My latest catholic dialogue column in The Prairie Messenger is a tribute to the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, former Archbishop of Milan. Much has been written about his final interview, and his critique of our church for being “200 years behind the times”. But, the good Cardinal doesn’t just courageously name the problems. He also provides us with a road map to help renew and rebuild our church.
Amen Isabella!
Grazie mille, Isabella!
I recall reading ths article and where it said ” (Catholics) are embers under the ash.” And where it suggested the fact that our arteries and veins may be clogged. Okay, let’s do some surgery, have a quick recovery amd move into deeper compassion, true love and realistic guidlines. Let us stop talking about rules and regs…we have grown-up…our infantile and adolescent stages are gone. We need to be lifted up while recognizing “who we are not” and proceed into God’s embrace…and all will be well!
Amen, Chris! And with the growing up come responsibilities….and taking the time to nourish our spiritual lives. This means more than sitting in a pew on a Sunday morning, waiting to be spoon fed. I liked the pro-active approach that Martini gave us in this interview. He shows that the essential is the interior!
The title “Martini Catholics” certainly caught my eye and interest. I was wondering what the heck you were talking about. Isabella, I just want to say that there are only a few columns that I follow regularly. Your topics and views give me hope at a time when the old paradigms of our Church are creeping back to center stage. Such paradigms never left the stage, but there was a time when I felt that a more liberal and progressive Church was starting to emerge, especially in the early decades following the Second Vatican Council. Thanks so much for sharing this story about Cardinal Martini who was a continuous breath of fresh air. As we celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, I hope his spirit continues to breathe life into the Church.
Thanks so much for your kind comments, Delmar. I’m certainly joining you in the hoping for the spirit of renewed life to keep blowing through our church. I love the image that Blessed John XXIII left us of opening windows to allow the Spirit to blow through…..hence the photo on the blog banner.