One May 6th in heaven, Anno was talking to God about his life. He recounted how it was on this day that, sitting in prison, the Lord had made known to him via the authorities that he would be sent to Dachau. And the Lord said, “Talk to me, and I will answer you and …
Tag Archives: Abuse
Not Everyone “Has a Vocation” in the Narrow Sense: Roma locuta est
One of the paragraphs of the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Christus Vivit that has flown most unfortunately under the radar is the following: For those who are not called to marriage or the consecrated life, it must always be remembered that the first and most important vocation is the vocation we have received in baptism. Those …
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Go to Rome, Little Văn
Nothing brings out my passion more than talking about the place of Marcel Văn CSsR (1928–1959) in the ecclesial crisis of abuse. And at the same time, nothing causes me to boil over more than efforts which, intentionally or not, directly or indirectly, would put the light of his witness under a bushel basket. I …
Passiontide
The images get taken away:Robed—but it’s the colour they mocked you in;“Here he is, here he is”—abuse of powerFrom the governor;“Hail, King!”—from the armed men who spitOn him saliva and the stain of abuse.The images get taken away;Yet—still they’re there, always there,Or more precisely—you are there, behindThe reality, greater than the thought,Than words—my God, in …
Pope Francis on Spirituality, Vulnerability, and Abuse
Although the message seems to have been prepared well in advance, this past week Pope Francis gave an address to the participants of the third Latin American Congress “Vulnerability and Abuse.” There are a few points that I want to draw attention to, for my personal reference as much as to post about it on …
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Thérèse of Lisieux Against Abuse, Before and After Death
The reason for this brief post is that, in my own life, I have recently run into a situation which seems to use Thérèse’s teaching in a way that would call into question her deep concern for abuse in the Church. This, for me, won’t do. The Thérèse I know is resolutely against abuse. In …
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God the Most Vulnerable: Indigenous Baptist and Catholic Perspectives
In the Incarnation, God became vulnerable. He took on vulnerability which he didn’t have otherwise. The Humanity of Jesus introduced this feature of divine love, by letting the vulnerability of material creatureliness have a share in the Godhead. This is how we normally speak. But is it actually right? Does it manifest the truth about …
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How Not to Write About Toledo
I was late to discover Arturo Paoli, and what I’ve read has made me wanting more to be available—both in general and in a language that I can read. But as I was reading the book of his that I both have enjoyed the most and been challenged the most by, I came to the …
Contemplation and the Abuse Crisis: A Manifesto
What is your mission? Ask me this or a similar question, and you’ll get an answer. The answer might make you think I’m crazy. It might make you ask, “And how exactly are you going to do that?” But an answer you’ll get. I won’t leave you hanging. What do I want to do in …
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Touch is the Most Religious Sense: Pope Francis
A lot of the time, we tend to think of faith in terms of hearing (e.g., Rom 10:17; Gal 3:2, 5) and the immediate presence of God to us in the next life in terms of sight (e.g., 1 Cor 13:12; 1 Jn 3:2; the term “beatific vision”). You could say we privilege these two …
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Contemplative in the Mud 