tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post7982400016232553422..comments2024-03-28T11:00:36.392-04:00Comments on Cyganeria: Reflections: Saint and PopeMashahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943998810222103926noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post-49191744551881212872013-10-10T16:32:29.674-04:002013-10-10T16:32:29.674-04:00Loved this piece!
That point about diversity is a...Loved this piece!<br /><br />That point about diversity is a lot of what I was going to say. I never get upset about all the furor over Pope Francis' comments (except to sputter snidenesses about Rita Skeeter) <i>until</i> someone compares him to Benedict XVI, usually to the latter's disadvantage. And then, out come the claws. Benedict XVI strikes me as incredibly humble and incredibly misunderstood, and people are real jerks about their misunderstanding of him. But I sometimes get annoyed when people treat Benedict as All That and Francis as a Problem, too, because... hey, much as I sometimes miss Benedict's artistic and symbolic sense, I really love the fact that Catholicism encourages a variety of spiritualities. Protestants sometimes draw hard church separations along lines like that, and it's a terrible weakness.<br /><br />I love both St. Francis and Pope Francis, both of them for their extreme sincerity and humility and for the warm-hearted way they open their arms to human need and (in St. Francis' case, at least) to nature. There is something of that in my charism, I think. If I'm not entirely Franciscan (and my main acquaintance with the Saint is through Chesterton's biography, which made me cry lots of good tears), I'm at least one of Therese's little flowers, and her impulse toward charity seems to come from a similar place.<br /><br />Padre Pio terrifies me. ;)Jenna St. Hilairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474588706124865006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post-5563814528045441162013-10-10T14:33:22.029-04:002013-10-10T14:33:22.029-04:00Thanks Mike!!! And you're right, Scotus is a ...Thanks Mike!!! And you're right, Scotus is a great example! I'm so glad you found me! Mashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943998810222103926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post-87312387665348671142013-10-10T14:31:51.047-04:002013-10-10T14:31:51.047-04:00Thanks! There are a lot of scholars in Franciscan ...Thanks! There are a lot of scholars in Franciscan spirituality though, that you can check out...though I don't know if it'll help. I see you somewhere else - Benedictine???? You're description of Francis' 'drunken holiness' is perfect though! And I think that's why I love it, but fear it, because that's a lot of control to give over to God. I've never liked Parde Pio..he is definitely not my charism ;) But thank God for diversity, right! Otherwise we wouldn't have holy terrors like him and Jerome..and boring old men like Thomas More ;)Mashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943998810222103926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post-67922684775537194182013-10-10T13:51:11.266-04:002013-10-10T13:51:11.266-04:00It is perfectly acceptable to approach the Francis...It is perfectly acceptable to approach the Franciscan charism in a scholarly fashion. Bl. Duns Scotus is a wonderful example of scholarly Franciscan thought. I agree with your thoughts about Pope Francis, Em. Excellent piece.<br /><br />-Mike McDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550058566159443898.post-13795047434933479692013-10-09T20:47:23.754-04:002013-10-09T20:47:23.754-04:00Beautifully said, M! The Franciscan way is not my...Beautifully said, M! The Franciscan way is not my charism, either. I'm much more scholarly . . . which makes my intense love of and for poetry inexplicable . . . but saints come in all shapes and sizes. Padre Pio is a wondrous example of someone whose holiness was so sharp and refined that he could be mistake for cruel. While Francis, the humble non-priest, had a careless, drunken holiness. It's so beautiful to me how there's room for all types, and how saints are diverse as the constellations, while evil men are all miserable and the same!Christie @ Everything to Someonehttp://everythingtosomeone.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com