"Paroles et paroles et paroles et paroles et paroles
Et encore des paroles que tu sèmes au vent"
Et encore des paroles que tu sèmes au vent"
Words, words, words... where are the deeds?
As a sympathiser of the universal Church, with a heart open to the Gospel, I am increasingly faced with painful dissonance: how to reconcile the beauty of Christ's words with the attitude of any Catholics who simply repeat these words.
I see Bible quotations on social media, lofty sermons, and godly assurances of love for neighbor. And then – contempt for others, deficiency of empathy, sometimes even hatred disguised as a concern for "truth".
I see Bąkiewicz, Duda, Nawrocki, PiS, Confederacy, Braun...
This is the church that was expected to witness love to the cross?
The gap between the Gospel and how it is utilized is so visible that it pierces the eyes. So we blinded and it does not hurt that God's Word is reduced to a slogan—without body, without spirit, without love? “Without hearts, without spirit, they are skeletons of peoples”...
I was afraid of refugees, but the Catholic priest here, on the FB, in Christ's words, drove that fear out of me. And I'm not part of the community. I have not committed myself to the teaching of the Gospel.
• St. John Paul II on refugees:
"The church is observing with deep pastoral concern the phenomenon of the movement of expanding groups of migrants and refugees, seeking to know its causes and the peculiar conditions in which those who, for various reasons, were forced to leave their homeland. The situation of migrants and refugees seems to be getting worse in the world.
Whole communities sometimes gotta leave the household land to shelter themselves from force and constant persecution; more often, however, poorness and deficiency of prospects for improvement is the reason why individuals and families decide to emigrate to search livelihoods in distant countries where it is not easy to find a hospitable reception.
Many initiatives are being taken to improve the situation of migrants and refugees and to alleviate their suffering. To those who take care of them, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and at the same time encourage them to proceed this long - suffering service, overcoming the many difficulties encountered in this way.
To a Christian, showing kindness and solidarity to a foreigner is not only a command of human hospitality, but besides a circumstantial work resulting from the faithfulness of Christ’s teaching.
The fact that the apostolic work for migrants sometimes faces distrust or even hostility in the environment should in no case be the origin of the resignation of this work of solidarity for human progress.
The command contained in Jesus' words, "I was a stranger, and you accepted me" (Mt 25:35) remains entirely in power under all circumstances and is simply a challenge to the conscience of all who want to follow in His footsteps. To a believer, accepting a neighbour is not just a motion of philanthropy or specified human kindness. It is much more, for in all man a Christian can see Christ who wants us to love him and service him in our brothers, especially the poorest and most needy."
• "The KEP Council on Migrants and Refugees powerfully urges all sides of the political scene not to build their support on the issue of immigrants.
Therefore, we call for a return to the language of respect, fact and concern for the common good – a language that builds and does not divide. Let it be a language free from demagoguery and manipulation."
https://episkopat.pl/doc/228667.Stanosko-Council-Conference-Episkopatu-English-ds-Migrantow-i?fbclid=IwY2xjawLUSGtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABiccmETBtc3VoZEgxcEtEalBoWDE2AR79tjotyxrt-Vy6c-0pzphSjkn0mW5ti-nzlTQkMLfdKdKXGboxmJ7d5UENA_aem_yX82IwU_XaRRdOWJoq9Xw
However, I have reason to believe that even bishops in this case hide their heads in the sand or that most of them identify more with politicians than with the message of their own Council on Migrants and Refugees. Besides, this message is of a niche nature and will never fall under "ecclesiastical toes". It is intended to reassure the consciences of a tiny fistful of societies that do not agree to dehumanizing and non-evangelical treatment and refugees and migrants, more and more late besides those from Ukraine.
Oh, there, there. Everyone interprets faith, chooses what suits him at any moment, disowns what does not suit him, and plays guitar.
Everyone commits sins, but they cannot be made of virtue.
