Not that I’m following it that closely. But just some notes – that others might tweet, but I’m going to be stubborn this way and attempt to articulate my views in my own space instead of theirs.
- Archbishop Gomez has been dumped on today – continuing the pile on of the past couple of weeks in reaction to this speech – for his take on contemporary social justice movements in the United States and, as some have declared, borderline white nationalism and a misunderstanding of the nation’s founding.
TwitCritics, both Catholic and not, were quick to…pounce. To pounce on purported dog-whistles to White Nationalists or some such. Based on passages like this:
Archbishop Ireland believed deeply in what Reverend Martin Luther King and others have called the “American creed” — the belief expressed in our founding documents, that all men and women are created equal and endowed with sacred dignity, a transcendent destiny, and rights that must never be denied.
Etc.
I don’t agree with every word in the Archbishop’s speech, but what I do appreciate is that he’s calling on the bishops – and the rest of us – to see the moment, to acknowledge the hurt, pain and seeking all around us, and to be confident that Jesus is the answer to all of that. As I wrote yesterday.
This dig on portions of the speech being reminiscent of evangelical white nationalism is, as I said, idiotic. The first time Gomez brings up national origins, after all, is in the context of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. I wish that Gomez had made clear that King characterized this “American creed” as a “promissory note” yet to be fulfilled, but perhaps he is assuming that we understand that.
No, the point I want to make is that critics crying “white nationalism” – you know, from the Mexican-American prelate who is an impassioned defender of immigrants – and deciding that Gomez is falling into the trap of Christianizing our mostly deist founders, are missing something important and rather interesting about Gomez. When he speaks of the foundations of this country, he’s not assuming Jefferson-Adams-Madison-Washington. No, he’s going back further than that. Gomez’ sense of “America” is actually…the Americas. As he wrote here.
Guadalupe is the true “founding event” in American history. We are all children of Guadalupe and Guadalupe gives us the true history of America. In God’s plan, this hemisphere was chosen as the site for the building of a new civilization. A new world of faith.
Now, that might not make anyone any happier, but it’s an important subtext in all of Gomez’ commentary on American politics, society and culture.
- Secondly, it’s almost hilarious that in the wake of TC, the bishops elected (yes by 1 vote) as their head of the committee on worship a man whose primary ministry is with those Roman Catholics who celebrate the Anglican Use..which is not the Mass of Paul VI that TC has declared is the normative expression of the Roman Rite.
- Several canonization causes were voted on, including Brother Joseph Dutton, an associate of St. Damien of Molokai, about whom I’ve written here.
- Papal Nuncio Archbishop Pierre spoke, of course. Here’s his speech. What’s being quoted, cited and weaponized is this:
Realities are more important than ideas. We can have all the theological ideas about the Eucharist – and, of course, we need this – but none of these ideas compare with the reality of the Eucharistic Mystery, which needs to be discovered and rediscovered through the practical experience of the Church, living in communion, particularly in this time of pandemic. We can become so concentrated upon the sacrality of forms of the liturgy that we miss the true encounter with His Real Presence. There is the temptation to treat the Eucharist as something to be offered to the privileged few rather than to seek to walk with those whose theology or discipleship is falling short, assisting them to understand and appreciate the gift of the Eucharist and helping them to overcome their difficulties. Rather than remaining trapped in an “ideology of the sacred”, synodality is a method that helps us to discover together a way forward.
Well, perhaps that deserves to be weaponized. What an incoherent mess, creating strawmen, drawing one false dichotomy after another, suggesting that “reality” and “ideas” are two completely different things. I’m sure there’s a philosophical descriptor of that temptation, but all I know is that it makes no sense. It is, in a way, angelism – suggesting that our encounters with the Lord in the Eucharist can happen outside our bodied existence and experience. Seems to be a pretty anti-incarnational perspective to me.
Anwyay, as to the “temptation to treat the Eucharist as something to be offered to the privileged few” – don’t know when and where that’s happening. And once more, before throwing ourselves into the ring of that particular argument, it’s only fair and very necessary to acknowledge the history of the Catholic understanding of reception of the Eucharist, as I’ve said again and again. If you’re going to lob that particular volley and create that division, at least take the time to explain how it fits with the complexities of past practice and belief.
should have told the early church
Apparently the most essential qualification of a nuncio in 2021 is the ability to make a word salad bar out of the reigning pontiff’s most tired, empty and counter-to-reality catchphrases.
And really, I know ideological purity requires you to turn your brain off, but sheesh.
Accusing Gomez of dog-whistling for “white nationalism” suggests that that brain-eating amoeba has gone airborne.
Mask up, then, I guess!
Amy, I really appreciate that your share your thoughts here, on this blog, rather than solely across social media platforms.
Thank you. I have strong feelings about that, and they’re not changing. I just find that the most popular platforms – Instagram and Facebook – are not (obviously) designed for you to have control over your own work – and this is important – aren’t set up for *permanence* – they’re constructed to quickly share posts in the moment only to have no means of “saving” or preserving or easily finding them ever again. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spied something interesting on one of those feeds and then quickly scroll back – and it’s gone and for the life of me I can’t find it.
Stick to blogging. Catholics made the mistake of abandoning their blogs & jumped over to those social media platforms.
Totally agree. I’m not tempted at all!! Thanks for your links!
The tragedy of it all is that few of them fully realize how weasel worded they really are and that most of us see it quite clearly. Their credibility just dropped below perception level.
FWIW I agree with Dale, Ellen, Tito, Donald and Amy. On all counts.