An Advent Meditation

may he fully recover quickly and return to write the powerful and necessary articles such as that on Wojtyla's polarization of our once universal and Catholic Church, compassionate and true, the article which invoked his six months of silencing

meanwhile we await quietly for his soon coming ever holy Word Incarnate within this long dark time of Advent

"lest hope be corrupted by presumption"
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It seems accurate to observe that the hierarchy of the Church is incompetent, corrupt, and consequently, ineffective.

INCOMPETENT: after Vatican II, a surge of hope pulsed throughout the Catholic world, in anticipation of real change and real participation of the laity in the Church. "Humanae vitae" was the Church's opportunity to show its true colors — and it did, namely, it showed it would have nothing to do with lay input. So much for lay hope. The pro-VaticanOne sentiment (John Paul II and followers) determined decisively to end Liberation Theology (HOPE) — and it did by appointing bishops/cardinals who would restore the mind of VaticanOne.

Now the Church is peopled with a hierarchy that divides the Church against itself by setting Vatican II against VaticanOne. Obviously, such leadership is incapable of taking the Church anywhere but to confusion and frustration.

CORRUPT: the above is self-explanatory as to the fact and nature of hierarchical corruption, not to mention the out-of-control sexual abuse scandal and cover-up, all the way to the Chair of Peter.

INEFFECTIVE: outcomes of incompetence and corruption can't help be anything but ineffective and corruptive.

Hope is with the people, and the revitalization of the Church from the-bottom-up. Let movement toward rebirth begin now, this ADVENT 2010.
http://divinicom.com/Priestly%20Patriarchal%20Presumption%20vs%20Jahwist...
http://www.divinicom.com/Emerging%20Church,%20NEW%20ERA%20DAWNING.pdf
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978731798

We pray that Father McBrien will recover fully and that we can continue to benefit from his extraordinary theological insight.

Would to God we had a generation of bishops who would listen to men like McBrien and other voices like his.

But no, alas when it comes to today's hierarchy the days of the Vatrcan II giants is long gone.

His is a vox clamans in deserto.

Re:'Advent has to do, literally, with a "coming toward" (ad-veniens, in the Latin).'
My schoolboy Latin seems to remember that 'advent' comes from 'adventus', viz., the past participle of 'venire',
so that the literal translation should have the sense of past tense rather than the present continuous.
I can then only make of Advent that it has already come and we are celebrating something that has already 'come' about, and that is presumably that Christ has come already, and our thoughts are not those of anticipation but of gratitude that it has already come about.

I pray for a full recovery of Fr. McBrien AND a hope that the church may ever be surprised by the spirit. Whoever thought that the "intrum" pope who didn't look "holy" in a pius way would bring so much hope and new life not just to the church but to the world.

ok, so here is a present Advent meditation from an AP story TODAY!

Only for Republicans is feeding kids a bad thing, while pushing for the rich to pay no taxes

So.
THis is your pro-life party??
yeah. life's a party . . .

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Republicans block child nutrition bill

WASHINGTON – House Republicans have temporarily blocked legislation to feed school meals to thousands more hungry children. Republicans used a procedural maneuver Wednesday to try to amend the $4.5 billion bill, which would give more needy children the opportunity to eat free lunches at school and make those lunches healthier. First lady Michelle Obama has lobbied for the bill as part of her "Let's Move" campaign to combat childhood obesity.

House Democrats said the GOP amendment, which would have required background checks for child care workers, was an effort to kill the bill and delayed a final vote on the legislation rather than vote on the amendment.

Because the nutrition bill is identical to legislation passed by the Senate in August, passage would send it to the White House for President Barack Obama's signature. If the bill were amended, it would be sent back to the Senate with little time left in the legislative session.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md. said the House would hold separate votes on Thursday on the amendment and the bill.

Republicans say the nutrition bill is too costly and an example of government overreach.

God Bless you Charles. You are so correct. It is heartbreaking to see the early indications of what is about to happen to the poor and middle class. We need to do something about all of these things. The Republicans do not have the mandate they think. Too many good but uniformed folks voted against their own best interest. They've been bambozzled and will quickly find this out in the days and weeks ahead.h

God Bless you Fr. McBrien !! I thoroughly enjoy your insightful writings.My maiden name is McNally and my married name is O'Brien.Your name is an interesting combination of the two. My husband is a Notre Dame graduate(1968).I find the campus to be a truly spiritual place.When you recover from your surgery,if you ever have occasion to speak on campus,please notify me.I would be so blessed.You are a breath of fresh air with reference to Catholism.I will hold you in my prayers. Peace and love- Ellen O'Brien

Iwish you a speedy return to good health Fr.McBrien. N.C.R is my truth food and I miss your significient contribution.God bless you.

"On the other hand, that final outpouring of justice and truth, of mercy and forgiveness, is also "coming toward" us, from God's side to our own. Our posture, therefore, should be one of hopeful expectation. But not of idle presumption."

Why not presumption? He doesn't give us a reason not to assume all will go well for us in the end! As matter of fact, from the above quote at the 'final outpouring of justice' is only one of hopeful expectation. Is hopeful presumption a possibility? How about idle expectation? It seems McBrien is suggesting that Advent is a generic religious season that all humanity can partake in without any necessary allegiance to Christ or Christ's Church. In fact, it would seem that this hopeful expectation is a natural gift God gives to all whether or not one has faith in Him. Hmm. Seems like a presumptuous suggestion that cannot be found anywhere in Scripture or the Catholic faith. Perhaps it's to be found in McBrien's neo-Rahnerian inclusvistic religionless religion. I'm betting that the final outpouring "coming toward" us in McBrien's religion does not occur after death but conveniently and firmly takes place in this life. Hmm. Hope the return to health heals some of that presumption and replaces it with some good old-fashioned faith and hope in the living God.

I appreciate that Fr. McBrien mentioned the Eucharist. May God have mercy on him, and heal him bodily if it is His Will.