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Letter #36: Feast of St. Teresa of Avila[2011-10-16][Engleză]October 15, 2011Feast of St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) "Sometimes the Devil proposes to us great desires, so that we shall not put our hand to what we have to do." --St. Teresa of Avila (more below) ========================= Rome is not burning...yet (A car ablaze in the streets of Rome yesterday) Wall Street in New York and Syntagma Square in Athens are not the only places where demonstrators are protesting. The protests have reached Rome. The Rome protests have not yet reached St. Peter's Square. And only two cars, not dozens, were set on fire, and there was not a single report of an injury. So these importance of these protests should not be exaggerated. (One internet headline read "Rome is burning" -- but Rome is not burning; just two cars in Rome!) An important caveat: we do not know who is behind the protests or, especially, who may be infiltrating them, and for what purpose. That there are such infiltrators seems clear. For example, in the report below, there is the suggestion that hooded militants called "black blocks" infiltrated the protests pretending to be ordinary Roman citizens. The point is, such protests -- whether in Rome, or Madrid, or New York, or Cairo -- are easily exploited, or misdirected, or discredited, through the actions of agents with an agenda which has has nothing to do with the real concerns of the people. "Demonstrators in Rome set fire to two cars and broke shop windows during a protest in the Italian capital, as activists organised a series of rallies in 82 countries," the London Telegraph wrote today (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8829005/Protesters-burn-cars-and-police-van-in-Rome-as-Occupy-protests-spread-worldwide.html). "Riot police in Rome charged hundreds of protesters and fired water cannons, while a group of activists set alight a defence ministry annex nearby. Flames could be seen coming out of the roof and windows of the building on Via Labicana as firefighters struggled to tame the blaze. Dozens of masked protesters could be seen in the area, which had not been cordoned off. "The violence was said to be caused by hooded militants known as 'black blocks,' who have infiltrated demonstrations in the past. "There were no immediate reports of injuries. Television images showed one of the cars in flames and spewing thick black smoke over the route of the demonstration, which was otherwise peaceful." It would seem that such protests will not become truly serious unless the austerity measures all European governments are now discussing -- for example, cutting pension payments -- are actually implemented. But in this regard, it does seem likely that some payments will soon stop, as the next story shows... ============================= EU considering massive cuts to food aid for poor BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union is considering a roughly 75 percent cut in funding for a program that helps feed 18 million of its poorest citizens. The cuts, set to take effect after New Year's, would come at a time of rising unemployment and consumer food prices in many parts of Europe, as well as overall economic turmoil on the continent. The looming cuts already have raised fears among people who rely heavily on the program. Full story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/eu-considering-massive-cuts-to-food-aid-program-for-poor-18-million-people-could-be-hit/2011/10/14/gIQARUtUjL_story.html ======================== Archbishop Fisichella: New evangelisation needs joyful evangelizers At the same time, this weekend in Rome, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization is holding its first major event ever. The meeting is entitled "New Evangelizers for the New Evangelization -- The Word of God Grows and Spreads." (Archbishop Rino Fisichella, head of the Vatican's Council for Promoting the New Evangelization) Held in the New Synod Hall, the meeting began with a report by the Council President, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, and proceeded with discussion among Church leaders involved in New Evangelization." This meeting, then, is the first "salvo" in the long-awaited effort of the Catholic Church to reverse the centuries-long trend by which the formerly Christian West has become the thoroughly secularized West. We might almost say that, if the mid-1500s saw the launching of a "Counter-Reformation," 2011 and 2012 are seeing the launch, under Pope Benedict, with the help of Fisichella, of a "Counter-Secularization," a "Re-Sacralization" of Western culture. Speaking to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Fisichella stated that the aim of the meeting is "to visibly present the Church with the new evangelizers." As a practical example of this, he said, different groups, different "ecclesial realities." would go out into the streets of Rome, to the historic squares, and churches, to carry out the work of the new evangelization. Many of these ecclesial groups already have experience of this, Archbishop Fisichella said. They will give the city of Rome, a visible sign of a new evangelization. And we hope that their efforts will bear fruit." All of this is a lead up to the October 2012 Synod of Bishops on new evangelization, one year from now. But there is a concern. The current Vatican strategy seems fixated on emphasizing that there is not actually a state of emergency, no real, fundamental problem, no "rot" in the "apple" of the faith that must be excised lest it spread through the entire fruit. Thus the emohasis on the fact that many "new evangelizers" are accomplishing great things. Yet, our entire culture continues to be transformed, day by day, "de-Christianized," before our very eyes. Unfortunately, there seems to be little profound analysis of the reasons for the West's abandonment of the faith. Nor does there seem to be much profound analysis of the true reason non-faith, non-membership in the Church, seems so attractive to modern men and women. Our grandparents clung to the faith at all costs, because they valued it -- because they believed it had value. Our children leave the faith in droves, because they do not value it -- do not believe it has any real value. What are the profound reasons for this change? Why does the Church no longer hold the sincere, committed affection and loyalty of millions? This is the question that needs to be answered, with honesty, before any program for returning the hearts and minds of men to the things of God can be launched. And the answer, fortunately or unfortumately, must pass through an analysis of what happened in the 20th century, from the destruction of Europe in the two World Wars, to the imposition of atheism in Christian Russia, to the convocation of the Second Vatican Council, to the revolution in the Church that Council brought about, and continues to bring about. We need thought, we need analysis, and then we need a clear diagnosis for our malady, the malady of the entire Western culture, which is clearly not simply the malady of lust and sin, but is also a specifically modern malady of superficiality, of "horizontality," of forgetfulness of the divine, of the holy, of the conviction that man not only can be and, indeed, is God, but that any other God than man would be man's nemesis and enemy. This is the anti-Christian faith of our modern time, which is now sweeping all before it, even in the Church. This is, in a sense, the anti-Christ, or at least the spirit of anti-Christ. The current Vatican plan to combat this anti-Christian Weltgeist seems focused on creating more activity, more institutional structures, rather than the quiet reflection and personal instrospection that is needed. Archbishop Fisichella says his aim is "to promote awareness and knowledge of the experience of new evangelization" but also to quash illusions that everything was all right in the past." "We want to reinforce the idea that evangelization is the very mission of the Church and has been going on for more than 2,000 years, but it needs to find a new language, a new lifestyle, one that is respectful but has a deeply rooted identity," Fisichella told the radio. It is precisely the finding of this "new language" and "new lifestyle" that is our present difficulty. We need evangelizers, Fisichella said, "who have a profound sense of belonging to the Church and the Christian community but at the same time who are open to others. And also a good dose of joy and enthusiasm, which is never a bad thing!" This is true as far as it goes, but it would seem that our time is desperately in need of truth-telling, and the truth, while it contains joy, and end in joy, is not simply joy. there is much sorrow in it. Sursa: www.InsideTheVatican.com Contor Accesări: 1025, Ultimul acces: 2026-05-30 06:14:18
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