Wisdom Wednesday | June 30th

AUSCP NewsJune 30Roundup

Communion, clericalism, and the climate crisis – all topics in this week’s Wisdom Wednesday.

If you did not attend our national assembly, we include a very brief report on the happenings. (We will soon have some information about the 2022 Assembly in Baltimore.)

The Communion Conflict

We begin. Here is a good perspective on the Communion Conflict. The Eucharist as Eucharist, from the New York Times (including a brief comment from AUSCP Leadership team member Tulio Ramirez.)

Controversy over Communion in the Catholic Church goes back some 2,000 years, and Biden is not the first public figure to whom the Catholic Church wants to deny Communion. Over the centuries, the Church has often come under criticism for either denying or giving Communion.

Meanwhile, the editorial board of the National Catholic Reporter makes a blunt statement: “Don’t put your faith in the bishops’ conference.” It’s not the bishops’ church.

Clericalism and Church News

Pope Francis has sent a letter praising Jesuit Father James Martin, a priest who ministers to LGBTQ Catholics. The pope described Martin’s work as “continually seeking to imitate this style of God.”

As Southern Baptists begin to grapple with sexual abuse, looming challenges remain.

Climate Crisis

In search of wisdom regarding the climate crisis, Marilyn Antonik recommends the following resources.

Creighton Climate Conference in July

The first gathering at Creighton was very good and this one also looks promising.  Cardinal Cupich will give the opening address and Ilia Delio will give the closing one.

Laudato Si Seven-Year Plan

The Dicastery in Rome has a very comprehensive Seven-Year plan.

Seeds of Hope for Our Planet: Thomas Berry and the Great Work.”

by Fr. Joe Mitchell, C.P.   The presentation focused on how we can respond to Pope Francis’ call to “Care for Our Common Home” inspired by the wisdom of Thomas Berry. Marilyn Antonik says it was one of the best webinar she has seen. It was presented live on June 24. Look for a recording on the JustFaith website or the Passionist Earth and Spirit Center in Louisville.

Catholic Climate Covenant  

This is a good overview of Catholic Climate Covenant, an excellent website on all things climate – by Dan Misleh

Putting Laudato Si’ Into Action! | Dan Misleh

Your thoughts are requested!

We ask for your wisdom about gluten-free hosts. Please send in your thoughts in response to this letter.

I have a topic that you may consider. I have Celiac Disease and cannot consume gluten. Receiving the Eucharist is always a challenge. Pope Francis has decreed that the Eucharist must contain at least some wheat. For this reason the Benedictine Sisters and others have been making low gluten (less than 20 ppm) host that is acceptable by the Holy Father. Studies indicate that 1% of the US population has Celiac Disease. However, many more are Gluten Intolerant. A recent study indicates the following:

According to Dr. Fasano, gluten sensitivity potentially affects far more people than celiac disease. He estimates about 6% to 7% of the U.S. population may be gluten-sensitive, meaning some 20 million people in the United States alone could have the condition.

This begs the question, “Why isn’t all host ‘low gluten?’” It appears that the Catholic Church answer to the question is that only a minority of Catholics face this dilemma, so it isn’t worth addressing. That response always leads me to reflect on “The Parable of the Lost Sheep.” 

Again, this issue is a personal one for me, but I do feel as though my Church alienates those of us afflicted with this condition. What do you think? Does the “gluten in host” issue merit attention?

 

We want to hear from you. Please share your thoughts with us by sending us a message.

AUSCP Quick Picks

LAUGH – And we end with a question we could never have anticipated: What did Spiderman say to Pope Francis?

We hope you have enjoyed this roundup of recent news about faith, politics, and culture. We will return next week with another edition of Wisdom Wednesday. 

Until next week, please follow us on social media with the buttons below to make sure you don’t miss the latest news from the AUSCP!

LinkedIn
Instagram

You may also be interested in…

Menu