Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Two years ago I quoted this ode on my blog.   Today I noticed that several other bloggers are publishing it because Cardinal Dolan quoted it during his recent Chrism Mass homily, and something about it resonated with them, as it did with me.  My original post follows in brown font. I found this ode, written by an Italian spiritual writer in his old age.  It really states how I feel a lot of the time about the Catholic Church.  It's almost a love-hate relationship.  But on balance, it's love. Ode to the Church by Carlo Carretto How much I must criticize you, my church, and yet how much I love you! You have made me suffer more than anyone and yet I owe more to you than to anyone.  I should like to see you destroyed and yet I need your presence. You have given me much scandal and yet you alone have made me understand holiness.  Never in this world have I seen anything more compromised, more false, and yet I have never touched anything more pure, more gener

On this sunny, blustery February day, we have just returned, our little family of four, from a standing-room-only Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, where the celebrant was the newly minted Timothy Cardinal Dolan. Given the politics of these days, I expected he might preach about the intrusions that politicians are making into Catholics' lives of faith. But he didn't, at least not overtly. Instead, the joyful man in the red hat preached the Gospel, reminding us that, just as Jesus learned during his 40 days in the desert, during Lent we need to realize that our lives must be lived with God's will, not our will, for God's kingdom, not our kingdom, for God's values and not the passing values of the world we live in. (Thanks to my CL friend Dan Finaldi for sharing the photo he took after Mass)    Read more here...