October 8, 2010
Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
Brothers and sisters: Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, Through you shall all the nations be blessed. (Galatians 3:7-8)
He has given food to those who fear him; he will forever be mindful of his covenant. He has made known to his people the power of his works, giving them the inheritance of the nations. (Psalms 111:5-6)
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" (Luke 11:15-18)
Piety
Lord, help me to find unity—with You, Your Church with my sisters and brothers, and within myself.
Study
The Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15179a.htm) cites today’s Gospel reading in writing about what it calls “the essential unity of the true Christian Church.” That Church’s characteristics, the writer says, include:
• Unity of doctrine
• Reception of the same sacraments
• Unity under the same authority as instituted by Christ
With the seemingly never-ending pedophile scandals, visitations of women religious, excommunication of a nun who was faced with the agonizing decision of supporting saving the life of a mother or an unborn child, and other headlines, retaining belief in the unity of doctrine and authority can be excruciatingly difficult. Anne Rice, the vampire novelist and returned Catholic, left the Church again over the summer, saying she remains Christian but can’t deal with the Church.
For some of us who struggle with authority, Illinois Appellate Judge Sheila O’Brien’s August article in the Chicago Tribune resonates a bit more fully: “Would someone in Rome formally excommunicate me, please? I want to be excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church because walking away will break my heart.” http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-04/news/ct-oped-0804-excommunicate-20100804_1_excommunication-bishops-hierarchy
And yet we, like O’Brien, stay. We try to effect change where we can while still remaining true to the Church’s core beliefs. We try to remember it’s an imperfect Church, run at all levels by imperfect people. We try to focus on that we do believe, with all our hearts, in Jesus and our sacraments.
And, like O’Brien, we pray, “Come Holy Spirit.”
Action
Pray today for Pope Benedict, his staff, the cardinals, the bishops, and all their flocks.
