Getting to Know You
James Taylor
It was a toss between this song
and
"There May be Trouble Ahead "
It was a toss between this song
and
"There May be Trouble Ahead "
What the heck. I'm sticking with this one today.
Maybe not "precisely my cup of tea,"
but none of us are perfect are we ?
Maybe not "precisely my cup of tea,"
but none of us are perfect are we ?
and these recent Guardian articles are worth a read
John Donaghy has a translation of an interview with Father Jon Sobrino, a Spanish-born Jesuit who lived, worked, and taught in El Salvador since the late 1960s, and was recently interviewed about Pope Francis.
Sobrino interview is here: http://hermanojuancito.blogspot.com/2013/03/jon-sobrino-on-pope-francis.html
Extract below..
"During these days,
have you spoken with people who know Bergoglio closely?
Yes, I’m not an expert on the life, work, joys, and
sufferings of Bergoglio. And so that I don’t fall into any type of
irresponsibility, I have tried to connect with persons in Argentina, whom I
will not quote, above all those who have had direct contact with him. I expect
understanding of the limits of what I am going to say and I apologize for any
errors I might commit.
Bergoglio is a Jesuit who has held important posts in the [Jesuit] Province of Argentina. He has been professor of theology, superior and provincial. It is not difficult to talk about his external work. But of the more internal, one can speak only delicately and now respectfully and responsibly.
Many companions have spoken of him as a person with deep convictions and temperament, a resolute and relentless fighter. If they make him Pope, he will clean up the Curia, it has been said with humor."
Bergoglio is a Jesuit who has held important posts in the [Jesuit] Province of Argentina. He has been professor of theology, superior and provincial. It is not difficult to talk about his external work. But of the more internal, one can speak only delicately and now respectfully and responsibly.
Many companions have spoken of him as a person with deep convictions and temperament, a resolute and relentless fighter. If they make him Pope, he will clean up the Curia, it has been said with humor."
.... "the Jesuits were the 'storm troopers' of the Counter Reformation which saved the church from the turmoil it suffered after Martin Luther and the Reformation. If Francis was a man of passion, compassion, love and sacrifice, Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, was a CEO par excellence.
These are the qualities many cardinals sought before the conclave.
However, given his age, the new Pope is a pope for the next 10 years or so and has a task to get the church back on track. This is a papacy of repair and reform. Another papacy will be needed after to drive the church in a new direction. But it is also a papacy with a global edge.
As an Argentinian, Cardinal Bergoglio had a delicate relationship with the government there, and some say he was on a collision course with that government, and a strong defender of the role of church as an independent voice in society.
Latin American is a continent in
transition, think Cuba, Venezuela. Left-wing dictators are popping up
with anti-church agendas.
This Pope is not coming from the left or the right but as a Jesuit, he is on the side of the poor, something neither politicians of the left or right tend to appreciate.
He may well give strength to Irish bishops who are tired of being told by the Labour Party here to stay out of public debate.
This Pope is not coming from the left or the right but as a Jesuit, he is on the side of the poor, something neither politicians of the left or right tend to appreciate.
He may well give strength to Irish bishops who are tired of being told by the Labour Party here to stay out of public debate.
This Pope is
going to be much more charismatic than his predecessor.
Speaking from the balcony of St Peter's he was, as the Italian's say, very 'sympatico' – which means warm and nice, something that Benedict didn't carry off very well. He is perhaps best described as a combination of Pope John Paul I and John XXIII.
Speaking from the balcony of St Peter's he was, as the Italian's say, very 'sympatico' – which means warm and nice, something that Benedict didn't carry off very well. He is perhaps best described as a combination of Pope John Paul I and John XXIII.
He appears a genuinely humble man
and hasn't sought this appointment or politicised himself in the church.
The most interesting reaction will be in Latin America, and while the Argentine government might try to hijack him – visiting the Falkland Islands would be a coup for them – it is unlikely that this Jesuit, with the compassion of St Francis, will be anybody's fool but God's."
The most interesting reaction will be in Latin America, and while the Argentine government might try to hijack him – visiting the Falkland Islands would be a coup for them – it is unlikely that this Jesuit, with the compassion of St Francis, will be anybody's fool but God's."
"Little by little, people will get to know him better and what to expect of his papacy, as his speeches and writings while he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires come to light. Here are some samples that have come out in translation:
“We need to avoid the spiritual sickness of a Church that is wrapped up in its own world: when a Church becomes like this, it grows sick. It is true that going out onto the street implies the risk of accidents happening, as they would to any ordinary man or woman. But if the Church stays wrapped up in itself, it will age. And if I had to choose between a wounded Church that goes out onto the streets and a sick withdrawn Church, I would definitely choose the first one.”
He describes what it was like in Buenos Aires:
“Instead of just being a Church that welcomes and receives, we try to be a Church that comes out of itself and goes to the men and women who do not participate in parish life, do not know much about it and are indifferent towards it. We organize missions in public squares where many people usually gather: we pray, we celebrate Mass, we offer baptism which we administer after a brief preparation.”
The following is specially precious:
“The cardinalate is a service, it is not an award to be bragged about. Vanity, showing off, is an attitude that reduces spirituality to a worldly thing, which is the worst sin that could be committed in the Church. … Spiritual worldliness is a form of religious anthropocentrism that has Gnostic elements. Careerism and the search for a promotion come under the category of spiritual worldliness. An example I often use to illustrate the reality of vanity, is this: Look at the peacock; it’s beautiful if you look at it from the front. But if you look at it from behind, you discover the truth… Whoever gives in to such self-absorbed vanity has huge misery hiding inside them.”
A good summary, perhaps, of his preferred apostolic style is the following:
“Jesus did not preach his own politics: He accompanied others. The conversions He inspired took place precisely because of His willingness to accompany, which makes us all brothers and children and not members of an NGO or proselytes of some multinational company.”
We should have interesting years ahead! A Jesuit Pope who names himself after a Franciscan who was a great reformer on the radical side of the Gospel is bound to produce some surprises."
Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man
He must have seemed out of His mind
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man
He must have seemed out of His mind
Even His family said He was mad
And the priest said a demon's to blame
But, God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane
Chorus
We in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
We in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well
So come lose your life for a carpenter's son
For a man never died for a dream
And You'll have the faith His first followers had
And you'll feel the weight of the beam
So surrender the hunger to save us now
And The courage to say I believe
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see
Chorus
So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well
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