Have not posted from Fr. Rutler in some time...
The undaunted widow in the Gospel
and the Damas de Blanco of Cuba
by Fr. George W. Rutler
June 25, 2017
The legend of King Robert the Bruce, exiled from Scotland in a cave off the Irish coast in 1306, resembles a similar story in the Bible about King David when he was a boy.
King Robert watched a spider finally manage to make a web after failing in several attempts. Thus the child’s rhyme: “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try, try again.”
Our Lord’s parable of the unjust judge
(Luke 18:1-8) is about a poor widow who persisted in getting the judge to hear her case. The refined translation says that the judge wearied of her importuning, but the Greek has the judge fearing that she would punch him. That was a woman who would not give up.
To discourage is to lose heart. It is a trick of the Anti-Christ and the very opposite of Christ who encourages. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”
(2 Corinthians 4:16).
The widow in the parable reminds one of the Damas de Blanco — Ladies in White — who are wives and mothers of political prisoners in the gulags of Communist Cuba. Mostly Afro-Cubans, they formed in 2003 to protest the large-scale arrest of their kin who included journalists and human rights activists. From then on, every Sunday, they attend Mass in Havana and then process in white clothing to a park where, despite their peaceful witness, they frequently have been beaten and jailed.
Their persistence has been an embarrassment to many outside Cuba who choose to ignore the devastation wrought by Marxism. Even some leading churchmen indulge the gossamer hope that appeasement will convert evil to good.
The Ladies in White were hurt but not thwarted when a U.S. presidential executive order [by Barack Obama] in 2013 lifted sanctions against Cuba, while requiring no reform of its dictatorship.
“Peace for our time” was predictably delusional, and political oppression increased: there were 1,095 detainees in 2016, up from 718 in 2015.
Our social media applauded the capitulation, its accompanying festivities, and our own government’s “easy speeches” that, as Chesterton said, “comfort cruel men.”
On June 16 in Miami, our President fulfilled a campaign promise by signing a directive imposing sanctions that will not be lifted until Cuba frees political prisoners and holds free elections. He also explicitly mentioned the persistence of the Ladies in White.
Berta Soler, a leader of the Ladies in White, whose husband has been serving a twenty-year sentence, replied:
“These days, Mr. President, when most of the world responds with a deafening silence to the harassment, arbitrary detentions, beatings, house searches, and robberies against peaceful opponents, human rights activists and defenseless women, your words of encouragement are most welcomed.”
It was like the parable of the undaunted widow: “And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night?”
This one is another pastor's weekly column - Mons. Thomas Tobin, Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island. At the time our current pope named Mons. Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis a cardinal and named him to head the Archdiocese of Newark [where he has been increasingly and stridently voluble in support of the church of Bergoglio, which he was, of course, expected to be], I had meant to call attention to the fact that the US also has another Bishop Tobin, one that we orthodox Catholics would consider the 'good' Bishop Tobin ... Here, he shares some thoughts which give us a good idea of his orientation and his fair-and-balanced common sense, and how, like Fr. Rutler, he can comment on political and social issues without being ideological...
A few random thoughts...
by Mons. Thomas Tobin
Bishop of Providence
June 22, 2017
A few random thoughts before I take a little break for summer . . .
** It’s just two years since the publication of
Laudato Si, the historic encyclical of Pope Francis that calls us to a renewed commitment to the protection of the environment and the care of the earth, our common home. It’s a serious challenge we should all understand and embrace because it is, after all, not just a papal preference, but a divine mandate, an important component of our Catholic Faith.
** Having said that, the negative reaction to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord has been over-the-top, hysterical even. While we can agree on the need to control global warming and protect the environment, whether or not the Paris agreement is the best or only means of achieving that goal is a legitimate debate. In his encyclical, Pope Francis said, “The Church knows that honest debate must be encouraged among experts, while respecting divergent views.” (#61)
** It also seems to me that some of the liberal politicians and Hollywood types who attacked President Trump over his climate decision could do a lot more themselves to protect the environment if they would just forego their frequent international travels, private jets, splendid yachts, palatial homes, and lavish lifestyles.
** From many quarters today we keep hearing that the Church has to “listen” more – to millennials, the LGBTQ community, the transgendered, feminists, and lots of other groups with particular agendas. I get it. It’s important that we talk and listen to one another, and I know as well as anyone that consultation is an indispensable part of the life of the Church today. However,
when Jesus commissioned the Apostles to go forth, he instructed them to teach, not listen, didn’t he?
** And while it’s instructive for the Church to listen to special interest groups,
it’s also necessary that those groups listen to the Church, since the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, preserves and promotes the truths of the Gospel and the teachings of Christ. Encounter and welcoming are virtuous practices, but not at the expense of the truth.
** Some clergy numbers in the Diocese of Providence to think about: Since the beginning of this decade we’ve lost 58 priests from active ministry in the Diocese, due mostly to retirement, and we’ve ordained just 18. That’s a net loss of 40 priests from active ministry in the Diocese. The median age of active priests is 59; the median age of all priests, including retirees is 67. There are just 21 priests under the age of 40.
** In commenting on the declining number of priests in the Diocese, a recent letter in the Providence Journal suggested that the answer to the clergy shortage is to allow married priests and women priests.
“Evolve or become extinct,” the letter writer advised. In other words, the Church has to change its teachings if it is to survive and prosper. “Prosper... you mean just like the mainline Protestant churches?” I said to myself.
** While we often focus on the challenges we’re facing these days, we shouldn’t lose sight, for even a single minute, of the great work, the beautiful work, the Church is doing every day.
The Catholic Church brings people together in communities of faith for worship and praise, proclaims timeless moral truths, accompanies families in their daily lives, educates children, and serves the poor and needy.
Beyond the government itself, the Catholic Church is the largest provider of charitable services in our state. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of that contribution. I’m so grateful to, and proud of, the clergy, religious and laity, the employees and volunteers, who enable the Church to accomplish so much good, every day!...
** In this “Year with Mary our Mother,” remember that the summer contains some beautiful Marian feast days in which we honor our Blessed Mother, including – Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16, The Assumption on August 15, and the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 22.
** I hope that you’ll have a safe, relaxing and peaceful summer. But be sure to stay close to God during the summer, pray and go to Mass every Sunday. God won’t forget you during vacation – don’t forget him either!
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 26/06/2017 04:51]