UCA Fanaticism

In recent homilies Bishop Zurek has made it clear that the standard for love and unity in our diocese should be the encyclical of Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti. Today, let’s reflect on paragraph #191 in that regard.

Chapter 5

A BETTER KIND OF POLITICS

THE EXCERCISE OF POLITICAL LOVE

A love that integrates and unites

191. At a time when various forms of fundamentalist intolerance are damaging relationships between individuals, groups and peoples, let us be committed to living and teaching the value of respect for others, a love capable of welcoming differences, and the priority of the dignity of every human being over his or her ideas, opinions, practices and even sins. Even as forms of fanaticism, closedmindedness and social and cultural fragmentation proliferate in present-day society, a good politician will take the first step and insist that different voices be heard. Disagreements may well give rise to conflicts, but uniformity proves stifling and leads to cultural decay. May we not be content with being enclosed in one fragment of reality.

The crowd expressed their doubt in Jesus by asking, “What can you do?” This led to disagreement and gave rise to conflicts. To avoid this, Bishop Zurek expresses his doubts in us by demanding, This is what you will do!

Instead of making an, “Appeal” and allowing us to “Abound in Hope“, by showing him what we can do in the way of pledges; he will only, “be content with being enclosed in one fragment of reality”, and bounds us to a “Quota”. He is not open to, examining himself in regard to our relationship with each other as reflecting our relationship with Christ with all of its disagreements that may well give rise to conflicts.

My prayer for today is that Bishop Zurek “Abounds in Hope”, by holding us accountable for our pledges; thus making the “U” in UCA stand for “United” rather than “Uniformity”; which bounds us to a “Quota”, which proves stifling and leads to cultural decay.