Karl Rahner, SJ
Here’s a man with an incredible positive view of the world and who taught me that God is always, already, present!
Blessed Pope John XXIII
Joyful, sensitive, strong, caring, open to diversity, a truly Catholic man.
Francis & Clare of Assisi
Our spiritual father and mother. I fell in love with them in highschool when I first saw the film “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”. Yes, it’s not that realistic a film… but who cares about realism… it captured the Spirit… and it is contageous.
Pope John Paul II – the Great
A man who had the guts and the vision to breathe life into the Spirit of Assisi.
I took fell in love with “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. I visited Assisi, Italy in 2001 and was moved to tears just by being there.
Sincerely,
Neal
New Orleans, LA
Thanks for sharing your “Brother Sun” comments. Assisi is indeed a place, a feeling that is unique. I tell people to try and spend at least one night there to experience the peace of dusk and dawn in this place. You can still feel Francis in the stones of the town!
Friar Rick
I just found your blog for the first time through a link from an artyicle on Tomorrow’s Trust.
I am delighted to see you name Karl Rahner as one of your heroes, particularly in these times. I have taken to purchasing on the web copies of Rahner’s now out of Print The Shape Of The World To Come. Written in 1972 and published in English a year later it is perhaps more significant today than it was when it was written. His chapter on the Church of the Little Flock bears reading closely in light opf the fact that it is a phrase that appears frequently in the speeches of Pope Benedict.
Thanks John. I’ve read quite of bit of Rahner, but I don’t recall that book. I’ll have to check it out.
Fr. Rick
Of all of the pictures JPII is there any reason you use this one? Does this show your view of what the church is? Its very echumenical of you? But on a deeper level it does say something. You could have used a picture of JP II with Castro? I have been reading your website for a while and I keep scratching my head trying to figure out your angle. At least Karl was a baptized catholic.
The photo is a beloved one of Franciscans since it’s JPII in Assisi praying for peace with other religious leaders. I’m not sure what you’re getting at?
I love very much Saint Francisc spirituallty. I am studing at an romanian Seminary, i want to be a priest, and I discovered franciscan spiritualitty during the Theological Highschool. . . i sow also the movie and i like…but Father Rick do you have the song ” Fratello Sole, sorella Luna”? If not you can find it at the link http://www.ofmconv.ro/forum/index.html at the section Fratello Sole, Sorela Luna of the forum. I hope u will enjoy it. I admire a lot u all and I believe that the franciscan mouvement made a lot of good to the Catholic Church!
With christian love, Alex!
Friar Rick,
I fully understand why you love the picture above with JPII and the Assisi peace prayer event.
I do have to admit when I first knew of these events, being a new Catholic, (confirmed and received into the Church in 2006, after these events took place) I was not understanding JPII’s thoughts or the Church’s understanding on who we are and how we relate to the world, our role as Christ’s Body in evangelization and intercession on the world’s behalf.
It seems to me if people really looked at what Vatican II, the Church, has to say to us about Ecumenism, look at how the Popes have taught and put this into practice over the last half century, see these things in the light of eternity and with the mind of the Father, we should not have these unhealthy feelings of discomfort, but see the bigger picture, which is fantastic!
Looking at things through the eyes of the Holy Spirit and the Church, we can envision how God will in time draw people from every culture, every corner of the world to himself, through the Church. Dialog that shares truth without condemnation is the first step in drawing those cultures toward us. The first step. This is the first step. It seems so hard for many to grasp this concept, why, I’m not completely sure.
I know there are people who will always condemn Ecumenism. It seems that in their own eyes, truth not delivered with a certain coldness, harshness (not caring about whether it repels or attracts) but instead delivered with great care and love, well to them this is not truth at all, but something watered down in an attempt to keep everyone happy. They want to see it as relativistic. They miss the great picture altogether with this limited understanding.
Love is the whole enchilada. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved.’
As the saying goes, it seems impossible to please all the people all the time. Fortunately, that’s not really the mission.
BTW, I just discovered this blog through a friend, I will keep it on my favorites.
God bless!