Jesus seemed to tell me: do not always be pointing the finger at those whose sins scandalize the Church but make this a time of confession and penance for all our own sins so that we are begging God’s mercy on us all and not acting as if they are the sinners and you are the good guys.
An angle to loneliness that seems important to me is that it is not simply not having enough close family or friends around, but often specific. The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber wrote a famous book called I and Thou. Making use of the distinction in German between "sie" meaning you in relation to people not close, and "du" for those in family or close friends, he wrote about how in the I-Thou (du) relationship there is a part of oneself which comes alive in the presence of that individual beloved person. So we can't just substitute another person there. For example, in marriage, the spouse brings out something in me that a second spouse after widowhood wouldn't necessarily bring out.
Now, the point is that we have not an I-it relationship to God where He is real but not close - no, the God who loves us personally brings out things in our soul that are specific to each of us individually. God does not view me as simply one other statistic of Catholics, but as I, Ronda, His beloved child.
So whatever we found springing out of ourselves in relationship to the one we are lonely for, we can find to an infinite degree in our loving relationship to God.
Now, the point is that we have not an I-it relationship to God where He is real but not close - no, the God who loves us personally brings out things in our soul that are specific to each of us individually. God does not view me as simply one other statistic of Catholics, but as I, Ronda, His beloved child.
So whatever we found springing out of ourselves in relationship to the one we are lonely for, we can find to an infinite degree in our loving relationship to God.
More scandals in the Church also involving nuns as victims of priests. Since I am told that some Catholics are leaving the Church when they hear of the scandals, I thought I should say a few sentences more than I have so far about them. My two favorites are these:
From Frank Sheed, founder of street preaching in England long ago: “When we say the Creed we don’t say “I believe in Father “X” or Sister “Y!” And the word holy in “I believe in the holy Catholic Church” doesn’t mean the people who are sinners, but the sacraments.”
From me: When there was a scandal about a football coach, I didn’t notice anyone stopped watching football.”
From me: When there was a scandal about a football coach, I didn’t notice anyone stopped watching football.”
More beautifully, Jesus seems to tell me in my heavy prayers when I hear of a new scandal – “there is no safe place on earth for anyone. That is an illusion. Your safe home is My heart – flee into it!”
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Jesus seemed to tell me when meditating on the Crucifix: If you could see souls leaving purgatory when you offered up sufferings, wouldn’t you wish for more sufferings?
Life is a story, not a syllogism. Could Edith Stein, the great Jewish convert philosopher, imagine her last days on earth would be combing the hair of children of crazed mothers as a Carmelite nun?
Do the souls of those in purgatory expand with gratitude, which prepares them for heaven, when they see that some of us on earth are offering up sufferings without complaint for their sakes?
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Jesus seemed to tell me when meditating on the Crucifix: If you could see souls leaving purgatory when you offered up sufferings, wouldn’t you wish for more sufferings?
Life is a story, not a syllogism. Could Edith Stein, the great Jewish convert philosopher, imagine her last days on earth would be combing the hair of children of crazed mothers as a Carmelite nun?
Do the souls of those in purgatory expand with gratitude, which prepares them for heaven, when they see that some of us on earth are offering up sufferings without complaint for their sakes?
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