[Faith-talk] father John you spoke cecinctly and summarized my feelings exactly. Re: Blindness and church

[pat gormley]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fr. John Sheehan" <xaviersocietyfortheblind at yahoo.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" 
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 10:06 AM
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Blindness and church


> 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
> Help us raise money for the Xavier Society for the Blind just by searching 
> the Internet or shopping online with GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - 
> powered by Yahoo! Free for you - and money for us! Thank you.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> 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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