michal's musings

My Appreciation of the East i was born the northeast part of poland in a small town.  this area is sometimes called an orthodox mecca .  it has the largest population of the orthodox Christians.  this short clip reminded me of my visits in the little and bog orthodox churches in my homeland. i love eastern liturgy.  it is so mystical.  there are a beautiful movement taking place during the liturgy of entering and leaving the sanctuary and inviting people to participate in the liturgical drama. 

i pray i find humility in my life.  i need more charity.  i need to love and accept my pope.  i need to love and accept my bishop.  i need to stop focusing on what has been wrong with them.  this does not help the gospel.  i need to take the example from holy people and focus on Christ and God being love. i do not need to agree with the pope or my bishop.  i need to focus on the Catholic teaching - the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  

heresy is nothing new.  i know i am writing about the catholic church.  im a member of the catholic church.  i used to be liberal. but, that only gave me more confusion and no guiding principle.  im not writing that now i know everything and here im telling people what to believe and how to  believe and what to do.  i just try to live my life with some vision.  i just try to find peace.  i just want to have more integrity in my life. i no longer now what to do with the teaching of Pope Francis and his take on many issues.  im confused by him.  i decided to stick with the Catechism and pray that all of us find peace and integrity what ever that means for us.   

The Structure of the Family is questioned and not clear in the Catholic Church.  Since it is necessary for a child to be born through a relationship between woman and man this is the best way how the child should be raised.  In my own family I have a member who is married to this same gender person.  They have children together not biologically but because one of them was married before to the opposite sex partner.  I respect their choice but I do not agree with it.  And, this is fine.  If we are interested in asking the pope to make a stronger statement on the best way how children should be raised, please sing this declaration.  The link is below.  http://filialappeal.org/

Another Interview that I found of Bishop Athanasius Schneider.  Bishop Schneider is from Russia but he is of German origin.  He is very much open to discussion and he is very rooted in the Tradition and the Scripture.  I like his way of thinking about: issues of life, ecumenism, liturgy.  I know it is a long interview but very worthy of listening.  Issues of life: saving children are more important than housing and gender equality.  Ecumenism: cannot celebrate a heresy (500 years of Reformation) and unity with Orthodox Christians is very difficult because of the original sin and the question of papacy. With the Orthodox we are of this same faith but papacy.    Bishop Schneider teaches us not to loose faith, hope and charity.  There is a very funny beginning of this interview.  Bishop Schneider - we are on the peripheries of the Church.  It is good to be there with Christ and with you. 

Bishop Schneider is becoming a champion among more traditional and conservative Catholics.   He is trying to help them to find still home in the Catholic Church.   Definitively, it is a very unusual situation for them.   It is for the first time in a long time that we are experiencing the Pope who is more liberal and progressive. But like the progressives for a long time needed to find space in the Catholic Church; now, it is time for the traditionalist to be able to do that, too.   There is a space for everyone in the place that is called the Catholic Church.