[Faith-talk] Blindness and church

[Fr. John Sheehan]

One of the great accomplishments of Vatican II was recognizing that the Church is made up of people of very different tastes and gifts and ways of wanting to worship. Many individual parishes offer a range of Mass styles - and if you cannot find one parish that has something you like, there are bound to be others. In the same way, more churches are now offering Masses in different languages - French, Latin, Spanish, Creole, etc. Some like guitar music - some like incense and organs - some like quiet.

It is important to keep in mind the difference between styles of worship - and that includes the personality of the priest and the preaching - and the content, which is the credal content of the faith. I am a Catholic, firmly and committed. Do I agree with each and every policy of the Roman Catholic Church? Nope. If I am ever in a position to help create change, I do. But the basics of my faith do not change according to whether I like the pastor, approve of the music, or disagree with the preaching or the way an individual or even a group of individuals is treated. How some people practice the faith or put it into practice does not change the content of what the faith is.

We are all sinners - we all fail - and I try hard not to put myself in the position of judging (something Jesus warned against a lot). My call is to live the faith as best I can - and to forgive those who fail, as I hope they will forgive me. 
 Fr. John R. Sheehan, SJ
Chairman


Xavier Society for the Blind
154 East 23rd St
New York, NY 10010
(212) 473-7800
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________________________________
From: Norma Crosby <norma.crosby at gmail.com>
To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion" <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Fri, February 5, 2010 2:34:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Blindness and church

I have been watching this thread for a few days without making comment.
However, I guess I have two to make. Understand that I am just a spiritual
seeker. I hold no position in any church hierarchy, so here goes.

First, I am hearing some people suggest that you find a different church,
and I would agree that if you are uncomfortable in your parish, you should
look for a new church home. That is not a recommendation to leave the
Catholic Church. Rather, it is a suggestion that you search and find a
congregation where you are more comfortable.

Second, I see others have suggested that you leave your current faith
altogether, and I think that sounds radical unless you are truly unhappy
with the church as a whole. I am not a Catholic, although I have an interest
in learning more about Catholicism, but I would point out that you will find
negative aspects of almost any faith you choose. You will find people in
virtually every denomination who are more narrow minded than you would like,
and you probably will run across discrimination on the basis of your
blindness as well. This is a togh decision, and I will be praying for you as
you make.

Best regards,
Norma Crosby


On Fri, Feb 5, 2010 at 12:59 PM, Beth <thebluesisloose at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yes, RJ.  I'm on Facebook under www.facebook.com/tallygirl.  Check me out.
> Beth
>
>
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