Hello gentle readers! I'm so dreadfully sorry that my posts are so few and far between! You cannot imagine how busy I have been since New Year's Day - but I promised myself that I would submit a post this week. It's the least I can do for my faithful followers out there. Wow! 113 are now following! If I posted more frequently, I bet that number would double. May Godde and Sophia bless you for your patience and long-suffering - it must be very trying for you, having to endure LarryD's posts while waiting for me to publish something. You are on the way to "sainthood"! (if you believe that kinda stuff)Last week was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. You wouldn't know it because LarryD didn't write a single thing about it - he can be so...so...so singular in his thinking! Thankfully I'm going to write about it, so that when it comes around next year, you will be ready for it! And it is such a joyous week!
First a little history: the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began in 1908 through the cooperation of two Christian ministers, one from America and the other from England. In 1909, the American (Paul Wattson) converted to Catholicism from the Episcopalian denomination, and subsequently developed the erroneous belief that true unity would only be achieved if the other Christian denominations returned to the Catholic Church. I'm guessing that went over like a lead balloon, because in the 1930's, that narrow belief was expanded, by a wonderful, forward-thinking progressive French catholic by the name of Paul Couturier (mmm - French! how delish!). He taught it's better for all to be drawn to Christ and not necessarily convert to the Catholic faith. And ever since then, we have had great success in praying with each other and making each other feel good and special about our different beliefs. If I'm not mistaken, the Second Vatican Council affirmed that view about Christian unity - I'm not really sure, because I've never read all the documents, but that was what I've been told.
You see, dear friends, people like LarryD, who believe in the "Magisterium", and read the "Catechism" and believe in "objective truth" - they're the ones who foment division and strife. Closed-minded attitudes only work to push people away. People aren't interested in hearing someone else's version of the Truth - they want to discover the truth that is within them, and be affirmed in that discovery. That's what the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is all about.
And what a week it is! This year was especially exciting! I am deeply involved with the Interactive Dialogues Incorporating Observant Truths of Inclusive Christians Council - 75 of us gathered to discuss and dialogue and interact and affirm one another. We accomplished so much! For instance, we outlined a rough draft of a proposed statement on the recent invitation of the pope to the TAC to enter the Catholic Church. Once our statement is completed and unanimously approved, it will be sent straight to the Vatican, expressing our disappointment in such a bold, brash, insensitive action, an action which flies in the face of what Christian Unity truly stands for.
I believe, as do many of my Catholic friends, that Christian Unity will only be achieved by following a tried and true method of exhaustive dialogue and discussion. By doing so, the creative powers of Sophia will be unleashed in a spontaneous display of visionary wonderment. And that spontaneous unleashment will only be realized by faithfully following a carefully detailed 31-step process:
1) Call a meeting.
2) Determine who else needs to be included in "the Group" and invite them to the next meeting.
3) Call the next meeting.
4) Determine at the meeting what the purpose of Big Meeting will be about (this usually involves coming up with a catchy phrase, like "Calling Upon The Spirit Within"; or "We Are A New Reality Trapped In An Olde Construct")
5) A meeting is called to select a "Steering Committee"
6) "Steering Committee" meets to establish goals.
7) Goals are presented to "the Group", and then subcommittees are formed.
8) Subcommittees call their meetings.
9) Call a meeting so that subcommittees can report on their meetings to "the Steering Committee".
10) "Steering Committee" meets to compile all the great ideas from the subcommittees.
11) Form a new subcommittee to incorporate all the ideas for the Big Meeting.
12) Schedule a meeting to create felt banner ideas for the Big Meeting.
13) Outline press releases for the National Catholic Reporter, America and Commonweal.
14) Subcommittees meet again to create Action Teams.
15) Action Teams meet to give themselves cool-sounding names, like "Crimes Against Hu-woman-ity"; or "Shake Your Buddha" and come up with great ideas.
16) Action Teams present their cool-sounding names and great ideas to the subcommittees.
17) Subcommittees present the Action Team cool-sounding names and their great ideas to the "Steering Committee".
18) "Steering Committee" gives "the Group" an update on all the Action Team cool-sounding names and great ideas.
19) "The Group" meets to discuss and approve the Action Team cool-sounding names.
20) A meeting is called to repurpose the Big Meeting based on the Action Teams' great ideas.
21) Call a meeting to discuss where and when the Big Meeting will be held. A new subcommittee is formed.
22) Subcommittees meet to review their Action Teams' great ideas and incorporate them into the repurposed Big Meeting.
23) "Steering Committee" meets to plan a weekend retreat for the subcommittee leaders and Action Team members.
24) Weekend retreat.
25) "Steering Committee" calls a meeting to update "the Group" on their weekend retreat.
26) Felt banner ideas are presented to "the Group" and a "Felt Banner Approval Subcommittee" is formed.
27) "Felt Banner Approval Subcommittee" polls "the Group" and all the entries are approved.
28) Call a meeting for all subcommittees to give final reports to the "Steering Committee".
29) "Steering Committee" gives final report to "the Group".
30) Call a meeting for "the Group" to refocus on the purpose of the Big Meeting.
31) Hold the Big Meeting. Everyone is happy, no one's feelings are hurt, and Sophia arrives for the Big Kumbaya moment at the end.
That's how Christian Unity gets done: dialogue, discussions and catchy phrases on felt banners.
