I received a brief note from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). In that note, she wrote:
“…you are spot on…you are thinking like a global, universal Catholic…the type of mature Catholicity we need for the future.”
Seriously in all honesty to the LCWR, I thank you for kind letter and thoughts ….
The problems I have seen are not unique only to America. Everywhere I travel, I see people basing decisions upon secular political thoughts and choosing between impossible paths: usually extremes from one perspective or another.
Yet, in truth, finding the ‘right, more balanced’ path is hard. Doing so demands a significant amount of time. Cultivating love where there’s none, developing compassion in the specter of hate, finding courage and wisdom in weakness involves immense focus and determination.
And that’s what I believe the Vatican is missing.
The world is not only out there, it’s within us. Hate and love (ying/yang, etc.) are mirrors. Thus, we are mirrors of each other. And like the LCWR, from my viewpoint, to really address the roots of suffering, all loving Christians (Catholic, Evangelical and otherwise), all loving Buddhists, all loving Jews, all loving Muslims must be prepared to change the economic, social, political structure and ideology. That’s right, all of us, whether teacher, community leaders, organizers, activists, lawyers or parents has to be able to link spiritual values and infuse agape love into the world’s needs.
The problem is commitment. Such formative action requires commitment. And many of us can barely even think about committing to think about going to church once a week.
Without transformation, without knowing ourselves we risk losing the very resources of love and compassion the Holy Spirit gave us. We have huge challenges. And even if I am not welcome to the table, I continually make myself available for wherever the Spirit leads.