Wow! Gina, Christian and I just got back from Joyfest at Great America (local theme park). Gina and I have been going to this day of Christian music together for years. Chris Tomlin was the headliner and his set was the most amazing concert experience I think I have ever had. I have been to a lot of concerts. I have had a lot of "worship" experiences. I was blown away by this night. It all began with one of the few covers that Chris sings. It was very cool that this prominent worship leader, who has written more songs that are used in worship than I can count, started off with our friend's song "Your Grace Is Enough". Although I generally prefer Matt's version of the song, this rocked. I was blown away with the thought that here were thousands of people, most of whom not only don't identify with the Catholic faith but might even have some animosity towards the Catholic Church, singing a song by a Catholic artist - loudly! Praising God through the words and music of an awesome, loving, faithful Catholic. God's Grace is indeed enough. Now Matt Maher would be the first to say that he hates the walls of misunderstanding and bickering that divide God's people (so do I) and I was honored to part of this event that blew all that away and allowed us to worship the Almighty God as one Church for a couple of hours. Thank you, Matt, for the song. Thank you, Chris, for sharing it with even more people and leading us in WORSHIP instead of performing a concert.
It was a concert for God, and we were all the performers. This was made clear from the beginning when the screen used to project the lyrics for every song said just that. Chris Tomlin's music is such a gift to us, as is Matt's. It is so singable and approachable. He sang a couple of songs from his new album that I had never heard before but I was singing along with him instantly. I hope that I am able to sing tomorrow at Mass, I was singing so loudly. I couldn't help myself. How great is our God!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
A little venting
Hi,
Yes, I am still alive and there are things going on in the world to which I have been paying attention. We have had the Pope getting everyone excited about his choice of words while addressing the need for dialog with Islam. We have had an archbishop excommunicated. We have had a sex scandal involving young boys and a senator. Not to mention a few other ideas that have floated around in my head based on some things I have read. So buckle in, this might be a bumpy ride.
I have never been much of a diplomat. As I get older and presumably a little wiser (although I have learned that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand), I have learned the subtleties of communication and politics, but I am not always very good at them. Flattery is definitely not my strong suit, even with those I honestly care about, admire, or even make my heart skip a beat (just ask my wife). I do also recognize the beauty and importance of diversity of culture and thought, and that I certainly don’t have all the answers or can declare absolute truths. It amazes me at how cautious we all are about what we say about Islam. You may be saying, “Uh, Scott, they blow things up or cause riots when we tick them off”. To which I say, yes, there are extremists. Maybe even more than in other religions, and that definitely use large scale, publicized violence more often. That should not stop us from trying to engage people in communication and call out the things that are unacceptable in our point of view.
Speaking of extremists, Emmanual Milingo, the archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, was excommunicated this past week for ordaining married priests in Washington, D.C. Marriage and the priesthood have been his main agenda for years now. He even went as far as getting married himself, but Pope John Paul II persuaded him to come back into the fold. Even now, the Church is definitely the religion of second chances (thank God), and Pope Benedict XVI is trying to give him another chance. Hear is an issue that is definitely causing a division in the Church. There are some that I am sure are applauding the "ordination". “It’s about time someone did this.” “I don’t see what the big deal is.” or “We wouldn’t have a shortage of priests if it weren’t for that celibacy rule from the dark ages.” To all of these, I say you do not understand the difference between a vocation and an occupation. The priesthood is not just an occupation. It is a vocation that also happens to be combined with the individual’s occupation – his daily work. I can see where it is easily confused, after all most married men have both a vocation and an occupation, so why would this be any different? The two are so intimately combined in the priesthood that they are impossible to separate. It is a matter of priorities. As a married man I can prioritize between my vocation as a husband and father and my occupation as a program manager. Allowing married priests as the norm (there are married priests that were ordain in other denominations) would be like endorsing polygamy. How do you prioritize between two spouses? I would argue you can’t without causing all kinds of misery, especially in modern culture.
Finally, we have Senator Foley. My first reaction was, you have got to be kidding me. The Co-chair of a committee that seeks to protect children is sending sexually explicit emails to kids? Not only is this appalling, it is almost laughably stupid? I am amazed that this took so long to come to light, but maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of this situation. I understand the fear and shame of an abuse victim, but this seems different. I guess it could be likened to sexual harassment. The boys were afraid for their futures if they turned in a well liked, powerful Senator. Still, I wish more of the bad guys/jerks of the world were stupid enough to give us a written record of their crimes/misconduct.
It is a crazy world. May God’s hand reach out and guide us and protect us. Wow, the commute must be making me a little edgy. This entry sounds more like my brother. :)
As for the other ideas I mentioned I will save those for now. They are both related to some good editorials in the San Jose Mercury News.
May God Bless us all with his grace and mercy.
Yes, I am still alive and there are things going on in the world to which I have been paying attention. We have had the Pope getting everyone excited about his choice of words while addressing the need for dialog with Islam. We have had an archbishop excommunicated. We have had a sex scandal involving young boys and a senator. Not to mention a few other ideas that have floated around in my head based on some things I have read. So buckle in, this might be a bumpy ride.
I have never been much of a diplomat. As I get older and presumably a little wiser (although I have learned that the two do not necessarily go hand in hand), I have learned the subtleties of communication and politics, but I am not always very good at them. Flattery is definitely not my strong suit, even with those I honestly care about, admire, or even make my heart skip a beat (just ask my wife). I do also recognize the beauty and importance of diversity of culture and thought, and that I certainly don’t have all the answers or can declare absolute truths. It amazes me at how cautious we all are about what we say about Islam. You may be saying, “Uh, Scott, they blow things up or cause riots when we tick them off”. To which I say, yes, there are extremists. Maybe even more than in other religions, and that definitely use large scale, publicized violence more often. That should not stop us from trying to engage people in communication and call out the things that are unacceptable in our point of view.
Speaking of extremists, Emmanual Milingo, the archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, was excommunicated this past week for ordaining married priests in Washington, D.C. Marriage and the priesthood have been his main agenda for years now. He even went as far as getting married himself, but Pope John Paul II persuaded him to come back into the fold. Even now, the Church is definitely the religion of second chances (thank God), and Pope Benedict XVI is trying to give him another chance. Hear is an issue that is definitely causing a division in the Church. There are some that I am sure are applauding the "ordination". “It’s about time someone did this.” “I don’t see what the big deal is.” or “We wouldn’t have a shortage of priests if it weren’t for that celibacy rule from the dark ages.” To all of these, I say you do not understand the difference between a vocation and an occupation. The priesthood is not just an occupation. It is a vocation that also happens to be combined with the individual’s occupation – his daily work. I can see where it is easily confused, after all most married men have both a vocation and an occupation, so why would this be any different? The two are so intimately combined in the priesthood that they are impossible to separate. It is a matter of priorities. As a married man I can prioritize between my vocation as a husband and father and my occupation as a program manager. Allowing married priests as the norm (there are married priests that were ordain in other denominations) would be like endorsing polygamy. How do you prioritize between two spouses? I would argue you can’t without causing all kinds of misery, especially in modern culture.
Finally, we have Senator Foley. My first reaction was, you have got to be kidding me. The Co-chair of a committee that seeks to protect children is sending sexually explicit emails to kids? Not only is this appalling, it is almost laughably stupid? I am amazed that this took so long to come to light, but maybe I don’t understand the dynamics of this situation. I understand the fear and shame of an abuse victim, but this seems different. I guess it could be likened to sexual harassment. The boys were afraid for their futures if they turned in a well liked, powerful Senator. Still, I wish more of the bad guys/jerks of the world were stupid enough to give us a written record of their crimes/misconduct.
It is a crazy world. May God’s hand reach out and guide us and protect us. Wow, the commute must be making me a little edgy. This entry sounds more like my brother. :)
As for the other ideas I mentioned I will save those for now. They are both related to some good editorials in the San Jose Mercury News.
May God Bless us all with his grace and mercy.
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