the recording. Fascinating that the monastery has been going without interruption since 1133. That’s one that was out of the reach of the kings of England.

This is indeed encouragement. It is called Nuts!

Another golden oldie, still relevant.

Two years ago almost to the day I wrote these posts as a two part series that summed up what I understand to be the point of stall of much of the Renewal of the Catholic Church. I think even many Charismatics, whose movement I discuss here, would agree that there has come a point of slowing down, of being stalled. I sense this today in 2009, sad to say, although personally I am wiser in other respects and I know as I have always known that the Church is not abandoned by God but sometimes the life of the Church is not as visible. This has come to me through my own recent experiences, and I suppose the change in me is one of optimism. But I would not change the message of these two posts one iota.

NEW PENTECOST

NEW PENTECOST PART II

This was produced leading up to the 2008 elections and rings as true these months later as it did at that time;