The Pope, before “wild dogs” who
seek scandals: silence and prayer
First mass in Santa Marta after the summer break and
the recent scandals of the Viganò dossier:
“There are those who seek division and
destruction, even within the family. Truth is humble and silent”
"Silence and prayer". Before those who cause "scandal" and "divisions", before the "wild dogs" who seek war and not peace, nothing else is needed. Only silence and prayer. Pope Francis resumes the morning masses in the chapel of Casa Santa Marta after the summer break and after the controversy aroused by the publication of Monsignor Carlo Maria Viganò’s controversial "communiqué", in which the former nuncio to the USA asks for the resignation of the Pope.
Taking his cue from today’s Gospel of Luke - in which Jesus, returning to Nazareth, is received "with suspicion" - Bergoglio explains the attitude to adopt in all those situations of life in which "the father of lies, the accuser, the devil, acts to destroy the unity of a family, of a people". Whether it is through small "misunderstandings" or large "attacks", in any case, silence is needed to oppose them, the Pope affirms in his reflection reported in Vatican News. Silence like that of Jesus in the synagogue where everyone wanted to see with their own eyes the great works they had heard he was capable of in other lands. In front of the Messiah there were no "people", Francis says, but "a pack of wild dogs who wanted him out of the city. They were not thinking right, they were shouting. Jesus remained silent. They took him to the edge of the mountain to throw him down”.
The Gospel ends with these words: "but he passed through the midst of them and went away". "With his silence, Jesus triumphs over that wild pack and leaves. Because the time had not yet come. The same thing will happen on Good Friday: the people who on Palm Sunday had celebrated Jesus and had told him "Blessed are you, Son of David", said "Crucify him": they had changed. The devil had sown lies in their heart, and Jesus remained silent," Bergoglio comments.
Jesus used only "the word of God", as every time he "wants to overcome the devil". Precisely this humble attitude leaves room for the first "bridge-word", that is meant to construct a bridge but instead sows doubt immediately changing the atmosphere “from peace to war”, from “amazement to fury”. the Pope emphasizes. "With his silence Jesus triumphs over the wild dogs", triumphs over "the devil who had sown the lie". His behavior, crystallized in today's Gospel passage, thus helps to "reflect on the way of acting in daily life" when creating uncomfortable situations.
"Truth is humble, truth is silent, the truth is not noisy", the Pontiff emphasizes. Therefore, "with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division", the only way to go is that of "silence". "The silence that triumphs, but through the Cross... Even in families there are times when division occurs because of ”discussions about politics, sport, money, and it can happen that those families end up destroyed, in these discussions in which we see the presence of the devil, he is there and he wants to destroy ...".
Thus "silence": "say what you have to say and then keep silent". "It is not easy - Francis admits - what Jesus did; however, the dignity of the Christian is anchored in the power of God. With people who have no good will, with people who seek only scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within families: silence. And prayer.
The Pope's prayer, at the conclusion of his first Mass in September, was "May the Lord give us the grace to discern when we should speak and when we should stay silent. This applies to every part of life: to work, at home, in society…. Thus we will be closer imitators of Jesus".
24 comments:
In my humble opinion, the Pope speaks when he should remain silent, and is silent when he should speak.
In front of the Messiah there were no "people," Francis says, but "a pack of wild dogs who wanted him out of the city. They were not thinking right, they were shouting. Jesus remained silent. They took him to the edge of the mountain to throw him down." The Gospel ends with these words: "but he passed through the midst of them and went away."
Well, since the pope is now comparing himself to the Messiah, perhaps we can get him to imitate Christ and also do that last part that he quoted.
Carol said, “Ausculta fili!” Or maybe she is immitating St Catherine of Siena, “I beg of you, on behalf of Christ crucified, that you be not a timorous child but manly. Open your mouth and swallow down the bitter for the sweet.” The Pope’s body is in Rome, but where is his heart and mind?
Bee here:
I wonder how long it will be before those words come back to haunt him....
God bless.
Bee
Dear Carol,
My thoughts exactly.
Well the church in the USA could have saved 4 billion dollars! All the accused priests and bishops who were accused of rape, forced abortions, sodomy, drug use, theft, prostitution and every other disgusting thing that comes to mind all they had to say when confronted with accusations is “I will not say a word about this”. Case closed. They can take what the NYT called “the high road”.
So victims don’t you dare speak and require explanations from the Church for the abuse that you suffered. All the response you will get is No Comment and you better accept that. Ok.
Oh and give back the money. It belongs to us.
And all you parents whose children are in their graves because of the abuse they suffered from priests and bishops and a lying abuser cover up shielding pope, shut up and remain quiet. The Church will not say a word about what happened. And make sure you keep giving the money because it’s a precept of the Church don’t you know......ok.
DJR - Since you and others here seem quite ready to crucify him, the comparison seems quite apt.
pardon the hijack, but this priest needs a job, and now, and somewhere in an orthodox area with latinos as well....just canned for a wonderful homily and attitude towards corruption..
I mean, they put him on the street...he does not need outrage, he needs help...
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/the-sermon-that-cost-a-brave-priest-his-job/
"They took him to the edge of the mountain to throw him down”.
And why did they want to do this to Jesus?
It wasn't because he was silent before them,
but rather that he reminded them of the widow in Zarepath and
Naaman the Syrian.
Christ is the Truth and He was not silent, because the truth must be proclaimed.
The Pope's response has left me speechless.
Silence?
Silence is the missing element of modern life, hard to maintain, nearly impossible to find. Silence is essential for prayer. Silence is the appropriate behavior in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament for Catholics.
However, silence is NOT an appropriate response for injustice. Silence is NOT an appropriate response to corruption. Silence is NOT an appropriate response to a group of bishops who assign priests, promote priests, transfer bad priests and defend bad priests. Silence is NOT an appropriate response to a group of bishops who threw their priests under the bus in 2002, even while 96% of those priests never sexually abused anyone. Silence is NOT an appropriate response to a Lavender Mafia that promotes members of its clique while marginalizing shunning its members who seek orthodoxy. Silence is NOT an appropriate response when a respected Archbishop with nothing to gain and everything to lose falls on his sword in public to try to root out corruption and the Lavender Mafia within his ranks turn on him. Silence is NOT an appropriate response when some of America's best bishops like Olmsted, Morlino, Aquila, Paprocki and Cordileone call for an investigation into the charges against the Pope and the Lavender Mafia in the USCCB and Vatican dismiss them as "agenda-driven".
And silence will not be my response when the pope calls upon us to defend what is indefensible. Instead I will follow the advice of one of our greatest popes:
"It is better that scandals should arise than truth be suppressed." -Pope St. Gregory the Great
Bob Wilkens,
I read about Fr. Gavancho and his excellent sermon. Bishop Hartmayer of the Diocese of Savannah should invite him into our Diocese. It sounds like he would be a real asset here. He could capably minister to the hispanics, he preaches what needs to be said and it sounds like he favors a return to more tradition in liturgy. Bishop Hartmayer, please contact this fine young priest and invite him!
It seems so blasphemous that Francis would invoke the words of Jesus to justify a cover-up that i think he probably didnt mean to. It might just be an example of Francis’ tone deafness that he gave this homily days after shutting off all info that could support or refute Vigano
Keyser, well said!
“Silence is golden” when in prayer, most especially the great prayer of the Church, Holy Mass. (Cdl. Sarah wrote about it eloquently in his book “The Power of Silence”). Most of us have been praying fervently in silence for our Holy Mother Church all summer and most especially the past three weeks since the PA Report was made public. In the face of that horror, we were speechless...so we offered masses, rosaries novenas for victims, clergy and church.
But when evil stares you in the face and nothing is done, one must act to the best of his/her abilities despite the human proclivity to do nothing and take a back seat. Just one example: How has legalized abortion thrived for 46 years, even within the catholic population? The Church was silent at most to Humana Vitae, with many clerics in open opposition. I remember it well as I was in college in NY at the time. And in the ensuing years, there was a deadly silence in many (most?) parishes on the horror of abortion. Don’t call a sin a sin, don’t confront anyone, and the “issue” will quietly go away, yes?
NO! Speak up for heaven’s sake, or more innocent lives will be lost. Martyrs will be made—That’s part of the stuff of holiness.
“It is not healthy to love silence while fleeing interaction with others.”
- Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate
Pope Francis is Pope but also a man.
Pope Francis is an elderly man.
The Catholic Church is supposed or is alleged to think in centuries;
So why do so many Catholics, ordinary, average lay Catholics and, or also, educated and self declared orthodox believers, where ever they are on the theological spectrum, NOT ALSO think in centuries?
Why not pray, fast occasionally if necessary, focus more on their own sins and flaws;
And in silence reflect on what changes for the better could occur in the Church over the next century, if God wills?
AJP.
AJP,
Because suffering and injustice is occuring now.
anon
Yup lets all just fast and pray as the ship goes down, we are beyond that point, this is a crisis caused by the sweet old man you so lovingly prater about. Yes siree, the stench of VII, and we don't have a century to wait, all you and the sweet old man are hoping for is for it to all die down, well good luck with that.
Just as an aside the picture of PF saying mass, two candles to one side and a nice flower arrangement, says reams about him.
The Egyptian,
Yes, that picture is a dandy. He looks like the school janitor saying Mass.
Suffering and injustice have always occurred.
TJM, I mostly agree with what you have written here in recent months, but not always.
The Egyptian,
How could you possibly know who I "prater about"?
We have already waited more than a half a century since 1965.
To repeat what I wrote to TJM,
I mostly agree with views expressed here about the Church.
Ever studied the Papacy in the 10th and 15th centuries?
The problem or one of the biggest problems of our era is modern actually super modern communications.
In medieval and early modern times and even into the 19th century were Catholics, were all Christians better or worse off when the latest news of the stupidity, greed and selfishness and the vanity of Bishops etc were little known or often never known by the vast majority of believers?
Regards,
AJP.
PS. If you try to act like a Christian gentleman in public, and this applies to all Christian men, why not try to write like one, especially on a Catholic priest's blog?
I have often here found myself agreeing with what is expressed but disliking greatly the way many views are expressed here, and elsewhere on Catholic and Christian blogs, on the various web sites on this weird, wonderful, world wide web.
anon
The problem or one of the biggest problems of our era is modern actually super modern communications
Oh yes they were so much better then because the laity didn't know about it.
till it got so bad the church ended up in the reformation
I guess ignorance is bliss, pray, pay and obey
welcome to the twenty first century
Just ran ito this on another blog, rings true
Quick summary of Pope Francis’ reaction :
1) Do your job as journalists and investigate Viganò’s claims!
2) No, none of us are willing to speak with you, and we won’t provide you with access to relevant records either.
3) Why are you still bothering us? Don’t you know that by being silent, we’re imitating Christ? Really, it’s very holy.
4) *put on halo; look smug*
The Egyptian,
Great summary of MT's Golden Calf. What a stand up guy, he's a regular St. John Chrysostom!!!!
With as heartbroken as so many Catholic laity and priests are, we deserve more than silence. Shame on Francis!
Two stubby candles at one end, a flower arrangement at the other, a frilly tablecloth - 'It displays the ideas of a middle-class hostess of what is appropriate to decorate a dinner table ... By cutting off the life of the Church from a timeless tradition, the Modernists have immersed it in a contemporary social setting.' (HJA Sire)
It doesn't necessarily say anything about the Pope; this, deplorable as it is, is commonplace in European churches and no doubt Francis was unwilling to change an existing arrangement.
By the way, the verb is 'to prate' - one who does so is a 'prater'.
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